Hollie Smith dazzled the crowd with a breath-taking performance at this year’s gold-themed Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) Red Shoe Ball on Tuesday the 15th of November.
The Red Shoe Ball played host to 500 of RMHC’s largest corporate supporters, which included many Ray White offices. With the help of Hollie’s golden voice, as well as the golden voice of Auctioneer Wayne Maguire from Ray White Mission Bay, the event was able to break all records from previous years and raise just over $200,000 for the charity.
Corporate Partnership Manager, Dominique Cornille said, ‘Wayne was an absolute star – he worked the room and engaged the audience with finesse, and really helped us smash our fundraising target. We’re so incredibly grateful to him for his ongoing support”.
The soulful star, Hollie, performed fresh tracks from her brand new album, rather fittingly titled, Water or Gold. As an iconic Kiwi singer at the height of her career, Hollie was the perfect person to champion a cause which acts to support thousands of New Zealand’s families each year.
Hollie is a proud supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and this week she visited the families staying at the Auckland House; this being a welcomed distraction for the families who spend most of their time focusing on their children’s recovery.
Roanne Hautapu understands what these families are going through all too well. She bravely shared her family’s story with the guests at the Red Shoe Ball. The Hautapu family first stayed at Ronald McDonald House in 2013 when it was discovered that their daughter Quinn, aged 7 at the time, had a brain tumour and required specialist treatment immediately. The family’s first stay lasted over seven months and they have had to visit several times since.
Ray White New Zealand are proud to support RMHC, they are the country’s leading family charity and take care of more than 3,700 of New Zealand’s families each year. Ronald McDonald Houses endeavour to strengthen Kiwi families who are away from home with a hospitalised child, by ensuring they can remain together through the provision of free accommodation and support services. When a family faces the weight of a child’s illness, the best thing they can do is face it together. Because families are stronger together.