CHRISTMAS BELLS: The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle is one of the city’s most recognizable holiday symbols. The Hope in the City Breakfast launched the social service agency’s annual $4-million provincial campaign. For the 15th consecutive year, the city’s business community came together in the early hours of the morning to ring in the holiday season, raise funds and celebrate the work of the Salvation Army. Chairman RonMcLaughlin and Canada Wide Publishing CEO Peter Legge fronted the morning luau, which featured a hearty breakfast and keynote address by Canadian sports personality Michael Landsberg, a mental health advocate who shared his very personal battle with anxiety and depression. Set against the backdrop of the Convention Centre, the seasonal soiree raised $315,000 to help the city’s most vulnerable.
VOCAL ASSEMBLY: Yours truly hosted Yuel Duel, Vancouver’s largest outdoor caroling competition. More than 20 of the city’s top choirs convened in Gastown for the sing-off’s sophomore edition. Presented by the Bloom Group and the Gastown Business Improvement Society, the event drew hundreds to the historic area to enjoy the pitch perfect performances. Gassy Jack Square was transformed into a musical wonderland as choral groups small and large, young and old, sang for vocal supremacy. A party with a purpose, the night of Christmas tunes raised more than $55,000 for May’s Place, a hospice providing loving and compassionate end-of-life care to vulnerable people in the Downtown Eastside.
HEART-Y LUNCH: Diane Forsythe Abbott's annual Crabtree Corner Christmas lunch was another resounding success. A seasonal tradition, friends old and new armed with gifts and financial donations gathered at Hy's Restaurant for the power lunch, benefitting YWCA's Crabtree Corner, a transition house for women fleeing violence and abuse. Twenty-two years ago Abbott, locked out of her car during a winter storm, wandered into the shelter seeking refuge of her own. The chance encounter with other women seeking a safe place to stay has blossomed into a lasting friendship with the organization. With help from her stepdaughter, Ingrid Abbott, and an army of dedicated men and women, Forsythe welcomed a capacity crowd to the noon hour affair that saw a record $60,000 generated to support the good work of the YWCA and the women and children of the Downtown Eastside.
CHRISTMAS MAGIC: Air Transat and Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada once again invited children with a life-threatening diagnosis to meet Santa on its 12th annual holiday flight of magic. Hundreds of children living with severe illnesses, and their families, were treated to an unforgettable experience, and a 90-minute flight to the North Pole in search of old Saint Nick. Air Transat also used the opportunity to provide even more holiday cheer announcing a donation of $98, 975 donation to Children’s Wish. The generous donation represented the amounts collected over the past year as part of the air carrier’s Small Change, Big Hearts program.
Hear Fred Mondays 8:20am on CBC Radio’s The Early Edition AM690 and 88.1FM;Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @FredAboutTown
