Team Tata’s are coming back to Cochrane with the return of their "Tatapalooza Steak and Lobster Bash" on May 31, with the goal of bringing their grand total of money to support the Alberta Cancer Foundation closer to the $1 million milestone.
The event will run from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are available for $80 with funds benefiting the Alberta Cancer Foundation. The event itself will feature a steak and lobster dinner for all guests, a live music by the Atlantic Storm Band, and silent auction. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting Eventbrite.ca.
Team Tata's founding members Kathie Geleta, Kaitlyn Law, and Nicole Geleta-Weal started their group back in 2005.
“Our mom, Kathy, was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy, as well as a double mastectomy surgery,” Law said.
Law said that after their mother was declared cancer-free, they decided to participate in the Weekend End Breast Cancer Walk Benefiting the Alberta Cancer Foundation. From there, she explained that the rest was history.
“We ended up naming ourselves after Team Tata’s based on a shirt my parents saw in Vegas, and it was just the three of us that walked that first year,” Law said. “It was a 60 km walk, and I think we cried the whole time. After we did it that year, more and more people wanted to join us. We did the walk for multiple years and fundraised those walks through multiple events.”
After the Alberta Cancer Foundation stopped hosting the walks, the group was approached to fundraise for them directly.
“We are at almost at the $1 million-mark, and the beautiful thing is that 100 per cent of what we raise goes back to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, to a fund that our family earmarks,” Geleta said.
For the last few years, the group dedicated the money from their events to patient financial assistance.
“I was looking through some statistics not too long ago, and it costs an individual about $33,000 to go through cancer treatment,” Geleta said. “Now some of that is covered by insurance or the government, but there’s a lot of out-of-pocket costs.”
Currently, the Tata’s have raised around $900,000, but they are hoping to smash the $1 million-mark within the next few years. Looking back, the team has roughly made $20,000 per event over the last few years.
Team Tata’s said there are currently sponsorship opportunities available and anyone who is interested in doing so can apply by contacting [email protected] or visiting the ticket page on Eventbrite.ca.
The trio thanked the Cochrane Lions Club, Phonse Corcoran, Erol Yersel, Tyler Newton, Robyne Kennedy, and the various sponsors that continue to support the event.
