Ten Oaks Project and Ottawa’s Most Fabulous Bowl-A-Thon

Our friend Alex Hosselet likes to keep it real, and help out when he can. He’s recently gotten involved with a great charity and would like to tell you about it.

Ottawa is home to a lot of phenomenal organizations and groups striving to make a difference in our community and abroad. A good friend of mine, Little Jo Berry, recently introduced me to the Ten Oaks Project: a charitable and volunteer-driven organization that engages and connects children and youth from LGBTQ communities through play.

tenoaksproject.org

The organization has two flagship summer programs: Camp Ten Oaks and Project Acorn. Camp Ten Oaks is a summer camp for children and youth aged 8-17 from LGBTQ communities, families and allies. Project Acorn is a youth-led leadership retreat for LGBTQ youth and their allies aged 16-24. The retreat brings together youth participants, youth leaders, adult leaders, guest speakers and facilitators for a four-day mixture of workshops, speakers and typical camp activities. Ten Oaks has a unique and valuable offering to the Ottawa community, and works closely with a lot of other organizations to accomplish its objectives.

Ten Oaks’ main fundraising event is an annual Bowl-A-Thon, now in its eighth year. On Saturday, March 31, more than 200 bowlers and supporters will take over the McArthur Bowling Centre for the Ten Oaks Project Bowl-A-Thon, which aims to raise over $45,000 to continue funding the flagship programs.

There are several ways that you can get involved and help make a difference

1. You can put a team together and fundraise. Ten Oaks is completely inclusive, so don’t feel like you have to be LGTBQ to get involved! There are only a few lanes left for teams, so email bowl@tenoaksproject.org if you’d like to secure one of the last lanes.
2. You can make a donation – any size helps – by visiting the Ten Oaks donation site. You can even donate to your favourite bowler!
3. You can volunteer some of your time. A few hours with some extra helping hands can make this event amazing. Get involved by emailing hannah.mcgechie@tenoaksproject.org or calling 613-614-1537.

You can ask anyone that’s participated in a Ten Oaks program – this organization makes a huge difference in the lives of everyone it touches.

For more information and to keep up-to-date, you can visit the Ten Oaks website, the Bowl-A-Thon Facebook group, or the Ten Oaks Twitter feed (@TenOaksProject).

OILRC: “We may not be well-known around Ottawa, but we’re a big deal to the people we work with”

Sara Rose is a Carleton University student and the Fund Development and Event Coordinator for the Ottawa Independent Living Resource Centre. She’s been in living in Ottawa for the past 16 years. Her favourite part of the city is going to all the festivals, especially Bluesfest.

Recently, the United Way called Ottawa the most generous city in Canada. I’d like to add to that by saying we also have some of the greatest local charities. One such charity is the Ottawa Independent Living Resource Centre (OILRC). Its mission is to assist in the individual empowerment of all persons with any disability in the Ottawa area and to provide the tools they need to direct their lives and participate fully in the community.

I have been working for OILRC since July and already I’ve learned a lot about this community and the challenges they face; everything from getting around town to getting help from the government. It is so rewarding to be a part of an organization that makes a positive impact in the lives of those around me.

We may not be well-known around Ottawa, but we’re a big deal to the people we work with. I know all our hard work is worth it when I see how excited our clients are about the services we provide, like computer training, information sessions, or even just a facilitating a fun day at the beach.

Basically, the OILRC helps people with any disability to lead fulfilling, independent lives.

The OILRC has been operating in Ottawa since 1986 and currently serves thousands of members of our community. Its newest program is the Independent Living Employment Assistance Program (iLeap for short). The team has been helping people gain employment as well as gain the skills they need to become employable. It’s a great way to strengthen our labour force, helping our local economy as well as local individuals.

Because funding is limited and the OILRC is a non-profit organization, it runs various fundraisers throughout the year. They had some very successful candy sales and car washes to fund their annual summer getaway. This year, a group travelled to Niagara Falls and Marineland. They had so much fun that they’re already planning next year’s trip! The next big fundraiser will be a Mamma Mia movie sing-along on October 21^st. Guests will dress up like the characters, sing along to their favourite songs, and have a great time while raising money for an important local cause.

Thanks for your contribution Sara, and thanks to the OILRC for doing such important work. If you’re interested in finding out more about the work done by OILRC or would like to take part in the Mamma Mia fundraiser, check out www.OILRC.com. 

Q&A: Chantal shares her personal reason for starting Bumps on the Road- A 9K Walk for Pregnancy

Chantal Sarkisian is a fundraiser for the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health, a local and national charity that raises funds to support research in women’s sexual and reproductive health. She dropped by Local Tourist Ottawa to talk about a fun local event she’s driving forward. 

Ottawa has a lot of walking/running events: what makes yours different?

Pregnancy is a wonderful and positive experience, but most people don’t think of the challenges that come with it. Bumps on the Road -A 9K Walk for Pregnancy is the first time that everyone can come together and raise awareness and funds for research that addresses diseases or illness in pregnancy. Think of research topics like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity in pregnancy.

It will be fun and visual: people will come walking in fake bellies or weighted backpacks to really put themselves in the shoes of pregnant women. If a pregnant woman can lug around more than 20 pounds for a few months, I think we can do it for 9K!

This type of walk has never been done before, and I am so glad to be part of it.

Chantal Sarkisian at the CFWH Healthy Women, Healthy Future Gala and Research Awards Ceremony in Vancouver.

What motivated you to start this fundraiser?

Not that I want to get caught up in my own personal life, but sometime you have to experience something for yourself to truly understand it. 

Six months ago, I announced to my closest friends, my family and my colleagues at work that I was pregnant. The next week it happened: I had a miscarriage. I found out that I was pregnant on the same day that I started this job.

As much as it motivated me to do my work, when I lost my baby the motivation was still there… it was just transformed.  Having gone through this made me see life in a different way. I have a better appreciation for the work I do and I am trying my best to stay positive. I’ve become a better person and more driven at work. I know I am not alone and many women have gone through this and it’s common. Everyone has their unique way of coping, and this is my way.

To my fellow women who know where I am coming from, I hope you have found yours.

So, out of nowhere, I decided to post this on my Facebook wall: “I’m organizing this walk for all the women who have gone through challenges throughout their pregnancy. I am participating because I was one.”

I have never revealed this much personal information about myself on Facebook. But after I hit enter… It was too late. I guess that’s what’s scary and beautiful about social media.

Bumps on the Road takes place on October 23, 2011

Thank you for sharing your story with us. What are you hoping will come from this event?

Well, this initiative is meant to launch the first volunteer-based event organized by the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health volunteers. My long term goal for this walk is to have national volunteer groups host this walk all over Canada, ever year. 

This is our first ever walk, so I have set myself some realistic goals this year. I want to get the community involved and get support from the small business in the Old Ottawa South area. I’d also like to raise 9K (thousand dollars) with 9K (km) for research and awareness. By doing so, I am hoping that more people will learn about the foundation and what we do for women’s health in Canada.

 So what do we all need to know to get involved?

It will be held in Ottawa (780 Echo Drive) on Sunday, October 23, 2011 (registration is at 7 a.m.). It’s a fun event, to highlight pregnant women and raise awareness about the fact that pregnancy can come with its challenges….or bumps on the road, if you will. Men, women and children are encouraged to join healthy pregnant women for this event and wear a fake belly for the walk. The registration fee is $60 per person and prizes will be available to those who raise the highest amount.

Good luck Chantal! To register for the event, visit www.cfwh.org or go directly to the online registration website.

Poetry and Philanthrophy: Bywords 7th annual Cornerstone fundraiser and spring launch

Spring edition of Bywords Quarterly Journal

Amanda Earl has published poetry chapbooks with above/ground press and Book Thug. Amanda is also the managing editor of Bywords.ca and the Bywords Quarterly Journal, the angel of AngelHousePress and the curator of Experiment-o.com, an annual journal that celebrates the art of risk. Today she is inviting you to Bywords.ca’s 7th Annual Cornerstone Fundraiser and Spring Launch next Saturday, May 28, at Elgin Street’s Manx Pub.

I’m very excited about our annual fundraiser for Cornerstone. It’s important and it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Here’s a wee bit of info from Cornerstone, which provides emergency shelter and housing for women. With your help, they will provide the following this year:

• About 500 women will be offered safe emergency shelter and the support to start a new life beyond homelessness;
• About 200 women will have help to find safe, affordable, permanent housing;
• About 8,000 meals will be served;
•  About 100 women will receive support to move beyond addictions to recovery;
•  About 20 women will receive training in computer and job preparation skills.

Rod Pederson will perform at the BQJ fundraiser (Photo by Pearl Pirie, via Flickr)

In previous years, Bywords has raised $300 to $400 in support of Cornerstone. With your help, we can help Cornerstone. Just think $90 feeds one woman for a month. $50 will provide bus tickets for 25 women to get to doctor and housing appointments. And you will receive a free copy of the spring issue of the Bywords Quarterly Journal with your donation. The spring issue of the BQJ marks its 9^th year of publication. 

As managing editor of Bywords, I am thrilled to introduce audiences to the work of emerging poets and to provide opportunities for new and established poets to read and publish their work.

In addition to fantastic music by Jesse Cole — listen here — the event’s poetry readings will give you a chance to hear out of town, emerging and established poets:

• Emily Falvey is a former Ottawa resident, art curator who worked at the Ottawa Art Gallery and is now an independent curator. Her poetry is very visual and collage like.  This is a rare reading in Ottawa for Emily.
• Christian McPherson has a new poetry collection out: The sun has forgotten where I live. His poems are humorous and full of everyday life’s conundrums.
• Rod Pederson is the host of the Tree Reading Series, one of Ottawa’s most beloved poetry reading series and the driving force behind the new annual poetry festival VerseFest. His love of poetry shows in his own writing.
• Dimitra Xidous is an enthusiast of the duende who writes cosmopolitan and sensual poetry.

The BQJ fundraiser for Cornerstone will be held at The Manx, at 370 Elgin (Photo by Roadtripp, via Flickr)

The Cornerstone Fundraiser is particularly dear to my heart. It is one of two of Bywords community outreach initiatives; the other being the Walk for Life in the fall, in which we raise money and awareness of AIDS/HIV. I believe our role as a long standing part of Ottawa’s community — the original Bywords ran from 1990-2001 via the University of Ottawa  with Seymour Mayne, Gwendolyn Guth and Heather Ferguson — is to be part of the community and support its activities and participate in its well-being.

I hope you will join us on Saturday, May 28 at 5 p.m. at the Manx (370 Elgin Street) for great music, great poetry, great beer and a great cause.

Thanks, Amanda! Looking for more information? You can reach Amanda at amanda@bywords.ca. Or check out the Cornerstone website.

Congratulations! High school student Bronwyn Lefebvfre raises more than $10,000 for Lupus Ontario

Bronwyn Lefebvre is a high school student who will be attending Carleton University in the fall. In February she organized an ambitious fashion show, fundraising for Lupus Ontario – a disease she has lived with for 13 years.

This is Bronwyn’s very touching thank you speech:

Seven months ago the planning began to create and showcase a dream. The result: a successful event that I am so proud to have organized.

Bronwyn Lefebvfre

I would like to thank all of my sponsors who made this show possible including: Answermen, Mistura, Tress Exquisite Salon, SurePrint, The Tanning Lounge, Susan Campbell RMT, Boston Pizza and Palm Beach Mega Tan.

Another big thank you to all who have donated generously to Lupus Ontario.

Mr. Deller, and the wonderful Ms. Bonenfant, who have bent over backwards for me and have helped me through so much! I very much appreciate it and will never forget your generosity.

The VOYAGE fashion show committee and models: although we had our ups and downs, you helped me realize how amazing people are and it is truly touching. Your countless hours of help, and sincerity and support has shaped me into a better person and I am so fortunate to have had all of you accompany me on creating this dream and allowing it to come true.

To my set designers, Opala and Alenka, who took a vision I had and created it on canvas-  you are truly amazing! My performers who have generously donated their time to showcase their talents. The tech team for allowing this night to be possible and setting up the stage, music, lights, everything! You guys are awesome and are extremely talented and I wish you nothing but success in the future. Thank you to Mr. Murphy and Mr. Mes for having my back and helping me whenever I was in need.

My beautiful friends who have helped me through this journey and given me their time and effort all to make this show a success. I will forever cherish your friendships and thank the world for allowing me to have such beautiful people in my life.

And lastly my family. Mummy, Daddy, Evan and Oscar. Without you, this show would not have been possible. The months you have spent in order to help me produce a dream you knew I had from the very beginning, I so thankful to call you my family and even through the stress, you are always here to help me up when I fall and I love you with all my heart. Mum and Dad, thank you for bringing me into this world and raising me to be the person that I am today.

We have been struggling with this disease for 13 years and you have done everything to make sure I lived a normal life and I am so appreciative to be apart of you.

Being diagnosed with Lupus has kept me from living a life full of freedom and a childhood full of happiness. I never really liked talking about what I suffer from and what I’ve been through but after organizing this event, I have realized that I am not the only one who is suffering and that there are others going through the exact same thing.

Anything is possible: whether you are disabled or have a disease.

I was told that I wouldn’t make it to 20, but I’m 18 and I’m still standing here. I have short term memory, but I have still made gold honour roll and been accepted to my dream program at Carleton University.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you, you are not capable of something. You are capable of anything and everything. Voyage Fashion Show has allowed me to grow and realize that Lupus is a part of me and I am the person that I am today because of it.

This is who I am. Almost losing my life to this disease three times has taught me to live each day as if it were my last and that is why I wanted to run this show because this is the one thing that I have always wanted.

My goal was to raise $4,000. But on March 31st, 2011, I had discovered that over $10,000 was raised and I thank everyone for their tremendous support!

Congratulations Bronwyn, you truly are an inspiration. And from LTO – thank you to the handful of Local Tourists who donated in support of Bronwyn’s cause.

Congratulations Ottawa Twestival 2011!

We just wanted to send a quick shout out to the organizers of Ottawa Twestival 2011, who together with all of the attendees, raised $12,321 for the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health.

There were a ton of Local Tourists that showed up in support of the event, including Jessey and Amy, Hilary Duff, Jane Porter, Lara Wellman, Karen, and Mel Gallant (who we heard was there but never tracked her down because the place was so wonderfully jam packed). We also all got a chance to sample delicious cupcakes from Little Cakes.

Sure, Ottawa Twestival 2011 was a great space to meet some of Ottawa’s top tweeps, but most importantly, the funds went to a very important local cause.

A huge congratulations (and thank you) to the event organizers for surpassing their goal, and for using their love of Twitter and digital communications to make a difference in our community.

Well done!

What goes into a UN-wedding show … Q&A with ROUGE

www.rougeottawa.ca

ROUGE champions itself as Ottawa’s “ultimate bachelorette party,” where brides-to-be can take the wedding show experience out of the conference centre and into the nightclub. In fact, ROUGE calls itself an un-wedding show! Featuring local-only vendors, ROUGE takes place on March 26 at Mansion Nightclub, with proceeds from the $10 tickets going to support the AIDS Committee of Ottawa. Amy Karlin, of Splendid Events, lets us know what goes into planning a sexy, sultry bridal bonanza.

Where’d the idea for ROUGE come from?

Last fall I was having coffee with local photographer Vanessa Dewson, and she mentioned she’d been wanting to get involved in a red-carpet event and wanted to know if I could lend a hand on the planning side. She wanted to give women a chance to get dolled up, have a great night out, and have some professional, high-fashion photos taken with their BFFs — an updated 2011 version of Glamour Shots, if you will!  We got talking with the ladies at Luxe Bridal who had been dreaming up something similar, they brought in the incredible team at Clould in the Sky Studios, and after a lot of coffee and brainstorming, Rouge was born.

Ottawa’s wedding show season sees a half-dozen bridal shows come through the city. Why do you think an ‘unwedding’ show is needed? And what is an unwedding show anyway?

An un-wedding show is an opportunity for brides to meet wedding pros outside the typical trade show environment.  Instead of going from booth to booth to meet vendor after vendor and collect business cards, they’ll actually get to see us at work as we throw an amazing celebration.  They’ll try delicious cupcakes, have incredible photos taken with their best friends, and see us flawlessly coordinate a great party, rather than just hear our sales pitches.  We’re letting our work speak for itself!

You’ve assembled a team of Ottawa-only vendors for the event. What type of wedding talent does the city offer? How do you think our local businesses vary from those in other cities?

The amount of top-notch wedding talent here in Ottawa never fails to amaze me.  In the past two to three years there’s been an explosion of small businesses — many owned by women — who truly focus on quality and client experience rather than quantity or sheer sales numbers.  Luxe Bridal, Auntie Loo’s Treats and Flowers Talk are a few of my personal favorites.

I think Ottawa’s local businesses are unique compared to those in other cities because we’re all so supportive of each other.  We all want to have a competitive edge but we’re also eager to help each other out, share our experiences and tackle challenges together.  That’s something I haven’t heard of in a lot of other cities, especially in the wedding industry.

We’ve all heard tales of, perhaps even experienced, a Bridezilla. Being an event planner yourself, how do you calm those nerves?

As a planner, I have to say that the best remedy for nerves is often good planning.  Knowing that a trained professional knows all the details of your wedding inside out and backwards goes a long way to maintaining piece of mind.  But everyone has a moment or two where they feel a bit overwhelmed.

To deal with those nerves, I always recommend that my client couples go out on a date a few weeks before the wedding where all wedding talk is strictly off-limits.  Sharing a few hours together with a great meal, a bottle of wine, and the love of your life is probably the best thing you can do to regain perspective and remember what’s really important: your relationship!

What’s been the most memorable wedding you, personally, have been involved with in Ottawa?

Great question!  The most memorable Ottawa wedding I’ve been involved in was last spring at the National Gallery of Canada.  The bride and groom were from two different backgrounds and created their wedding day in such a way that both sides of the family had a chance to learn a bit more about the other.  They wrote the entire wedding ceremony themselves, including only the traditions that were important to them as a couple: some from each side of the family and some new traditions they had started together.

The couple also relied 100 per cent on local businesses, from caterers and florists to artisan bakers and cheese makers. Since many of their invitees were from out of town and even from other countries, their guests really got to experience a made-in-Ottawa wedding. Basically, the couple’s personalities were evident in the entire day from start to finish, which made their wedding both meaningful and intimate.

ROUGE has partnered with the Aids Committee of Ottawa for this event. Tell us a bit about that charity.

From the very beginning, we knew we wanted to partner with an AIDS charity for ROUGE.  Even today, people suffering from AIDS often feel marginalized and stigmatized, so we were eager to work with a charity that provides hope and support to those same people.  We chose the AIDS Committee of Ottawa because they have such a long history here in Ottawa: Since 1985, the ACO has offered support, prevention and education services to the local community.

The ACO also operates The Living Room, a drop-in centre that provides free, confidential, practical and support services to people living with or closely affected by HIV/AIDS.

What will be the most special thing brides-to-be can expect from ROUGE?

I think the most special things brides can expect from ROUGE is that they get have a truly memorable night out with their best friends, meeting top-notch vendors and trying their products and services without feeling sold to. Plus they get to support a great cause, the ACO.  We like to add a little sass to the mix so there will definitely be a few sultry surprises that night — this is not your mamma’s bachelorette!

Are you planning to attend ROUGE on March 26? Send us a note!

Ambitious high school student Bronwyn Lefebvre plans fashion show to raise funds for Lupus Ontario

Bronwyn Lefebvre is currently raising funds for Lupus Ontario: a cause very close to her heart

Bronwyn Lefebvre is a high school student who will be attending Carleton University in the fall. She enjoys shopping, music and spending time with family and friends in Ottawa – a place she has called home for 18 years.

You’re currently spearheading an ambitious fundraiser for Lupus Ontario. Why is this cause so important to you?

I’ve been living with Lupus since the age of five and every year my school puts together a fashion show to raise funds for a desired charity, so I wanted to take this opportunity to raise money and awareness for Lupus Ontario.

In a way this event has allowed me to grow and realize that I am not the only one who is struggling with this disease. Once I started planning the event and placed my story in local papers and had my logo in Lupus Ontario’s newsletter, I began receiving emails from various women who also suffer from Lupus. They gave me their support and congratulated me on my efforts with the organization.

I’m planning this show not only for myself, but for the millions of others who are also suffering.

At first my school was apprehensive about allowing me to pursue running the show, because in the past, runners have not raised money for the charities, but in the end they gave in. My teachers haven’t been quite as supportive as I would like, and there have been phone calls home and to the guidance counselor because I’ve been working so hard with the fashion show; however, I catch up on weekends with the work I’ve missed. For peers, they have supported me 100 per cent and so has my family, which I am very grateful for.

As the event organizer and coordinator, I’ve been able to delegate tasks to my committee members, and taking on the ones that haven’t been completed myself, hosting modeling auditions, designing the logo and information package, planning the show, contacting various stores and local businesses who are interested in either showcasing their styles or sponsoring the show, collecting donations, running errands, setting up music… It’s definitely been a busy seven months but I wouldn’t change anything and am excited to see how it will all turns out.

How has having Lupus affected your everyday life?

Lupus is a disease that causes the body to not understand the difference between good cells and bad cells, so it attacks itself (for a full medical definition, please click here). When the disease is active (known as a flare) it can attack and affect any organ in the body.

For me, it has affected my heart, blood and brain. I’m not allowed to live a normal life like many teenagers my age. I often feel as though I never had a childhood because I was constantly in and out of the hospital, and the disease has caused me to suffer short term memory, making studying for tests and exams much more challenging.

Voyage will take place Wednesday, February 23rd, 7 P.M., at St Matthew High School (6550 Bilberry Drive Orleans). Tickets are just $10. You can also donate by clicking this image.

Tell us a little bit about Voyage, St. Matthew High School’s fifth annual fashion runway show.

Voyage Fashion Show will be a night to remember with fashion from a variety of stores, designers and performance talent. Mix all that with good music and company and you get St. Matthew High School’s traditional event that will blow everyone away!

Stores to look forward to are: MEXX, Bluenotes, Costa Blanca, Joe Fresh, Christine’s Bridal, West 49, Stella & Dot Jewelry, Moore’s TipTop and Marka’s Boutique, plus various designers fro our very own student body including 1086, Diamond Gold and Jenny, and Megan & Raeanne Designs. Musical talent will include Ottawa’s very own Mike Kleff, Matthew McGeein, St. Matt’s Glee Club and Cheer team and another acoustic performance by Alenka, Breanna and Carl.

What are you hoping will come from this event?

I’m hoping to raise over $4,000 for Lupus Ontario and to make a fundraising name for my high school. This has been my dream to run the fashion show since grade 10, so I am hoping that all my work will pay off. The money raised will help those with Lupus live longer and better by delivering vital support, education, awareness and research.

Has the Ottawa community been very supportive of your cause?

I’ve learned you really need to be a salesperson in order to gain interest towards an event. Generally my close circle has been supportive but it’s been hard trying to reach out to the community.

At Local Tourist Ottawa, we like to celebrate the best of what the Nation’s Capital has to offer. Can you tell us about your perfect day in Ottawa?

I love downtown. I absolutely adore the environment it has to offer: shopping, yummy restaurants and everything I could ever ask for. Some of my all time favourite places to shop would be Aritzia, MAC, Club Monaco and Jacob. Throw all those stores together with some delicious mussels from Mangia and some gelato from Picolo Grande and you have my perfect day.

Thank you for sharing your story with us Bronwyn, you have put an incredible amount of work towards this very good cause! To support Bronwyn and Lupus Ontario please click here.

The Festival of Chocolate – a delicious event for a great cause

The Festival of Chocolate: Thursday February 10, 2011 at Lago

 

Katherine Carter has lived in Ottawa for five years, and is the Community Relations Coordinator for the city’s Distress Centre. She is also the head of  this year’s Festival of Chocolate. This week, Local Tourist Ottawa was lucky enough to have a short Q&A with her to learn a bit about this fundraiser.

The Festival of Chocolate sounds like a delicious event! Who will be competing and how will the chocolatiers be judged?

We have such wonderful competitors this year that I’m really excited about. This year, Roch Fournier (Rochef Chocolatier), who was our winner from last year’s competition, will be returning for his second year. We are also fortunate to have the lovely Amanda Lunan, (Auntie Loo’s Treats)  who is a vegan baker, and Joe Collabro (Paticceria Gelatteria Italiana), an accomplished baker/chocolatier who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years. Roch, Amanda and Joe are three very talented individuals who come from different backgrounds and styles – a combination that is sure to add more to this year’s competition.

Each chef will have about 10 to 15 minutes to present their piece to a panel of judges, an amazing group including Ron Eade (Ottawa Citizen food critic), Chef Herve Chabert (Le Cordon Bleu) and Heinrich Stubbe (Stubbe’s Chocolates). The competitors will talk about what they used for ingredients, their inspirations and what they are hoping the guest and judges will experience. The judges will then have the opportunity to give their feedback, ask questions, and will score each competitor based on such things as use of chocolate, taste and creativity.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is an event that is meant to, above all, be fun.

The culinary network in Ottawa is so vibrant and passionate that it’s great to get everyone together where there’s no pressure of a formal competition, but we figured that because our competitors take their work to heart, we would make sure that the judges we had were able to speak from a similar perspective so that if they so desired, they could use that feedback to put directly back into their businesses and grow their inventory.

So what does this mean for the people who attend?

When the people arrive at the event, there will be the opportunity sample lots of chocolate from a variety of vendors, some who will be on-site to talk about their products. Kathleen’s Kitchen is one who has been a big supporter of ours and both Jack and Kathleen will be there to present their wonderful truffles. Guests will also be treated to a complimentary beverage of their choice. Throughout the night we there will also be a silent auction with some amazing items up for bid like Bluesfest passes, spa gift certificates, and much more.

Around eight o’clock our lovely master of ceremonies for the evening, Jen Traplin (LiVE 88.5) will start the chef competition… and then we’re off for another round of chocolate delights!

What’s this I hear about firefighters?

Ha! It’s true, we’ve been really fortunate to have the help of the Ottawa Professional Firefighter’s Association, they’ve been amazing. This year, they will be serving chocolate throughout the evening and are also helping us to raise money by raffling off some awesome prizes like Sens box seats and a Netbook. Again, it was just a natural evolution of the event through the contacts we had in the community and these guys are simply the best.

The Festival of Chocolate is a fundraiser for the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region. Tell us about the Distress Centre and the services you provide.

The Distress Centre provides 24/7 confidential telephone call in services for individuals of all ages to connect with when they are in distress or feel they are deteriorating further into crisis. People can call for any reason: emotional support, stress, bullying, mental illness or even if they are thinking about suicide or are worried about someone at risk of suicide. Our volunteers receive the best training, currently we provide the most training hours of any Distress Centre in Canada (59) which includes the LivingWorks ASIST Suicide Intervention Certification, a course which is given to many professionals including community health care workers, psychiatric nurses and police officers.

We are volunteer based and an access point into the mental health system, since 2003 we’ve operated the Ottawa Hospital’s Mental Health Crisis Line so that should a person’s situation require an extra level of care we can actually transfer them directly to a crisis team worker. It’s a wonderful marriage of community grassroots working with professional care.

We are an important service for Ottawa, Champlain District and West Quebec because mental health affects us all, and we should all play a role in maintaining our own and our communities wellbeing. The Distress Centre exists so that anyone at anytime can always have someone to reach out to for help and support.

Tickets for the Festival of Chocolate are $50 per person and must be purchased in advance. Please call 613-238-1089 x 222 to buy your tickets, and support the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region.

Thanks for chatting with us Katherine!