All In A Good Cause

In just a few hours, the inaugural Wanderluxe Gala held recently at Toronto’s newly renovated Canada Bread Factory raised over a million dollars for The Herbie Fund at SickKids and the Air Canada Foundation.

Celebrity chef, David Hawksworth created the menu for the evening, while Brett Sherlock, managing director of Christie’s Canada, stood, armed with his gavel, in the middle of a very animated crowd to auction off bucket-list travel packages to romantic destinations including Paris, Milan, Rio and India.

Air Canada’s president passenger airlines, Benjamin Smith said that from the outset the intention of the Wanderluxe Gala was to create something “truly new.”

“We wanted to give back to the city of Toronto, and create a magical evening for our guests,” Smith explained.

“Partnering with SickKids to raise money for The Herbie Fund was in perfect alignment with our longstanding commitment to helping children through the Air Canada Foundation. We are thankful to the city and our guests for helping us to reach our goal of $1 million,” Smith said.

Ted Garrard, president & CEO of SickKids Foundation, said that: “The $1 million raised through Wanderluxe will help us expand the incredibly important care that children from disadvantaged parts of the world receive through The Herbie Fund at SickKids.”

Garrard continued: “We’re proud that our physicians at The Hospital for Sick Children donate their time and expertise to this life-saving work, and are thrilled to have Wanderluxe supporters share in this effort.”

As well, Smith said that: “The generosity of our sponsors and partners cannot be overstated. The venue was donated by Adgar Developments and York Heritage Properties, who worked tirelessly to ensure it was ready in time. The furniture was created for us and donated by Detailz Couture Event Rentals. Event guru Jeffry Roick of McNabb Roick Events donated his time to custom-design the 1930’s inspired lounges.”

He continued: “Our Air Canada Vacations partners and hotel groups gave room nights so that we could build great packages. Chef Hawksworth and his team flew in from Vancouver and worked pro bono on the food preparation, and Gate Gourmet donated the food. Casamigos Tequila, Pur Vodka, Les Domaines Paul Mas and Henry of Pelham provided spirits and wine.”

And Smith noted that: “This all translates to more dollars to support the incredible work of The Herbie Fund at SickKids, and the Air Canada Foundation. I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to my co-chairs Amoryn Engel and Laurel Sussman for their tireless efforts to ensure the event’s success.”

Other major Wanderluxe sponsors included Aimia, Toronto Dominion Bank, The Michael and Karen Vukets Family Foundation, Telus, The National Post and Scotiabank.

Seen in the photos are:

L-R: Wanderluxe co-chairs, Amoryn Engel, Benjamin Smith, and Laurel Sussman.

L-R: Wanderluxe co-chair Benjamin Smith, president of Air Canada passenger airlines, and Ted Garrard, president & CEO of SickKids Foundation.

For more, go to http://www.aircanada.com/foundation , visit http://www.sickkids.ca or check out http://www.herbiefund.com .