Saskatoon's blooming generosity: recapping the YWCA flower farm fundraiser

Last night, women came together in support of women. It was a fundraising event for YWCA Saskatoon set in the stunning City Girl Flower Gardens and if you weren’t in attendance, I want to share a bit of the magic with you. Events like these see people and businesses step up to sponsor and they certainly deserve recognition! Also, a quick note that the silent auction is on until Sunday so check out the available auction items generously donated by Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Persephone Theatre, SaskTel Centre, D’Lish by Tish, Blondology, Dance Rootz, Inner Compass Academy, Sugispin, and West Edmonton Mall. Shoutout to LB Distillers who donated a basket for in-person bidding.

First, a little bit about what YWCA Saskatoon does and how your donation is put to work. Now, you might think of the building as a gym, camp destination, or daycare, and it does house all of those things. But their pillar is to support women, and that comes in the form of education… and a safe shelter. There are emergency beds and long-term, counceling and education-driven Turning Points residences at the YW and they are always full. So, so many women and their children would not otherwise have a safe place to sleep or live. Important, life-changing work goes on and while it’s unfair and sad that anyone should find themselves in a situation they have to run from, with help, women can and do rise from the ashes.

And it’s for that reason we came together. Chantelle, Owner of City Girl Flower Farm, donated a flower workshop where guests learned about the garden, how to assemble bouquets, and got a chance to pick and arrange their own work of natural art to take home.

Thrive Juice Co. was so kind to provide delicious juices for the mocktail bar. Thrive is a locally-owned restaurant in Riversdale focusing on cold-pressed juices, though I’ve gotta say their salads are where it’s at! As a vegetarian, Thrive is a go-to for me. AND they were so kind to lend me a cooler because these fresh juices do need to be kept refrigerated.

Saskatoon Co-op generously provided us mix, waters, napkins, and other important parts of the setup.

Photographer Emma Love gifted each guest a portrait in the flower fields and when people who claimed to hate getting their picture taken saw the back of her camera, there were several surprised exclaimations of “wow, that’s actually a good photo of me!”

That gallery right above is by Emma. See? She is GOOD. And, she’s just launched a new part to her business called Saskatoon Minis by Emma so do give that a peek.

Social media darling, farideh gifted a musical comedy set and hearing “Good Dad” live really lit people up. If attendees weren’t yet followers on Tiktok and Instagram, they sure are now. She’s funny, talented, and her set was so entertaining.

You might wonder, did we rent a speaker? And the answer is, we didn’t have to— musician SJ Kardash of Softlung (my brother) generously lent the speaker, mic, and cables.

Style & Graze gave us a generous discount on their beautiful food boxes. Their styling of food is always jaw-dropping!

A big thank-you to Councillor Troy Davies whose five hundred dollar donation to the event meant our food costs were totally covered and every single dollar of the ticket price went straight to YWCA Saskatoon. Incredible.

Photo by Emma Love

Also thanks to CEO of YWCA Saskatoon, Cara Bahr who came to share more about some exciting things going on within the organization (I’ll be able to share about that with you soon, too) and to all of the Board members who came out to support. Very meaningful.

Last, a thanks to my co-organizers, Meghan Johnson, Natasha Ford, and Breanne Chaben. It was such joy to see our event come to life and we appreciated everyone who bought a ticket and also those who showed extra support with a donation form!

Reminder that the silent auction is on until Sunday— it’s a great way you can contribute even after the event has ended. And if you’re looking for a fantastic philanthropic opportunity, please get in touch with me directly because I’d love to share something on the YWCA Saskatoon horizon that you can be a part of!

xo Maygen