Hello everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week! This year marks the return of all of our fundraising galas. I don’t know about you, but that certainly makes me happy! Three great events are returning this year, and we have a great new addition too. These events are not just for residents. All of you are invited and welcomed to attend. They are so much fun, so please consider attending one if you can. Here are all of the details…
Saturday, January 21st: Animal Care Center Gala
The Last Resort in Chocolate Hole will host this year’s ACC gala.I told you about this last month, but here is a little recap. The Animal Care Center is holding its first gala in three years, and it’s being held at a great new villa – The Last Resort. The event is scheduled for Saturday, January 21st. I will be there, and I hope you will be too! This is the ACC’s largest annual fundraising event.
Tickets to the ACC’s gala are $175 in advance and $200 at the door. They can be purchased in person at the ACC, St. John Hardware and Connections in Cruz Bay. Not currently on island? No worries! You can also purchase tickets by calling the ACC directly at 340-774-1625.
There will also be an online auction starting soon and ending the day of the gala. (I’ll keep you posted on it.) Items up for grabs will include boat trips, villa and hotel stays, gift certificates and more. There will be a silent auction at the gala, as well as a raffle and a great door prize. Click here to visit the Animal Care Center of St. John’s website.
February 4th: Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park Gala
La Vita in Peter Bay will host this year’s Friends of the Park gala.Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park is having its first in-person event for the first time since 2020, and it’s returning to the same beautiful home where the last event was held. This was the last gala I attended before Covid changed everything, and it was a lot of fun!
Friends of the Park annual gala is being held on Saturday, February 4th at La Vita in Peter Bay. The cost to attend is $275, and it’s a pretty swanky event. This is one island event that I actually put heels on for! The event always features a great raffle and live auction, as well as great food provided by a local chef and entertainment. This event is limited to 200 guests, so please get your tickets fast if you plan to attend. Not on island February 4th? No problem! You can still purchase raffle tickets online or register to participate in the auction. Click here to purchase tickets, to register to bid and for more information.
February 11th: Island Health and Wellness’ First-Ever Gala
ZoZo’s at Caneel Bay will host Island Health and Wellness’ first-ever gala.I am pretty excited about this one. Island Health and Wellness is holding its first-ever gala on Saturday, February 11th at ZoZo’s at Caneel Bay. This event will be Island Health and Wellness’ first fundraising event. It’s a great organization, and one that’s truly important to support. Island Health and Wellness offers free or low-cost health care to the island’s residents. It is rather difficult to obtain health insurance on St. John, so this is a much-needed organization.
Guests attending the event will don masks for the masquerade-themed gala, and will enjoy an evening of gourmet ZoZo’s food and drinks, and signature cocktails, and full bar followed by dancing underneath the stars at Caneel Bay beach.
There will be a limited number of tickets available for this intimate and special event. Island Health & Wellness encourages guests to purchase tickets early. VIP tickets feature a cocktail sunset sail aboard St. John’s famous Kekoa sailing catamaran before arriving at the ZoZo’s dock in style. Upon arrival, VIP ticket holders will join the rest of the gala guests.
Tickets can be purchased at www.islandhealthgala.com. General admission tickets are $350, VIP tickets are $500, and tables of eight are available for purchase to allow attendees the option to host a table/seating together for their group.
This important fundraising event will help Island Health & Wellness bridge the gap between what it costs to medically serve the St. John community and what patients actually pay. Island Health & Wellness opened its doors in 2017 and has provided over 9,000 appointments since then. The cost to patients is a set fee of $50 per visit, however, no care-seeker is turned away or denied services due to inability to pay. Island Health & Wellness subsidizes $400 on average for each appointment and provides over 2,000 visits per year. Click here to learn more about Island Health and Wellness.
March 4th: Gifft Hill Auction
Save the date for this one! There hasn’t been too much information released yet (to my knowledge) regarding Gifft Hill’s annual auction and event other than it is happening on Saturday, March 4th. The event is the private school’s largest annual fundraiser, and it is quite fun. The event typically features a silent auction, a very fun live auction and entertainment. A variety of restaurants provide food, as do students in the school’s food program. This is a fun and relatively casual event. Click this link to see the latest information.