Bling Brings Big Bucks for Community Living’s Affordable Housing Efforts

The ballroom at Deerhurst Resort was filled with an excited tension as Ella Cushman tried her key in the treasure box lock – and the lock clicked open.

“I can’t believe I got them,” said a beaming Cushman. “It was so exciting. I didn’t think I was going to win – I can’t believe I did.”

Sixty guests at our 2025 Festive Brunch presented by Tall Trees Muskoka and Deerhurst Resort purchased keys to test their luck in our Elegance Unlocked: Treasure Box Key Contest.

Only one key – Cushman’s key – would eventually fit the lock on a pair of custom-made 14-karat gold earrings, each set with a round lab-grown diamond, generously contributed by The Hunt House. The estimated value was $1,560.

Cushman, a Huntsville resident, said her grandmother had invited both her and her mother to the brunch. “She wanted us to spend some time together because we are always busy,” said Cushman, who works as an Education Assistant and a family respite provider, while her mother works in early childhood education and at a local pharmacy. “We are so busy we barely get to see each other,” said Cushman. “But we got to go to this brunch together today – and it is amazing.”

The key that unlocked the box was one of the two keys Cushman had in her hand. One she purchased for herself. The other her grandmother had purchased for her.

It was the gifted key that won the prize – another gift from her grandmother: “She handed me the golden key and said, ‘This is yours,’” Cushman smiled. “I can’t thank her enough.”

Thanks to the Hunt House’s contribution, the sold out treasure box key contest raised an additional $3,000 toward our affordable housing initiatives for people with developmental disabilities and families who access our services.

The custom-made earrings were one of several prizes available at the brunch.

Jennifer Jerrett, our Community Engagement Coordinator, said supporters and businesses had donated more than 50 silent auction items, including gift cards and baskets, services, tools, art, kitchenware, and more, many of which went for over estimated value thanks to the generosity – and competitive spirit – of the bidders.

Jerrett noted that the live auction had many guests on the edge of their seats too.

Live auction prizes included a 7-Couse Dinner for 8 on the Shores of Pen Lake donated by John and Joan Jerrett, an Old Town Sorrento Kayak and Paddle donated by Algonquin Outfitters, a Barbecue for 12 at Hillside Farm donated by Hillside Farm, and a  hands on Cooking Class and Shared Meal for 4 in the home of Randy and Ashley Vowels of Tall Trees Muskoka.

Competition was fierce. Brent Finn, volunteer auctioneer, called out bids and followed hands around the room as people flashed them into their air. Bids climbed. Hurried conversations were held between partners, friends, or colleagues, depending on who was bidding. And then, as prizes were won, cheers and applause filled the ballroom.

As a final touch, guests were encouraged to pick up one of the more than 40 seasonal table centres, created and donated by beechwood Floral Design, and leave a $20 donation in its place, if they chose to take one home, raising an additional $1,000.

“Every dollar raised at this brunch – thanks to our partners, sponsors, and you – will go directly toward our housing initiatives to help those we support find and keep roofs over their heads,” Jerrett told the sold-out audience of more than 400 guests.

In total, the 2025 brunch raised more than $70,000.

We are grateful to volunteers Chris Jordan-Stevens and Sarah Downes for helping guests purchase all 60 keys for the treasure box contest, Brent Finn, volunteers Cindi Sandiland and Laura Flynn for sourcing and setting up all the silent auction items, and the auction item donors and event supporters for helping us in Creating a Community of Belonging Together.

Community Living Huntsville also thanks our 2025-2026 Signature Event Partners, including Platinum Partners Tall Trees Muskoka and Deerhurst Resort, Gold Partners Lovegrove Construction and Design, Optimize Wealth Management Dan Willett Financial, Refine Kitchen and Bath Muskoka, Property Prep Canada, Stephenson District Lions Club, and Tulloch, and Silver Partners Hillside Farm, Move It and Maintain It, and the Rotary Club of North Muskoka, for supporting our entire calendar of signature events and making these vital fundraisers possible.

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Community Living Huntsville is a not-for-profit, registered charity that supports and advocates alongside more than 300 children and adults, and their families, to promote and advance meaningful choice and real inclusion for people with developmental disabilities, so people, families, and our community can thrive. Learn more at clhuntsville.ca and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

(Photos by Limelight Muskoka)