‘STUNTMAN’ STU RETURNS
Survivor MCs cancer gala
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, a night of fine food, wine and auction bidding held Thursday. She is also a cancer survivor. 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.
Performing onstage that night was “the most meaningful thing I’ve done since I’ve returned to singing” in 2014, she told Around Town. “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.
“They were of tremendous help to me when I went through cancer.”
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 highprofile fight against leukemia, resulting in a successful bonemarrow transplant.
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; and a sixcourse chef’s table for 10 in the private dining room of the hotel’s Perspectives Restaurant. It went to multiple highest bidders, for a total of $6,300.
The gala, famous for its closing fireworks display, has raised more than $1 million over the years for the cancer foundation and other local charities. Some of this year’s proceeds will also go toward cancer care at the Queensway Carleton Hospital.
EMBASSY OPENS DOORS FOR MENTAL HEALTH
“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 raised $70,000.
Liberal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc presented 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.
In 1983, Salus got approval for $340,000 from LeBlanc’s late father, Romeo, when he was public works minister in Trudeau Sr.’s cabinet, and responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. The minister’s letter was sent to none other than Catterson by telex and currently hangs on the wall at Ottawa Salus.
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 told the room. “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. Laura Chapman co-chaired the event with Ellen Wright, whose husband, Dwayne Wright, was longtime board president. Now it’s lawyer Paul Taylor.
Keeping it fun was the incomparable Joseph Cull as Marie Antoinette. With a towering white wig and gown (pouffy enough to hide a French king), Cull auctioned off a French Embassy dinner for 10. It fetched $6,100 from married couple Lisa Hunt and Malcolm McCulloch. They first met, 13 years ago, at a French Embassy event.