Words by Roxanne Rowe | Photos by Steve Blackburn
TORONTO, ONT – THE POGO Gala 2016 is described as an ‘evening of lavish culinary experiences, striking scenes, dazzling entertainment and unforgettable tales’ but it’s so much more than that. It’s an evening to support children with cancer and that brought out a sellout crowd of the city’s social and business elite to the Liberty Grand. This year’s theme was ‘Travel the Spice Route’.
As you entered the grounds of Liberty Grand you were greeted by camels and a shy yellow & white anaconda… with its handler of course! The interior of the Liberty Grand was decorated like a Sultans Tent transporting you to the opulence of a Bedouin Sheiks’ tent.
The Gala Dinner featured POGO’s keynote speaker, 16-year old childhood cancer survivor Eloise McIntosh and a video tribute to Cadillac Fairview (one of the great champions of childhood cancer). The Gala was emceed by TV Fashion Reporter Glen Baxter. The Gala also had an exciting live auction, featuring one-of-a-kind items, including a trip to Montego Bay,swimming with the pigs in Exuma, and a chance to design your very own one-of-a-kind handbag with Ela and Martin Aldorsson of Ela Handbags, the go-to handbag for celebrities like Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sophie Trudeau. And if that wasn’t enough the evening concluded with a fantastic After Party with dancing and entertainment til 1:00AM. All if support of POGO (The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario). The total raised was $650,000 in support of kids with cancer.
Click here for more information on the The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario.
