Serve Canada, a not-for-profit that helps youth find direction and develop life skills, took great effort to ensure guests understood its core values at its fourth-annual Barenaked in Rosedale fund-raiser. Melanie Stewart, the group's executive director, worked with A&B Advertising & Display to create signs bearing words relevant to its mandate, including "growth," "diversity," and "community." The signs were attached to life buoys and floated in the backyard pool of the upscale Rosedale residence that hosted the event. Stewart said she tried to "use the environment creatively," adding she kept the decor subtle "It was a home and we wanted to have an intimate vibe," she said.Stewart received assistance organizing the fund-raiser from Done! Consulting Group principal Dawn MacDonald, the event chair, and Bash Events president Michele Lenick, the event coordinator. Locally based pop group the Barenaked Ladies supports Serve—which explains the benefit's name—and each year a band member acts as event host. This year, Tyler Stewart took up the challenge, sharing the role with television personality Seamus O'Regan of CTV's Canada AM. Celebrity guests included Canadian musical legend Randy Bachman, singer-songwriter Leslie Feist, and members of the Philosopher Kings. Justin Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was the special guest speaker.
Outdoor signs from Jaz Marketing Communications promoted the event, which attracted 400 attendees. Local residents donated wine from their personal collections for the silent auction. Blue satin linens and lush summer blooms from MMD decorated the auction tables. MMD also supplied silver-based, eight-foot standing floral arrangements with blue satin toppers, which were lit after the sun went down. L-Eat catering passed appetizers such as grilled vegetable and asiago pizzas and tarts of aged cheddar and caramelized onions. Webers, the Highway 11 food stand frequented by cottage goers, served barbequed burgers. Throughout the evening, women in pink and blue wigs snapped Polaroid photos of guests.
Outdoor signs from Jaz Marketing Communications promoted the event, which attracted 400 attendees. Local residents donated wine from their personal collections for the silent auction. Blue satin linens and lush summer blooms from MMD decorated the auction tables. MMD also supplied silver-based, eight-foot standing floral arrangements with blue satin toppers, which were lit after the sun went down. L-Eat catering passed appetizers such as grilled vegetable and asiago pizzas and tarts of aged cheddar and caramelized onions. Webers, the Highway 11 food stand frequented by cottage goers, served barbequed burgers. Throughout the evening, women in pink and blue wigs snapped Polaroid photos of guests.