Kamatsiaqtut Help Line plans March 23 gala fundraiser

Singer Terrie Kusugak, shown here at last year’s Kamatsiaqtut gala fundraiser, will play again March 23 at the organization’s 2013 event. (FILE PHOTO)

If you would like to support the volunteer-run Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut Help Line, head over to their annual fundraiser this March 23 in Iqaluit.

For $80, you will make a donation to the organization and enjoy its gala dinner at the Frobisher Inn along with live entertainment by local talent, including the Jerry Cans, the Road to Nowhere Band and Terrie Kusugak.

Hip-hop dancers will also make an appearance early in the evening.

Since 1990, the Iqaluit-based Kamatsiaqtut Help Line has helped callers deal with depression, anger, loneliness and suicidal thoughts.

This year, Kamatsiaqtut celebrates 23 years of service to Nunavut, executive director Sheila Levy said.

“It should be a really fun and interesting evening,” she said, with prizes for draws and door prizes and a silent auction also part of evening’s line-up.

Alhough Kamatsiaqtut receives money from the Government of Nunavut, “it doesn’t cover the costs at all,” Levy said.

The service runs on a shoestring budget of about $100,000 a year, with most of the money from community donations.

“We need fundraisers to survive,” Levy said.

Kamatsiaqtut is also seeking donations of auction items, prizes and “good old fashioned money” to help support the help line, she said.

The organization is made up of about 65 volunteers who operate the help line for Nunavummiut in crisis from 7 p.m. to midnight every day.

Depending on who is working the phone line, callers can speak to someone in English, Inuktitut or French.

Volunteers must go through training sessions on how to handle different types of calls.

Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut help line can be reached in Iqaluit at (867) 979-3333 or toll-free at 1(800) 265-3333.

There are still a handful of tickets left for the fundraiser, which starts at 6 p.m. on March 23 at the Frobisher Inn. To reserve, call Sheila Levy at (867) 979-4295 or contact her by {encode=”levy_sheila@hotmail.com” title=”email”}.