#CSIMonth: 5 For Change black-tie gala raises over R240k

This year the organisers chose to showcase Ikhaya Le Langa (Home of the Sun), Numeric, Sunshine Cinema, Dine With and Community Keepers as the beneficiaries of the proceeds raised by the event. View the image gallery here.

On the big night, Saturday, 15 July 2017, Cape Town was pouring with rain but that didn’t stop Capetonians from coming out dressed to the nines. Ladies showing off their gorgeous, flowing evening gowns and dashing men in tailored, black suits/tuxedos, all in support of a great cause. Arriving at Cape Town City Hall, guests were presented with Krone champagne and encouraged to meet the five charities that each had a stall set up in the reception area. All while nibbling on delicious canapés, ranging from oysters to deep-fried sushi and beef satay.

Enjoying some delicious #oysters at #5forchange black tie gala event at city hall tonight. Coverage on #Bizcommunity soon.

A post shared by Juanita Pienaar (@nitapita777) on Jul 15, 2017 at 11:12am PDT

There was ample opportunity to capture the experience as a photographer was standing by at a photo wall to take a picture of you and your partner and a photo booth was also available when we finally entered the main hall, beautifully decorated by event design company Something Different. We also got to sip on a variety of delicious cocktails by Belvedere Vodka. I chose a cherry cocktail that was surprisingly not that sweet, while my partner enjoyed a refreshing cucumber cocktail.

Comedian Siv Ngesi was the MC for the night and together with well-known auctioneer, David Murray, the pair auctioned off seven amazing items including a his and hers pampering package, a rugby and Hennessey package, a three-night holiday for eight people in a luxury beach house in Simon’s Town, a private four-course dinner party for 10 at Provisions, an exclusive Dom Pérignon, One&Only experience, a Café Caprice Tigresse yacht party and a Singita Game Reserve luxury safari.

Guests were also given the opportunity to purchase a number (for R100) on a prize wall, where you could stand the chance to win one of 50 prizes, including two morganite gemstones valued at R16,000. The gala was ended off with guests dancing the night away to the beat of music by The Kiffness and DJ West, who made sure everyone got on their feet to celebrate the end of a successful evening.

Over R240k was raised with additional fundraising efforts still under way. If you didn't get a chance to contribute to this year's beneficiaries, you can do so by clicking here. For more information on the charities, click on the links of the relevant organisations below.

• Ikhaya Le Langa (Home of the Sun) is a social enterprise helping to make Langa 'cleaner, greener and safer' in order to improve conditions for enterprise and creating jobs for its residents, particularly for its youth. This is made possible through tourism, enterprise and entrepreneur development and community partnerships. Click here for more information.
• The Numeric Teaching Academy (NTA) provides teaching fellowships for university graduates to train to become maths teachers. Students who apply and are accepted join a vibrant and friendly community of people who are passionate about maths education. To date, over 5,000 children have completed their year-long arithmetic and pre-algebra after-school program. Click here for more information.
• Sunshine Cinema addresses social and environmental challenges through community partnerships and through screening various types of dynamic educational, interactive content, and media training workshops. Since 2013 they have screened to over 8,000 direct audience members across Southern Africa. Click here for more information.
• Dine With is a platform that bridges the gap between townships and cities through hosting conversational dinners accompanied by African cuisine in different households. Since 2015, Dine With has hosted dinners in 102 township households and facilitated conversations on a range of issues for over 800 diverse guests. Click here for more information.
• Community Keepers aims to improve the social and emotional well-being of learners and create supportive school communities where learning and development can prosper. Community Keepers provides psychological and social services at schools through qualified professionals, including counsellors, psychologists and social workers. Click here for more information.

Visit the 5 For Change website for more information on future events or for details on next year's 5 For Change black tie gala fundraiser. Follow 5 For Change on the following social media platforms: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.