| EVENT REPORT 10.07.08 2:46 PM |
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AIDSbeat Increases Attendance, Raises More Money at Larger Venue
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 | The 13th annual AIDSbeat fund-raiser
Photo: BizBash |
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Despite the U.S. financial crisis that's hitting global markets hard, the 13th annual AIDSbeat benefit—held last Friday at the Kool Haus—managed to draw the largest number of people in its history, and grossed more than $260,000, a record. "We were quite concerned that we might lose some sponsors because we had lined everybody up just before the market crash," said Patricia Olasker, the event's founder and co-chair. "But everybody hung in there with us, so we're very pleased."
The AIDSbeat fund-raiser is a battle of the bands event for the legal community that raises money for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (Canfar). After reaching full capacity at Capitol Music Hall for several years, the event moved to the significantly larger Kool Haus, which Olaskar said allowed the guest list to grow from 1,200 to 1,500. It also meant the addition of decor to a typically no-frills event.
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RELATED TOPICS
Canfar, AIDSbeat, Seneca College, Almost Naked |
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| TOP 100 EVENTS 05.16.08 12:23 PM |
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Toronto's Top Benefits 2008
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 | The 2007 Look Good, Feel Better ball
Photo: Courtesy of Look Good Feel Better |
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1. Bloor Street Entertains
With 23 exclusive boutiques in the Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood hosting gourmet dinners, this annual fund-raiser for Canfar is the most prestigious benefit in the city. The 2007 event, which attracted 848 people, was marred by a bomb threat outside the Royal Ontario Museum, which led to the last-minute cancellation of the venue’s after-party. (Canfar staged an online auction in early December in an effort to raise additional funds.) The 2008 event will be held at the ROM on November 26.
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RELATED TOPICS
Toronto's Top 100 Events, Canfar, H2O Africa, HealthyKids International, Right to Play, SickKids Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Toronto Public Library Foundation, Design Exchange, Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Art Gallery of Ontario, Jeanne Lottie, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Canadian Opera Company, Children's Aid Foundation, Reach for the Rainbow Foundation, Grocery Foundation, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Canada, Villa Charities Foundation, Mount Sinai Hospital, Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care |
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| WHO'S DOING WHAT 03.14.08 5:47 PM |
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Michael Cress Leaves Canfar for Youth Agency
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 | Michael Cress
Photo: BizBash |
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Michael Cress announced today that he is leaving his role as special events manager at Canfar (Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research) to take on a new position in the resource development and events department with Youth Employment Services.
Cress worked at the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada before joining Canfar in 2004, where he oversaw all fund-raising activities, including the annual Bloor Street Entertains benefit. Cress said he will not stray far from Canfar, and is looking forward to working on a different cause. "Youth Employment Services has two smaller events that I want to sink my teeth into and grow," he said. "Raising funds for youth is making an investment in our future." —Erin Letson
RELATED TOPICS
Canfar, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada, Youth Employment Services |
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| EVENT REPORT 12.06.07 1:16 PM |
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Canfar Cancels Party Due to Bomb Threat
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 | A table setting at Tiffany & Company.
Photo: BizBash |
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A bomb scare outside the Royal Ontario Museum forced organizers of Bloor Street Entertains, the annual fund-raiser for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (Canfar), to cancel the party portion of its event on Wednesday, November 28. The museum’s new Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition, the site of the party and silent auction, was closed off for security reasons as police shut down the surrounding roads to investigate.
The police later determined that the bomb was a hoax, an art exhibit planted by a student at the Ontario College of Art and Design. “Last Wednesday was a sad day for Canfar," said Elissa Beckett, executive director of Canfar, in a statement. "The cancellation of the party as part of Bloor Street Entertains leaves us short $100,000 in funding for AIDS research."
The organization launched an online auction at Canfar's Web site, beginning at 2 p.m. today, in an effort to make back the money lost from the cancelled event. The auction will run for one week.
Prior to the bomb scare, the black-tie gala's guests dined in several high-end stores along Bloor Street. Tiffany & Company, Holt Renfrew, and Liss Gallery were transformed into intimate eating establishments to help raise money for AIDS research.
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RELATED TOPICS
Bloor Street Entertains, Canfar, Royal Ontario Museum |
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