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EMPOWERING GIRLS AG Hair founder Lotte Davis once again fronted her #IWant2Be benefit in support of the One Girl Can charity she founded with business partner and husband John to give girls in sub-Saharan Africa the opportunity to pursue their dreams through education.
Born and raised in Africa, her fourth staging would establish a new standard, raising a record $331,000 to further her Vancouver-based charity’s effort to create gender equality through education, and help more girls in Kenya and Uganda break the cycle of poverty.
Having already single-handedly supported the building of six schools and dormitories in Africa, the couple has turned their attention to fund more scholarships. Davis welcomed 400 of the city’s most dynamic influencers and business leaders to the annual fundraiser at The Imperial Lounge.
TV personality Fiona Forbes emceed the evening of change, made possible by lead sponsors TD Bank, Beedie Development Group and AG Hair. Sponsorships, along with ticket sales and a robust auction of one-of-a-kind experiences that included a desert safari in Botswana, contributed to the impressive haul.
“One Girl Can gives young African women a voice and empowers them to make positive changes in society,” said Davis, addressing the room of difference makers. “This event is about more than just raising money,” she added. “It’s the ideal opportunity for our supporters to connect with how One Girl Can is able to make such a positive difference in Africa.”
Since its inception, the charity has awarded 423 secondary and university scholarships and lifted the young lives of some 15,000 girls through schooling and mentorship.
Notable names among the merrymakers included Lululemon creative execution and Ecommerce studio director Courtney Davis, Olympic gold medallist and One Girl Can ambassador, skier Kelsey Serwa, actress Mackenzie Davis, Avenue PR partner Tiffany Soper, AG Hair CEO Graham Fraser and Beedie Development scion Ryan Beedie and his wife Cindy.
FUNDS Hundreds of oenophiles swigged and swirled wine at Arts Club Theatre Company’s annual California Wine Fair.
The largest tasting tour of grapes from the Golden State in Canada, 400 bottles of California’s top wines from the Napa Valley, Humboldt County and Santa Clara Valley were uncorked for an appreciative crowd who arrived at the Vancouver Convention Centre to raise glasses and funds for Western Canada’s largest theatre company.
Welcoming guests was the company’s retiring artistic director
Bill Millerd and newly appointed replacement Ashlie Corcoran.
Assisting Corcoran in the transition, Millerd — the longest serving artistic director — raised a glass to his successor’s first upcoming season of 18 shows (on three company stages and a B.C. tour) she curated. A mix of classics, new works and traditional musical, Corcoran looks to establish her own record.
The 2018-19 program, according to Millerd, is on track to top the company’s current fan base of 18,000 subscribers.
More cause for celebration: the company was $50,000 richer from the annual collaboration with Rick
Slomka’s California Wine Institute — a partnership that has existed for nearly four decades. The sum will support Corcoran’s upcoming productions, youth and education initiatives and new play development.
Millerd, meanwhile will continue to nurture aspiring theatre artists through a million-dollar endowment created as a legacy to his Arts Club tenure.
Fans of the California grape will be able to revisit the fine wines next February. Just announced, California will be the featured region at the 2019 Vancouver International Wine Festival tipple fest.