YANA Big Love Benefit

The Big Love Benefit is YANA’s premier annual dinner and auction, celebrating the generosity and love that defines our community. This unforgettable gala brings together friends, fun, and a shared commitment to supporting YANA families.

Comox Valley, you never cease to amaze us. Thanks to your generosity and unwavering support, the Big Love 2025 Benefit raised an astounding $242,000 for YANA families!

The 2025 event was a powerful reminder of what makes this community so extraordinary. From the heartfelt bids in our auction to the joyful reunions and warm welcomes around the dinner tables, every moment was filled with the kind of love that turns hard times into hope.

Because of you, families facing the unimaginable won’t face it alone. Because of you, questions and doubts are transformed into plans and security.

We are humbled and deeply grateful to every sponsor, donor, volunteer, guest, and supporter who made this night possible. Your kindness is the heart of everything we do, and your support changes the story for YANA families every single day.

From the bottom of our very full hearts, thank you for standing with us. Thank you for proving—once again—that we are a community united by kindness, connection, and a shared commitment to one another.

Please enjoy these feature videos of our incredibly generous Donation Matching Sponsor Brian McLean Chevrolet Buick GMC and Champion Sponsors Coastal Transportation & Storage (CTS), Forbidden Mechanical, IG Wealth Management, Jamie Edwards PREC, MNP LLP, Mosaic Forest Management, Robbins & Company, and Waypoint Insurance.

We also invite you to watch McKinnon Photography’s moving presentation featuring a resilient, love-filled family who redefines what it means to show up for each other.

 

Relive the magic of the night by watching the Big Love 2025 event video by Alyssa Gaiga Productions.

This event truly celebrates the uniqueness of our community, one that embraces and cares for its families when it’s needed most, letting them know that they are not alone. The support made available through YANA’s programs would not be possible without the enormous generosity of each sponsor, donor, and supporter who champion this night to make it a huge success. Thank you all for your Big Love!

See you on Friday, February 27, 2026!

Tickets for the 2026 event go on sale Sunday, January 18, 2026 HERE.

Looking Back

2024

Comox Valley, you are definitive proof that love knows no bounds! The Big Love 2024 event was nothing short of spectacular, and we are overjoyed to share that, together, we raised an unbelievable $232,000 for YANA families. 

We count our blessings, and we are so grateful to count on you. The YANA community is exceptional, and it’s your dedication that makes it so. From the bottom of our very full hearts, we extend our deepest appreciation to every single YANA supporter far and wide.

Please enjoy the photos of this year’s spectacular event by Vanisle Drone Photo and Film, and these feature videos of our incredibly generous 2024 Donation Matching Sponsor Brian McLean Chevrolet Buick GMC and Champion Sponsors Coastal Transportation & Storage (CTS), Forbidden Mechanical, IG Wealth Management, Jamie Edwards PREC, MNP LLP, Mosaic Forest Management, Robbins & Company, and Waypoint Insurance. We also invite you to watch McKinnon Photography’s moving presentation featuring one brave YANA family, and the Big Love 2024 event video by Kayla McDonald Video, and view more pictures here.

Please enjoy these feature videos of our incredibly generous Donation Matching Sponsor Brian McLean Chevrolet Buick GMC and Champion Sponsors Coastal Transportation & Storage (CTS), Forbidden Mechanical, IG Wealth Management, Jamie Edwards PREC, MNP LLP, Mosaic Forest Management, Robbins & Company, and Waypoint Insurance. We also invite you to watch McKinnon Photography’s moving presentation featuring one brave YANA family, and the Big Love 2024 event video by Kayla McDonald Video. Scroll through the gallery above to see some of Vanisle Drone Photo and Film’s shots from this special evening and see more pictures here.

2023

The 2023 YANA Big Love Benefit surpassed all expectations, raising an astounding $205,000 for YANA families!
We were speechless, teary-eyed, and beyond grateful to all our sponsors, donors, volunteers, and supporters who made this event such a success.
Big, huge, GARGANTUAN LOVE to every single YANA supporter far and wide!

Please enjoy these feature videos of our incredibly generous Donation Matching Sponsor Brian McLean Chevrolet Buick GMC and Champion Sponsors Coastal Transportation & Storage (CTS), Forbidden Mechanical, IG Wealth Management, Jamie Edwards PREC, MNP LLP, Mosaic Forest Management, Robbins & Company, and Shoreline Orthodontics. We also invite you to watch McKinnon Photography’s moving presentation featuring two brave YANA families, and the Big Love 2023 event video by Kayla McDonald Video. Scroll through the gallery below to see some of Morgan North Photography’s shots from this special evening and see more pictures here.

2022

We counted once, we counted twice, we even counted a few more times after that because we could hardly believe our eyes, because Comox Valley, we’ve done it again!

Together we raised over and above last year’s shocking grand total, with the final total for the 2022 Big Love Benefit coming in at a whopping $186,000!!

We are in awe, we are grateful, and we are certain all over again of what kind of community it is that we live in: a community that overcomes all obstacles, a community that loves beyond what is required, a community that always, always shows up. 

The support YANA provides families would simply not be possible without each and every single sponsor, donor, volunteer, raffle-ticket purchaser, auction bidder, and supporter of this important event. Thank you, from the bottom of our very full hearts. 

Take a look back at the feature videos of our incredibly generous Donation Matching Sponsor Brian McLean Chevrolet Buick GMC and Champion Sponsors Coastal Transportation & Storage (CTS), Forbidden Mechanical, IG Wealth Management, Jamie Edwards PREC, MNP LLP, Mosaic Forest Management, Robbins & Company, and Shoreline Orthodontics as well as a moving presentation by McKinnon Photography’ featuring one of the courageous YANA families this community has wrapped their net of support around. 

2021

“Donations will be down significantly from last year”, they said.
“Expect to raise about half of what you would with the ‘normal’ event”, they said.
“Sponsors and volunteers probably can’t help as much as they have in the past”, they said.

Friends, THEY did not realize how very extraordinary this community of YANA supporters truly is! In 2021, together in a whole new way during the COVID-19 global pandemic, we raised $175,000 for Comox Valley children and their families.

Enjoy a look back at Jabin Postal Films’ feature videos of our incredibly generous Donation Matching Sponsor Brian McLean Chevrolet Buick GMC and Champion Sponsors Coastal Transportation & Storage (CTS), IG Wealth Management, Jamie Edwards PREC, MNP LLP, Mosaic Forest Management, Robbins & Company, Robert A Couture, and Shoreline Orthodontics as well as McKinnon Photography’s beautifully touching photo presentation of one of the treasured YANA families our community stood together to support.

2020

On every great team, each player puts their hand in for the cheer, and voices rise together to shout their rally cry. Each person in the circle knows if they play their role selflessly, with passion and determination, the result will be a source of huge pride for everyone involved.  And so it is with the 2020 YANA Big Love Benefit! Thank you to every sponsor, donor, attendee, volunteer and supporter who put their hands in and raised a record-breaking $166,000 at this magical event. This was a big BIG win for YANA families in our community!

Thank you Ali Roddam Photography for the gorgeous images below capturing the electricity of the night, Jabin Postal Films for the beautiful video allowing everyone to see exactly what the Big Love surrounding YANA means to our community, and Karen at McKinnon Photography for sharing the touching story of one of the beautiful YANA families we all come together to support.

2019

The electricity, the magic, and the generosity surrounding the 2019 Big Love Benefit was astounding.  YANA supporters throughout the Comox Valley and beyond showed their fierce community spirit coming together to raise an incredible $158,000!  Heaps of big love to everyone that had a hand in this record-breaking year!  View Karen McKinnon’s 2019 video presentation here.  Enjoy photos of the evening by Ali Roddam below!

 

2018

What a night!  We are thrilled to announce a record-breaking net fundraising total of $122,000!  Sponsors, donors, volunteers, guests and online auction shoppers showed their big, big love for YANA families in connection with our February 23rd Big Love Benefit. Sincere thanks to all contributors! Our hearts are full!

2017

We are deeply grateful for the love and community spirit surrounding our annual gala event. Thank you to all contributors! Together, we raised $91,000 for local children and families.  Check out some snapshots from the evening.

2016

The love shared at the 2016 Big Love Benefit was big indeed and we are incredibly grateful for everyone’s contribution. Thank you to all guests, volunteers, donors and sponsors who collectively helped raise $87,000 for YANA families. Have a peek at some of the photographs provided by McKinnon Photography.

2015

We are thrilled to announce that the 2015 YANA Dinner & Auction was a huge success raising $70,200 for local families! We appreciate everyone’s contribution. Our community really came together to make this happen and to show support for YANA. Thank you to guests, volunteers, donors, and sponsors. It was an amazing night!  Scroll through the gallery below to see some of Ron Pogue’s photographs from this special evening and see more pictures here.

2014

Photographer Ron Pogue captured the magic of our 2014 YANA Dinner & Auction where we came together to raise $63,800 for YANA families. Scroll through the gallery below to see some of the images from the event and see more pictures here.