A very social cause

Fred Lee checks in from the Gift of Time Gala, which raised a reported $700,000 in support of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice

TIME AND MONEY First-time co-chairs

Karen Bowering and Claire Newell welcomed 600 well-heeled guests to the Westin Bayshore Hotel for the eighth annual Gift of Time Gala in support of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. With no Canucks hockey in sight and thus no revenue from the games 50/50 draws, the success of this year’s fundraiser was more crucial than ever. Established in 1995, Canuck Place’s nine beds and four family suites have offered a comprehensive continuum of care to more than 400 children. Services include 24/7 physician and nursing support, pain management, art and music therapy, recreational opportunities, end-of-life care and counselling.

Global TV’s Chris Gailus and QMFM’s Tara McGuire were masters of ceremonies of the $375-a-ticket, black-tie dinner, auction and dance presented by Telus. Dressed to the nines, among the notables spotted in the sparkling Colin

Upright- designed ballroom were Telus managing director Peter Green and vice-president, community affairs, Jill

Schnarr; Vancouver Sun and Province newspaper vice-president promotions

Jamie Pitblado; Great Canadian Casinos vice-president media and entertainment Howard Blank; Enotecca Wineries principals Sean and Saeedeh

Salem; Canuck alumni Kirk McLean; three-time gala chair Sandy Elliot; hospice board chair John Rose; and newly appointed CEO Margaret McNeil.

Proceeds from the hospice’s signature soiree — reported at $700,000 — will go toward supporting programs and services offered at the Shaughnessy home and the operation of a second facility in Abbotsford, a 30,000-square-foot hospice that includes 10 beds and five family suites, scheduled to be completed at the end of 2013.

YOUNG SPROUTS They say the best parties end up in the kitchen. Such was the case at the third annual Farm to Fork Gala held at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. The cooking school opened up their test kitchens to some of the city’s top chefs for the gala event in support of Growing Chefs, a non-profit organization that teaches kids to plant, grow and cook their own vegetables. Founded in 2005 by acclaimed pastry chef Merri

Shwartz, the program, which pairs volunteer chefs with elementary school classrooms, has reached out to nearly 4,000 kids in the Lower Mainland, inspiring them with the idea they can grow their own food — even in the city.

CBC’s Margaret Gallagher and yours truly emceed the children’s urban agriculture fundraiser. A sold-out affair, 160 lucky guests — foodies, industry movers and shakers, and supporters of local food — enjoyed the evening of good food, good wine and good company. Eight-year-olds Claire Waraich and Zaynedeen Senbel from Queen Elizabeth Annex stayed well past their bedtime to share their love of growing, cooking and eating vegetables.

Participating chefs included The Acorn’s Brian Skinner, Culinary Capers

Margaret Chisholm, Fat Dragon Bar-BQ’s Ted Anderson, Kale & Nori’s Jonathan Chovancek, King Pacific Lodge’s Jesse McCleery, La Quercia’s Lucais Syme, Les Faux Bourgeois’ Gilles

L’Heureux and Christopher Hughes, Oyster Express’ Shawn Chesney, The Pear Tree’s Scott Jaeger, Provence Restaurants Alessandra and Jean Francis Qualia, Tableau Bar + Bistro’s Marc

Andre Choquette, and Yew Restaurant’s Ned Bell. Pastry chefs Katherine Oughton,

Wendy Boys and Rhonda Viani supplied the sweet ending.

TRUE BLUE Two hundred guests filed into the Vancouver Aquarium for the Arthritis Society, B.C. & Yukon Region’s seventh annual Bluebird Gala sponsored by Scotiabank. This year’s cocktail party took place among the many marine life galleries of one of the city’s most popular attractions. News anchor Chris Gailus emceed while his sister, Erika Hogan, living with the painful disease, was the keynote speaker at the $150-per-person swish splash.

Scotiabank senior vice-president, B.C. & Yukon Division, David Poole; Arthritis Society chair Drew

McArthur, executive director Nancy Roper, national board of directors chair KenReady; Variety, The Children’s Charity executive director BarbieHislop; rheumatologist Dr. Alice Klinkhof; and media executive

BrentManlove were a few of the bright lights in attendance at the intimate evening. Teens AndreaMcGowan, Kate Schwartz and Ravia Khangura, all living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, reminded partygoers the disease doesn’t just strike the elderly.

Proceeds from the Blue bird benefit will fund research and essential programs that support the more than 600,000 men, women and children in B.C. and the Yukon who live with arthritis. By 2031, that number is reportedly expected to swell to 1.49 million.

Claire Newell, in a plunging Nicole Miller dress, co-chaired the eighth running of the Gift of Time Gala.

Striking an Angelina Jolie pose, UCLA fundraising major Rachel Lloyd sported a black slit dress by Top Shop.

Telus vice-president, community affairs, Jill Schnarr, donned an original black dress by local designer David Dixon.

The picture of elegance, Enotecca Wineries Sean Salem wore a Versace tuxedo while his wife, Saeedeh, was radiant in Georgio Armani.

Providing the Rolex watch for the Gift of Time raffle, Palladio Jewellers Jason Bosa kibitzed with photographer Joshua McVeity.

Edelman’s Carla Mitchell turned heads in a coral pink dress by BCBG Max Azria

Nicole Bitelli in a brilliant orange Catherine Regehr dress and Deb Breen in a custom-designed blue gown rocked the Gift of Time gala.

Tableau Bar + Bistro executive chef Marc-Andre Choquette prepared a smoked steelhead for guests. His favourite seasonal veggie is fresh asparagus.

Living with arthritis, from left, Andrea McGowan, Kate Schwartz and Ravia Khangura reminded everyone the disease doesn’t just strike the elderly. Above right: The Vancouver Aquarium was a fitting venue as research has found that jellyfish collagen has...

Global TV news anchor Chris Gailus emceed, while his sister Erika, who lives with arthritis, was the keynote at the swish event at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Ned Bell, executive chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, and CBC Radio’s Margaret Gallagher welcomed a capacity crowd to the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts for the Growing Chefs benefit.

Partners in and out of the kitchen Kale & Nori chef Jonathan Chovancek and Lauren Mote served up Sloping Hills Pork Croquette.

Eight-year-olds Claire Waraich and Zaynedeen Senbel from Queen Elizabeth Annex shared their love of growing and eating vegetables with Farm to Fork attendees.

Nearly 4,000 elementary school kids have participated in Helen Sortini and Merri Shwartz’s Growing Chefs program.