Hope in the Inner City Gala.

by British Columbia
Categories: Feature
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The Salvation Army Vancouver Harbour Light’s dining hall was transformed for The Hope in the Inner City Gala on May 7th. The community was brought together to celebrate Harbour Light’s work in the DTES along with honouring both alumni and corporate life changer partners who contribute to making Harbour Light what it is to so many people.

Upon the arrival of gala, the feel of community was in the room as many mingled and placed their bids on silent auction items. Once in the dining area, each person took a tray similar to how clients within The Salvation Army Vancouver Harbour Light do on a daily basis and sat down with their meal as prepared by West Oak restaurant. 

With the room filled with smiles from our wonderful servers which consisted of clients that graciously volunteered their time for the evening, there was an inspiration surrounded within the air. Then, past client, Jay Kivell, took the stage and shared his story of hope.

Once Kivell shared his journey, the room rose in a standing ovation. Kivell was clearly an inspiration for each and every person within the room, as he overcame adversity in the most difficult circumstances.

“It was crazy hearing all these people standing up and applauding… and being sucked into my story, very nice. I’ve had about a dozen [clients from Harbour Light] come up and thank me. They’ve had similar stories and realized that they weren’t alone and said I’ve given them strength”, said Kivell.

The live auction commenced after the speech as generous donors contributed money to help Harbour Light continue to serve its clients and the community. The sense of hope is alive within the Downtown Eastside and The Hope In The Inner City Gala was just another indication as to how the community is continuing to grow together in a positive way.