IT'S A WRAP! Our 2021 Black Tie Ball a record-breaking night to remember

Saturday, May 15th, 6.30pm at The Star, Sydney.

We had been looking forward to this night for so long. Our annual Black Tie Gala Ball! The air was buzzing with excited anticipation for the glittering event that was about to unfold, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing to get to this point…

The week prior, the School for Life team heard the unfortunate announcement that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian decided to extend the Covid restrictions for another week, meaning the pre-dinner drinks and dance floor we had been promising for the two months leading up to our event was suddenly no longer. We kept our fingers crossed that no further restrictions would be put in place.

Thankfully, we were still able to proceed with our Gala Ball, historically our major fundraising event for the year, with just under 600 guests in attendance and a volunteer team of 60.

Having raised over $2.3 million since the event started, the bar was set high this year with the announcement that we were chasing $860K before the end of the financial year to start construction of a boarding facility for 300 boys in our high school, as well as enrol 320 students when the Ugandan 2021 academic year starts in August.

It was a big ask, but our supporters and guests did not disappoint, with this year’s event raising an absolutely phenomenal $700K net profit!

An incredible result that has set a new School for Life record of being the highest amount raised at any of our Black Tie Gala Balls to date. A result that would not have been achieved with out the amazing support of our guests, our Event Partners, our matched funding donors and of course, everyone who bought a raffle ticket, bid on a silent auction item or volunteered on the night.

The night was so amazing, we even got a mention in the Sydney Morning Herald the next day!

Here’s a quick run down of the highlights of the night…

This year’s Black Tie Ball started off with a bang! As guests started filling the main room, complimentary token in hand to sample the delightful gins on offer by our Cocktail Sponsor Manly Spirits Co, the stage was ablaze with colour and sound with a dynamic performance by the Samba Brazil troupe. The energetic opener bringing our event theme “Light up a life” literally to guests with a fire act lighting up the stage.

With the crowd fired up from the opening act, our wonderful co-MC’s, David Campbell OAM and Georgie Gardner, took to the stage to host the evening. Thank you again, David and Georgie for your continued support and hosting our Black Tie Ball once again!

The incredibly talented and extremely down-to-earth songstress Kasey Chambers, along with her equally talented guitarist, Brandon Dodd, were in attendance ready to wow the audience with their beautiful music during the dinner set.

It was an emotional, heart-filled performance with a back drop of images and footage captured during the duo’s visit to our schools in Uganda back in 2019. We are so grateful to both Kasey and Brandon for the love and support they have shown to our students, staff and our communities.

In a memorable moment that brought tears to the eyes of many guests, our inspiring CEO Annabelle Chauncy, graced the stage and asked each guest in the room to stand with her and light a candle. Each candle had a face of a child whose life was yet to be lit with the power of a quality education, an education which could change the course of their life and provide them with opportunities for a brighter future.

By standing and lighting a candle, each guest was signifying their commitment to help School for Life light up even more lives of children in Uganda, by donating to provide a quality education and unlocking the incredible potential of each child on each candle.

To add to this special moment, our CEO announced that a group of very big-hearted donors had pooled together $250K of matched funding for the event, meaning that for every donation made at the Ball, the impact would be doubled dollar for dollar. - Shout out to the Ted Dunn Foundation for generously donating $30K when the matched funding announcement was made!

Guests were also asked to sponsor a child to support them in their journey towards their wildest hopes and dreams. Many generous attendees answered this call, and for that we are so grateful. 

Our night was not complete without the high-spirited live auction, led by none other than Annabelle’s brother, James Chauncy from Pickles, one of our Diamond Sponsors for the event.

With James at the helm, our live auction raised $141K across 7 prize lots which included a 7-night stay at either of Soneva’s luxurious resorts in the Maldives or Thailand, to a $30K ad space donated by our Diamond Sponsors, JCDecaux.

Who could forget the epic bidding war that ensued with the $30K ad space?! It was indeed a spectacle and absolutely brilliant to watch. The eventual winner, Manly Spirits co-founder Vanessa Wilton, very generously offering just over $37K to purchase it. Thank you, Vanessa!

Our fundraising activities for the night weren’t complete without our Exclusive Raffle, our Champagne Raffle and of course, our silent auction.

This year our silent auction showcased over 110 amazing prizes and raised just over $110K, including some fantastic offerings from newcomers In2TheWild Tiny Holidays, Joe Bananas and Artwork by Ash Holmes.

We also just want to add a special thanks to our Exclusive Raffle major prize donor, Federal Group, for the incredible 4-night luxury Tasmanian getaway which included a 2-night all-inclusive stay at the award-winning Saffire Freycinet.

The night closed with the much-loved band Furnace and the Fundamentals taking to the stage to entertain the crowd and light up the “seated” dance floor. Even with the mandate that there was to be no dance floor, our guests still made do and enjoyed the performance.

We would like to extend a special thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors who made this amazing night possible. Particular mention goes to our Diamond Sponsors for the night, JCDecaux, Pickles and Montgomery Investment Management. Our Gold Sponsors, P.A.C Capital and Providence Solutions Australia, as well as our Silver Sponsors, the Boleyn Foundation and United Resource Management, for their continued generosity. 

Last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank you – our wonderful supporters – for your attendance at the Ball and your generous donations on the night. By giving the never-ending gift of education, you are providing School for Life’s students and their families the chance at a brighter future and opening up the door to a world of possibilities. Thank you!


PS: If you’d like to view the photos from the incredible night that was our 2021 Black Tie Gala Ball, click here. Many thanks to the talented Ascend Studios team and our volunteer photographers for capturing the night.

PPS: If you would like to be the first to hear about our Black Tie Ball in 2022 and receive an invitation before it is opened to the general public, please register your interest below.

Success Stories
Goretti

Sweet and shy Goretti lives with her aunt, uncle and cousins in a small house in the local village. When Goretti was younger, she moved in with her aunt and uncle because her parents could no longer look after her. She was one of our first students at Katuuso Primary, starting in 2011 when she was just 4 years old. Now, Goretti is in Senior One at Mbazzi High School, and is relishing the honour of being a high school student in her community - something that is taken for granted in Australia, but in Uganda, represents freedom and opportunity. Goretti also loves attending School for Life because she hopes to one day become a pilot in Uganda - a dream which she knows can only be reached with the help of a good education.

Violah

Violah has been at School for Life since since she was six years old. Sadly, Violah has experienced hardship no child should ever deal with. Her Dad passed away three years ago, leaving her Mum without the financial means to support her family - so she left Violah and her siblings with their elderly grandmother. Every day, Violah has to wake up at 5am to fetch water, cook meals and make sure that her younger sisters are properly looked after. Then she walks half an hour to get to school. Despite this adversity, Violah has flourished at school and has made many friends. She loves that School for Life is "helping me to build a future". After finishing school, Violah hopes to become a teacher to help other children.

Umar

Umar is one of our best performing students at Mbazzi Riverside High School - but life has not always been easy for Umar. His father abandoned the family in 2015, leaving his mother to struggle to support her five children on her own. School for Life has provided Umar with opportunities that may never else have eventuated for him. Umar begun his journey with School for Life at Katuuso Primary School, where his academic ability was quickly revealed. Now, he is a thriving member of our Senior 1 class and a formidable wing on the football team. With a love for mathematics, Umar is set on studying electronic engineering after finishing his senior studies - a goal which he is the first to admit is now within reach thanks to the skills and resources provided to him by School for Life.

Rose Nambooze

Rose is a 32‐year‐old single mother of one. She started working with SFL in 2013, after taking part in our tailoring training program. Prior to working with us, she was unemployed and living in her father's home helping to care for her father, who had cataracts, and his farm.
Thanks to her full time employment, Rose was able to save enough money to pay for an eye operation and restore her father's sight, allowing him to return to work as a mechanic. Now, Rose has moved into her own home and no longer relies on her father financially. 

Joseph

Joseph is one of our Special Needs teachers at Katuuso. After surviving a severe case of malaria at age four, he was left permanently deaf. He was raised by his single mother and attended a nursery school for the handicapped and later transferred to a school for the Deaf in Kampala. He eventually mastered sign language and pursued a university degree in education. Joseph decided to become a teacher so that he could give the gift of education to others who are hearing impaired.

Teddy Namatovu

Teddy is a participant in the Kumi Tailoring Program and four of her five children attend Katuuso Primary School. She and her husband farm two acres of land, which supplies fluctuating revenue. Participation in the Kumi Tailoring Project has secured income to reliably pay for school fees, nutritious meals and renovations to the family home. Teddy has gained a great deal of self-esteem from her ability to support her family and she takes pride in independently financing the education of all five children. Teddy has also been working on her numeracy and administration skills. She was appointed Treasurer of the tailoring group and will be responsible for keeping records of their savings.

Flaviah Nassaazi

Flaviah Nassaazi started working at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School in 2011. Prior to cooking at the school, she and her husband were subsistence farmers. They worked tirelessly for small yields and minimal income to support their family. Flaviah's cooking job not only enables her to pay school fees for her children, but she has also invested in a local barbershop business. She is now passing her cooking skills onto her eldest son Frank, who has also joined the school's cooking staff. Flaviah and her husband attend the adult literacy classes offered weekly at the school. Her English and reading have improved immensely, as well as her confidence.

Rachel

In 2010, Rachel began as a cleaner at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School. She was working to save money to study to be a teacher at University. Thanks to Barrie and Simone Goldsmith, her dream of studying came true and she is now fully qualified.