Award-winning businesswoman Sheila Whyte would have made a great publicist, given her skill at promoting others while staying behind the scenes running Thyme & Again Creative Catering and Take Home Food Shop.

So, it was nice to see her get a well-deserved moment in the spotlight as she hosted a 25th anniversary shindig for Thyme & Again on Friday for more than 400 of her closest friends at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne.

Not that she loved being the centre of attention, mind you.

“It’s not my thing,” she told Around Town before steering the conversation over to the many individuals (like employee Josee DesRosiers) and local businesses (Bloomfields Flowers, Kichesippi Beer and Beau’s Brewery, Seed to Sausage, Chez Lili Party Rentals, Chic & Swell, Event Design, to name just a bunch) that helped to make her party such a smashing success.

This was no chips-and-dip night, for sure. There was smoked salmon and fresh Fogo Island cod, a salad bar with ingredients from local farms presented from a canoe, birch trees adorned with cookies and truffles, an elaborate chocolate fondue, and gin gimlet and Negroni cocktails. Parked outside on the patio was a shiny airstream mobile bar and lounge while bringing dance-worthy energy to the bash was the local pop band The PepTides.

CTV’s Leanne Cusack graced the stage to welcome Mayor Jim Watson. He’s known Whyte since they both began their respective careers, in 1991. As a self-proclaimed “lousy cook” bachelor, he’s a regular customer of Whyte’s store on Wellington Street West and credits it for helping to put four inches on his waistline.

Whyte’s success goes beyond just the quality and creativity of her food, said the mayor before presenting her with a framed certificate. “Sheila understands as a business leader that it’s not just about the bottom line,” said Watson. “Her contributions to the arts community, to charities, to philanthropy are legendary and set a gold standard for other businesses.”

The party brought together a cross-section of community members as well as such culinary luminaries as award-winning Gold Medal Plate chefs Patrick Garland, Marc Lepine and Michael Moffatt, along with iconic chef Robert Bourassa.

Whyte’s husband, retired paleontologist technician Clayton Kennedy, attended with their two sons, Teagan, 17, and Adam, 12, the latter of whom pulled off the large headphones-around-the-neck look quite nicely.

Also seen were folks from organizations that get a helping hand from Whyte, such as the Parkdale Food Centre and The Ottawa Mission homeless shelter. “She gives back, and that’s why she’s lasted 25 years,” The Mission’s Shirley Roy told Around Town.

Whyte, who has catered for The Queen’s visit and for clients’ first, second and third weddings, said it’s the creativity and collaboration that she most enjoys about her work.

“It’s about always being able to create something new and always meeting and interacting with new people,” she told Around Town. “That’s what keeps it fresh.

“I’m looking forward to the next 25 years.”

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Do you know what got Anna Kiefl so interested in being part of the Jeanne Fuller Red Dress Charity Golf Classic in support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute? Great prizes and auction items, free cocktails, and an anything-goes attitude about whether you can actually swing a golf club.

Lauren Parkes with her mom, keynote speaker Anna Kiefl, at the Jeanne Fuller Red Dress Charity Golf Classic in support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and held at the Loch March Golf and Country Club on Monday, September 12, 2016.

She’s been playing each and every year in the tournament at the Loch March Golf and Country Club in Kanata, helping to raise money for the Canadian Women’s Health Heart Centre. This year’s 10th annual event on Monday was particularly special because the tournament reached the accumulative $1-million mark, much to the delight of the co-chairs for the past eight years, certified coach practitioner Marion Martell and Mary Browne from major sponsor Royal LePage Team Realty.

But, the most valuable gift that the 156 female golfers take home with them at the end of the day is not the swag; it’s the heightened awareness.

For Kiefl, she’s learned how to identify the subtle female symptoms of a heart attack. When she started experiencing sore teeth while exercising some 18 months ago, she knew to seek medical attention rather than return home to rest. “I’m alive because of this tournament,” said Kiefl, a real estate agent with Royal LePage Performance Realty.

And it’s that kind of knowledge about women’s heart health that Loch March owner Mark Fuller was shooting for when he came up with the idea to host an all-female tournament, named after his mother, Jeanne. He was left “thunderstruck” when he learned years ago that cardiovascular disease was the number one killer of women. “I’ve been kicking around for awhile, and if I didn’t know [that fact], not too many other people probably knew,” he told Around Town. “We had to tell people.”

From left, Jeanne Fuller Red Dress Charity Golf Classic co-chair Mary Browne with host Mark Fuller, from the Loch March Golf & Country Club, and co-chair Marion Martell at the 10th annual fundraiser for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, held Monday, September 12, 2016.

This past spring, the golf club also hosted its 24th annual Fuller Keon charity golf tournament for the Heart Institute. It’s named after: Fuller’s late father, Thomas Fuller, a naval officer in World War Two and one-time head of Thomas Fuller Construction, and the Heart Institute cardiac surgeon who provided his exceptional care, Dr. Wilbert Keon.

The success of the tournaments has caused Fuller, a very warm and friendly man, to pause and reflect on what’s been accomplished. “Every once in a while you take a glance in the rear view mirror,” said Fuller. “It’s good. It’s good. We’ve raised a lot of dough. We’ve brought some tremendous awareness. The Heart Institute has fallen so beautifully in place.”

Attendees included Heart Institute Foundation president and CEO Jim Orban, along with its board chair, Barbara Farber, president of Leikin Group, and such fellow board members as Krista Kealey, V-P of communications and public affairs for the Ottawa International Airport Authority. Lianne Laing from CTV Morning Live was back to emcee the dinner. She was seen chatting with her good friend, Erin Phillips, who was wearing the colour du jour: red. Phillips is known both for her volunteer work in the community and for being the other half of retired Sens player Chris Phillips. She recently joined Royal LePage Team Realty as a sales rep.

Jim Orban, president and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation, with its board chair, Barbara Farber, at the Jeanne Fuller Red Dress Charity Golf Classic in support of the Heart Institute and held at the Loch March Golf and Country Club on Monday, September 12, 2016.

From left, Jean Spicer, Shannon Lambert, University of Ottawa Heat Institute Foundation board member Krista Kealey and Lesley Holmes golfed together at the Jeanne Fuller Red Dress Charity Golf Classic in support of the Heart Institute and held at the Loch March Golf and Country Club on Monday, September 12, 2016.

From left, dinner emcee Lianne Laing, from CTV Morning Live, with tournament golfer Erin Phillips at the Jeanne Fuller Red Dress Charity Golf Classic in support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and held at the Loch March Golf and Country Club on Monday, September 12, 2016.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It’s hard to believe that only 40 years ago the Queensway Carleton Hospital sprang from a field much like the family owned Saunders Farm, where the hospital held its big anniversary party Friday night.

Since 1976, the west-end hospital has continued to grow, as has the population it’s been serving: from 90,000 to more than 400,000.

The 40 Years of Love charity gala brought everyone together under one magnificent party tent for a family styled dinner, shared together beneath a Harvest Moon.

So high was the demand for tickets that gala attendance swelled to 450.

The organizing committee was led by Sara Cinq-Mars, wife of Tomlinson Group of Companies president Kevin Cinq-Mars. There to welcome everyone was the warm and familiar voice of retired radio broadcaster Steve Madely, who served as the evening’s MC.

“Forty years ago, this hospital was pulled together from a number of volunteer community leaders, like Aubrey Moodie, Ben Franklin, Jean Pigott, Irving Greenberg,” Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation president and CEO Melanie Adams told the crowd. “There was a number of them who had a vision to pull from a farmer’s field a hospital for our community. It was an amazing success and, 40 years later, here we are celebrating with new community leaders with a vision for our future.”

When deciding what to wear, many guests drew inspiration from the 1970s. Recently retired Ottawa Senators player Chris Phillips went for “boho chic”, a la Johnny Depp. He and his wife, Erin, were honorary patrons that night. They donated to the live auction a package for four to boat and lunch with them on the Big Rideau.

The Phillipses are also honorary chairs of the hospital foundation’s $5-million Hopes Rising campaign to make major improvements to the hospital’s mental health services.

Attendees included Ottawa mental health advocate Barbara Crook with her husband, Dan Greenberg, owner of presenting sponsor Ferguslea Properties and son of the late Irving Greenberg. The $5-million campaign was launched back in February with a $1-million donation from Crook and her husband.

Crook realized the mental health ward needed to be fixed after one of her relatives spent a few weeks there as a psychiatric patient. The unit has been pretty much in the same condition for the past 40 years.

Crook and a bunch of other families with similar experiences expressed their desire for change to the QCH. It paid attention. “The hospital didn’t just say, ‘Yes, dear,’ ” said Crook (referring to the conditioned response made by spouses when they’re not actively listening). “They said, ‘We’re going to do it.’ ”

So far, more than $2 million has been raised. Funds will help redesign and renovate the unit to improve the way mental health patients navigate through the system, and to create a safer, brighter and more welcoming space.

Gala attendees included Dr. Andrew Falconer, chief of staff at the hospital, and physicians who’ve been there since the beginning, such as Drs. Doug Mirsky, Ron Vexler and Barry Bruce (Mirsky and Bruce rocked on later that night while performing with their STAR Tools band).

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Carleton University wrapped up its homecoming celebrations by hosting a Great Grads, Good Deeds reception Saturday for a handpicked group of graduates who’ve made a difference, whether locally, nationally or even globally.

University president Roseann O’Reilly Runte was there, in the atrium of the River Building, to welcome 200-plus guests back to their alma mater. Alumni included: Mayor Jim Watson, Juno Award-winning jazz vocalist Kellylee Evans, prominent architect Barry Hobin, Global Affairs Canada Assistant Deputy Minister Elissa Golberg, Tweed CEO Bruce Linton and Dr. Chris Carruthers, to name but a few.

“Each one of you was singled out as deserving of special recognition,” said Jay Nordenstrom, president of the Carleton University Alumni Association in his remarks. “Each one of you was identified as an example of commitment to good and, in some cases, transformational change.”

From left, Carleton University chief advancement officer Jennifer Conley with the university’s president, Roseann O’Reilly Runte, and alumni Jeri Fortin and Dan Fortin, retired president of IBM Canada, at an exclusive Great Grads, Good Deeds reception hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

From left, Tweed CEO Bruce Linton and Mitel chief financial officer Steve Spooner, both graduates of Carleton University, were distinguished guests of the Great Grads, Good Deeds reception hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

Guest speakers included former IBM Canada president Dan Fortin, who not only earned his civil engineering degree from Carleton but met his wife, Jeri, there some 42 years ago. He talked about his involvement with the university’s most ambitious campaign to date, Collaborate, announced last fall. It aims to raise $300 million by 2018. That’s a lot of dough but, hey, it’s already reached the $200 million mark.

The school’s motto to be “Here for Good” has less to do with its permanency (75 years, and still going strong!) and more to do with its commitment to the community. “We’re here for the good of the community and for what we can deliver,” said Fortin. “To me, that’s the theme of this evening … You are here because you have been doing good.”

From left, Carleton Univeristy alumnus Michel Cormier, executive director of news and current affairs for Radio-Canada, with AndrÈ Plourde, the univeristy’s dean of the faculty of public affairs, at the Great Grads, Good Deeds reception hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

From left, Carleton University president Roseann O’Reilly Runte with alumnae Jean Teron and Janice McDonald, seen with her husband, Stephen Bleeker, at the Great Grads, Good Deeds reception hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

Carleton University graduate and digital artisan Eric Chan, seen with his mom Grace, was one of the distinguished graduates invited to the Great Grads, Good Deeds reception hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

From left, Jim Watson, mayor of Ottawa and graduate of Carleton University, with its president, Roseann OíReilly Runte, and Jay Nordenstrom, president of the Carleton University Alumni Association, at the Great Grads, Good Deeds reception hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

Carleton University’s assistant director of faculty advancement, Corrie Hobin, with her father, well-known Ottawa architect and Carleton alumnus Barry Hobin, at the Great Grads, Good Deeds reception for distinguished graduates, hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

From left, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president Fahd Alhattab with Dr. Chris Carruthers, former chief of staff at The Ottawa Hospital, and Omar Alhattab at the Great Grads, Good Deeds reception for distinguished graduates, hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

AndrÈ Plourde, dean of the faculty of public affairs at Carleton University, with distinguished graduate Elissa Golberg, an assistant deputy minister with Global Affairs Canada, at the Great Grads, Good Deeds reception hosted by the university in the atrium of its River Building on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

“Welcome to my humble abode,” joked French Ambassador Nicolas Chapuis.

Anybody who’s ever been to or caught a glimpse of the Embassy of France on Sussex Drive knows that this striking Art Deco building, built in the 1930s, is anything but humble.

On Tuesday, the ambassador and his wife, Sylvie Camia, hosted 270-plus supporters of Ottawa Salus, a charitable organization that provides housing and support services for nearly 300 adults living with serious and persistent mental illness.
The sold-out soirée was both fabulous and successful, raising $70,000.

Liberal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc was on hand to present the Celebrate Salus 2016 award to one of Salus’ founders, Dr. Alistair Catterson, in recognition of his contributions and commitment of almost 40 years. “I’ve always felt that Salus has given me back as much as I gave to it,” the psychiatrist said upon accepting his honour.

From left, Dr. Alistair Catterson was awarded the Celebrate Salus 2016 certificate by federal Liberal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc during a fundraising reception for Ottawa Salus held at the Embassy of France on Tuesday, September 20, 2016.

Here’s the neat thing, though: In 1983, Salus got approval for $340,000 from LeBlanc’s late father, Romeo LeBlanc, when he was public works minister in Trudeau Sr.’s cabinet, and responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The minister’s letter was sent to none other than Catterson by telex (that’s in the pre-fax machine and email era, for all you young’uns) and currently hangs on the wall at Ottawa Salus.

“I am happy, some 30 years later, to be with all of you here tonight and to think of the remarkable contribution that this modest investment made,” said LeBlanc, speaking in the Grand Salon with the massive Triumph of Constantine tapestry as his backdrop. “And, how it has encouraged literally thousands of people to give of their time, of their energy, of their love, of their money, to support and build this truly remarkable organization.”

Salus began with a single group home. Today, it has 13 buildings, ranging from shared accommodations and single homes to small apartment buildings, and a staff of 80-plus. It also has a modern and environmentally innovative new 42-unit building that’s nearly complete.

“There’s not one family in Canada that hasn’t been touched by mental illness,” LeBlanc also said in his remarks. “We’ve seen a loved one, a colleague, somebody we care about, face these difficult challenges.”

Attendees included Supreme Court Justice Michael Moldaver, Royal Ottawa Health Care Group CEO George Weber and Coun. David Chernushenko, who’s a previous recipient of a Celebrate Salus award. Laura Chapman co-chaired the event organizing committee with Ellen Wright, whose husband, Dwayne Wright, was board president at Salus for seven years. Its new prez is Paul Taylor from law firm BLG.

From left, Laura Chapman and Ellen Wright co-chaired the organizing committee for Soirée Salus held at the Embassy of France on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, in support of Ottawa Salus, a charitable organization that provides housing and support services for people living with severe and persistent mental illness.

George Weber, president and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, with Ottawa Salus board member Camille Power at Soirée Salus, a fundraising evening held at the Embassy of France on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, in support of Ottawa Salus, a charitable organization that provides housing and support services for people living with severe and persistent mental illness.

Keeping it fun was the incomparable Joseph Cull, who’s been known to dress in drag to raise funds for charity. With a towering white beehive wig and a dress that was pouffy enough to hide a French king, Cull auctioned off a French embassy dinner for 10. It fetched $6,100 from highest bidders Lisa Hunt and her husband Malcolm McCulloch. The embassy has a special place in the couple’s heart; it’s where they first met, at a reception, 13 years ago.

Live auctioneer Joseph Cull, dressed as Marie Antoinette, at the Embassy of France on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, sold a French embassy dinner for 10 to Malcolm McCulloch and Lisa Hunt, for $6,100, as part of a fundraising event for Ottawa Salus.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It was all style and sparkle at the Canadian Museum of Nature on Tuesday night as the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa hosted a fashion show event there to raise funds in support of at-risk children and youth.

Some 130 attendees gathered in the museum’s Rotunda, where models walked down the runway in attire from The Outskirts, Pat Flesher Furs and Mario Uomo Italy, with shoes from Max’s Footwear Boutique. Co-chairing An Evening of Glitz and Glam were Kiwanians Barb Perrin and Lynda Campbell, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Rhodes & Company.

Kiwanis Club of Ottawa members Barb Perrin, left, and Lynda Campbell co-chaired An Evening of Glitz and Glam held at the Canadian Museum of Nature on September 20, 2016, in support of at-risk children and youth.

The evening included 40 silent auction items and such prizes as diamond earrings donated by True Bijoux.

Mario Badr from Mario Uomo Italy with Laurie Wesanko from The Outskirts women’s clothing store at the Canadian Museum of Nature on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, for An Evening of Glitz and Glam presented by the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa.

The Kiwanis Club of Ottawa presented An Evening of Glitz and Glam at the Canadian Museum of Nature on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, with a fall fashion show featuring such local businesses as The Outskirts.

The Kiwanis Club of Ottawa presented An Evening of Glitz and Glam at the Canadian Museum of Nature on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, with a fall fashion show featuring such local businesses as The Outskirts, Pat Flesher Furs and Max’s Footwear Boutique.

The Kiwanis Club of Ottawa presented An Evening of Glitz and Glam at the Canadian Museum of Nature on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, with a fashion show featuring such local businesses as Pat Flesher Furs.

The Kiwanis Club of Ottawa presented An Evening of Glitz and Glam at the Canadian Museum of Nature on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, with a fall fashion show featuring such local businesses as men’s clothing store Mario Uomo Italy.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

While going up the escalator at Brookstreet Hotel, a velvety voice could be heard floating down from the second-floor ballroom. It belonged to Ottawa’s Anne Lewis, who was crooning the opening line “Heaven, I’m in heaven” from the Irving Berlin classic Cheek to Cheek.

The jazz artist was more than just the evening’s live music for the 14th annual Lumière Rouge Fundraising Gala, held Thursday at the hotel in Kanata. She was also a cancer survivor: stage III melanoma followed by thyroid, which stole her singing voice for a time. The splashy party raised, along with that day’s Keltic Cup Charity Golf Classic, more than $100,000 for cancer care in our community, through the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.
Singing on stage that night “is the most meaningful thing I’ve done since I’ve returned to singing [in 2014],” she told Around Town after finishing her set with talented musicians J.P. Allain, Tom Denison, John Geggie and Mike Rud. “I’m supporting all of the wonderful things that the foundation does for research and clinical trials and for the support network in the community.

From left, Ottawa jazz singer Anne Lewis with gala committee member and retired Mitel CEO Don Smith and his wife, Melanie, at the
Lumière Rouge gala for cancer care, held at Brookstreet Hotel on Thursday, September 22, 2016.

“They were of tremendous help to me when I went through cancer,” Lewis said before adding: “This is a very emotional night for me, absolutely.”

Back in action and in very fine form was the evening’s MC and live auctioneer, “Stuntman” Stu Schwartz. The popular radio personality and PA announcer for the Ottawa Senators has been notably absent from the charity-gala circuit while facing his high-profile fight against leukemia, resulting in a successful bone-marrow transplant.

Addressing a crowd of close to 600, he sold off a golf trip for four to The Celtic Manor in Wales (owned by Brookstreet owner and high-tech mogul Terry Matthews) for $6,500; a 100-level suite to an Ottawa Senators game for $4,500; $10,000-worth of print advertising in the Ottawa Citizen/Ottawa Sun; a trip to Mexico for $3,000; and a six-course chef’s table for 10 in the private dining room of the hotel’s Perspectives Restaurant. It went to multiple highest bidders, bringing in a total of $6,300.

Brookstreet once again pulled out all the stops for its annual gala, which has raised over the years more than $1 million for the cancer foundation and other local charities. Some of this year’s proceeds will also go toward cancer care at the west-end Queensway Carleton Hospital.

Brookstreet Hotel executive vice president and general manager Patrice Basille with Linda Eagen, president and CEO of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, at the 14th Annual Lumière Rouge Fundraising Gala held at Brookstreet on Thursday, September 22, 2016.

The Lumière Gala, famous for its closing fireworks display, showcases the best in food and wine. Guests flit between culinary stations while catching up with friends, colleagues and clients. The ballroom is adorned with rosy hues and many partygoers adhere to the dress code’s call for eye-popping red.

On hand were Brookstreet executive vice president and general manager Patrice Basille and executive chef Clifford Lyness. Linda Eagen, president and CEO of the cancer foundation, attended, as did its board chair, lawyer Gregory Sanders, and one of its great volunteer fundraisers, retired Mitel CEO Don Smith, who’s also on the gala organizing committee.

From left, Tom Schonberg, president and CEO of the Queensway Carleton Hospital, with his wife, Ene, and BrazeauSeller law partner Ron Prehogan, chair of the hospital’s capital campaign, at the 14th Annual Lumière Rouge Fundraising Gala held at Brookstreet on Thursday, September 22, 2016.

From the Queensway Carleton, hospital CEO Tom Schonberg, was out that night. So were the hospital foundation’s capital campaign chair, lawyer and succession planning consultant Ron Prehogan, and board member Karen Sparks, who’s also a director with gala partner Wesley Clover Foundation.

The National Arts Centre wasn’t at a loss for finding a compelling and charismatic way to express its sincere gratitude to Gail Asper for her record-breaking $5-million donation to the national performing arts organization’s Creation Campaign.

Its kind words and bouquet of fresh flowers were really quite lovely but what truly dazzled the celebrated philanthropist from Winnipeg — and everyone else in the room — was a performance from the hit Canadian-made musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone: Asper Edition. What a coincidence that Asper mentioned the play during her preceding remarks at the podium, commenting on how it was able to pull her out of a foul mood when she saw it on Broadway.

Related

• National Arts Centre lands record $5M donation for unique fund to spur ambitious works

Veteran stage star Nora McLellan, accompanied on piano by Ottawa’s Jean Desmarais, sang about Asper to the tune of As We Stumble Along while a smiling Asper, with jazz hands waving, sat comfortably in a chair similar to the one used by the play’s Man in Chair character.

From left, Gail Asper, chair of the National Arts Centre Foundation board, with Tony Award-winning composer Lisa Lambert and veteran stage actor Nora McLellan at the National Arts Centre on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, for the announcement of the NAC’s $25-million fundraising campaign and its $5-million donation from Asper.

The intimate and lighthearted moment was part of a gathering organized by the NAC on Wednesday to unveil both Asper’s gift and the NAC’s $25-million fundraising campaign to support the creation of new works of music, theatre and dance in collaboration with artists and arts organizations across the country. The campaign has already reached, in its quiet stages of fundraising, the $23-million mark, with donations coming in from around the country.

Asper, who is the current chair of the NAC Foundation, spoke of the fund as a way of helping performing artists create legacies for generations to come. “I believe this Creation fund will be nimble, entrepreneurial, responsive to artists’ needs and will yield dividends of unforgettable new works of art,” she said in her remarks.

Gail Asper during her speech after it was announced that she will be donating 5 million dollars to the National Arts Centre fundraising campaign in support of Canadian performing arts creation. Wednesday September 28, 2016.

Asper described NAC president and CEO Peter Herrndorf‘s vision as “irresistible” and talked about how the funding will reach coast to coast to coast. “Because creative genius doesn’t have boundaries,” said Asper. “Creative genius can be found just as easily, it turns out, at Joe Batt’s Arm in Newfoundland or Squamish, B.C. or in my beloved Winnipeg.”

She also spoke of how her late father, former media mogul Israel (Izzy) Asper, taught her to be generous while she was alive in order that “we can see the benefits of our giving and the fruits of our giving”.

On hand were Herrndorf and the head of the NAC board, Adrian Burns, along with NAC Foundation chief executive Jayne Watson and Gail O’Brien, chair of the Creation Campaign and former foundation board chair.

From left, Gail O’Brien, Gail Asper, Peter Herrndorf and Jayne Watson belt out a showtune from The Drowsy Chaperone musical comedy while at the National Arts Centre on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, to publicly announce the NAC’s $25-million fundraising campaign and its $5-million donation from Asper.

Guests included Canada Council for the Arts director and CEO Simon Brault, Canadian Heritage deputy minister Graham Flack and Lisa Lambert, co-creator of the five-time Tony Award-winning Drowsy Chaperone.

From left, lawyer and National Arts Centre supporter Jacques Shore with Canadian Heritage deputy minister Graham Flack at the National Arts Centre on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, for the announcement of the NAC’s $25-million fundraising campaign and its $5-million donation from Gail Asper.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It was curtains up Thursday on PAL Ottawa as its grassroots effort to create affordable housing for the arts community drew supporters to a soirée benefit at Cube Gallery in Wellington West.

Surrounded by an array of artwork and live music, guests mingled over drinks and canapés from caterer Epicuria while also bidding on silent auction items. Faces included such veterans of Ottawa theatre as John Koensgen and Janet Irwin, as well as visual artists Adrian Göllner and Jerry Grey.

There was celebration within celebration as Blues singer Maria Hawkins delivered a surprise birthday serenade to popular arts patron Barbara McInnes .

Well-known community leader Barbara McInnes, right, gets a birthday serenade from Ottawa singer Maria Hawkins at PAL Ottawaís benefit soirée, held at Cube Gallery on Wellington Street West on Thursday, September 29, 2016.

Cube Gallery co-owner Don Monet with Ottawa theatre director and playwright Janet Irwin at PAL Ottawaís benefit soirée, held at Cube Gallery on Wellington Street West on Thursday, September 29, 2016.

Eric Coates, artistic director of the Great Canadian Theatre Company, served as lively emcee while actor Peter Haworth, board chair of PAL (Performing Arts Lodge) Ottawa, was among the speakers to address the need for affordable housing for artists living on reduced and fixed incomes. Such a facility will not only help aging and ailing artists maintain a decent standard of living but allow them to continue working, he said.

From left, Eric Coates with visual artist Jerry Grey and Ottawa actor Peter Haworth at PAL Ottawaís benefit soirée, held at Cube Gallery on Wellington Street West on Thursday, September 29, 2016.

Haworth shared the cautionary tale of the late James Boyd. His famous Les Yeux mural of human eyes can be seen on the outside of the University of Ottawa’s McDonald Hall. Yet, the well-known artist spent his later years living in isolation with no running water, heat or car.

“When I see those eyes now staring at us I’m reminded that we have a powerful mission to make sure the James Boyds of this world can keep on working all the way up to their final days,” said Haworth.

PAL Ottawa currently runs a Supporting Cast volunteer outreach program to help ill or disabled artists. The non-profit organization’s next step – and it’s a big one – is to establish an affordable housing facility, as has been done with PAL chapters in cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Stratford.

Toronto resident and award-winning senior arts administrator Vivenne Muhling was invited up by Ottawa impresario and arts patron Harvey Glatt to talk about the unique and lively community that she’s been part of. “I think the best thing that ever happened to me in my whole life was going to live at PAL Toronto,” she told the room. “It is a godsend to everybody who is there.”

Ottawa impresario and arts patron Harvey Glatt with his guest Vivienne Muhling, an award-winning arts administrator up from Toronto to support PAL Ottawa and its benefit soirée, held at Cube Gallery on Thursday, September 29, 2016.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

It was a night to just sit back and soak it all in, from award-winning singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk‘s phenomenal performance, to Sophie Grégoire Trudeau lifting the spirits of an entire room with her passionate words, to an exciting bidding war to become a character in a Margaret Atwood book.

Then, there was the Canadian Tire-donated canoe, portaged into the ballroom of the Fairmont Château Laurier by strapping young lads in tuxedos. It sold off for $4,600, along with cherry paddles autographed by Grégoire and her other half, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

As parting gifts for everyone, there were brand new Woods sleeping bags.

The inaugural Nature Canada Ball on Friday attracted a sold-out crowd to raise funds for the country’s oldest national nature conservation charity and its Naturehood program aimed at connecting children to nearby nature.

The elegant event was chaired by Greenbridge Group president Sheefra Brisbin, who’s also board vice chair at Nature Canada.

Canadian broadcast journalist Marci Ien served as MC while Ottawa animal lover and photographer Sandy Sharkey helped out as celebrity auctioneer. Up for grabs were: a $38,000 Arctic cruise for two donated by Adventure Canada, a trip to Iqaluit courtesy of First Air, a work by wildlife artist Robert Bateman, and an embassy dinner for 10 with Irish Ambassador Jim Kelly and his wife.

Most intriguing was the donation by Atwood, the keynote speaker, to include the name of the highest bidder in volume three of her Angel Catbird graphic novel trilogy. It went for $11,000 to a woman who plans to surprise her father (the gift will be a creative far cry from a necktie, that’s for sure).

Grégoire, a self-professed “nature lover” was there as the ball patron. She’s also the 100th member of Nature Canada’s philanthropic initiative Women for Nature (just ahead of Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, who didn’t mind settling for the 101st spot).

Grégoire, who lived in the Laurentians during her early years, spoke of the outdoors as being such a vital part of her childhood. “My father used to tell me, ‘Just listen to the sounds of rocks,’ ” joked Grégoire, who’s since used that same line with her own three children.

She shared a poem that she wrote, describing some of her exhilarating experiences in nature, from surfing in Tofino, to exploring Gros Morne, to seal watching near the Magdalen Islands. There was even a reference to her inadvertent drowning of Ski-Doos, which would have made for good dinner conversation back at her table.

Chief Government Whip Andrew Leslie, Liberal MP for Orléans, and Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi, Liberal MPP for Ottawa Centre, were also among the attendees.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

The U.S. Embassy’s annual 4th of July bash started this summer off with a bang, fireworks not required.

Ambassador Bruce Heyman and his wife, Vicki, hosted well in excess of 4,000 people Monday at their official residence, Lornado, in Rockcliffe Park. The outdoor party was a fun and festive three-hour-plus of eating, drinking, live music, dancing and socializing with idyllic weather conditions that recent Canada Day revellers could only dream of.

Vicki Heyman and her husband, U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman greet guests to the U.S. Embassy’s road trip-themed 4th of July party, held at the couple’s official residence, Lornado, in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, July 4, 2016.

The convivial couple welcomed the massive crowd to their Road Trip USA-themed shindig, catered by The Westin, before hitting the dance floor to bust some moves with their three young grandkids.

Guests could get their kicks at Route 66, one of five culinary highway tents serving everything from corned beef sandwiches, fried catfish, crab cakes, bison burgers and chicken wings. If only famous road trippers Thelma and Louise had such options available to them as at the End of the Road tent: blizzards from Dairy Queen and some of Chicago’s famous Eli’s Cheesecake.

From left, George Weber, president and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, with Stephanie Richardson and Luke Richardson, who helped launch the DIFD (Do It For Daron) youth mental health awareness campaign, and Dr. Raj Bhatla, psychiatrist-in-chief and chief of staff of the Royal Ottawa, at the 4th of July party hosted by the U.S. Embassy at Lornado in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, July 4, 2016.

The program handout came with a map of the sprawling property, as well as a list of the nearly 100 corporations that sponsored the event.

Seen at the primo people-watching event were: federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould arriving with her husband, Tim Raybould; Canada’s chief of defence staff, Gen. Jonathan Vance, chatting with U.S. Air Force General Lori Robinson, the first woman to lead a top-tier U.S. warfighting command; Shopify COO Harley Finkelstein beaming with pride as he and his wife, Lindsay, pushed a baby pram with their sleeping newborn daughter; retired NHLer Luke Richardson and his wife, Stephanie, from the youth mental health awareness Do It For Daron campaign, with their friends from the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre; and maestro Alexander Shelley hanging with his peeps from the National Arts Centre.

From left, Gwen Goodier with her husband, Christopher Deacon, managing director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and its music director, maestro Alexander Shelley, and NAC Foundation chief executive Jayne Watson at the 4th of July party hosted by the U.S. Embassy at Lornado, the official residence of the U.S. ambassador and his wife, on Monday, July 4, 2016.

Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and her husband, Tim Raybould, were among the thousands to attend the 4th of July party hosted by the U.S. Embassy at its ambassador’s official residence, Lornado, in Rockcliffe Park on Monday, July 4, 2016.

From left, General Lori Robinson, the highest ranking woman in U.S. military history, with Canadian General Jonathan Vance, chief of defence staff, and his wife, Kerry Vance, and retired U.S. Air Force major general David Robinson at the 4th of July party hosted by the U.S. Embassy on Monday, July 4, 2016, at the U.S. ambassador’s official residence, Lornado, in Rockcliffe Park.

Also in the crowd was RCMP Const. Pete Woolley. He makes a special red serge appearance in a delightful and popular online video made by the Heymans to promote their Independence Day party.

The ambassador, who spoke with affection and admiration about Canada, was still feeling the buzz from President Barack Obama’s recent visit to the nation’s capital.

During Heyman’s two years in Canada, he’s seen much of the country, including the Arctic. “What strikes me every time I travel across this country … is the warmth and generosity and genuine hospitality of Canadians,” Heyman told the receptive crowd. “I have never been treated as a stranger in Canada.”

What makes the country so great, he added, are its priceless intangibles, from its human kindness to its breathtaking beauty. “Most importantly, it’s Canada’s unfailing, unwavering readiness to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States as friends, as neighbours, as allies, as kin.”

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Classical music and opera lovers were swept away, like a pair of romantics on a gondola ride down a moonlit canal, at this year’s Venetian-themed Italian garden party for Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado and his wife, Martine, greeted some 300 guests to their official residence in Gatineau on Tuesday. It was an exquisite evening for cocktails in a spacious backyard surrounded by stunning flowers, towering mature trees and an elegant mansion. Guests were gracefully summoned to their outdoor concert seats by a surprise flash mob of singers.

The $90 to $100-a-ticket party raised funds in support of the Friends’ efforts to award bursaries and scholarships to gifted young musicians.

“Through events such as this, we (ambassadors) are able to show our gratitude and our support to the community that welcomes us and to the wonderful country that hosts us — Canada,” said Cornado in his brief welcoming remarks.

The concert featured music inspired by Italy or written by Italian composers.

NAC Orchestra concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki gave an electrifying performance of Vivaldi’s Summer, with fellow violinist Emily Westell, violist David Marks, cellist Thaddeus Morden and double bassist Hilda Cowie.

During a subsequent Vivaldi performance, when trumpet players Karen Donnelly and Steven van Gulik ran into a minor glitch with their sheet music, Kawasaki got the crowd laughing with his unintentional product placement. “This is why I play with an iPad Pro,” he announced, flashing his tablet to the audience.

Kawasaki’s wife, Jessica Linnebach, associate concertmaster with the NACO, was in attendance and nine months’ pregnant with their second child. She was in good hands, though; her physician, Dr. David Finestone, was also at the party.

Concert headliners also included baritone Gary Dahl and Heart Institute cardiac surgeon and trained tenor Fraser Rubens, with accompanist Judith Ginsburg.

Always a breath of fresh air were pianist Silvie Cheng and her younger brother, Bryan Cheng, playing on his rare 1754 Venetian cello. The young cellist, who is a 2016 NAC Orchestra bursary winner, also shared the stage with Kawasaki for a performance together.

Attendees included Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin and her colleague, Justice Michael Moldaver, with their respective spouses, Mayor Jim Watson, and former Olympian-turned-Royal LePage real estate agent Rob Marland and his wife Jane Forsyth as sponsors.

Getting lucky that night was former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley, now president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada. He won one of the random prizes — a gift certificate to the Italian restaurant Babbos, located in Manotick.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

One of the best plays at Friday night’s football game occurred off the field, when 10-year-old Angus Albinati tackled the hushed issue of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The adorable crowd charmer, recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, shared his personal story with guests of a private fundraising party for the IBD Foundation, co-hosted by Jeff Hunt, one of the owners of the Ottawa Redblacks, and volunteer fundraiser extraordinaire Gary Zed, managing partner at EY.

The tailgate party was held at Hunt’s condo and balcony suite at The Rideau condominium, overlooking the football field.

Hearts swelled as Albinati handed his jar of $200-plus in savings over to IBD Foundation president Michele Hepburn to help kids “going through the same thing as I am”.

Guests were invited to make a generous donation of their own and, in return, receive a Redblacks jersey signed by the entire team. Proceeds will go toward purchasing state-of-the-art gastroenterology equipment for an IBD diagnostic room at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. In attendance was CHEO’s hard-working head of gastroenterology, Dr. David Mack.

“We owe him a huge debt of gratitude,” the boy’s mother, Corianne Bell, told Around Town. “He turned Angus’s life around.”

IBD Foundation president Michele Hepburn with Redblacks co-owner Jeff Hunt, Crohn’s patient Angus Albinati and co-host Gary Zed for a private fundraising party held at Hunt’s condo prior to the team’s home opener game on Friday, July 8, 2016.

Albinati is back to playing sports, namely hockey and baseball. Unfortunately, Crohn’s is not curable and can be very debilitating. Moreover, since 1995, the number of new cases of Crohn’s and colitis — the two main forms of IBD — has almost doubled among Canadian children.

Guests included Roger Greenberg, who, along with Hunt, is one of the partners of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. Former mayor Larry O’Brien was there with his wife, Colleen McBride-O’Brien, who helped out. Also seen were lawyer Charles Saikaley, who has Crohn’s disease, CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge and prominent couple Barbara Crook and Dan Greenberg, at his first Redblacks game.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

From left, Redblacks cheerleader Alyssa R. with guests Samar Saab and Lucia De Franco, and cheerleader Melissa F. at a private fundraising party for the IBD Foundation held at The Rideau condominium at Lansdowne prior to the football team’s home opening game on Friday, July 8, 2016.

Dr. Nalin Bhargava, team dentist for the Ottawa Redblacks, with his wife, Rani Bhargava, who’s also a dentist, at a private fundraising party in support of the IBD Foundation held at Lansdowne prior to the team’s home opening game on Friday, July 8, 2016.

Kristine McGinn and her husband, Walt McGinn, from Allegra printing, were out to support a private fundraising party for the IBD Foundation, held at Redblacks co-owner Jeff Hunt’s condo at Lansdowne prior to the team’s home opening game on Friday, July 8, 2016.

From left, Michele Hepburn, president of the IBD Foundation, with supporter Colleen McBride-O’Brien at a private fundraising party to help kids with inflammatory bowel disease, held prior to the Redblacks’ home opener at Lansdowne on Friday, July 8, 2016.

From left, Aik Aliferis, CEO of Primecorp, with Charles Saikaley, partner at Perley-Robertson Hill and McDougall, at a private fundraising party to help kids with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) prior to the Redblacks’ home opener game at Lansdowne on Friday, July 8, 2016.

Dr. David Mack, chief of gastroenterology at CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario), and his wife, Ruth, were out to support a fundraising party for the IBD Foundation, held at the private condo and balcony suite belonging to Ottawa Redblacks co-owner Jeff Hunt prior to the team’s home opener at TD Place Stadium on Friday, July 8, 2016.

From left, CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge with Jeff Hunt, co-owner of the Ottawa Redblacks, at Hunt’s private condo and balcony suite, prior to the team’s home opening game on Friday, July 8, 2016, during a fundraiser for the IBD Foundation.

From left, Redblacks co-owner Roger Greenberg with co-host Gary Zed and Greenberg’s cousin, Dan Greenberg, at a private fundraiser for the IBD Foundation held at The Rideau condominium on Friday, July 8, 2016, prior to the Redblacks’ home opener.

Give me a C! Give me an A! Give me a L! Give me an E-N-D-A-R (sorry, I’m growing impatient).

What does that spell? Calendar, as in the Ottawa Redblacks Cheerleading and Dance Team’s 2017 swimsuit calendar.

Friends and family were invited to the Casino du Lac Leamy on Thursday night for a celebration of the team’s third annual calendar. The money raised from sales will help the 52-member co-ed cheerleaders and female dancers travel down to Toronto to participate in this year’s Grey Cup cheerleading-related festivities.

At the calendar release party, the cheerleaders presented a fashion show while dressed in their own personal gowns, as well as their Brio Bodywear-sponsored swimsuits featured in the calendar.

Ottawa Redblacks Cheer Team member Amanda looks fabulously fit in her bikini from Bio Bodywear Inc. at a fashion show held at the Casino du Lac Leamy on Thursday, August 18, 2016, as part of a release party for the team’s 2017 calendar.

The Redblacks’ cheerleaders are all volunteers. Many of them are studying at university or starting careers. They serve as ambassadors for the football club and regularly appear at community and charity events.

“This is our best calendar yet,” said returning calendar girl Cailin, who makes a stunning appearance as Miss March (the cheerleaders use only their first names to, you know, keep the creepy guys away).

The $20 calendars are being sold at all the Redblacks’ home games by the cheerleaders.

As fun and positive as the calendar experience was for Cailin, she admits to feeling “a little self-conscious” in the beginning. Turns out, gorgeous, smart women with fit bodies can get nervous in front of a camera, especially when wearing a skimpy bikini.

Lisa Aucoin, director of the Ottawa Redblacks cheerleading and dance programs, is flanked by team members Alyssa, left, and Cailin, at the team’s fashion show and release party for its 2017 swimsuit calendar, held at the Casino du Lac Leamy on Thursday, August 18, 2016.

“It’s a little nerve-racking; you’re out of your element,” said Cailin, a fourth-year honours student in political science at Carleton University. “We’re used to performing in front of thousands of fans but that’s something we practise and train for. It’s not like waking up and saying, ‘I’m going to be a Victoria Secret model today’.”

Gord Weber, a former CFL player-turned-professional shutterbug with an expertise in fitness photography, is the talent behind the lense. Gracing the pages of the calendar are his attractive images of the cheerleaders in their swimsuits as well as in athletic action on game days.

He set up his swimsuit shoots at a private quarry in Chelsea, Que. after getting permission from its owner. “It cost me four Redblacks tickets, but that’s OK,” he quipped. The quarry’s striking blue water and white rocks and sand appealed to Weber. “You get that tropic feel, on a budget.”

carolyn001@sympatico.cam

You, too, could have rolled like royalty by grabbing your fanciest hat for the second annual Polo in the Park Ottawa fundraiser, held Saturday on the grounds of Wesley Clover Parks.

The family-friendly, day-long schedule of activities featured aboriginal dancing, horse and dog demonstrations and a hat contest, but it was the fast and furious game of polo that was most unique to Ottawa. Spectators watched players on horseback as they galloped around the arena, with long mallets in hand, under blue skies and ample sunshine to brighten the day.

The fundraiser, held in support of the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and the Therapeutic Riding Association of Ottawa-Carleton, is a partnership between the park and the Rotary Club of Ottawa South. The event chair is Rotarian Monique Warrack while the honorary chair is Karen Sparks, executive director of Wesley Clover Parks and daughter of high-tech mogul Terry Matthews.

The second annual Polo in the Park Ottawa fundraiser held at Wesley Clover Parks on Saturday, August 27, 2016, featured an Ottawa versus Toronto match.

The 500-plus-acre property, located in the west end along Corkstown Road, is a hotspot for horse shows and equestrian events, as well as a year-round recreation and community space.

“I think this time of year people want to come out and see something cool and different and to enjoy the weather,” Sparks told Around Town. “We’re so proud to have such a beautiful natural setting and we’re just so happy to host it.”

For those looking to posh it up, there was always the VIP tent. There was no shortage of sophisticated and elegant hats and head pieces worn by the ladies. Many of the pieces were created by Madeleine Cormier of Chapeaux de Madeleine on Dalhousie Street.

Worth special mention was Humayra “Myra” Kabir-Faisal‘s home-made fascinator of an artist’s palette. It was an entry in the hat contest. Her inspiration was her younger sister, who encouraged her to create a piece that captured who she was. That younger sister had just been discharged from hospital after having been injured in a car accident.

“I did it to make her happy, and I told her I was going to win for her,” said Kabir-Faisal, a mortgage underwriter with DLC Smart Debt.

Kabir-Faisal didn’t let her little sis down. She did win.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

The grand opening bash for a new luxury boutique hotel in the ByWard Market pretty well blew the roof off the joint, and if you don’t believe me then go check out Andaz Ottawa’s top-floor. It’s an outdoor lounge, with views so incredible you’ll never want to come back down.

Hundreds of invited partygoers did the red-carpet thing Wednesday and flocked over to the hotel at 325 Dalhousie Street, at York Street, for the multi-floor mixer. The evening was light on speeches and heavy on food, drink, art and socializing. The general excitement over the new 200-room hotel in one of Ottawa’s most historic ‘hoods was heard loud and clear — particularly from the celebratory honking of a passing car during hotel general manager Matt Graham‘s official welcome.

Janet Wilson, editor of the Ottawa Citizen’s Style Magazine, with Matt Graham, general manager of the Andaz luxury boutique hotel, which threw its grand opening party in the ByWard Market on Wednesday, September 7, 2016.

“I’m feeling absolutely on top of the world,” the unfailingly dapper and bon vivant businessman Bill Malhotra, president and founder of Claridge Homes, told Around Town. “When do you get a chance to open a hotel in the ByWard Market?”

Bill Malhotra, president and founder of Claridge Homes, with his wife, Romina, on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, at the grand opening party of the Andaz luxury boutique hotel in the ByWard Market.

Mayor Jim Watson and members of city council were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Malhotra, his wife Romina, and their sons, Neil and Shawn, from the family-owned business. The contemporary hotel, built on the site of a former office building, features a rooftop bar and lounge, a restaurant and meeting facilities. It’s the first Andaz-branded hotel by Hyatt in Canada (other locations include London, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Tokyo).

From left, Romina Malhotra, Louise Malhotra, Bill Malhotra, Neil Malhotra and Shawn Malhotra from family-owned Claridge Homes with Mayor Jim Watson and Rideau-Vanier Ward Coun. Mathieu Fleury at the ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening party for the new Andaz luxury boutique hotel in the ByWard Market, held Wednesday, September 7, 2016.

The mayor congratulated the Malhotras for investing tens of millions of dollars and creating 100 news jobs in the city. He also presented the family with a framed certificate, joking that it was worth one hour of free parking in the ByWard Market. Only until midnight that evening, though.

Attendees included Attorney General and Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi, recently retired Liberal MPP Madeleine Meilleur and Liberal Orléans MP Andrew Leslie.

From left, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson with Chief Government Whip Andrew Leslie, Liberal MP for Orleans, at the grand opening party for the new Andaz luxury hotel in the ByWard Market, held Wednesday, September 7, 2016.

Also present in the packed crowd were some of Malhotra’s peers, from Kris Singhal (Richcraft) to Lyon Sachs (Urbandale) to Jim Taggart (Taggart Group).

From left, Jim Taggart (Taggart Group) and prominent project manager Graham Bird with Bill Malhotra (Claridge Homes) and Kris Singhal (Richcraft Homes) at the grand opening party hosted by Malhotra for the new Andaz luxury boutique hotel in the ByWard Market.

As well, there were folks from the tourism and hospitality industry and ByWard Market businesses, and about 80 guests of Malhotra’s who travelled far and wide to attend. Clearly, they knew better than to miss a good party.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Local firefighters and the broader community bonded by breaking bread together at an annual dinner held at the Sala San Marco banquet hall on Thursday in aid of the Ottawa Fire Fighters Memorial.

The Ottawa Fire Fighters Memorial, located at Marion Dewar Plaza outside City Hall.

The monument, located at Marion Dewar Plaza outside City Hall, commemorates fallen Ottawa firefighters. It’s not only the gathering place for the annual memorial ceremony, held Friday, but also a frequent public draw.

“Every time I’m there, in all honesty, there are people from all over the world who have dropped by to our memorial,” retired deputy fire chief David A. Smith, head of fundraising for the Ottawa Fire Fighters Community Foundation, told Around Town.

From left, Brian Conway, chair of the Ottawa Fire Fighters’ Memorial Dinner Gala, with Ottawa Fire Chief Gerry Pingitore and retired deputy fire chief David A. Smith, chair of fundraising for the Ottawa Fire Fighters Community Foundation, at the Sala San Marco on Thursday, September 8, 2016.

The foundation successfully raised $1.4 million to create the memorial, unveiled in 2009. This year, organizers were hoping to pull in about $25,000 at the dinner to help with the costs of further enhancing the site and to cover ongoing maintenance.

Brian Conway, a retired finance manager with the fire department, was back to chair the gala. Also returning were CTV’s Michael O’Byrne as MC and lawyer Lawrence Greenspon as charity auctioneer. Providing the live music were The Divas as well as The Ottawa Fire Services Band.

From left, CTV Ottawa noon news anchor Michael O’Byrne with well-known photographer Michelle Valberg and her firefighter husband, Scott MacLennan, a district chief, at the Ottawa Fire Fighters Community Foundation’s 9th annual memorial dinner gala, held at the Sala San Marco on Thursday, September 8, 2016.

The 400-plus attendees included Ottawa Fire Chief Gerry Pingitore, Police Chief Charles Bordeleau and a strong showing from city council. Among the community supporters were restaurateur Moe Atallah, lawyer Chuck Merovitz, and businessman Angelo Filoso, who’s also vice president of the foundation.

Well-known lawyer and charity auctioneer Lawrence Greenspon with his wife, Angela Lariviere, and Rina Filoso and her husband, Angelo Filoso, vice president of the Ottawa Fire Fighters Community Foundation, at the organization’s 9th annual memorial dinner gala, held at the Sala San Marco on Thursday, September 8, 2016.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

The Bier Markt transformed itself into a boisterous Bavarian beer hall, with authentic German food and drink and live music, as it played host Wednesday to the second annual Capital Oktoberfest benefit for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Steve Gallant, first vice president, branch manager and investment advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy, and his good pal Tony Rhodes, a sales representative with Coldwell Banker Rhodes & Company, once again strapped on their matching lederhosen to co-chair the festive event.

From left, Steve Gallant and Tony Rhodes — in matching lederhosen — co-chaired Capital Oktoberfest 2016, a benefit for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute held at the Bier Markt restaurant on Sparks Street on Wednesday, October 5, 2016.

Over the past two years, the evening has netted more than $150,000 for the Heart Institute’s new hybrid operating room.

Listeners were reminded of why the local cardiac facility is not to be taken for granted. Back when Gallant was 16, he drove his ailing dad to the Heart Institute (his dad was too proud to take an ambulance). There, the famous Dr. Wilbert Keon performed triple bypass surgery on the 39-year-old man. The youth worried at the time that his father wouldn’t make it.

Gallant’s father had the procedure again at age 75 and is still alive, at age 82. “He’s a Korean War veteran; nothing can kill him,” joked Gallant.

Rhodes also shared his personal story of heart problems, which led to him undergoing a complex ablation procedure at the Heart Institute this past July, performed by Dr. David Birnie and his team. “The entire staff at the Heart Institute, from the orderlies to the nurses to the doctors, were nothing less than amazing, compassionate, caring and thoughtful,” said Rhodes, 48. “We are so lucky to have a world-class Heart Institute in Ottawa.”

The $250-a-ticket (with tax receipt) event attracted some 200 attendees to the restaurant, located on Sparks Street. It was a good night to jump on the beer wagon; many partygoers were toting one-litre steins of amber liquid.

Among the corporate sponsors seen were: Emond Harnden law partner Jacques Emond, former chair of the Heart Institute Foundation board; Sakto Corporation president Sean Murray and chair Jamilah Murray; Telus national director Shannon Gorman; and Bier Markt general manager Peter Chase.

From left, Jacques Emond, co-founding partner of Emond Harnden LLP, with law partner André Champagne at the Capital Oktoberfest benefit for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, held at the Bier Markt restaurant on Wednesday, October 5, 2016.

From left, Lynne Clark and Shannon Gorman, national director of community affairs at Telus, hanging out together in a comfy restaurant booth at the Capital Oktoberfest benefit for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, held at the Bier Markt on Sparks Street on Wednesday, October 5, 2016.

Attendees also included Primecorp Commercial Realty president Nick Pantieras, chair of the Leaders at Heart philanthropic initiative, and its founding chair, Greg Roscoe, a financial advisor with Raymond James.

From left, Nick Pantieras, president and founding partner of Primecorp Commercial Realty, with Raymond James financial advisor Greg Roscoe at the Capital Oktoberfest benefit for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, held at the Bier Markt restaurant on Sparks Street on Wednesday, October 5, 2016.

Diplomats from the German embassy were on hand for the traditional tapping of the keg. The evening also auctioned off a club-level suite for an Ottawa Senators game and a trip for two to next year’s Oktoberfest in Munich. It sold for $4,200.

Carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Koyman Galleries was a picture-perfect venue for the Jewish Federation of Ottawa to host its top donor reception, featuring Ronald Lauder, an international philanthropist and president of the World Jewish Congress.

From left, Jewish-American businessman and philanthropist Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, with Jewish Federation of Ottawa board chair Linda Kerzner and campaign co-chairs Sharon Appotive and Michael Polowin at the federation’s top donor reception, held at Koyman Galleries on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

The American billionaire businessman of Estée Lauder cosmetics fame and former ambassador is also an art collector. In 2006, he bought Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (also called The Lady in Gold or The Woman in Gold) for a record US$135 million. It had been part of the massive theft of art in Europe by the Nazis.

The reception, held at the loft-style commercial art gallery on St. Laurent Boulevard, was attended by some 150 of the largest donors to the federation’s annual campaign to build community, assist the vulnerable, boost Jewish education, and support Israel. Among the JFO’s partner agencies are local Jewish schools and preschools, youth groups and summer camps, social service organizations and the Hillel Lodge long-term care facility.

Michael Polowin, a law partner at Gowling WLG, is co-chairing this year’s campaign with Sharon Appotive from Howard Fine Jewellers. They’re hoping to exceed the $4.5 million raised last year.

From left, Melanie Polowin with her husband, Michael Polowin and his Jewish Federation of Ottawa campaign co-chair Sharon Appotive, and her husband, David Appotive, at the federation’s top donor reception, held at Koyman Galleries on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

The Ottawa Jewish community, which has a population of around 14,000, is already very generous, said Polowin. “Our job is to encourage them to be even more generous.

“At the end of the day, if we want a strong community to continue, then the people who are here are those who understand extremely well the need for all of us to contribute to the best of our ability.”

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

Not only did philanthropist and mental health advocate Barbara Crook deliver the keynote address at Thursday’s Upstream Ottawa gala but she also brought along an influential group of friends, all of whom have a keen interest in promoting mental health issues.

From left, Upstream Mental Health Support Gala co-chairs Ruth Maxwell and Sylvia Cuhaci with keynote speaker Barbara Crook at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

With her were Do It For Daron (DIFD)’s Luke and Stephanie Richardson, who recently got to discuss mental health with Prince William and his wife, Kate, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Danielle Robinson, president of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, which supports health and wellness amongst youth; and Patrick Dion, who’s served since 2007 on the board of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

From left, Tomlinson Group of Companies president Kevin Cinq-Mars with his wife, Sara, and Stephanie Richardson and her husband, Luke Richardson, at the Upstream Mental Health Support Gala held at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

Her dinner table at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club included not one but two rabbis — Robert Morais and Reuven Bulka — along with Tomlinson president Kevin Cinq-Mars and his wife, Sara, both boosters of the mental health fundraising campaign at the Queensway Carleton Hospital. Before the night was over, Cinq-Mars successfully bid on an Erik Karlsson-signed hockey jersey that he then gifted to Anthony Millson.

From left, former youth client Anthony Millson with Bo Turpin, director of clinical services and programming, at the Upstream Mental Health Support Gala held at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

The crowd of 160 had listened earlier to Millson share his story of struggle to stability, accompanied by this powerful message: never give up. His difficulties began at age 16, when he was diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety and OCD. He thought about dying. Then, Upstream came into his life. He lived from ages 21 to 28 in their Flora Street group home, where he got the support, compassion and encouragement he needed to return to school. He graduated last year from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He’s currently working as a dish washer but is thinking of returning to school for marketing.

“Upstream was a lifeline for me,” said Millson, who expressed his gratitude to the Upstream staff, in particular its director, Bo Turpin. “It guided me and gave me hope and security through my darkest days.”

Upstream Ottawa provides housing and other services to those in the community struggling with mental health issues. Funds raised at the gala benefit Upstream’s youth program, which offers services to young people and their families in an effort to help them in the early stages of their mental illness and in their transition to adult mental health services. The program began as a pilot project in 2008 but has been in full operation since 2012.

Back to lend her support as MC was well-known face Catherine Clark while Carrie Cuhaci served as live auctioneer. The gala was co-chaired by her mother-in-law, Sylvia Cuhaci, and Ruth Maxwell, both of whom have been publicly recognized for their volunteer advocacy and fundraising work.

From left, gala emcee Catherine Clark with her friends, Mark Cuhaci and Carrie Cuhaci, who volunteered as live auctioneer for the Upstream Mental Health Support Gala held at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

Also on hand were Upstream board president Janet Helmer and Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, chair of the Ottawa Police Services board. As well, Dr. Raj Bhatla, chief psychiatrist with the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, was out supporting the cause.

Kerry Ferland from presenting sponsor Scotiabank with Dr. Raj Bhatla, psychiatrist-in-chief and chief of staff of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, at the Upstream Mental Health Support Gala held at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

The evening included a cheque presentation from the Bell Let’s Talk awareness campaign. Its $20,000-grant will help Upstream develop a volunteer infrastructure.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca