Patrick and Julie McLennan of Waitomo at the Enrich+ ball. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
It might have been a celebration for the clients but staff and care workers from Waikato-King Country disability organisation Enrich Plus had a ball too.
The second Client Celebration Ball was held on Friday night in the Cambridge Town Hall and the theme Prince and Princess gave plenty of scope for creativity.
More than 200 clients from Ōtorohanga, Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Hamilton, Tauranga bopped to the beat of DJ Spin Daniel Cox in costumes which must have tested the stock in various Op Shops around the region.
The big announcement of the night was for King and Queen of the Ball. It was a close thing for the men – Zane Johnson won but had left by the time the announcement was made.
Huge cheers erupted when Maddison Gay won the Queen of the Ball. Her family, including mother Tracey Gay, had excelled themselves creating a carriage – complete with two horses – built around her wheelchair for their princess.
Ian Cotterell was there too – he is an original client from the 1990s when Enrich Plus, then known as Gracelands Community Trust – was founded following the closure of Tokanui.
Team leader Ngawai Hamblin said the night was a huge success and very well received by clients, whānau and Enrich Plus staff.
“Everyone had such a great time and the venue was perfect for the theme,” she said.
Interim chief executive Janne Nottage thanked staff for their contributions saying they not only supported the clients by dressing up but their “creativity and enthusiasm made this event a huge success.”
Awards were given to:
King and Queen of the ball: Zane Johnson and Maddison Gay; best dressed: Leanne Cummins, Bruce Corin, Claire Van der Goes, Naomi Bertrand. Best dancers: William Pett, Matthew Shirley, Luisa Paletua, Abshir Khalif, Peter Crawford. Best dressed staff members: Jo and Tim Barclay, Patrick and Julie McLennan, Deannah Potaka, Kim Potroz.
