Winter Wonderland set for 10th edition

A new venue, door prizes, and new trees are only a few of the things to look forward to for this year’s 10th edition of Karonhiaráhstha’s Winter Wonderland.

“It’s a little bit overwhelming. It was very small when we started our first year,” said Carla Skye, board member of the Kateri Memorial Foundation (KMF) and co-founder of the event with Iohahiio Delisle.

Ten years ago, their daughter - whom the fundraiser is named after - tragically passed away during a vacation in St. Martin.

“It goes to show what an amazing community we have to get this big in 10 years. It’s not something I expected. I didn’t even know if we were going to have a year two,” said Skye.

“It does really symbolize to me the overall emotional connection that the community has when it comes to addressing a family’s acute care needs in time of crisis,” said Delisle.

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief said that this time of year is difficult for Carla and himself. But, to see the community come together and give back has been a “silver lining.”

“Through the grieving process, it was the initiative and the community that really helped us get through this,” said Delisle.

This year, the fundraising has opened to all post-secondary education initiatives, not just in health studies. It will also continue to go to initiatives such as the Kateri Food Basket, addiction support, parenting bereavement support, and CPR training.

The Wonderland will officially open on Saturday, November 16, with a two-hour “inclusion entry” in collaboration with Connecting Horizon, where those who wish to visit the displays in an accessible and sensory friendly way can do so.

This year, Winter Wonderland will be taking place at Playground Poker.

Emily Kane, events coordinator for KMF, said that the space was provided by the Playground Cares initiative, after they needed to look for an alternative to the Knights of Columbus after the recently reversed decision to close the building to events.

Twenty-one trees will be featured this year, including six memorial trees and five put up by new participants.

“We don’t even know what they’re going to be. It’s so exciting,” said Kane. “They give us a theme, and I asked, well, what is it going to be like?’ and they’re saying, ‘you’ll see!’”

For the 10th anniversary, 10 businesses in town each donated $1,000, for a thematically appropriate $10,000 in door prizes being given out.

“We decided that for the 10th one, we wanted to do something special, so it all worked out,” said Kane.

Along with the door prizes, a half-and-half that has raised tens of thousands of dollars in past editions as well as opportunities to win Golden Tickets for the KMF’s St. Patrick’s Day draw will also be available.

Ticket proceeds for a chance to win each tree will go to the fundraiser, with the draw being broadcast live over Facebook on Saturday, November 23, by emcee Paul Graif of K1037 Radio.

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