MPI Gets Groovy at the Charity Auction & Dinner

On January 31^st, over 500 attendees gathered for the 15^th Annual MPI Charity Auction & Dinner which took place this year at the EY Centre. The organizing committee transported attendees back to the 70s with help from the amazing, groovy and far out decor provided by Avant-Garde Designs, who truly transformed the room to a whole other level. Many people took this theme to heart and showed how to be truly “Groovy Baby” by dressing for the era.



The night’s emcee extraordinaire and game show host to the stars was the always entertaining Brian Henry of Quality Entertainment (who also happened to be on the committee).  As usual, Henry was able to hold the room’s attention and time warp everyone back to the most popular game shows of the 70s, allowing all to enthusiastically cheer on the randomly selected contestants.  We were delighted by the humorous, fast-talking, rhyme-making and crowd-pleasing Ryan Watson of Raising the Bid as the auctioneer for the Live Auction segment of the night. Watson auctioned off three once-in-a-lifetime destination experiences from our supplier members.

The two charities benefiting from the evening’s fundraising endeavours were the Ottawa Network for Education’s School Breakfast Program  and Hopewell – Eastern Ontario’s Only Eating Disorder Support Centre.  These two charities rely heavily on the kindness and generosity of individuals and organizations such as the MPI Charity Auction Dinner for funding. The MPI Ottawa Chapter proudly supports the work of these organizations and sincerely appreciates the value that they add to our community. New this year was the addition of the MPI Foundation being the recipient of the 50/50 raffle prize. We were also honoured to host a representative from both charities as well as Kevin Kirby, Executive Director of the MPI Foundation.

Of course, the Charity Auction would not have been possible without the incredible support of our sponsors.  The committee would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to:

Champion Partner – Edmonton Tourism;
In-Kind Champion Partner – AV Canada;
Motivator Partners – Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, Meetings & Conventions Calgary;
Activation Partner Wine Toast – Tourisme Outaouais;
Enhancer Partner – Quebec City Business Destination;
In-kind Partners – D.E. Systems Ltd., Avant-Garde Designs & The Printing House.

On behalf of the committee, I am honoured to provide you with this year’s fundraising total. Thanks to the bidders, the event raised a total of $22,225, split between the Ottawa Network for Education’s School Breakfast Program and Hopewell. Additionally, the MPI Foundation received $1,245 from the 50/50 draw.

Lastly, this event would not have been possible without the continued support of all the attendees, so thank you for continuing to support MPI Ottawa and the Charity Auction Dinner year after year. Additionally, the evening would not have been possible without the tireless efforts and commitment of the volunteer committee who worked to pull it all together.  This was a team effort from start to finish.

We are looking forward to seeing you next year…and get ready for what we have in store for 2020! 

 
Article Written By Erin Bellwood, Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association.

 Article Edited By Darlene Kelly-Stewart, Stonehouse Sales & Marketing Services