The Globe and Mail - 02.11.2019

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2019 | THEGLOBEANDMAIL O PURSUITS| P5

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE BC &

YUKON’S A NIGHT TO DREAM GALA

A Night to Dream, the gala that sup-

ports Ronald McDonald House BC &

Yukon, held its 17th event in Van-

couver on Oct 4. The gathering, at the

Fairmont Pacific Rim, saw business

types and big-givers raise $680,000 –

a new record, up $200,000 from last

year.

The funds from the old-school

style event (consisting of cocktails,

dinner, an auction and even a raffle)

will go toward an important organi-

zation that each year helps more

than 2,000 families from across B.C.

and the Yukon feel at home while

their young undergo life-saving treat-

ments in Vancouver. Founded in 1983

with a 13-bedroom home in Shaugh-

nessy, this year RMH BC celebrated

the fifth anniversary of its current

home, a 73-room house on the BC

Children’s Hospital campus. Annual-

ly, the house provides accommoda-

tions for up to 73 families every night

(more than 900 families already this

year), who stay for an average of 13

days.

Among the 400 people out at this

latest: four-time gala chair Lindsay

Turner; RMH BC board chairPatrick

McGuinty; financierGary Segal, chair

of the Ronald McDonald House cap-

ital campaign, and his wife,Nanci;

and Ronald McDonald House CEORi-

chard Pass.

UNICEF WATER FOR LIFE GALA

On Oct. 5 in Calgary, the 27th annual

UNICEF Water for Life Gala was held,

raising an impressive $1.15-million to

help ensure children have access to

water that’s safe and clean. Since its

beginnings, the event has grown to

become one of the largest UNICEF

fundraisers in North America, raising

more than $15-million to date. This

most recent was focused on girls, spe-

cifically adolescent girls, who live in

the poorest regions of Uganda. A

staggering 40 per cent of girls in sub-

Saharan Africa are not in school, with

many dropping out because their

teaching institutions aren’t equipped

with separate washrooms and wash-

ing facilities to help them manage

their periods. The funds raised during

the event will support water and san-

itation infrastructure in schools in

Uganda to help keep these children

in school.

Taking to the stage during the

event was women’s rights activistTa-

ban Shoresh, a Kurdish genocide sur-

vivor, whose work supports girls and

women affected by conflict and dis-

placement. In the crowd was a long

list of Calgary lawyers, energy types

and financiers, includingBrett Her-

man, president and CEO of Torc Oil &

Gas Ltd., who served as this year’s

honorary chair. Also in attendance:

lawyer and UNICEF Canada board

chairChris Simard, and his wife,

Hanita, who co-chaired the gala

alongside Andrea Gerencser;and

David Morley, president and CEO,

UNICEF Canada.

1. Chantelle Lister, Steve Reeves,
   Brooke Cunningham and Brent Marshall


2. Shannon Kidd and Patrick McGuinty


3. Lindsey Turner and Richard Pass


4. Chris and Hanita Simard


5. Vik Saini and Andrea Gerencser


6. Kent and Carrie Ferguson

Special to The Globe and Mail

PHOTOS BY ERICH SAIDE (MCDONALD);

MONIQUE DE ST. CROIX (UNICEF)

Winning

overtheWest

FallgalasinVancouverandCalgaryraise

fundsforfamiliesandgirlsinneed

NOLAN

BRYANT

SOCIETY

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