Charity gala warned against false advertising

Black-tie event not associated with Sick Kids Hospital or TIFF, but hinted at both

Ablack-tie charity gala calling itself a “Toronto Film Fest Official Closing” party, and billed as a toy drive benefiting Sick Kids, has been warned by the hospital to stop using its trademark. Neither Sick Kids nor TIFF are associated with the affair.

The Evening with the Stars event, which goes under several names including “City Gala 2017 TIFF Soiree,” has never donated proceeds to the hospital and has no association with them, Lynn Bessoudo, public relations manager for the hospital, wrote in an email on Friday.

“They were using our trademark to promote and solicit for the event without our permission. We did demand that they stop using our trademark and they have complied, removing it from their website.” An earlier version of the event’s poster included the official logos for TIFF and Sick Kids.

Bessoudo noted that the organizers “have dropped off some toys at the hospital in the past.” The event is listed as the 21st annual affair of its kind in some of the marketing materials. Another said it started in 2004.

Actor D-Teflon, the keynote speaker of Saturday’s event, said he was so frustrated with Sick Kids that he wouldn’t be returning to the hospital where he says he’s been doing meetand-greets for a decade.

“For us, it was just a slap in the face,” he said. The phrase ‘sick kids’ doesn’t belong to the hospital.”

They could take their donations to any other children’s hospital “because at the end of the day, we don’t need to go to Sick Kids.”

A single ticket to the event — which promises an “unprecedented opportunity to meet, mingle, dine and party” with “Hollywood A-list” celebrities, athletes, Playboy Playmates and models — costs $165. An “Ultra VIP” table for 10, including dinner and “1 bottle,” costs $1,500.

The 8 p.m. event is sold out. Miamibased organizer Suited LifeStyle Celebrity Events Group wrote that the gala is “strictly for toy donations,” but also that guests can make monetary donations if they wish.

“They must make it directly to the hospitals we choose to deal with and the foundation that we believe in supporting,” the email read. D-Teflon said that, while no monetary donation was required, they’d been dropping off cheques from attendees of their events for years.

This year’s event listing on Facebook calls it “mandatory” for guests to bring either two toys to donate to Sick Kids or a cheque made out directly to the hospital, with a minimum donation amount of $25.