Our Past Events

2022

The Purple Ball 2022 marked a joyous and memorable occasion as it was the first event held after the challenging period of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hosted at the exquisite Mount Nelson, the evening was filled with elegance, glamour, and a shared commitment to making a difference in the lives of children and families supported by Iris House Children’s Hospice.

The event brought together a diverse and compassionate community, all united in their support for Iris House. The attendees exuded a sense of excitement and anticipation for the evening ahead. From the moment they arrived, they were treated to a captivating atmosphere and an array of delightful surprises.

One of the highlights of the Purple Ball 2022 was the philanthropic spirit that filled the room. Through the generosity and kindness of the attendees, a remarkable amount of R210,000.00 was raised to support the invaluable work of Iris House Children’s Hospice. These funds will play a vital role in providing essential care, support, and respite services to children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

The event created a profound sense of unity and purpose, reinforcing the importance of community support in transforming lives. Attendees left with a deep sense of fulfillment, knowing that their contributions would make a significant difference in the lives of those most in need.

The Purple Ball 2022 was not only a celebration but also a testament to the resilience and determination of Iris House Children’s Hospice and its supporters. It demonstrated that even in challenging times, the power of compassion and collective action can create positive change.

As the first event held after the Covid-19 pandemic, the Purple Ball 2022 at Mount Nelson will be remembered as a symbol of hope, strength, and the unwavering commitment to improving the lives of children and families supported by Iris House Children’s Hospice.

2019

An evening marked by elegance and heart, the Iris House Devere Acuma Purple Ball proved to be the most extraordinary show of generosity the charity has experienced. It was the tangible sense of magnanimity that filled the ballroom, together with the superb quality items that saw the auction alone raising over R500 000. The magnanimity only grew as impassioned Founder, Sue van der Linde presented three projects of significant importance to the wellbeing of families served and the growth of the charity. Guests were invited to sponsor these projects which include the re-tarring of the Hospice driveway which will provide beneficiaries safe access to hospice facilities, installation of air-conditioning throughout the Hospice which will assist with body temperature regulation and allergy control, and a Legacy Project that sees the building of an Occupational Therapy and Aqua Therapy room at the Hospice.

Inspired by her vision, the display of interest in supporting these projects together with the funds raised through a successful auction will ensure that Iris House achieves its goal of raising enough funds to meet the growing demand for its essential services across the Western Cape.

Both the rebuild of the main driveway and the airconditioning for the hospice has been realized.

2018

Sadly 2018 was the final year we hosted the Purple Ball at the wonderful Table Bay Hotel, we had simply outgrown the ballroom. It was also the final year that Premier Helen Zille was our guest of honor. The evening was a spectacular success, event sponsor de Vere Acuma were extremely generous and sponsored the entire cost of the ball. Meaning that 100% of the profit from the evening reached Iris House. The evening raised just over R500 000 for Iris House Children’s Hospice. Highlights included a beautiful flower wall, reception entertainment from the amazing Carol Thorns (The lady in the bubble), as well as a performance by Jarrad Ricketts and DJ Rene. VIP guests included The long term supporter Jan Braai, Mr. Analjit Sing and his lovely partner Nicolett, Minister Alan Winde, and his beautiful wife Tracy, and Barbara Lenhard.

2017

Every year our Grand Ball just seems to get better and better, This year’s Crystal theme was beautifully carried through the whole event even including our guest’s complimentary gifts of a Crystal pen sponsored by Jack Friedman. Our auction items and auctioneer Stef were world-class, and included art pieces and a Tag Hauer watch from new sponsor Top Watch. We beat all previous records and raised over R750 000 on the night. Special guests included Gavin Smith CEO of our sponsors the de Vere Acuma group, Minister Alan Winde, Tim Harris CEO of Wesgro Miss SA, Mr. SA, Jan Braai, and Iris House super supporter Craig Capper. It was a truly magical evening. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this event the success it was. A special thank you to Boutique Styling who’s a unique brand of magic made sure our event sparkled.

2016

Iris House – de Vere Acuma Great Gatsby Ball

On the 27th of August, Iris House hosted their fifth annual Grand Ball; The spectacular Gatsby themed annual fundraiser ball held at the Table Bay Hotel was a huge success and raised R220 000 for much-needed running costs. We were privileged to have the leader of the official opposition party of South Africa, Mr Mmusi Maimane as our guest speaker

2015

Our Grand Ball is in it’s 4th year and remains the highlight of our fundraising calendar. This year was very special as the De Vere Group South Africa came on board as our event sponsor. We were honoured to have Premier Helen Zille as our guest speaker, as well as VIP guest’s Minister Alan Winde,The FW de Klerk Foundation, Jan Braai and Doctor Darren Green. MC Danilo Acquisto was wonderful as was our amazing line up of entertainment including Zoe and Friends, DJ Rene, Afrodizzyacts, The Oyster King, Belly Dancers, Poi Dancers and more. The evening raised an amazing R310,000.00 in donations and gifts in kind. A special thank you to the Enov8 Team for their fabulous event organising skills and the Table Bay Hotel for hosting our guest in such style. Next years ball will be held on the 27th of August 2016 and has a Great Gatsby Theme.

2014

This year’s Parisian Winter Wonderland Ball held on the 23rd of August at the Table Bay Hotel raised the bar on the standard of our biggest event of the year by a mile. Event Management specialist’s EnOv8 Events took on the organizing of the Ball pro bono and pulled off an evening of glamour and fantastic entertainment. MC / Auctioneer Danilo made sure the evening went off without a hitch. Entertainment from soulful singer Phoenix and DJ King “DJ Rene“, The Oyster King and the wonderful Dance Xtreme dancers ensured everyone had a wonderful time. Premier Helen Zille was in attendance, as was Tim Harris (the sexiest man in politics) MEC Alan Winde and Mr David Steward of the FW de Klerk Foundation. Premier pledged R20,000.00 towards the repairs of our new building as did the FW de Klerk Foundation. New guests at the Ball, The De Vere Group stunned the audience with their generosity and pledged an eye-popping R40,000.00. In total after all expenses were paid Iris House raised R104,000.00 on the night.

2013

The 2nd annual Iris House Vega Ball was held on Saturday the 17th of August at the Table Bay Hotel. The evening was a huge success with several of our family’s joining us on the evening. What was really fantastic was the amount of people who “paid it forward” paying the ticket price for some of our of less fortunate family’s to attend. A long term supporter of Iris House Susan Bohler sponsored 4 of our Mfuleni families to attend two of our own families Deborah Calitz and Justine Quinn both sponsored families. Thank you so much for your generous gesture ! The evening was Mc’d by the wonderful Danilo of Hectic Nine 9 fame, entertainment was in the form of Barbara Kleinpenning who wowed our guest with her talented piano playing , Charles Summerfield and the URJ, our very own Robin “Elvis”, Magician Marcel Oudejans and the wonderful dancers from Dance Xtreme led by another one of our Moms, Michelle. The auction was conducted by our director Gavin Robinson who despite having just come out of hospital did us proud. Our guest speaker was Western Cape Premier Helen Zille who delivered a moving speech and reinforced her support of Iris House. A huge thank you everyone involved in the Ball, our Fantastic Fundraising Team, David Fisher (photographer), Steve (Video), Sam and Lee Ann of Crimson Edge events, Maureen Summerfield, Tracy Winde and everyone mentioned above. We made R24,000.00 profit from the evening, compared to R8000 in 2012.

2012

Our Masked Ball committee pulled out all the stops and pulled off what can only be described as a wonderful evening. The premier Helen Zille spoke from the heart and is well aware of the need for our services, during her speech she mentioned that the tragedy was not the Children in the care of Iris House but those we have not reached yet. It reminded us all just how much work we still have to do. Our MC for the evening Dan Skinstad was in a word “amazing” For those who don’t know Dan was born with Cerebral Palsy and has overcome so many obstacles in his life, a true inspiration. A big thank you to Michelle “Julia’s Mom” for bringing her talented dancers to perform for us. Total raised was R8000