Lifestyle Blog
Fighting the fight my mother couldn't, so other woman don't have to. Lessons from nearly two decades with the crystal gala
Mission & Vision of Crystal Gala
Since 1999, our committee of volunteers has met around a kitchen table. We are a passionate group of women, supported by an army of sponsors and donors, individuals, and businesses. Our doers and dreamers come together to raise funds to benefit local men and women fighting and living with breast cancer.
Being relevant and understanding patients’ needs and the medical staff who treat them has been paramount, and remains our key priority. With the support of our generous partners and guests, we have raised over 3.2 million dollars to fund equipment, technology, and research projects that support early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
Decades Volunteering with Breast Cancer
I've spent decades now volunteering and supporting the fight against breast cancer with the Crystal Gala. Two decades alongside a team of women who rallied the community and local businesses to support this cause.
Just volunteering gives you so much work experience and you learn so much. Just how to work within the companies without going to work.
HOW DID I FIND THE CRYSTAL GALA?
I moved to Abbotsford after Sat and I were married and I had mentioned to my husband that I wanted to volunteer and get involved with something that was dear to my heart and related to breast cancer. I thought of this because my mom passed away from breast cancer when I was a teenager. And the funny thing is he got an invitation from a friend in the early 2000s. And then the next year also, we actually bought the tickets and actually volunteered, not on the committee, just to volunteer to help them put together the event.
NO OVERHEAD, NO OFFICE, NO FLUFF
Volunteer driven. There are no overhead costs. You just show up and lend a helping hand after you go through the interview process to make sure it’s a fit for everyone. I was young and everybody was way older, I was still a rookie in my mid-twenties and four years later I joined the committee.
Volunteering is not about just going there and giving financially, if there's one thing you go and give your time alongside other peers, it's like running a board.
And it's interesting because you learn a lot. You learn how to network and there is a lot of self-learning because there's no agenda, and no training because it's volunteer oriented. So since then, it became my family and a part of my regular life.
You don't stick around for decades unless it has a cultural impact on you as well.
You get so much working with diverse individuals. Everybody brings their own strengths to the table, and we work on those strengths and we work on what needs to be done. To figure out your own strengths just to be honest.
The Truth Is I’d Rather Not Be Here
I wish non of us were on the Crystal Gala committee as I don't want anybody to die of cancer. That's the goal! I don't want anybody to be an orphan. I wish my mother didn’t have cancer, that she didn’t die from it. But it's not in our hands. It's just a nature of the disease and it’s out there.
People did not talk about cancer when I was 12 years old back in India. The first insight was that you could actually die and that came in my early teens when it happened.
Go get tested.
Science and technology have come a long way, please go test. This is why we all do this to find fund the best technology and research so you and your loved ones can live a fulfilling life.
You matter and the woman in your life matter. If you can support the cause you can check-out a link below.
Love,
Aman Gill
