November 23rd, 2019 marked a magical event – Neil Squire’s Winter Wonderland Princess Ball, hosted by our Prairie Regional Office. This is the first year we hosted the event and it was a resounding success.
Volunteer estheticians from began offering hair and makeup before the Ball started. Each little princess was gifted a shimmery new crown that was woven into their new ‘princess’ hairdo.
At 10 am, the gasp was audible as the 10 Princes and Princesses from entered the room. The children were speechless as their storybook favorites entered the space. The Princes and Princesses mingled with the children, taking time to speak to each child, maintaining their characters perfectly. Questions such as “Where do you keep your couch, Elsa?” could be heard from tiny voices throughout the room. Soon, story time commenced and Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa gathered all the children to hear the story of Olaf’s Christmas.
The children returned to their tables with their caregivers or parents and were served chicken fingers and french fries. A Prince or Princess was seated at each table to give the children ample time to meet their magical friends.
After the meal, it was time for the performances. Each Prince and Princess sang their signature songs while the others danced with the attendees. The smiles were endless as the children gazed adoringly at their dance partners. The entertainment lasted for an hour and a half and was followed by all the Princes and Princesses posing with each child or family to capture the exciting memories of this event.
Offered throughout the event were hair and makeup by the volunteer estheticians, as well as face painting by volunteer Kristen from . “”, a well-known broadcaster from CJME radio, also volunteered his time as our Master of Ceremonies. donated part of the décor for the event and the offered their ballroom for no charge for the event. Neil Neufeld from personally donated $750 towards a table for children with disabilities from low-income homes and their caregivers. A group of five students from the raised funds to do the same and also volunteered their time for the event. So in total, 20 seats were purchased and generously donated.
Donated raffle prizes totaling over $2,300 were on display, with handmade ‘yip yips’ placed at child height so the children could put their purchased raffle tickets into the ones their parents most wanted to win. 50/50 tickets were also sold throughout and the winner received $140 at the end of the event. At the end of the three-hour event, each child left with a fun-filled treat bag and a happy smile on their faces.
Photography was provided by Tenesha Kapell. Parents can email nsprincessballphotos@gmail.com (opens in a new window) with a short email describing who they are and what they and their child were wearing so the photographer can send the correct pictures free of charge.
Look for this event again in November 2020 – register early as the tickets go fast!
Big thanks to all of our sponsors and volunteers for making our inaugural Winter Wonderland Princess Ball such a success!
This is only a selection of the photos. View more photos on our .