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Second Annual Bay Street Camp Quality Soccer Tournament
On Saturday, September 29th bankers and lawyers from 16 of the major law firms and banks
competed against one another in the Second Annual Bay Street Camp Quality Soccer Tournament.
Over $30,000 was raised in the one day tournament.
Click here to view photos from the event!
Camp Quality Southern Anniversary Celebration - 20 YEARS IN CANADA!
"On Saturday August 18th some 350 campers, staff and
supporters joined in celebrating the 20th anniversary
of the Southern Ontario Camp Quality. Under blue
skies and plenty of sunshine, we enjoyed a BBQ lunch,
lively music and great entertainment from Paul
Maskell, a local busker, and our own CQ puppeteers.
There was also a wonderful CQ museum with videos,
pictures and much memorabilia from our past 20 years.
A good time was had by all. See you at the 25th!"
The Firefly Cabaret
Thanks to everyone who attended the Firefly Cabaret on Wednesday August 22nd. A sold out crowd enjoyed a wonderful evening of music. Thank you to all the sponsors and performers who made the night a memorable one. Special thanks to Chantelle Wilson of Swing Rosie for organizing the evening in memory of her father, Wayne, who lost his battle with cancer 5 years ago.
A Canvas of Music for a Critical Cause
by Carol Lipson
With Firefly Cabaret, Hugh’s Room showcased five musical acts on Wednesday August 22nd in support of Camp Quality, Canada’s multi-recreational fund-raising program for children with cancer. Led by jazz singer/MC, Heather Bambrick, the audience was offered jazz-infused music ranging in colour and style from folky self-revealing songs to boogie woogie three–part harmonies. Most of the performers on the roster, including Lori Cullen, Amanda Martinez, Tyler Yarema, Elizabeth Shepherd and Swing Rosie, remembered loved ones, reflecting briefly and in hushed tones, how cancer has touched their lives. Music, the audience understood as a community, affirms hope for these artists, for their listeners, and most importantly, for the children who will be enriched, albeit temporarily, by proceeds derived from this benefit concert.
A non-profit, volunteer organization, Camp Quality spans across Canadian and international sites, setting up programs as diverse as week-long camping and school-year puppet shows, to boost the spirits of children living with the disease. Volunteers, buoyed by donations from businesses, foundations and personal contributors, participate in marathon-like bicycle tours, soccer and golf tournaments, in a joint effort to raise funds and nurture the lives of children. The five performers that night were just such volunteers.
Opening the evening with her bluesy inflections, Bambrick, a singer’s singer, served up the tried and true “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. We were in for a treat, Bambrick signalled, with her sure sense of swing and tasteful phrasing. The first act, Lori Cullen, singer-songwriter-guitarist, presented a thoughtful trio of songs. Her wispy, near-plaintive vocal quality is a fit companion to her honest, unassuming writing voice. Working within a folk frame, Cullen surprises melodically as she opens up her choruses. An able and rhythmic lyricist, the conventional “I’ll be there” promise we so often hear on pop radio was deftly replaced under Cullen’s care by the paradoxical: “I’ll always be the answer/ one question away.”
Amanda Martinez is an interpretive singer with a honey-coloured, seductive voice who is equally comfortable singing in Portuguese, Spanish and English. In her fluid rendition of the closing Cuban song of her set, Martinez became an ambassador of Latin music, caressing the notes without losing the percussive quality of the song. She owns the stage as she sways to the music, confident and seemingly impromptu in her presentation.
Good musicianship came in surplus supply that night. What struck this listener about Tyler Yarema, the singer-pianist-songwriter was how his funky, honky-tonk bluesy piano playing contrasted his male crooner vocal stylings to singular effect. Yarema is a quality act, a crowd pleaser who flexed his musical muscles with the dreamy, complex modalities of an original jazz ballad or the strong bedrock of blues. His vocals were complemented by the lyrical and pronounced trumpet playing of William Sperendei. Noteworthy as a back-up unit was the rhythm section that evening: Scott Kemp on bass, Peter Hill on piano, and Glenn Anderson on drums.
Singer-songwriter-pianist Elizabeth Shepherd allotted equal time for vocals and piano. Reed-like in her vocal ability to bend to the chromatic demands of a jazz melody, her singing was clear, a little breathy on her high register, as she delivered an autobiographical song about her “vagabond heart”. Her self-proclaimed restlessness or musical curiosity, I would guess, provides the impetus for what she does.
Finally, with Swing Rosie, I was thrown back to a long-gone era of tightly-woven three-part harmonies delivered with dynamic and feminine charm. Kira Callahan, Shannon Butcher and Chantelle Wilson have synchronized their voices and stage presence to create musical unity and synergy. They move with ease from Andrew Sister standards to songs cut with a more contemporary edge, connecting musical legacies to the present.
Firefly Cabaret rewarded the audience with a rich canvas of music for a worthwhile cause. That is a donation of many gifts in one, by my count.
Tour For Kids 2007
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION IN MAKING TOUR FOR KIDS THE BEST EVER!
The weather was perfect and the 800-kilometer cycling route was challenging and beautiful, rambling through cottage country north of Toronto. Our riders were motivated and did a great job covering the distance while volunteers and community members pitched in to provide route support, evening entertainment, and help feed the 400 riders! The evening events by the cancer camp organizations were fun and entertaining, but equally informative of how they each serve the children and their families.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES AT THE MISSISSAUGA CIVIC CENTRE
The opening and final ceremonies on August 16th and 19th respectively at the Mississauga Civic Centre were a roller coaster of emotions as families and friends celebrated the riders’ return and drove home the message about the importance of supporting these children’s cancer camps. Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies performed a concert for our riders, families and kids from the camps. Opening for Steven was 13-year-old Adam Fedosoff of Barrie, lead guitarist for Tantrum, an AC/DC cover band and newly diagnosed with Leukemia in May of 2007. Despite being in the midst of his battle with cancer, played his heart out for the audience. Here is a great article about the closing ceremonies in the Mississauga News:
http://www.mississauganews.com/article/6040
It’s kids such as Adam that Tour For Kids is all about. All three of the camps we support – Camp Trillium, Camp Quality and Camp Oochigeas – provide support to children with cancer and their families, giving them an opportunity to enjoy a camp experience and for a while at least, just be kids again. Family camps also help the parents deal with the relentless stress and hardships by providing many year-round support programs.
None of the camps charge for children or families to attend. That’s why your support is so important. Your sponsorship of my Tour For Kids ride means that a few more kids will be able to go to camp next year.
This year’s Tour For Kids has now raised over $750,000 and with 30 days of fundraising left, until the September 30th fundraising deadline, we are well on our way to achieving our stretch goal of $1 Million.
Thank you from all of us, for your contribution to the Tour for Kids event and helping us and the riders enable thousands of children to attend camp and year-round programming to improve their quality of life and see them through this challenging period in their young lives.
Warm Regards,
Jeff Rushton, Louisa Cantelon, Scott Graham, Fredrik Carlberg, Steven Sokolowski, Ron Mitchell and Sharon Andres
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