Sadly, widely respected restaurateur Roberto Valente couldn’t be there Saturday night to see the full-capacity crowd that came out to the 28th annual Daffodil Gala to honour him. The devoted family man of three young kids died early last year of brain cancer, at age 46.

But, who’s to say Roberto, who tended to avoid the limelight, would’ve come, if alive. “There’s a very good chance he might not show up,” his brother and business partner Richard Valente, from the Fratelli restaurants and Roberto Pizza, told Around Town. “He hated any attention, whatsoever.”

Richard Valente embraces his wife, Nicola, at the Daffodil Gala held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, in honour of his late brother, Roberto Valente, who passed away of brain cancer at age 46.

Members of the Valente family, including Roberto’s widow Katie and parents, Pasquale and Louisa, were among the nearly 500 people at the gala, held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall in Little Italy and organized by members of Ottawa’s Italian-Canadian community.

Attendees included veteran Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Phillips and his former teammates Martin Havlat and Jason York, along with friends of the Valente family from the business community and local food and restaurant scene.

From left, former NHLer Jason York with Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Phillips and Justin Bruce at the annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held Saturday, April 9, 2016, at the St. Anthony Banquet Hall in honour of Roberto Valente.

The response to this year’s gala was “overwhelming,” said long-time gala committee chair Fulvia Marcantonio, while noting they had to add seating up in the mezzanine. Organizers were expecting to reach their goal of $30,000 in support of the Canadian Cancer Society’s brain cancer research program.

Michael O’Byrne from CTV Ottawa News emceed the dinner. Up for grabs during the live auction were two dinners for eight, with one donated by Fratelli and the other by Beckta.

Michael O’Byrne from CTV Ottawa News emceed the annual Daffodil Gala held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

The Valente family thanked a long list of people for their invaluable support in helping them deal with the crushing loss of Roberto, who passed away January 31, 2015. While Roberto’s dying regrets included not being there for his wife and kids nor for his aging parents, he made peace with his fate. He knew some cancer victims never make it to adulthood.

“He was an amazing human being,” said Pasquale Valente, 76, before telling everyone how much he cherishes the gift that Roberto left behind: his three beautiful grandchildren.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

From left, Shari Canning with Jennifer McGahan at the annual Daffodil Gala held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, for the Canadian Cancer Society.

From left, Tarry Ahuja with Lucia DeFranco and Natalie Mariani and Rob Mariani at the annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, in honour of the late Roberto Valente.

From left, Pat Nicastro and his cousin Rocco Nicastro from La Bottega Nicastro Fine Food Shop, were out to support the 28th annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society held in honour of the late Roberto Valente at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

From left, John Bassi, president of Bassi Construction, with Tracy Iafelice and her husband, real estate developer Rick Iafelice, and Maria Bassi at the annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held Saturday, April 9, 2016, in honour of the late Roberto Valente.

From left, Laurel York with former Ottawa Senators player Martin Havlat, Erin Phillips and Chantel Spicer at the Daffodil Gala held at the St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society in honour of former restaurateur Roberto Valente, who lost his life to brain cancer early last year.

From left, Katie Valente, seen with her sister Laura Stratton, attended the annual Daffodil Gala that paid tribute to her late husband, Roberto Valente, and raised funds for the Canadian Cancer Society at the St. Anthony Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

This year’s Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, honoured the late Roberto Valente, a widely respected Ottawa restaurateur who died of brain cancer at age 46.

Daffodil Gala committee chair Fulvia Marcantonio with Greg Hotte from the Canadian Cancer Society at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

Crooner Shawn Marino entertained a sold-out crowd of nearly 500 at the annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

Pasquale Valente, joined by his son Richard, spoke lovingly about his son, Roberto Valente, who lost his life to brain cancer at age 46, during the annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held at the St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

From left, Fratelli restaurant manager Morgan Gould with Madison McCausland at the Daffodil Gala held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society in honour of the late Roberto Valente.

From left, Richard Valente with former Ottawa Senators player Martin Havlat at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, for the Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held this year in honour of Valente’s late brother and business partner, Roberto Valente.

Sean McCoy, owner of Aperitivo restaurant in Kanata, and his wife, Jessica, were out to support the annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held Saturday, April 9, 2016, in honour of the late restaurateur Roberto Valente, who passed away from brain cancer early last year.

From left, Tino Filice, Ivano Tascioni, Frank Adamo, president of Italfoods, and Alfie Adamo were out to support the Daffodil Gala held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, for the Canadian Cancer Society, in honour of the late Roberto Valente.

From left, chef and co-owner Cesare Santaguida from Vittoria Trattoria with Richard Valente from the Fratelli and Roberto restaurants, at the annual Daffodil Gala held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and brain cancer research.

Restaurateur Jimmy Zourntos of Big Rig Brewery with his wife, Nella Zourntos, at the Daffodil Gala held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, for the Canadian Cancer Society, in honour of the late Roberto Valente, who passed away from brain cancer early last year.

Ottawa hair stylist Joseph Saikaley plants a kiss on Pasquale Valente’s cheek at a gala dinner for the Canadian Cancer Society held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, in honour of Valente’s late son, Roberto, who passed away from brain cancer last year at age 46.

From left, Nick Pantieras, president and founding partner at Primecorp Commercial Realty, with Laila Saikaley and her husband, Eli Saikaley, from Silver Scissors Salon, at the annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society held in honour of the late Roberto Valente at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

Daffodil Gala chair Fulvia Marcantonio with Pasquale Valente and his son, Richard, at the St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, for the Italian-Canadian community’s annual Daffodil Gala for the Canadian Cancer Society, held this year in honour of Roberto Valente, who lost his life to brain cancer at age 46.

Gary Zed, managing partner at EY, with his partner, Arlie Koyman, at the annual Daffodil Gala held at St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall on Saturday, April 9, 2016, to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society in honour of the late Roberto Valente.

Oh, the dilemma: whether to skate alongside Darryl Sittler, Denis Savard or their fellow Hall of Famer Adam Oates, or maybe with former fan favourite Wade Redden, who was part of the Ottawa Senators’ journey to the 2007 Stanley Cup finals.
With 16 hockey greats to chose from, one couldn’t go wrong at the celebrity Draft Party held Thursday at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata.

Each corporate team participating in the third annual WSP Sens Alumni & NHL Celebrity Cup got to recruit one former pro hockey player to join their team for Friday’s fun and friendly tournament at the Bell Sensplex (with, perhaps, some swapping of locker-room tales between games).

The teams that raised the most moola for charity got to go first. That meant the Jets, which brought in more than $27,000, had top pick. Its captains, Perry Mody and prominent lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, went with Savard. Like there was ever any doubt.
“I’m not a good hockey player, just average,” Mody told Around Town at the start of the Draft Party. “So, you know, the joy of playing with some of your childhood heroes is unbelievable, and Denis Savard is a hero of mine.”

From left, Hockey Hall of Famer Denis Savard was first pick by the top fundraising Jets team, led by Perry Mody and Lawrence Greenspon, at the Draft Party held at Brookstreet Hotel on Thursday, April 14, 2016,.

Celebrity players also included: Radek Bonk, Laurie Boschman, Guy Carbonneau, Shean Donovan, Petr Klima, Mike Krushelnyski, Brad May, Randy Robitaille, André Roy, Brian Skrudland, Ron Tugnutt and Shaun Van Allen.
Martin Sing was there on behalf of the title sponsor, engineering firm WSP, while Sandy McDonald was representing presenting sponsor Bell.

This year, the corporate teams, alone, raised just shy of $200,000 for the Ottawa Senators Foundation and its efforts to give children and youth in the community the social recreation opportunities and resources to be physically fit and mentally healthy. The event netted $150,000 last year.

The crowd of about 250 helped itself to hot dogs, mini corn dogs and sliders, along with drinks, before the draft picks got underway. Liam Maguire, who possesses an uncanny knowledge of hockey, introduced the eight Sens alumni and eight NHL celebrities to the stage. The players seemed relaxed and happy to be there. “For those who are too young to remember, I played for the Leafs when they used to make the playoffs,” joked Sittler.

The team captains took turns announcing their choices (the last four teams picked randomly). The drafted players then signed one-day contracts with their new team.

The tournament ended Friday with a game between the celebrity all-stars and those who raised the most money. Mody made sure he stayed among the top fundraisers by arriving to the Draft Party with a blank cheque and credit card that he was ready to use, if necessary.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

The slow spring start all makes sense now; it just wanted its anticipated arrival to coincide with the Spring Symphony Soirée, a biennial gala dinner for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra that took place this past warm and sunny Saturday.

The sold-out night attracted more than 300 guests to the Fairmont Château Laurier for the $200-a-ticket event. It featured an intimate concert as well as a live auction of unique vacation prizes, dining experiences and sporting game tickets.

Among the dozen items that were to be sold off by lawyer and charity auctioneer Lawrence Greenspon were trips to the Yukon and Newfoundland, a lobster dinner for 10 catered by Pelican Fishery and Grill, dinner with Mexican Ambassador Agustin Garcia-Lopez at his official residence, a stay in Quebec City’s Château Frontenac with business class travel courtesy VIA Rail and a getaway to Lake Placid in a Mercedes Benz rental. For the fashion-forward bunch, you could bid high and often on a fur jacket from Pat Flesher Furs or a new couture dress by Sukhoo Sukhoo.

From left, young musicians Jonathan Crombie, Blythe Allers, Onyou Lee and Lisa Nazarenko, seen with Ottawa Symphony Orchestra special events chair Snookie Lomow, performed at the Spring Symphony Soiree held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

Serving as honorary chair and master of ceremonies was respected lawyer David Scott from major sponsor Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. The orchestra’s new principal guest conductor, Alain Trudel, was there (as was his predecessor, David Currie).

The OSO is a full-sized symphony orchestra founded in 1965, but with roots that date back more than 115 years. Proceeds from the soirée were to support the orchestra’s concert series at the National Arts Centre and such outreach programs as its Orchestra Mentorship Program for advanced music students and its Students at the Symphony for hundreds of local school children.

Stewart Chadnick from Pat Flesher Furs with his wife, Lori, at the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

From left, Alain Trudel, new principal guest conductor of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, with its board president, Martha Hynna, and BLG lawyer David W. Scott, honorary chair of the Spring Symphony Soiree held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

Trudel told the room how honoured he was to be chosen as the person to continue the great work Currie has been doing for the OSO. “What was very, very appealing to me was the sense of community, of course,” he told the room. “But, also, the sense of collaboration.”

A young quartet consisting of Jonathan Crombie (violin), Blythe Allers (violin), Onyou Lee (viola) and Lisa Nazarenko (cello) kicked off its short concert by playing the popular tango song Por una Cabeza, featured in Al Pacino’s 1992 film Scent of a Woman. It was, to quote Pacino, “Hoo-hah!”

Recently retired music director David Currie with his wife, Nancy Currie, at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016, for the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.

Hydro Ottawa president and CEO Bryce Conrad and his wife, Isabelle Ryder, at the Spring Symphony Soiree held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016, in support of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.

From left, Jane Panet and Jim Taggart with Barbara McInnes at the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, held Saturday, April 16, 2016, at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier.

From left, Nelson McDougall, Deanna McDougall, Lenka Cutler and David Cutler were out supporting the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, April 16, 2016, by attending its Spring Symphony Soiree at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier.

From left, Ontario Court Justice Peter Doody, formerly a senior partner with the law firm BLG, in conversation with dispute resolution expert Rob Nelson and Brian Scott, president of sponsor Smith Petrie Carr & Scott Insurance Brokers, at the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

From left, designer Frank Sukhoo with Anica Iordache, in Sukhoo Sukhoo Couture, and Harvey Slack at the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

From left, Kelley Shields, Elaine Auty, George Petric and Kim Plewes attended the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

From left, Marc Stevens, general manager of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, with his wife, Claire, and Serge Belet, senior exhibitions manager with the National Gallery of Canada, at the Spring Symphony Soiree, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016, in support of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.

From left, Christine Irvine and long-time Ottawa Symphony Orchestra volunteer Allison Dingle were part of the organizing committee for the sold-out Spring Symphony Soiree held in support of the symphony at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

From left, Blythe Allers, Jonathan Crombie, Onyou Lee and Lisa Nazarenko performed for a sold-out crowd of 300-plus at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016 as part of the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.

Tessa Laberge with her dad, Yves Laberge, general manager of sponsor Star Motors of Ottawa, and attendee Betty Kennedy, at the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

From left, BLG lawyer David W. Scott, seen with National Arts Centre president and CEO Peter Herrndorf, served as honorary chair of the sold-out Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

Psychologist Sandy Ages and her husband, lawyer Murray Ages, at the Spring Symphony Soiree held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016, in support of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.

Italian Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado and his wife, Martine Laidin, were among the diplomats who attended the Spring Symphony Soiree for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

From left, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra supporters Gail Victor and Stephen Victor, seen with pianist Evelyn Greenberg, at the Spring Symphony Soiree, held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Saturday, April 16, 2016.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

One down, 100 more to go. That’s roughly how many more books Governor General David Johnston will need to write if he wants to catch up to one of his predecessors, John Buchan, who churned out book after book in his lifetime, before dying in office 76 years ago.

“There’s still time,” host Mark Sutcliffe jokingly encouraged the governor general at a book launch held at the National Arts Centre on Tuesday to discuss Johnston’s new book, The Idea of Canada: Letters to a Nation, a collection of carefully selected letters he has written to people over the years.

To clarify, The Idea of Canada is the first book Johnston has written as a sitting governor general but the former academic previously authored or co-authored a couple dozen.

The full-house event was presented by the Ottawa International Writers Festival and included questions from the audience. The evening touched on a wide-range of topics, such as how a hockey-playing kid from Northern Ontario ended up going to Harvard and becoming the governor general of Canada.

At an earlier reception, the governor general was seen signing copies of his book for the likes of Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, General Jonathan Vance, Anglican Bishop John Chapman and National Capital Commission CEO Mark Kristmanson.

Attendees also included Speaker of the House of Commons Geoff Regan, Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick (along with predecessors Janice Charette and Wayne Wouters), newly appointed Senator Peter Harder and retired general Walt Natynczyk, deputy minister of Veteran Affairs.

On hand was publisher Doug Pepper from Signal/McClelland & Stewart to say a few words about the governor general, whom he described as humble and hard-working, and about his excellent letter-writing skills, which seem to be a dying art form of creativity and communication in today’s Internet world of smiley-face emojis. Added Pepper: “There’s something so intimate, personal and direct about saying what’s on your mind in a letter.”

The book reflects the governor general’s curiosity and sense of hope, said Pepper. “It is also very much about his love for this country and his ability to weigh our challenges and successes in equal measure by writing directly to those — past, present and future, known and unknown, all races, creeds, genders and abilities — in a quest to explore his idea of Canada.”

The governor general, who described his book as a collaborative effort, was joined by his wife, high school sweetheart Sharon Johnston, and members of their family. The viceregal couple has five daughters and 12 grandchildren (with a 13th grandchild on the way in June).

At the reception, the governor general shared some funny material that didn’t make the cut, as well as told the story of his conversation several years back with a young boy in Repulse Bay, an Inuit hamlet in Nunavut. It was during the Johnstons’ annual participation in the Terry Fox Run for cancer research.

“About a minute before it started, a little eight-year-old Inuit boy came up and punched me in the shoulder and said, ‘Who are you, anyway?’
“I said, ‘I’m the Governor General of Canada’.

“ ‘What’s your name, anyway?’

“ ‘My name is David’.

“ ‘Well, David, how old are you, anyway?’

“ ‘I’m 70 years old’.

“ ‘I didn’t think anybody could get that old’.

“So, we finished the race and I went and found him and I put my arm around his shoulder and said, ‘Not dead yet, anyway’.”

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Catherine Clark showed up. So did Ben Mulroney. All that was missing was Justin Trudeau, who was too busy being prime minister of Canada to make it to the Politics and Pen dinner, held Wednesday at the Fairmont Château Laurier.

Clark and Mulroney, both children of former PMs (as is Trudeau), co-hosted the sold-out literary benefit, which raised more than $365,000 for The Writers’ Trust of Canada.

The schmoozy evening attracted an illustrious crew of politicians, business executives and corporate sponsors, Canadian authors, big-name journalists and foreign diplomats. Among the household names spotted in the crowd were former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz and CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge.

Liberal MP Kim Rudd with Orleans MP and Chief Government Whip Andrew Leslie (on his cell phone) at the Politics and Pen dinner held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, in support of The Writers’ Trust of Canada.

The dinner was organized by a committee of volunteers led by government relations professional Patrick Kennedy and Jill Scheer, wife of Conservative MP Andrew Scheer.
On stage, accompanied by the cheesy ’80s tune Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, Clark and Mulroney jokingly announced the launch of their bids for the NDP’s vacant leadership position. And why not? Great hair, a pretty face and a political pedigree worked for Trudeau, or so went the joke.

Jill Scheer, wife of Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, and Patrick Kennedy, Principal at The Earnscliffe Strategy Group, headed up the organizing committee for this year’s Politics and Pen dinner held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, in support of The Writers’ Trust of Canada.

They each rattled off a tongue-in-cheek list of promises to the 500-person crowd. Clark vowed, if elected, to let her husband keep his last name (a nod to the scandal her mother Maureen McTeer created for holding on to her surname). Said Mulroney, in his attempt to one-up potential leader Avi Lewis: “I don’t want to just leave the oil in the ground; I want to take the oil that’s already out and put it back in.”

From left, veteran political journalist Robert Fife with Senator David Smith and author, professor and Citizen columnist Andrew Cohen at the Politics and Pen dinner held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, in support of The Writers’ Trust of Canada.

Later that evening, Globe and Mail journalist John Ibbitson was named winner of the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, for his biography on former prime minister Stephen Harper.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Images of a girl looking relaxed and carefree on a swing set during her toddler years, arm wresting with her brother as a kid, and tightly hugging her dad as she blossomed into a teenager were projected onto a screen during A Beautiful Mind, a mental health benefit hosted by Luxe Bistro on Monday night.

The photos were of Allison Lees, whose struggle with mental illness ended nine years ago. She took her life at age 27.

The ByWard Market restaurant, owned by Noah Firestone, was hopping as a sold-out crowd of 110 packed inside to raise money for a depression research fund established in Allison’s name through the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health.

Last year’s inaugural benefit netted $62,000. Organizers expected to raise even more this year thanks to support from the business community and friends of David and Lee Ann Lees, and their son, J.D. (John-David) Lees, an investment advisor with returning title sponsor BMO Nesbitt Burns. The $150-a-ticket event included silent and live auction items.

“This is a cause that is very near and dear to our hearts, and everyone has been so willing to support us,” J.D. Lees told Around Town. “Our friends, family and community have been unbelievably awesome.”

The crowd included such award-winning philanthropists as Stephen Greenberg and Brian Scott. Supporters also included ProSlide Technology president and CEO Rick Hunter, Michelle Taggart from the Taggart Parkes Foundation, Monica Singhal from Richcraft Group of Companies and Beth and Wim Pieterson. From the Royal Ottawa Foundation were its acting president and CEO, Nancy Stanton, and director of events, Tracey Welsh, as well as its board vice-chair, lawyer Gordon Cudney.

Lees and his sister, only 16 months apart, attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute. Allison graduated as an Ontario Scholar but ran into difficulty at Mount Allison University and moved back home. She was diagnosed during her 20s with bipolar disorder, characterized by periods of depression and periods of elevated mood.

Creating the fund in Allison’s name is helping her memory to live on while also aiding the family in its healing process. It believes the medical research being done at the Royal will lead to better diagnosis and treatment of depression, resulting in fewer families having to experience the pain of losing a loved one to suicide. “It is the most rewarding thing to see where your efforts and your contributions and donations are going, and to hear these bright, bright individuals talk about their love and their dedication, as to what they’re doing with research,” David Lees told the room.

The endowment fund, originally created in 2007, was at $234,000 prior to Monday’s benefit.

The family plans to remain involved with the Royal but is also starting another fund through the non-profit Community Foundation of Ottawa in order to provide more immediate, front-line help to those battling mental illness. Said the dad: “We want to do more. I think we can do more.”

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Take a bow, Naval Association of Canada and Royal Canadian Navy, for there was not a stern face in the bunch at the Battle of the Atlantic Gala Dinner, held Thursday at the Canadian War Museum.

Bad puns aside, this year’s sold-out formal affair drew multiple generations of naval members, from 90-something-year-old Second World War veterans to current top military brass to friendly and fresh-faced cadets, eager to hold open doors for arriving guests.

The dinner commemorates the Battle of the Atlantic, which lasted from September 1939 until the defeat of Germany in 1945. It was the war’s longest continuous military campaign, and one in which Canada played a central role in helping vital supplies get to overseas allied forces.

More than 4,600 members of the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Merchant Navy died at sea during the Second World War.

Unfortunately the number of veterans still alive or healthy enough to attend the gala is dwindling. Twenty nine turned out this year, compared to 50 or so vets from past years.

Looking dapper and distinguished was Vice Admiral Mark Norman, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy. The gala, he explained, is a way of bringing together current and retired members of the RCN to celebrate their shared love of the navy. “A lot of people haven’t seen each other for years and years,” he said, before adding, with self-deprecating humour: “And, every once in a while, it’s a chance for the retired ones to give me their thoughts on how I’m screwing things up.”

Norman will become the Canadian Forces’ second in command after Lt. Gen. Guy Thibault retires this summer. Replacing Norman will be the navy’s deputy commander, Rear Admiral Ron Lloyd.

Among the 430 attendees were Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin; Kanata-Carleton MP Karen McCrimmon, parliamentary secretary to the Veteran Affairs minister and associate minister of National Defence; top Justin Trudeau advisors Gerald Butts and Katie Telford; and U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman.

Also seen were the Naval Association’s president, Jim Carruthers, and such honorary naval captains as retired Shaw Communications president Peter Bissonnette, retired diplomat Colin Robertson and Adrian Burns, who juggles many roles, including chair of the National Arts Centre board of trustees.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

There was plenty of gown-gawking to be had, both on and off the fashion runway, at the Loft Gala, held Saturday at the Hilton Lac Leamy.

Models from AMTI showed off the latest by Israeli designer Eyal Zimerman during the Loft Gala, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Saturday, April 30, 2016.

A sold-out crowd of 500 donned its glamorous best for a 1940s and ‘50s-themed night packed with swing band music from the Stan Clark Orchestra with song, dancing and a fashion show from Israeli designer Eyal Zimerman. Doing justice to his gowns were host Sarah Freemark, from CTV Morning Live, and philanthropist Barbara Crook. It was cute to see her applauding a runway model as she seemed to float past her in almost the same flowy dress being worn by Crook.

Sighted were Israel Ambassador Rafael Barak and his wife, Miriam, as well as senior cancer research scientists Dr. John Bell and Doug Gray (the latter played sax in the orchestra that night). Lawyer and community leader Lawrence Greenspon was to lead the live auction.

Last year’s gala raised $27,000, and organizers were hoping to bring in even more this year to help with cancer research and the unique local cancer coaching offered through the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. The foundation’s president and CEO, Linda Eagen, clearly and ably brought home the scary message of how cancer can hit any one of us at any moment. “In this community right now there are 30,000 people in treatment,” said Eagen. “Every two hours, somebody hears three words: You have cancer.”

The evening was organized by a volunteer committee led by businessman Bruno Racine, of The Loft hair salon and spa. He was also the driving force behind 11 seasons of Ottawa Fashion Week.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Just when it felt like the curtains had maybe closed on the always-popular Movie Night on the Hill, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly got the reel rolling again by hosting a special screening of the award-winning film ‘Room’ at the Canadian Museum of History on Tuesday.

Close to 500 folks from Parliament Hill and the film industry were brought together, along with sponsors, for the special showing of the movie, a compelling Canadian-Irish drama that deals with the themes of confinement, freedom and redemption.

Everyone was invited afterward to a reception that celebrated the movie’s success at this year’s Oscars. That meant party decor teeming with golden man statues, director’s cut action signs and glittery film reels.

Canadian cast members Wendy Crewson and Cas Anvar graced the red carpet with their movie star good looks before falling into conversation with the heritage minister and her parliamentary secretary, Randy Boissonnault, as well as Speaker of the House Geoff Regan. Meanwhile, arts philanthropist Jim Fleck, who heads the museum’s board of the trustees, had the ear of NDP culture and heritage critic Pierre Nantel.

Joly got a two-thumbs-up review from Crewson, who first met the new minister at the recent Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto. “I’m so impressed with what she’s planning to do with culture in this country,” Crewson told Around Town. “It’s so refreshing to hear somebody who understands the importance.”

In welcoming the audience, Joly revealed that Room became her favourite film of 2015, thanks to a demanding travel schedule. “I had the chance to watch it three times,” she said. “Once between Ottawa and Whitehorse, then from Whitehorse to Vancouver, and then from Vancouver to Montreal.”

Attendees included CBC chief executive Hubert Lacroix, Rogers Communications vice president Colette Watson, Bell Media senior vice president Tracey Pearce, Telefilm executive director Carolle Brabant and the museum’s CEO, Mark O’Neill. From the film’s creative team were Canadian producer David Gross and Noah Segal and Naveen Prasad from Elevation Pictures.

Absent was Canadian cutie Jacob Tremblay, one of the breakout stars of Room. The nine-year-old Vancouver actor is currently shooting his next film in Montreal but spoke briefly via satellite video feed, signing off with the most adorable “Merci beaucoup!”

Movie Night on the Hill was started by former Conservative heritage minister James Moore and Telefilm to showcase Canadian films to Ottawa’s political decision-makers.

Carolyn001@sympatico.com

Efforts are underway to raise $1 million to help train and educate more aboriginal people in the field of nursing, the Canadian Nurses Foundation announced at its annual Nightingale Gala held at the Shaw Centre on Thursday night.

The one-year campaign is in addition to the academic scholarships that have already been awarded over the past six years to 100 nurses, through the foundation’s TD Aboriginal Nursing Fund.

The recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission highlighted the need for a commitment to improving the health and education of indigenous people. With this in mind, the foundation believes its campaign will help lead to better health and well-being for indigenous communities.

“The stories we’re getting from these indigenous nurses and the differences they’re making are that they are going back to their communities and they are so accepted,” Christine Rieck Buckley, CEO of the Canadian Nurses Foundation, told Around Town.

“Their elders understand them. They have the cultural knowledge and the language. So, there isn’t this divide. Also, they’re bringing hope and inspiration to the youth in the communities because they are stories of success.”

Nurses are particularly vital, she added, because “they’re 24/7. They’re often the first point of contact and the only point of contact in remote communities.”

The sold-out gala drew a crowd of 500, including the prime minister’s wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, as honourary patron. Trudeau, whose mother is a former nurse, praised the profession for its ability to bring a sense of security to those patients marked by suffering and vulnerability. “To be surrounded by someone who gives you that feeling of safety is a gift,” Trudeau said in her brief remarks.

From left, honourary patron Sophie Gr´`goire-Trudeau with Christine Rieck Buckley, CEO of the Canadian Nurses Foundation, at the CNF’s annual Nightingale Gala held at the Shaw Centre on Thursday, May 5, 2016.

The benefit dinner, emceed by CBC journalist Waubgeshig Rice, drew leading nurses, chief executives from local hospitals, corporate sponsors and such influential gala patrons as Wanda Brascoupé Peters from The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, Allison Fisher from the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, and multi-scholarship award-recipient Lisa Bourque Bearskin, president of the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada.

From left, VON Canada vice president Beth Green and its president and CEO, Jo-Anne Poirier, with Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health executive director Allison Fisher and Sylvie Lajoie, also from Wabano, at the Canadian Nurses Foundation’s annual Nightingale Gala, held at the Shaw Centre on Thursday, May 5, 2016.

The evening included silent and live auctions and a raffle for a pair of plane tickets to any Air Canada destination.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Mental health advocate, writer and well-known philanthropist Barbara Crook didn’t invent the term “stignorance” but its application in her speech, delivered at a fundraising dinner Thursday, is helping to put the stigma and ignorance surrounding mental illness in their proper place – behind us.
Crook spoke to a crowd of about 160 supporters of Ancoura at the St. Elias Centre. Since 2008, the volunteer-driven charity group has been providing housing and a supportive community for people living with mental illness. It currently has five homes, each consisting of three-bedroom townhouses, and plans to open a new home later this year.

From left, Ancoura vice president Brian Harrison with guest speaker Barbara Crook, charity auctioneer Kent Browne from Royal LePage and Ancoura president Richard Haughian.

On hand from Ancoura were its volunteer president, Richard Haughian, and vice president Brian Harrison, along with staff from partners United Way Ottawa and the Community Foundation of Ottawa. Kent Browne, owner of Royal LePage Team Realty and Royal LePage Gale Real Estate, led the live auction of donated items.

Crook shared her own family and personal history with mental illness. She’s been living with clinical depression for nearly 20 years but has managed it fine with medication and talk therapy.

She and her husband, Dan Greenberg, son of Shirley Greenberg and Minto Developments co-founder Irving Greenberg, have donated millions of dollars to health care, including to mental health causes.

“Dan and I believe that the true measure of a society is how it takes care of its most vulnerable members,” said Crook in a heartfelt speech that earned her a standing ovation. “That includes those with broken spirits and broken minds, who can’t advocate for themselves until we give them the tools and the space to heal. And until we treat them with respect and compassion.”

Even the most well-meaning people can stigmatize a person with mental illness without realizing it, said Crook, because they feel awkward and don’t know what to say, are too eager to make everything better, or think the solution is tough love.

Crook offered suggestions for combating “stignorance” that she came up with, along with Prof. Heather Stuart, who holds the Bell Mental Health and Anti-Stigma Research Chair at Queen’s University. Advice ranged from educating oneself about the signs and treatment of mental illness, to performing small acts of kindness, such as sending a card to someone on stress leave or in hospital, or offering to take that someone for coffee upon their return.

“Mental illness isn’t contagious,” said Crook.

It’s important to listen openly, without judging or preaching, said Crook. She also believes in supporting mental health and anti-stigma programs, whether it’s through a donation or writing a letter to your political representative.

“I want the world to know that depression and mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of education, socio-economic level or family situation,” said Crook. “Ironically, it can affect the sunniest people you know … People for whom the glass has always been way more than half full, until suddenly it’s not.”

From left, Christine Lauzon-Foley and Matt Beutel from United Way Ottawa with Janet Adams from the Community Foundation of Ottawa at a fundraising dinner held Thursday, May 5, 2016 at the St. Elias Centre for Ancoura, a volunteer-driven charity group that provides housing and community support to people living with mental illness.

From left, John Gall, Paul McGinnis, Brian Jackson and Maurice Sullivan were among the supporters of a fundraising dinner held at the St. Elias Centre on Thursday, May 5, 2016, for Ancoura, a volunteer-driven charity group that provides housing and community support for people living with mental illness. 

Well-known Ottawa philanthropist and mental health advocate Barbara Crook.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Some 80 partygoers za-ba-doo-bopped over to a jazz-themed fundraising reception for the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir, hosted Monday by Stephen Assaly and his wife, Sandra, in Rockcliffe Park.

The evening started with cocktails and canapés, mixed with some marvelling at the couple’s magazine-worthy home, designed by award-winning architect Barry Hobin. The party hummed along nicely with an intimate jazz performance by singer Diane Nalini and her husband, jazz bassist Adrian Cho, complete with improvisational scat singing. As well, members of the Seventeen Voyces sang together under the guidance of chorus master and founding director Kevin Reeves.

The $100-a-ticket benefit was the first social outing for Voyces board chair John Goldsmith since his bypass surgery at the Heart Institute some four weeks earlier. He was on hand to make some welcoming remarks, as was Assaly.

Seventeen Voyces artistic director Kevin Reeves, an alumnus of Ashbury College (1976), with the private school’s current head, Norman Southward, and his wife, Anna Rumin, at a private reception held in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016, in support of the Ottawa chamber choir.

Assaly, owner of Richmond Heights Apartments, recalled how he and Reeves had both been part of an alumni group that spoke, some 20 years ago, to graduating students of private school Ashbury College.

Reeves, while delivering an inspiring speech, revealed he’d never had a regular job. He’s also a composer, caricaturist and filmmaker. His talk that day left Assaly wishing he could have such an interesting career.

Of course, it requires that one have artistic talent first, Assaly humbly added. At least his daughter, Juliana Assaly, has a musical gift; she did a splendid job playing piano during the cocktail reception.

From left, Seventeen Voyces board chair John Goldsmith with hosts Stephen Assaly and his wife, Sandra Assaly, and Seventeen Voyces artistic director Kevin Reeves at a fundraiser for the Ottawa chamber choir, held in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016.

From left, Francine Belleau with Andrea Laurin and Janice McDonald at a private reception hosted by Stephen and Sandra Assaly at their home in Rockcliffe Park, on Monday, May 9, 2016, in support of the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir.

From left, Tracey Hubley with Sheila Watson at a reception for the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir, held in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016.

From left, Brian Peters, Sarah Martin, Tom Martin and Greg Kane attended a private reception held in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016, in support of the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir.

Stephen Assaly welcomes guests to his home during a reception that he and his wife, Sandra, hosted on Monday, May 9, 2016, for the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir. (Caroline Phillips / Ottawa Citizen)

From left, Seventeen Voyces supporters David Bournes and Marianne Bournes from Royal LePage Team Realty, with jazz singer Diane Nalini and her husband, jazz bassist Adrian Cho, at a private reception held in Rockcliffe Park for the Ottawa chamber choir on Monday, May 9, 2016.

Robert Nesbitt with Seventeen Voyces board member Peggy Nankivell and Deanne Monaghan enjoy some late-day sunshine during a private reception held on Monday, May 9, 2016, in Rockcliffe Park for the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir.

From left, Zoe Rikhtegar with her mom, Caroline Rikhtegar, and Pooneh Azadeh, at a private reception hosted by Stephen and Sandra Assaly on Monday, May 9, 2016, for the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir.

Four-year-old Max Mierins hangs out with his dad, Jeff Mierins, at a reception hosted by Stephen and Sandra Assaly at their home in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016, in support of the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir.

From left, jazz singer Diane Nalini with Seventeen Voyces board member Peggy Nankivell and jazz bassist Adrian Cho at the All That Jazz fundraiser for the Ottawa chamber choir, held at the home of Stephen and Sandra Assaly in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016.

Jazz singer Diane Nalini and her husband, jazz bassist Adrian Cho, performed at the All That Jazz fundraiser for the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir, held at the home of Stephen and Sandra Assaly in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016.

Tara-Leigh Cancino Brouillette and Jeff Mierins, holding their four-year-old son Max, listen to a live jazz performance at a private reception held in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016, in support of the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir.

Members of the Seventeen Voyces performed under the direction of Kevin Reeves at a fundraiser for the Ottawa chamber choir, hosted by Stephen and Sandra Assaly at their Rockcliffe Park home on Monday, May 9, 2016.

From left, Seventeen Voyces singers Barbara Okun (alto) and Clare Jackson (soprano) helped serve canapÈs to guests before performing at a fundraiser at a private home in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016, for the Ottawa chamber choir.

From left, Russell Saulnier, Patty Shaw, Lisa Snidal and Brian Morrison turned out for a reception hosted by Stephen and Sandra Assaly at their home in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, May 9, 2016, in support of the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir.

Juliana Assaly’s beautiful piano playing attracted the attention of party guest Lois Harper at a private party hosted by Assaly’s parents, Stephen and Sandra, at their Rockcliffe Park home on Monday, May 9, 2016, in support of the Seventeen Voyces chamber choir.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

High up in the Rideau Club, surrounded by elegant decor and magnificent views of Parliament Hill, a gathering of mostly women came together for a quick lunch with a lasting impact on the research that’s being done in Canada to end AIDS.

The luncheon was in support of the national charity CANFAR (Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research). Its spokesperson is well-known former broadcaster Valerie Pringle. She was back to host the annual benefit and to educate the room about a health issue that’s been plaguing us for the past 30 years.

From left, CANFAR national spokesperson Valerie Pringle with Claire Greenberg, Colleen McBride-O’Brien and Trish Moss.

There are still some 6,000 new HIV infections every day. As well, AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age, globally, she told the room.

This year’s keynote speaker was Muluba Habanyama, a 22-year-old graduating journalism student from Sheridan College, born with HIV. She got it from her parents, who were unknowingly infected when they passed it to her. They have since died from AIDS-related cause

After years of keeping her HIV a secret, Habanyama recently went public with her video Feel No Shame. “I disclosed my status to everyone on YouTube, of course,” she added. “I like to go big or go home.”

Habanyama spoke about growing up with HIV. She also described some of her ongoing health challenges while recognizing that she’s lucky to be alive, due to advances in treatment.

“Like every Millennial girl you’ve probably ever met, I have no patience,” Habanyama told the room. “But I must say, research has made the waiting worthwhile. Thanks to research,

I am able to go to school, work and be here with you.”

Returning to co-chair the benefit were Tara Shields and Sheila O’Gorman, both of whom have lost loved ones to AIDS. The luncheon attracted a mix of women, including diplomat wives, community volunteers and philanthropists and Lise Turpin from the Snowy Owl AIDS Foundation.

From left, Lise Turpin, director at the Snowy Owl AIDS Foundation, was a guest of Tara-Leigh Cancino Brouillette and the Dow Honda dealership.

Special guests included Health Minister Jane Philpott, who, in her very distinguished career as a physician, founded the Give a Day to World AIDS movement. It has raised millions. In her remarks, the minister praised the room for its “collective advocacy”.

From left, CANFAR president and CEO Christopher Bunting with event co-chair Tara Shields, Health Minister Jane Philpott and event co-chair Sheila O’Gorman.

“This is not something that Muluba should fight on her own,” said Philpott. “We are all here together and we are going to beat this thing, because we have joined forces, because we reach out across the world to people who share the common threat. We will find the common solutions together.”

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

The Canadian Museum of History was one hip joint to be at Friday night as orthopedic surgeons and medical industry leaders gathered there to celebrate half a century of making a difference in health and patient care.

The 50th anniversary gala for the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Ottawa drew 440 attendees, including repeat patient and prominent philanthropist Michael Potter and his partner, Diane Cramphin. Potter has had three surgeries (including one for a broken elbow suffered in a hoverboard accident). Supporters also included retired grocer Larry Hartman and his wife, Sheila.

The sold-out, $400-a-ticket dinner raised funds toward establishing a new Research Chair in Regenerative Orthopaedic Surgery.

“We want to recruit a world-class individual who will work at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, as well as the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, both teaching and doing research, and looking at improving how bone repairs itself, how we can restore bone better and how, potentially, we can regenerate it,” Dr. Paul Beaulé told Around Town.

To kick things off, 29 orthopedic surgeons from The Ottawa Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) have donated $1 million toward the $3-million campaign. “We felt as a group that, if we wanted to lead by example, we needed to make the commitment and show how serious we were about it,” explained Beaulé, who’s head of orthopedic surgery at the hospital and the university.

The event was held in the museum’s stunning Grand Hall, where guests could enjoy postcard-like views of Parliament Hill. The evening featured comic Steve Patterson with The Debaters radio comedy show, as well as jazz singer Rebecca Binnendyk and the Canadian Big Band.

In the past 50 years, the division has helped to educate and train more than 200 surgeons, from resident doctors to practising physicians visiting from around the world. Each year, its surgeons at The Ottawa Hospital and CHEO perform more than 8,000 procedures relating to pain and injury of the body’s bones, muscles, joints and ligaments.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

An Ottawa wife, mother and former public servant who lost both her legs after being run over by a snowplow shared her extraordinary story of survival and recovery at a charity dinner and auction held Wednesday for The Rehabilitation Centre Volunteer Association.

Karen Toop had been walking home from work, huddled deep inside her winter parka, after a typical bus ride to Ottawa’s west end when the harrowing accident occurred on Jan. 24, 2012, while she was crossing the intersection at Woodroffe Avenue and Iris Street. “In the blink of an eye, my whole life changed,” heard the 185-person crowd of volunteers, staff and former patients from The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, as well as sponsors from the legal profession and medical rehabilitation community.

From left, triage nurse Anne Berry from The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre with guest speaker and double amputee Karen Toop and Brian Berry, past president of The Rehabilitation Centre Volunteer Association board, at the 17th annual charity auction and dinner held Wednesday, May 18, 2016, at the St. Elias Centre.

“I was in so much pain I thought I would die. I remember saying to the paramedic, ‘Tell my son I love him’.”

Toop was later told she was one of the worst cases ever seen at The Ottawa Hospital. It pulled together its best medical team and managed to save her, at the Civic Campus. “I was more than just a patient; I was a priority. They rebuilt my lower body and helped me reconstruct my life as I adapted to my new reality.

“I may have lost half my body but I’m still a whole person.”

The dinner, held at the St. Elias Centre, raised funds to help current and former patients of The Rehab Centre, relating to the purchase of assistive devices, medical devices and medical treatment that patients wouldn’t be able to otherwise afford. On hand were lead organizer and TRCVA board vice chair Ines Jelic, a lawyer at Burke-Robertson, and her colleague Ted Masters, who’s also on the board. Community builder Dave Smith handled both the live auction and the treasure chest prize raffle.

From left, Brian Berry, past board president of The Rehabilitation Centre Volunteer Association, with board member and lawyer Ted Masters (Burke-Robertson LLP), lawyer Frank McNally (main sponsor McNally Gervan LPP) and Ines Jelic, also a board member and lawyer (Burke-Robertson), at the 17th annual Spring into Motion charity auction and dinner, held at the St. Elias Centre on Wednesday, May 18, 2016.

Community builder Dave Smith handled both the live auction and the treasure chest prize raffle at the Spring into Motion auction and dinner for The Rehabilitation Centre Volunteer Association, held at the St. Elias Centre on Wednesday, May 18, 2016.

Toop’s inspiring story of courage, strength and resilience was told both through a tear-jerking video produced through The Ottawa Hospital Foundation and by Toop herself as the dinner’s guest speaker. She attended with her husband, Harvey, and their nine-year-old son, Ryan.

Toop remained in hospital for nearly two years, undergoing complex surgeries and extensive rehabilitation due to the loss of her legs and half her pelvis. A confidential settlement was reached with the City of Ottawa last year over the accident.

The room heard how the double amputee went from lying flat on her back in a hospital bed, only able to slightly and briefly lift her head, to re-building her strength and cardio so that she could eventually return home to her family and live “a more or less normal life” in a wheelchair. Toop credited her support group of doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and her psychologist for lifting her spirits and giving her hope as she overcame her obstacles.

While at The Rehab Centre, Toop took up woodworking and was able to go gliding, sailing and fishing. “All of these activities gave me the confidence to feel that I would be able to go out into the world and live the full and active life that I’m living today,” said Toop, who enjoys watching her son’s soccer games, helping him with his homework and going out to the movies.

The Toop family was fortunate enough to have adequate insurance as it tackled its many steep bills relating to modifications to the home, the purchases of a special wheelchair, shower chair and accessible van, and other related costs. Said Toop: “I may be fortunate to have these expenses mostly covered by insurance, but many don’t.”

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It was a night to tie on the bibs and offer up the bids as a crowd of 500 gathered Thursday at the Hilton Lac Leamy for a lively evening of East Coast music, tantalizing seafood and lobster, and enviable auction buys, all in support of Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa.

The 22nd Annual Evening in the Maritimes saw Senator Vern White, who was born and raised in Cape Breton, once again serve as honorary chair with David Cork from Scotia Wealth Management.

From left, Senator Vern White with his wife, Sari Musta-White, Jenni Tipper and David Cork, who served with White as honoury co-chairs of the 22nd Annual Evening in the Maritimes, held Thursday, May 19, 2016, at the Hilton Lac Leamy in support of Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa.

The gala, presented by pharmaceutical company Lundbeck, hauled in a record-breaking net total of $110,000 for Citizen Advocacy, a local non-profit organization that’s been helping people with disabilities for more than 40 years.

The live auction, led by lawyer and community builder Lawrence Greenspon, featured the return of an unforgettable trip to Antarctica. It was donated by One Ocean Expeditions and Worldwide Quest, which quietly promised to throw in a second package if the bidding demand got high enough. It did, and the item sold twice, at $20,000 each, to Myrna and Don Law-West of LWI Consulting Partners, and their guests, Terri Morgan and Maury Hill, raising a total of $40,000.

Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, seen with his wife Angela Lariviere, served as charity auctioneer at this year’s Evening in the Maritimes gala, held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Thursday, May 19, 2016, in support of Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa.

The big-ticket purchase was not impulsive, said Law-West, who was planning to visit the world’s southern-most continent with his wife in the near future. It made sense, he told Around Town, to buy the trip at a charity dinner in order to further help a cause that he’s been supporting for a number of years. The trip is valued at $25,000.

The popular shindig offered up laid-back East Coast charm, from fiddle music and highland dancing, to fishing village-inspired decor. That meant a lot of anchors, but none as prominent as host Graham Richardson from CTV Ottawa News.

Winning the crowd over was Caroline Joanisse, a young woman born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Through Citizen Advocacy’s Everyday Champions program, she has found a mutually rewarding and lasting friendship with volunteer Patricia Collette. The pair enjoys a weekly movie and dinner date together, out in the community.

From left, Caroline Joanisse and Patricia Collette shared their story of being matched up through Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa at the 22nd Annual Evening in the Maritimes gala held at the Hilton Lac Leamy on Thursday, May 19, 2016. (

“My time with Caroline is special,” Collette told the room. “She is a joy to be with and she makes me feel young.”

Joanisse spoke of the valuable support she has received from Collette. “I like that she listens to me and she has empathy,” said Joanisse. “I think of her as a role model or as a big sister.”

Currently, Citizen Advocacy has a waiting list of 300 people with developmental disabilities hoping to be matched with a volunteer advocate.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

More than 400 women in this city have put their money where their mouths are by supporting an all-female philanthropic program that’s helping to transform the way mental illness gets diagnosed, treated, researched and publicly discussed.

The Women for Mental Health initiative was celebrated at a reception held Wednesday at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. There, attendees toured the hospital’s new brain imaging centre and checked out its state-of-the-art PET-MRI unit designed to help people, suffering from major depression and other mental illnesses, get better faster.

So high is the suicide rate that if you added up all of its victims, globally, it would be like erasing the population of Ottawa every year. “That’s totally unacceptable but we’ll be in a better position to change that now,” Dr. Pierre Blier, director of The Mood Disorders Research Unit, told some 70 attendees.

Psychiarist and brain researcher Dr. Pierre Blier spoke to supporters of Women for Mental Health during an annual celebration of the philanthropic program, held at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on Wednesday, May 25, 2016.

It was the unexpected and shocking 2010 suicide of 14-year-old Daron Richardson, daughter of popular hockey player-turned-coach Luke Richardson and his wife, Stephanie, that motivated Nancy O’Dea to lead Women for Mental Health. “Because it felt so close to home,” the luxury property realtor and former nurse explained in her heartfelt speech.

Nancy O’Dea, inaugural chair of Women for Mental Health, delivered a heartfelt speech to attendees of an annual celebration of the all-female philanthropic program, held at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on Wednesday, May 25, 2016.

The program succeeded with the help of 21 founding members. They agreed to donate $5,000 each over five years and to recruit female friends and colleagues to do the same. Many women, said O’Dea, have the gift of communication. “We talk, we share, we disseminate messages in our community. So, what better group of people to coalesce for a cause.”

On hand were Nancy Stanton, acting president and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health; Susan Engels, chief nursing executive at the hospital and vice-president of quality and professional practice; and Wilma Deen, chief operating officer of the Institute of Mental Health Research.

From left, Nancy Stanton, acting president and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health, with fellow Women for Mental Health ambassador Mariette MacIsaac (Trinity Development Foundation) and inaugural chair Nancy O’Dea at an annual celebration of the philanthropic program, held at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on Wednesday, May 25, 2016.

From left, Manjit Basi and Lisa Zed, founding members of Women for Mental Health, at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, for an annual celebration of the all-female philanthropic program, which has successfully raised $1.6 million.

From left, Women for Mental Health ambassadors Peggy Cork and Terri Hoddinott at the annual celebration of the all-female philanthropic program, held at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on Wednesday, May 25, 2016.

From left, Wilma Deen, COO of The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, with Royal Ottawa vice president and chief nursing executive Susan Engels and Women for Mental Health ambassador Mariette MacIsaac at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, for the annual celebration of the philanthropic program.

Jazz singer Cyndi Kennedy performed with Howard Tweddle on double bass and keyboardist Rick Woyiwada at an annual celebration for the Women for Mental Health philanthropic program, held on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.

From left, Women for Mental Health ambassador Nicole Loreto, vice president of communications for the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, with founding member Lynne Clark, director of partnership development with United Way, at an annual celebration of the all-female philanthropic program, held at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on May 25, 2016.

From left, Women for Mental Health ambassador Nori Gowan, manager of business development with the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, with founding member Helen Hirsh Spence at an annual celebration of the all-female philanthropic program, held at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on Wednesday, May 25, 2016.

In closing, O’Dea recalled an inspiring conversation she once had with the late Arnie Vered. It was following a meeting for cabinet members of the Royal Ottawa’s ambitious $25-million campaign. Vered, who was one our great community builders, was so proud that a city of only one million people could be home to so many wonderful centres of excellence. The Royal Ottawa, he predicted, will become the next great centre of excellence. “Thank you to all of you for helping to make that happen,” said O’Dea.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

A bunch of new partygoers decided to give the 12th annual Swirl & Twirl a whirl this year, leading to a first-ever sell-out for the wine, beer and food-tasting fundraiser for Ottawa-Gatineau’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.

The $30-a-ticket event drew more than 450 attendees to Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building on Thursday to sample the tasty offerings from 33 vendors, while jazz musicians and Toto Too Theatre performers kept the crowd entertained.

From left, pastry chef Sarah Corbett and Vanessa Nisbet from Lifford Wine and Spirits were among the vendors who participated in the 12th annual Swirl & Twirl fundraiser for the Ottawa-Gatineau gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-friendly community not-for-profit organizations, held inside Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building on Thursday, May 26, 2016.

Organizers were hoping to raise roughly $10,000 for this year’s chosen charities: Capital Rainbow Refugee, a group that sponsors LGBT refugees; Ottawa Senior Pride Network, a group that works to promote a healthy aging LGBT community; and Ten Oaks Project, an organization that offers camp programs to children and youth from LGBT families.

Graphic designer and committee chair Glenn Crawford compared the event to The Ottawa Wine and Food Show “but much more social and much more fun”. Just think Edward Kwan (a.k.a. China Doll), Ottawa’s popular gay drag performer. He could be spotted at the party at all times, thanks to his massive multi-coloured boa feathered wig.

Edward Kwan, better known as China Doll, is flanked by Ten Oaks Project board president Morgan Barnes, left, and Richard Corneau at the 12th annual Swirl & Twirl wine, beer and food-tasting fundraiser held at Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building on Thursday, May 26, 2016.

As well, attendees included scooter-riding councillor Catherine McKenney, the first openly gay woman on Ottawa city council.

From left, Ottawa city councillor Catherine McKenney (Somerset Ward) with Nadia Ziroldo at the 12th annualSwirl & Twirl wine, beer and food-tasting fundraiser held at Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building on Thursday, May 26, 2016.

Public interest in Swirl & Twirl has grown since organizers started switching up the beneficiaries, resulting in a wider network of people learning about and attending the fundraiser each year. Also helping to boost this year’s ticket sales was the venue, which is large, welcoming and filled with natural light.

From left, Marc-André Millaire with fellow committee members Kerry Beckett, Glenn Crawford, Denis Schryburt and Mario Larochelle, joined by Lana Lovecakes in Vegas showgirl costume, at the 12th annual Swirl & Twirl wine, beer and food-tasting fundraiser held at Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building on Thursday, May 26, 2016.

Glenn Nuotio and Ariel Troster at the 12th annual Swirl & Twirl wine, beer and food-tasting fundraiser for the Ottawa-Gatineau gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-friendly community not-for-profit organizations, held Thursday, May 26, 2016, at Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building.

From left, Dr. Claire Kendall with nurse practitioners Elizabeth Lavoie and Joanna Binch, all of whom work in the area of HIV care, attended the 12th annual Swirl & Twirl fundraiser held at the Horticulture Building on Thursday, May 26, 2016, held in support of the Ottawa-Gatineau gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-friendly community not-for-profit organizations.

From left, Zhaida Uddin, Stephan Klovan, Chris Desmond and Haoua Inoua at the 12th annual Swirl & Twirl wine, beer and food-tasting fundraiser held at Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building on Thursday, May 26, 2016.

From left, Sue Saikali, Rae Raymond, Marie Paquette and Gerry Foley are regular attendees of the annual Swirl & Twirl wine, beer and food-tasting fundraiser held at Lansdowne’s Horticulture Building on Thursday, May 26, 2016 in support of the Ottawa-Gatineau gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-friendly community not-for-profit organizations.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

This year’s Girls Night Out was issued its own extreme heat alert after some of Ottawa’s smoking-hot firefighters volunteered to help out at the 10th annual benefit dinner and auction for Hospice Care Ottawa, a community-based organization that provides hospice care and community palliative support to individuals and their families.

The men in uniform escorted hundreds of ladies to their dinner tables at Friday night’s event, held at Algonquin College. They also offered to visit the home of the highest auction bidder in order to prepare a barbecue dinner for her and her friends.

In the 700-person crowd was prominent Ottawa philanthropist Shirley Greenberg, who was there with two tables full of her friends. Organizing committee member Mary Ann Smythe also had a table, courtesy of her husband, Phil Massad from BMO Nesbitt Burns. “I didn’t even have to ask him,” she told Around Town. “He volunteered.”

The crowd heard from Hospice Care executive director Lisa Sullivan. She was “over-the-moon excited” to share the good news that they will be breaking ground Tuesday on a new residential hospice in Kanata.

“For many of you in the room, the genesis of Girls Night Out came from a desire to have a hospice in the west end of Ottawa,” she said.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

From left, Kim Curran, vice president of philanthropy at the Bruyëre Foundation, with its board chair, Fiona Gilfillan, at the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, held at Algonquin College on Friday, May 27, 2016.

Brian Tong from Quality Entertainment teaches a crowd of 700 women a few quick dance moves at the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, held at Algonquin College on Friday, May 27, 2016.

From left, supporters Candy Laframboise from Kelly Funeral Homes and Lise Tyrell from Big Easy’s Seafood and Steak House and Rosie’s Southern Kitchen, with Hospice Care Ottawa executive director Lisa Sullivan at the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for the community-based charitable organization, held at Algonquin College on Friday, May 27, 2016.

From left, Shannon Gorman with Debbie O’Brien and Amy Desjardins, executive director of the Algonquin College Foundation, at the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa , held at Algonquin College on Friday, May 27, 2016.

From left, Hospice Care Ottawa board member Hèlëne Sabourin with Ottawa firefighter Peter Roy-Smith (who scored extra points with the ladies for his Aussie accent), event supporter Mary Ann Smythe and board member Sheila Brady at the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, held Friday, May 27, 2016, at Algonquin College.

Some 700 women learned a few quick dance moves at the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, held at Algonquin College on Friday, May 27, 2016.

From left, Eleanor Thomson with prominent Ottawa philanthropist Shirley Greenberg at the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, held Friday, May 27, 2016 at Algonquin College.

From left, Paulette MacGregor and Stephanie Haw from Amsted Design-Build were among the 700 attendees of the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, held at Algonquin College on Friday, May 27, 2016.

Judy Faulkner, owner of Faulkner Real Estate, and her mother, Sandra Faulkner, attended the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundriaser for Hospice Care Ottawa, held at Algonquin College on Friday, May 27, 2016.

CTV Morning Live weather host and event host Melissa Lamb with Brian Henry, president of Quality Entertainment, at the 10th annual Girls Night Out fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa, held at Algonquin College on Friday, May 27, 2016.

Somebody knew enough to cue the blue skies and warm weather for the 4th annual Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala held Wednesday on the very same river that the sold-out benefit was raising money to protect.

A crowd of 475 supporters arrived by valet drivers, foot, boat and bicycle to Lemieux Island, situated on the Ottawa River. There, they mingled on a beautiful and bucolic piece of property decked out with lounge chairs, twinkling lights and creative food stations catered by Thyme & Again.

Not only was the party fun but it was successful; the gala raised more than $230,000 for Ottawa Riverkeeper.

Canadian super talent Serena Ryder played for the enthusiastic crowd while the prime minister’s much-in-demand wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, served as 2016 Honorary Riverkeeper (following in the watery wake of former honourees Kevin Vickers, Stephen Poloz and Mark Carney).

From left, award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Serena Ryder shares a laugh with Newfoundland Liberal MP Seamus O’Regan (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl) and 2016 Honourary Riverkeeper Sophie Grégoire Trudeau at the 4th annual Riverkeeper Gala, held at Lemieux Island on the Ottawa River on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

In her bilingual remarks, Grégoire Trudeau praised water as a life-giving force with cleansing properties, and spoke about how it can influence, along with the rest of nature, our moral and physical health. “It is where we come from and it is where we must give respect in return,” she said.

Grégoire Trudeau also touched on the subject of areas in the world and in Canada where people lack safe water. “It shouldn’t be a luxury to have access to clean water,” she added.

Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown took to the podium to present the 2016 Water Leader canoe paddle to Mayor Jim Watson and Ottawa city council for their “unwavering commitment” toward reducing the amount of untreated sewage going into the river. The Ottawa River flows 1,200 kilometres before joining the St. Lawrence River.

From left, Ottawa Riverkeeper board chair Geoff Green with Mayor Jim Watson (named 2016 Water Leader), Riverkeeper Meredith Brown and Ottawa city councillor David Chernushenko (Capital Ward) at the 4th annual Riverkeeper Gala, held at Lemieux Island on the Ottawa River on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

The mayor has been a champion of the clean up of the Ottawa River by making it a priority for the city, said Brown, and has worked successfully with the other levels of government to reduce sewage spills.

In addition, the organization received $100,000 from ongoing supporter RBC, presented by Louise Summers from RBC Wealth Management.

From left, Geoff Green, chair of the Ottawa Riverkeeper board, and Riverkeeper Meredith Brown celebrate over the $100,000-ceremonial cheque presentation made by RBC Wealth Management regional vice president Louise Summers, joined by the Riverkeeper’s new executive director, Patrick Nadeau, at the annual Riverkeeper Gala, held at Lemieux Island on the Ottawa River on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

Back to host the $250-a-ticket event was Ottawa journalist Evan Solomon, joined on stage by Gary Zed from presenting sponsor EY; Canadian explorer and educator Geoff Green, chair of the Riverkeeper board; and Claudette Commanda from the Kitigan Zibi Algonquin First Nation.

Gary Zed from presenting sponsor EY on the red carpet with 2016 Honourary Riverkeeper Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and Riverkeeper Meredith Brown at the 4th annual Riverkeeper Gala held at Lemieux Island, on the Ottawa River, on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

Claudette Commanda, an elder from the Kitigan Zibi Algonquin First Nation, addresses the sold-out crowd at the 4th annual Riverkeeper Gala, held at Lemieux Island on the Ottawa River on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. (Caroline Phillips / Ottawa Citizen)

Ottawa journalist Evan Solomon was back to host the sold-out 4th annual Riverkeeper Gala, held at Lemieux Island on the Ottawa River on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

Attendees included Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna and fellow Ottawa Liberal MPs Andrew Leslie and Karen McCrimmon.

Ottawa Liberal MPs Andrew Leslie (chief government whip) and Catherine McKenna (environment and climate change minister) attended the 4th annual Riverkeeper Gala, held at Lemieux Island on the Ottawa River on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

The silent auction offered dream-of-a-lifetime trips for the outdoorsy types, including an Arctic cruise package worth $31,632, donated by Adventure Canada; a canoe or rafting Nahanni Wilderness Adventures trip worth $21,500; a guided trip on the Dumoine River, joined by Meredith Brown and avid paddler and well-known musician Kathleen Edwards; and a stay at Le Germain Hotel Charlevoix in Quebec.

From left, Ottawa Riverkeeper board member and well-known musician Kathleen Edwards with Liberal MP Karen McCrimmon (Kanata-Carleton) at the 4th annual Riverkeeper Gala, held at Lemieux Island on the Ottawa River on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca