Mayor’s gala raises $123,700 for foundation

The sixth annual Mayor Bennett Giving Gala on Saturday night raised $123,700 for the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, organizers announced Monday afternoon.

Since the inaugural gala in 2012, the event has now raised a cumulative total of more than $500,000.

The event, including dinner and an auction, drew about 230 people to the Peterborough Golf and Country Club.

Bennett and his wife Jewell matched the proceeds of the gala’s live auction by Rob Rusland with a $17,700 donation to the foundation.

“We are grateful for the mayor’s philanthropic leadership,” stated Betty Morris, board chairwoman at the Community Foundation as she welcomed guests to the dinner. “We are all here tonight because of the commitment that he and Jewell continue to show in giving to the community they love.”

The event also featured MC Jack Roe and an address to the guests by Mayor Bennett.

Bennett also brought his personal karaoke machine along and kicked off the evening ’s dance with a personal rendition of a few of his favourite songs.

The permanent fund supports charitable work in the City of Peterborough and has invested grants in many local organizations including YMCA, CCRC and the YES Shelter for Youth and Families.

It is one of 43 funds that make up the Community Foundation’s endowment, a sustainable community resource built to meet Peterborough’s needs today and well into the future, which is currently valued at $6 million and growing.

In its first five years of grant-making, the Community Foundation has invested $1.2 million in the people, ideas and activities that build community vitality in the Peterborough, according to a release from the organizers.