PINK PRIDE: In 2008, B.C. proclaimed Feb. 25 anti-bullying day. Since then, school kids and their supporters have sported pink attire and T-shirts in support of anti-bullying efforts. Born from two Nova Scotia high school students who decided to take a stand on behalf of a fellow classmate who was bullied for wearing a pink T-shirt to school, the pink-it-forward movement spread quickly across the country. CKNW Orphans’ Fund recently held their fourth annual Pink Shirt Day Luncheon at Blue Water Café. The party, presented by Coast Capital, attracted more than 170 women of all ages and industries, and was emceed by Fiona Forbes and Karen Khunkhun. Guests enjoyed a sumptuous Frank Pabst-designed lunch before emptying their wallets of some $45,000, an event record, to support anti-bullying programs, including initiatives led by the Boys and Girls Club, Kids Help Phone and Out in Schools.
HUDDLE UP: The 13th Man Foundation strives to enhance UBC Thunderbird’s football program in the areas of coaching, athletic awards and academic support. Businessman, philanthropist and former player David Sidoo hopes the new foundation will bolster UBC’s football fortunes and bring the Vanier Cup back to the Point Grey Campus, something the varsity team hasn’t done since 1997. Sidoo, along with newly appointed coach Blake Nill, launched the foundation at a reception held at Sidoo’s Belmont Street home. Nill has wasted little time in trying to turn the team fortunes. Nill made a blockbuster signing recently by recruiting Michael O’Connor, one of the top sought-after quarterbacks in the NCAA, to come north of the border. Additionally, Nill signed up former B.C. Lions head coach and Grey Cup champion Steve Buratto as the program’s offensive coordinator.
A REAL SHINER: With De Beers Jewelers as a sponsor, you knew the inaugural Time to Shine Gala was going to be a sparkler. More than 400 well-dressed and well-heeled guests filed into the Fairmont Pacific Ballroom for the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation fundraiser. Led by gala chair Cecilia Tse, the black-tie affair represented the Foundation’s first Asia Pacific community event and carried the theme of East-meets-West, which included a special menu created by three renowned chefs. Buoyed by the Chinese New Year, attendees gave generously and gave often. One of many highlights of the night, an eight-carat De Beers diamond necklace fetched $168,000, contributing to the jaw-dropping $1.35 million generated, blowing well past the $1 million goal originally set. Proceeds from the starry night will support the purchase of a much-needed CT scanner for the emergency department at Vancouver General Hospital.
