Zoé4life's first Charity Gala
It's with stars in our eyes and warm hearts that we write these few lines.
Just over a week ago, we were in the final preparations for our very first Charity Gala. The pressure was on, as we didn't want to disappoint our audience.
We put so much strength and energy into it, and we hope we were able to touch every single person present that evening.
And yet, we would have had so many reasons to drop the Gala.
The COVID years forced us to postpone the event first once, then a second time. The date was finally set for May 20. Indeed, 2022 seemed to be the year of all possibilities after the two previous years, which had been very complicated for all concerned.
Unfortunately, in February, we were stopped dead in our tracks. War broke out in Ukraine. We decided to mobilize all our resources to find a way to pick up Ukrainian children with cancer, who were fleeing their country. On March 18, we flew to Poland on a plane provided by easyJet. We return with 16 children and their families. Then, for several weeks, our mission was to organize family reunions. You can watch the film of this human adventure here.
Then, in the midst of our search for sponsors for our Gala, we learn that the chosen date coincides with the GalaMax in Neuchâtel. What's more, the first evening of the LHC Foundation would take place the day before in Lausanne. Suffice to say, this was a major blow. Indeed, the entrepreneurs and individuals we had hoped to attract to our evening were already in great demand at that time.
So we've decided to move our event back to November 25.
In June, we received more bad news. Due to work they had to carry out, the Millennium would not be able to accommodate us as planned.
We spent three weeks looking for a new venue for our Gala. The conditions had to be :
- Available November 25
- Located in the Lausanne area
- Can accommodate around 200 people
- Featuring a stage
In the end, we'll find the venue in Pully!
Then we were met with skepticism from many people. They didn't think we were capable of organizing a Gala of this quality.
Yes, we would have had so many reasons to give up. Because alongside the organization of this event, there was our Day4life Festival, as well as all the projects we fund. Not to mention the day-to-day running of the association.
Just like when we're faced with our child's cancer, we don't give up. We fight and hold on.
That's what we did...
And many people have put their trust in us by supporting us with sponsorship, raffle or auction prizes, or by buying tickets.
This is how we were able to put on a top-quality show, thanks to the artists who committed themselves to our cause. Angie Ott, Lucie Nicolas, Sonia Mazza, Sophie de Quay and Christian Mukuna gave us a magnificent show. Our partner Audio light managed sound, lighting and visuals. Our ambassador Maïque Perez played his role to perfection as master of ceremonies. Timea Bacsinszky honored us with his presence and auctioned off several lots. The auction was hosted by Christian Mukuna and Maïque Perez, and drew plenty of laughter from the audience. Héritier traiteur treated us to a delicious meal. Our DJ EVEN7 PROJECT hosted the evening's music and after-party, and Elsa from By ElsaThe company gave us a magical decoration.
Together, we make this Gala an incredible event.
Everything we do throughout the year is only possible with your unstinting support. Offering a quality Gala to our audience was essential to us. A sort of token of respect.
The encouragement, the comforting words, the solidarity, but also the laughter and the tears, the looks and the hugs during this evening have confirmed our vision of Zoé4life. A small association that can do great things because it has surrounded itself with people who are as exceptional as they are essential to our daily lives.
The photos taken by Gabriel Lado and Manuel Santiso below will bear witness to this rich moment of sharing:
Photos - Gabriel Lado
Photos - Manel
Rest assured that we will continue our missions with a single goal in mind: to heal more and heal better!
We're already looking forward to offering a new Gala, probably in the first part of 2024, but until then, we hope to see you all again.
The Zoé4life team
