Submitted by OPAL

In response to this year’s need for social distancing, OPAL will hold its annual benefit Gala online and expand the event to four days.

OPAL Gala2020 will begin at noon on Saturday, June 27, and end at midnight on Tuesday, June 30. The community is invited to participate by going to the OPAL website www.opalclt.org/gala2020 — as many times as they like during that period.

“We’re excited to connect with our supporters and the Orcas community in this new, expanded way. We’ve never had a multiple-day Gala – it’s something different and fun,” explained OPAL Outreach Manager Judy Whiting.

OPAL’s online event will include multiple videos and the opportunity to “raise your paddle” in support of affordable housing on Orcas. Participants in the “No-Dash Dessert Dash” will have a chance to enjoy a delicious dessert made by some of the island’s best bakers.

The videos will include a special update on OPAL activities from Executive Director Lisa Byers and a tour of the new April’s Grove neighborhood of rental townhomes, created by Erin and Emily Bennett of Orcas Video.

OPAL’s annual Gala is its largest fundraising event of the year, providing a third of the donations needed to support its work. The goal for this year’s virtual Gala is to raise $100,000 by June 30 at midnight.

Incorporated in 1989, OPAL provides housing for 135 rental and ownership households on Orcas Island.