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RAISING HOPE:  Kicking off the fall fundraising season, more than 400 guests attended B.C. Cancer Foundation’s fourth annual Hope Couture fundraiser. Staged at the Rocky Mountaineer Station, this year’s sold-out fashion show and luncheon benefited ovarian cancer research. A stylish $600,000 was raised from the London Calling-themed, Lazy Gourmet-catered affair, led by gala chair Janet Hiebert and hosted by Global TV’s Chris Gailus. For their generosity, supporters were royally rewarded with a fashion show orchestrated by Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­boutique retailers Bacci's and Boboli, debuting fall and winter collections of Chloé, Valentino, Stella McCartney, Giambattista Valli and other global fashion houses.  

HAIL UBC: A century ago a small group of UBC’s first graduates formed its alumni association, now commonly referred to as Alumni UBC. Today, the University of British Columbia boasts more than 325,000 alumni, spanning more than 140 countries. To mark the association’s 100th anniversary, a suite of events and activities are planned locally and abroad during the academic school year to commemorate the occasion. The Welcome Home Party at Homecoming officially launched the Alumni UBC 100 program. Vancouver’s most awarded celebrity chefs, caterers, winemakers and craft brewers — many UBC grads — participated in the sold-out affair at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre, named after one of UBC’s most illustrious alumni.

ART SPLASH: Yours truly recently hosted Arts Umbrella’s Splash Art Auction preview of spectacular works by nearly 100 locally and internationally recognized artists. Now celebrating its 35th anniversary, Arts Umbrella’s signature soiree — presented by TD Bank Group — is a must-attend for art enthusiasts and champions of the visual and performing arts school for youth. Arts Umbrella president and CEO Paul Larocque, along with party co-chairs Christie Darbyshire and Bruce Munro Wright, revealed this year’s prized works at the Pendulum Gallery in the HSBC Building on West Georgia. Celebrated artists generously donating pieces to the Oct. 14 gala include Shannon Belkin, Edward Burtynsky, Douglas Coupland, Angela Grossman and Gordon Smith. Of the 20,000 students that Arts Umbrella serves, more than two-thirds do so at little or no cost to families thanks to the support of generous Arts Umbrella donors.

Hear Fred Mondays 8:20am on CBC Radio’s The Early Edition AM690 and 88.1FM; Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @FredAboutTown