Champagne is a drink for special events, and on Thursday, DFH Real Estate is hosting a very special event of their own.
For the first time, DFH is putting on its Bubbles & Bites: Popping Corks for the Cure fundraiser at Marina Restaurant in Oak Bay, with all proceeds going to the B.C. Cancer Foundation. The fundraiser is in memory of DFH founder Dominic Francis Hanley, who got his start in real estate with Saanich Realty and died from cancer last year.
“[Before he died], he gave a generous donation to the B.C. Cancer Foundation, and they in turn wanted to do something for the family, so they named DFH Real Estate ambassadors of the foundation,” said Susan Dunn, managing broker at DFH Real Estate, noting that the fundraiser is a way to preserve Hanley’s memory while helping others fighting the same disease.
One of the features that sets the inaugural fundraiser apart from others is its Memory Bubble Wall, a way to commemorate people who have died from cancer, or to recognize people battling it.
“You buy a bubble, and inside, there’ll be a prize,” said Dunn. “By buying one of these bubbles for the memory wall, you can write the name of someone in your thoughts and in your heart – someone who’s maybe battling cancer at the moment or someone who’s passed from cancer.
“I’ve just lost two cousins to cancer in the last two weeks, so I’ll be buying a few of those bubbles.”
Dunn noted the fundraiser has a focus on immunotherapy, defined as treatment of disease by inducing, enhancing or suppressing an immune response. Money raised will go to the Deeley Research Centre in Victoria, which has made progress in researching the form of treatment.
Dr. Julian Lum of the B.C. Cancer Agency will be the evening’s keynote speaker, who is on the agency’s immunotherapy team.
In addition to bottle after bottle of sparkling wine, the fundraiser will tantalize your taste buds with small savoury plates from the Marina Restaurant’s award-winning chefs.
Dunn said DFH has high hopes for the fundraiser, and depending on how it goes Thursday, there could very well be one next year.
“We’re hoping to make this a yearly event,” she said. “Make it bigger and better.”
The festivities go from 7 to 10 p.m., with a live auction, a silent auction, a photo booth and other entertainment to tickle your fancy. The dress code calls for cocktail attire and tickets are $150 per person. To order tickets, go to bubblesandbites.ca.
