Community Living Huntsville raised over $35,000 through its second annual Huntsville’s Got Talent competition.
It was held at the Algonquin Theatre on Saturday.
Isla-Maria Corbeil, 16, was chosen as the winner performing her original song “Bodee” in the finals. She competed against another teenager, Christine Robitaille, and 10-year-old Sadie Laurence.
“It is truly heartwarming,” says Jennifer Jerrett, community engagement specialist with Community Living Huntsville. “Our community is so generous.”
She says the money will be used to support people living with disabilities who are between homes. Jerrett says people living with disabilities may have to wait between 40 and 100 years to find a place to live, compared to four to 10 for someone who is non-disabled.
The competition started with last year’s winner Todd Blair performing an original song called “Hollow Ground.”
Brock Cunningham, who co-hosted the competition with his 105.5 Moose FM colleague Tyler Mathieson, asked Blair what advice he would give to this year’s group of talented contestants. Blair suggested they “just have fun with it,” adding this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
However, for Corbeil, it was her second time taking part in the competition. She was involved last year but didn’t make it to the finals.
“Last year I tried my best and I feel like I was a little nervous last year and this year I’m a lot more confident,” she said while clutching her first-place trophy close to her body.
She laughed and said her dreams almost unravelled during her first performance. She sang “Worth It” by Raye and almost fell off her chair.
Despite that, the judges agreed she “owned the stage.”
Corbeil won $1,000, which she says will go towards helping her parents.
She adds her dad is a musician and always invites her to sing with him and his friends when they play. “My mom always pushes me to try my best with everything,” she adds. “They’re very supportive through everything. They’ve tried very hard to support this dream of mine.”