Nova Vita Brant is inviting the public to attend the second annual Blooms of Hope fundraiser at the River’s Edge at the Arlington on Sunday May 31, 2026.
Jessica Powless, Fundraising and Events Manager for Nova Vita, described the event as an interactive high-tea experience.
“Our participants will be served a high-tea style lunch with a bouquet building workshop built into it. There’s also some really fun games like our Tea Cup Toss, as well as some really great prizes for them to win at the penny sale and silent auction tables. We’re also going to have a fascinator station set up this year too so it’s going to be a lot of fun,” she said. “The food and service at the River’s Edge is just phenomenal and we’re so excited to bring the event back there this year. There’s going to be your choice of tea, but there will be coffee and juice served as well. Of course, we’re going to have little finger sandwiches, tarts, pastries, fresh fruits and all of that good stuff so we’re looking forward to it.”
Powless said that not only is it an overall experience, but that there will be an education aspect to it as well.
“We do a B.L.O.S.S.O.M. presentation as part of the event so people get to hear our public educator Tianna speak, and she talks them through how to respond if someone is in an abusive relationship,” she said. “It’s important to know how to respond if a friend or a family member is going through something and we want to make sure that they feel supported and that they can come to you. So Tianna will be offering some really great tips and opportunities to learn more about Nova Vita services and where to find other supports in the community. I think if you’ve never been through something like that, or if you don’t have that knowledge, sometimes it can be hard to know where to start, so she gets you on that right path.”
Powless continued, “It’s great because B.L.O.S.S.O.M. is actually based on the same training that our staff and volunteers get here at Nova Vita, and we do that because we want everybody to have access to that information. A lot of times people don’t go through the official channels when they’re going through something. Sometimes, instead of calling the police or seeing a doctor first, people will talk to their friends or family, so this is great at showing how you can support them.”
With this being one of three of Nova Vita’s major fundraisers of the year, proceeds from the event will go back to supporting the organization’s various programs and services.
Noting that the event is open for youth between the ages of ten and 17, as well as adults 18 and over, Powless said the presentation is tailored to be mindful of the younger age group, while still addressing what a healthy relationship looks like.
“We do pay special attention when we have a youth ticket, and that’s why the age is between ten and 17,” she said. “We like to be very mindful that there are some things that we will be discussing that might not be appropriate for anyone under the age of ten. With that said, we always tailor our presentation to be mindful of that age group as well.”
Powless went on to say she and the rest of the team are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the event.
“We are so excited to bring this event back to the County,” said Powless. “We service both Brantford and Brant County and this is just a really, really great outreach opportunity to show those residents that Nova Vita is there for them too.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
