A Silver Soiree, the 25th annual fund-raiser for the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), lived up to its name on Saturday. Silver decorations hung from the ceiling over the bar inside the Liberty Grand in the form of glittering, shimmer screens and oversize silver balloons. In the lounge area, glass and chrome tables topped with silver vases holding white tulips sat nestled between silver sofas topped with silver cushions. Servers wearing silver ties offered cosmopolitans to the 700 guests attending the benefit to support the organization, which provides financial assistance to families of children suffering with cancer.
Vanessa Yakobson, POGO’s managing director of development and strategy, worked with Bill Fulghum of Church Street Flowers to create the theme for the evening. “We’ve kept the floral arrangements to a minimum to complement the design,” Fulghum said. Simple white lilies accented candles set in tureens filled with blue-tinted glass baubles. Guests dined at round tables topped with tealights and Lucite lamps rather than floral centrepieces. The meal, catered by the Liberty Grand, included an appetizer of cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, and seared tuna. (The poppy seeds coating the tuna had many guests searching for their compact mirrors to inspect for potential embedded seeds.)A silent auction featured items such as box seats for the Toronto Raptors and a Furla handbag, claimed by M.C. and Global TV news anchor Anne-Marie Mediwake during her opening remarks. A display of blue Tiffany & Company gift boxes tied with silver ribbons drew attention to the items featured in the live auction, including $20,000 worth of jewels from the company.
Guests heard firsthand about the work POGO does when 17-year-old Lauren Donnelly recounted her fight with cancer. “Parents of these children can sometimes have to quit their jobs, and that’s where POGO helps them out. We feel like we’re making a difference in kids’ lives,” said event co-coordinator Melissa Haggerty of Spectacular Spectacular.
Vanessa Yakobson, POGO’s managing director of development and strategy, worked with Bill Fulghum of Church Street Flowers to create the theme for the evening. “We’ve kept the floral arrangements to a minimum to complement the design,” Fulghum said. Simple white lilies accented candles set in tureens filled with blue-tinted glass baubles. Guests dined at round tables topped with tealights and Lucite lamps rather than floral centrepieces. The meal, catered by the Liberty Grand, included an appetizer of cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, and seared tuna. (The poppy seeds coating the tuna had many guests searching for their compact mirrors to inspect for potential embedded seeds.)A silent auction featured items such as box seats for the Toronto Raptors and a Furla handbag, claimed by M.C. and Global TV news anchor Anne-Marie Mediwake during her opening remarks. A display of blue Tiffany & Company gift boxes tied with silver ribbons drew attention to the items featured in the live auction, including $20,000 worth of jewels from the company.
Guests heard firsthand about the work POGO does when 17-year-old Lauren Donnelly recounted her fight with cancer. “Parents of these children can sometimes have to quit their jobs, and that’s where POGO helps them out. We feel like we’re making a difference in kids’ lives,” said event co-coordinator Melissa Haggerty of Spectacular Spectacular.
Silver seating at the POGO gala
Photo: Courtesy of Contemporary Furniture Rentals
Tealights and Lucite lamps topped tables in the dining room.
Photo: Courtesy of Contemporary Furniture Rentals
Philippe Starck Ghost chairs surrounded tables topped with silver damask linens.
Photo: Courtesy of Contemporary Furniture Rentals
Silver vases filled with white tulips and hydrangeas topped tables in the lounge area.
Photo: Courtesy of Contemporary Furniture Rentals
An ice sculpture, created by Iceculture, displayed the POGO logo at the entrance to the venue.
Photo: Courtesy of Contemporary Furniture Rentals
Metallic silver cushions dressed silver seating in the lounge area.
Photo: Courtesy of Contemporary Furniture Rentals
Shimmer screens of crystal beads and oversize silver balloons hung from the ceiling above the bar.
Photo: Courtesy of Contemporary Furniture Rentals
Blue Tiffany boxes wrapped in ribbon drew attention to the $20,000 worth of Tiffany & Company jewels featured in the live auction.
Photo: Courtesy of Contemporary Furniture Rentals
