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Over 400 people graced the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr ballroom on Friday night for the Special Care Centre’s 3rd Annual Gala Dinner. Held as a fundraiser for the ‘Donate A Brick’ campaign, the night raised in excess of AED 1 Million, which will go towards building a much needed purpose built school for children with special needs in Abu Dhabi.
The SCC Gala Dinner, now a firm fixture on the Abu Dhabi social calendar, is one of the largest fund-raising initiatives for the ‘Donate A Brick’ campaign. Funds from this year’s dinner take the total raised by the Special Care Centre over the past three years, to AED 18 Million; getting closer to the overall goal of AED 25 Million.
“We are extremely pleased with the evening, we had great turnout of very kind and generous guests; the funds raised will help to ensure that ground is broken and construction will commence for the new premises this year,” said Reem Al Fahim, Vice Chairperson of the Special Care Centre and one of the event’s key organisers. “The Gala Dinner is organised as a chance for the community to have fun and support a worthwhile cause at the same time.”
Guests were treated to a circus themed evening that commenced on the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr’s Terrance with fire breathers and sky-high stilt walkers entertaining guests. The evening moved into the Fairmont’s state-of-the-art ballroom, where guests dined on a four-course meal and were kept entertained by host DJ Fadi from Radio 2. The evening’s auctions and raffles were a highlight, with donated dinners, flights, hotel stays, jewellery and even pictures painted by the students of the school.
Jeremy Parrish, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank UAE and a member of the event committee, reflected on the community participation, “The fundamental concept behind the Donate A Brick campaign is to build a school for the community, by the community; it was great to see how the business community in Abu Dhabi and the UAE really stepped up this year to embrace the aims and goals of the school, especially the ambitious yet urgently needed new school project."
The Special Care Centre fulfils a niche market in the community, providing education and therapy specifically for children with Special needs. The current facility is running at maximum capacity of 65 students from 16 difference nationalities, with over 100 children on the waiting list. The centre is heavily reliant on donations and fundraising for the day-to-day running of the school and to complete the expansion plans.
The top tier sponsors of this year’s SCC Gala Dinner included: Standard Chartered, Mubadala, CERT, NBAD, Al Fara’a, Etihad and the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr.
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