Local community supporters Valaura Vedan and fiancé Vincent Jones are launching an ambitious fundraising campaign in support of the Central Okanagan Hospice Association’s Swinging with the Stars event.
Vince and Valaura—aka Team Vsquared—announced their $28K in 28 Days campaign which began on Feb. 1.
Much like it sounds, the duo are attempting to raise $28,000 in just 28 days, with all of the proceeds going to support the Central Okanagan Hospice Association.
“This campaign is definitely ambitious, but we think it’s a great way to get our community involved in a manageable way,” said Vedan.
“Essentially, we will be asking people to donate $40 each. We wanted to choose a figure that wasn’t going to be too much of a strain on our friend’s wallets but that would still make an impact for the Central Okanagan Hospice Association.”
Back in his native UK, Vincent Jones spent many hours in hospice as he visited with family receiving end of life care. His nana, Alice, was a particularly powerful figure in his life and Jones saw the profound impact that quality hospice care can have in a loved one’s final days.
“The Central Okanagan Hospice Association’s services touch so many lives and we are truly honoured to help raise funds and awareness for such an incredible cause,” said Jones. “We were both really interested to learn more about their bereavement services. The loss of a loved one is so hard to handle, and local programs that can help people in such a difficult time is something to be championed.”
Natasha Girard, executive director of the Central Okanagan Hospice Association, says it’s great to have such a passionate couple putting their efforts behind the organization.
“Not only are they the youngest couple ever to participate in Swinging with the Stars, they will also be the first couple to perform a tap number. Vince and Valara are eager to reach their 28K in 28 Days goal and we are cheering them on every step of the way. We know our generous community will get behind their campaign too,” she said.
Doing a tap dance is a challenging endeavour for the dancers.
“We’re very fond of classic Hollywood and musicals, so when we got the invitation to participate we were keen on the idea of tap dancing. However, I don’t think we realized quite how challenging it was going to be,” Jones laughed.
You can help Team VSquared in their support of Central Okanagan Hospice Association.
Donations to Team Vsquared can be made through the COHA Website: http://www.hospicecoha.org/dancers/valaura-vedan-vince-jones or by calling the COHA Office at 250.763.5511 Swinging with the Stars is Saturday March 18th.