Angel Ball!

hi everyone

its 'angel ball' time...

we had a great night...and the feedback we have received has been extremely positive and thoughts are turning to next year's event and how to make it bigger and better (well, those are the requests on the street!)...a massive thanks to all the BLA who helped bring the ball to life...but more on that later!

unfortunately, i didnt take my camera on the evening, and i only have 1 piccie available at the moment! We will wait until nat downloads hers so i can put a few up!



lots and lots of organising, but we raised about $6,400 and with extra donations (thanks YARRI, Mel and nan olive), we made just under $7,500 for Angel Flight! YAY...we are looking forward to handing over the cheque to such a great cause. Because everything we organised was donated, we were able to commit every cent earned to Angel Flight...we were absolutely stoked to be able to do that...massive thanks to all the businesses who donated to make it possible!



The raffles on the night (massive) were sold through an 'honesty' system, so that all members of the BLA were not tied down to a table...it worked really effectively and it set a really nice scene for the evening..
we also invited Duncan Malcolm (a local gippsland identity) to host the evening and heard a presentation by Tom Courtney (our first Angel Flight pilot). Tom did a fantastic job outlining the great work angel flight does for regions. Pete and i got up and had a chat (will type the speech next) and we introduced Eli to the crowd through the dvd we played at his celebration. We were seriously just so proud of Eli, and it felt wonderful to be able to introduce him to everyone who may of heard something about him. We felt that it also helped bring Angel Flight to life for a few people and how they had a massive impact on us. I think this helped with making the night a success.

The SIMPSON Speech
We would like to start the evening with an acknowledgment to all the parents who have lost a child. We are members of an exclusive club that no-one ever wants to be a part of, but take solace in the fact that we know we are not alone. Our thoughts are with you.

Tonite, we are hear to raise money for a charity that is extremely close to our hearts, Angel Flight. It is 1 of 3 charities that has helped us in a way that made life easy in an otherwise difficult and challenging world.
Eli Charlie Simpson was born on 28 September 07 here in Bairnsdale. Eli was just 15 weeks old when he was diagnosed with JMML - a disease that affects just four in a million kids worldwide.
The prognosis was an 80% chance of survival if he got through a Bone Marrow Transplant. Chemo was not curative for Eli's condition - just something that would keep him alive while waiting for a transplant. Eli received his 2 rounds of chemo in March and April 08, had his spleen removed in May and a Bone Marrow Transplant on 5th June. Due to complications, we lost Eli in November last year. Eli was just 13 and a half months old.
So...where does Angel Flight fit into this picture?
When Eli was first diagnosed, there was a requirement to travel to Melbourne every Monday for a series of blood tests and an oncology appointment-initially at Monash in Clayton and then to the Royal Childrens Hospital.
Every sunday we would pack our car and hit the road, stay overnight, do the appointment and be home around 11pm-12am Monday night. WE made a commitment to ourselves that we would start this as a family and finish it as a family. Travel became tiring!
A social worker mentioned that we may be eligible for an 'angel flight' something we had never heard of before, nor coule believe that they would fly to Lakes to pick up our family and get us to and from Melbourne in 1 day. Well, they did, 6 times in all. A 40-45 hr turnaround became an 8hr day and a huge difference to our son and the wellbeing of our family.
So from the Simpsons to angel flight - thank you.
We hold our angel ball tonight to help you guys help families like ours in the regions. Im sure you know what a difference a plane ride can make in situations like these. So we urge all of you to spread the word about angel flight and you can call on us anytime to chat about this wonderful organisation.
For those that dont know, Tom Courtney was our first Angel Flight pilot and one who conducted himself in an extremely warm and loving manner. It is wonderful to catch up with you again tonight Tom and you and the other pilots will always have a special place in our hearts.
Speaking of thanks, on behalf of Pete and I, we would like to run through a few thanks before we settle into the evening.
A massive thanks to Belinda, Donna, Natalie, Yas and Leona (the BLA) for helping us bring the concept of this night together. Those girls were with me and Eli at a pool party the day i got the call to say Eli had leukaemia. Apart from being with Pete, which i couldnt be on the day, i couldnt think of a better place to be to get the news i did. It was a burden no one should have to carry-but you all did it with immense courage and for that, we thankyou. We know first hand that it was not easy.

We would also like to say thanks to Marnie and Ange and everyone else who helped sell raffle tickets for us and together we are all extremely proud to call ourselves 'earth angels'.

thanks to Duncan Malcolm for being our MC and Tom Courtney for providing a valuable insight to this wonderful organisation we know as Angel Flight, you really do make a difference.

Thanks to the Bairnsdale RSL for helping a gaggle of women with an idea of holding a ball become a reality.

thanks also to Bin 44 and Impact for generously donating your time to provide us with our live entertainment for the evening. Im sure we all look forward to putting on our dancing shoes to have a groove.
Thanks to every one of our sponsors who so generously donated gifts to raffle off tonite. Over $4000 was donated, an overwhelming response for the business community in such tough times. Please take the time to look at our sponsor board throughout the evening. Your donations have allowed us to ensure that EVERY cent raised goes directly to Angel Flight.

Thanks also to those businesses who provided some window space to display our posters.

A thanks must also be given to all the local newspapers, radio and TV stations who provided advertising for our ball free of charge. I think this is a wonderful reflection of the work Angel Flight do and i hope in some way we have been able to help raise your profile in the Gippsland community.
Thanks also to the businesses and artists who kindly donated the decorations for tonite's ball - again, all free of charge but certainly helps create an 'atmosphere' for the night.

Thanks to all our work colleagues, family and friends who were able to make it here tonight including Eli's wamma from WA. Without your continued support, we would never be here today.

Thanks in advance for all of YOU for helping us make this angel ball happen. I hope you enjoy your evening as much as we will. Its been a long time coming and we hope to make it an annual event on the calender.

Finally, we would like to thank our son Eli Charlie Simpson for his strength and inspiration. He is, and will continue to be the reason we get up in the morning and try and live every day to its fullest.
Our friend Leona wrote some beautiful worlds we would like to share with you now...
"In memory of a child whose short life had an everlasting impact. His message is clear: let go of the things that do not matter, have the courage and determination to change things for the better and trust in those you love. An inspiration to all."

We would now like to introduce you to Eli, and hopefully it provides you with some lovely memories you can also take away from the night.
PLAYED DVD...
Thanks again for turning out, we hope you have a great night and you end up lucky (in more ways than 1!) THANKYOU!


Righteo..enough of my banter...i just thought i would share it with you all...coz it really was a great night...for those that feel the urge to donate to angel flight...just pop onto their website...www.angelflight.org.au. You can do it memory of Eli if you like...
anyways...will scoot for now..and hopefully i can get on later in the week and update our garden (It looks fantastic!)..

luv and hugs
the simpsons
xox

PS...happy mothers day to all those wonderful mums out there...and our heartfelt thoughts are with those mums ANYWHERE who have lost a child. All i can say is that we feel your pain. xox may the memories of your loved ones make your heart sing.