About Vanessa Muri
Montreal City Editor Vanessa Muri has lived in London and Tokyo, but finds the charms of her hometown irresistible. From the latest scoops to the best deals in Montreal and everything in between, don't miss her weekly take on life in the fair city.
POP!
montreal musings Montreal
(Jun.02.10)
On Saturday night I was one of approximately 600 other Montrealers attending the inaugural event of the Next Generation Committee: a group of young professionals dedicated to promoting the Jewish General Hospital.
POP: Open Your Mind was a fundraising initiative with all proceeds going to the JGH Louise Granofsky Psychosocial Oncology Program; an interdisciplinary team of professionals in the field of social work, psychology, psychiatry, and nursing care who focus on the social, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs that affect the quality of life of cancer patients.
“Through our activities, we hope to do our part for this institution. Our generation needs to take an interest in the quality of health-care services” said Avi Krispine and Giancarlo Salvo, the Committee’s co-chairs.
Using their passion and dedication, the committee brought together people of all ages and backgrounds to Espace Reunion. As you may recall, I wrote about this venue when it first opened and have been there a few times since. Like a chameleon, the space is a blank canvas that is transformed every time by lighting and decor into something spectacular.
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This time the theme was Circus Glam and contortionists and other performers dazzled the guests with amazing choreography and attire courtesy of Nadège Maignan and the
Armistice team.
Lovely host
Tracy Trash (renowned drag queen from Cabaret Mado) was hilarious and impressed the crowd with her rousing enthusiasm and fabulous purple velvet outfit.
VIP guests enjoyed champagne and an oyster bar. I don’t eat oysters, but I did my very best to make a dent in the champagne supply. (And apparently they did run out.)
I bumped into PR guru Patrick de Grâce and committee member Dax Giunta of TONY Custom Menswear. By the end of the night, the committee was truly pleased with the results of their efforts.
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What’s remarkable is that as first-timers, the Committee raised over $100,000. As Dax explained, “When we started out, few of us were acquainted with each other, or knew how each other worked, but we were all determined to make our first fundraiser the biggest success we could. Ultimately, we'd like the Next-Gen to usher in a new wave of dedicated and connected young professionals supporting their communities.”
I like the sound of that.
Photos Marc Muri Photography