Gala piles up $68K in funds for SickKids
The inaugural All-Star Gala, presented by West of Contra in Support of SickKids, took place recently at Toronto’s Arcadian Court. The sold-out event was hosted by TSN’s Cabral Richards, who did a wonderful job of welcoming more than 1,000 young professionals to mix and mingle with professional athletes and celebrities galore.
It was a great night of delectable food and off-the-charts performances by Canadian artists, including Juno Award Nominee Glenn Morrison and Aion Clarke.
Heart transplant recipient and SickKids ambassador David Maggiori, 22, also spoke to the crowd about how The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) saved his life. Established in 1972, the SickKids Foundation raises funds on behalf of the hospital and is the largest charitable funder of child health research, learning and care in Canada.
Philanthropy is a critical source of funding for SickKids. As a national charity, SickKids Foundation not only invests in the important work taking place at SickKids, but it also invests in national and international initiatives to benefit children in Canada and around the world.
“We’re thrilled by how many people joined us at the inaugural event. SickKids is a cause that hits close to home for many Canadians, it’s definitely a tradition that we’d like to continue,” said James Blackburn, co-chair of the All-Star Gala and partner, West of Contra.
Athletes in attendance include a number of hockey players: Morgan Rielly (Toronto Maple Leafs), Peter Holland (Toronto Maple Leafs), Derek Roy (Boston Bruins), Luke Gazdic (Edmonton Oilers), Christian Thomas (Montreal Canadiens), Greg McKegg (Toronto Maple Leafs), Sean Monohan (Calgary Flames) and Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals); as well as Toronto FC players Steven Caldwell and Clement Simonin. Other bright lights lending support included Krishna Nikhil, executive vice-president, print and chief strategy officer at Indigo Books and Music; Karim Kanji president and CEO at Sutter Hill Investment Corporation; and Tennyson Cho, vice-president at TD.
With the help of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Kronenbourg, TheScore and Tridel, the gala raised more than $68,000 net for the SickKids Foundation and a new state-of-the-art cardiac MRI machine.