Two Bollywood-themed Ladies Night events in support of the Canadian Cancer Society have raised $1000 for the charity.
The Saheli Boutique in Parksville was transformed into Indian bazaar for two nights, one on October 13 and another on October 18 in support of the fight against cancer.
Gurdeep Nagra, owner of the shop, said they had a great turnout for both nights and she would like to host more events like it in the near future.
“It was fabulous. People in the community need something like this and we had fun … it was magical.”
Nagra said she decided to host the events as a fun way to give back to the community and also as a way to introduce some Indian culture into the Oceanside area.
Nagra who was born in India moved to Canada when she was just two and a half years old but she said her ethnicity is a a big part of who she is and she wanted to share that with people.
Nagra along with staff members and volunteers dressed in traditional Indian attire to add some Bollywood flare to the events.
She said she chose cancer as her charity because it has hit close to home with her sister being taken by the disease in 2004 and she thought her store would make a great location for a fundraiser.
The events proved to be popular with ticket sales generating $930 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Nagra said she topped up the amount to make it an even $1,000.
The evenings included exclusive shopping, mini makeovers by staff from the Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio, ethnic food from Amrikko’s Restaurant, creative delights from the Coastal Cake Company and fabulous door prizes.
Nagra said she received positive feedback from those who attended and would like to do something similar in February to recognize World Cancer Day.
February 4 marks World Cancer Day, a global observance that helps raise people’s awareness of cancer and how to prevent, detect or treat it.
The World Health Organization reports that cancer is a leading cause of death around the world and estimates that 84 million people will die between 2005 and 2015 without intervention.
Nagra’s younger sister has been growing her hair for seven years now and plans to cut between nine and ten inches off and donate it to Locks of Love which makes wigs for cancer patients.
“We want to do something in honor of our sister,” said Nagra.
reporter@pqbnews.com