An evening of food, wine raises money for local charity

This past Saturday, the Business Women’s Network of Rainy River District held its third-annual charity ball at the Fort Frances Curling Club.
The event, which raised money for the local division of the Easter Seal Society, was attended by well over 100 people who were treated to an evening of Italian food, song, and dance.
Janis Lesko, organizer and chair of the event, was very pleased with the turnout and the response she got from those on hand.
“It was an absolutely wonderful night,” Lesko said Tuesday. “I felt really good about the whole thing and I think the women who are a part of our organization should be very proud of the work they did.”
With hanging grape vines, beautiful centerpieces, and Sinatra crooning in the background, BWN members transformed the curling club into a virtual Italian paradise.
“The whole evening seemed very warm and fuzzy,” Lesko remarked. “We did very well with the silent auction and we are hoping to have raised a nice amount for Easter Seals.”
Organizers are still tallying up the amount raised this year.
Raising $2,667 last year for the local branch of the charity, this year’s banquet never lost the focus of what the evening’s festivities were for.
In addition to a display of local children who are affiliated with Easter Seals, the banquet also gave guests the chance to donate a bit of their money and make a wish for some very ill children.
“We have a wishing well where people can toss in some change to help the children from Easter Seals,” Lesko said during a brief speech she gave Saturday evening.
“Any amount will be greatly appreciated and will stay in the community to help the children who need it,” she noted.
“It was a very positive night and everyone seemed to be very impressed with it,” Lesko said yesterday. “We had some wonderful performances from Borka’s dance studio and the food, which was catered by Nadine Johnson from the Curling Rock Cafe, was absolutely delicious.
“We are all very pleased with the whole event and we hope our guests had as good a time as we certainly did.”