Organizers of the SnowBall know a thing or two about weathering the storm, winter or otherwise.
After nearly three years of COVID, they brought their hugely popular winter bash back Thursday and, boy, did they make up for lost time with this year’s party in support of the Snowsuit Fund.
Nearly 400 attendees filled 50 Sussex, the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, for a multi-level cocktail party presented by Canadian Tire. It was a night of food, drinks, live music and DJs. Sandra Plagakis from KiSS 105.3 radio station was there to emcee. There was also valet parking and a beauty bar, silent auction and a raffle for an Air North trip to the Yukon.
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Fun-loving partygoers were seen having a blast on the dance floor as cover band The Start struck up an irresistible playlist of British rock, pop and R&B music, surrounded by a room decorated in a UK theme.
Pure Kitchen, Pelican Seafood Market & Grill, Mādahòki Farm, Heart & Crown, Starling Restaurant and Bar, Restaurant e18hteen and DineWell Catering all took part. Local beverage partners included Broadhead Brewing Co., Dunrobin Distilleries, Kichesippi Beer, Tim Hortons, Stream Water and Top Shelf Distillers.
Everyone received gift boxes filled with hair and beauty products from master stylist Fiorella DiNardo-Nocita, co-owner of Fiorella Salon at 90 George St. and a long-time supporter of the cause.
Sharon Bosley House, owner of Avant-Garde Designs and fellow businesswoman Carole Saad, owner of Lou Lou Lounge, worked together to create a stunning venue that felt warm and cozy, fun and exciting, and chic and elegant.
“It was so well put together and I think it catered to all different kinds of groups; there was something for everyone,” said John Robinson, president and CEO of Intega IT, a boutique IT support company. As one of the event sponsors, he hosted a bunch of friends and clients that night.
Intega IT does pro bono work for the Snowsuit Fund. It’s a charity that the father of two not only appreciates but also respects. “It’s an NGO with not a lot of fat,” said Robinson.
The organization, which has been around for more than 40 years, raises funds for the purchase and distribution of new, quality snowsuits to low-income families. Every $50 raised means the organization can help another child.
The Snowsuit Fund is expecting to give out 16,000 snow suits this winter to little ones, from newborns up to age 15.
Likewise, the Snowsuit Fund has a special place in Trexity CEO and co-founder Alok Ahuja’s heart. Last fall, the Trexity leadership team and drivers of the same-day delivery software startup took care of all the deliveries for the organization’s Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign in support of the charity.
Ahuja was able to learn how the organization helped a family of four, after it had fled besieged Ukraine for Canada with no money, no jobs and one suitcase each. The parents had two boys, similar in age to his own two kids. Ahuja was left deeply moved as he watched the children’s reaction when they received their brand new snowsuits from the Snowsuit Fund. The older boy hugged his younger brother and began to cry. “Right then and there, as I was standing next to Rod (Zylstra), my VP of marketing, I looked at him and said ‘Yah, this is at the top of our list every year’.”
Snowsuits aren’t just “nice to have” items in Ottawa, said Ahuja, but a necessity, both in keeping children warm and in helping them to excel. He remembers how excited he was to get snowsuits when he was little. “For us, it was a yearly pilgrimage to the Kmart in Blossom Park. That’s where we went to get our snowsuits every year. It was a big deal.”
As for the SnowBall, Ahuja loved it. “They did an incredible job,” he told OBJ.social the next morning.
“It was really cool to see the whole community come together. Listen, it was so easy to just stay home in that weather yesterday, so easy to just hop on the couch with a blanket and some Wheel of Fortune, but everybody came out, despite the weather. I think that’s a testament to the support that the Snowsuit Fund gets from this community, rain or shine, cold or hot, everybody showed up, and that is why I love this city.”
The evening attracted many long-time supporters, including the Ottawa Senators’ Chris Phillips and his realtor wife, Erin Phillips, former television broadcaster-turned-professional fundraiser Lianne Laing, and Tarryn Gunnlaugson from BMO Private Wealth, to name a few.
The evening was co-chaired by Lise Clément, a principal at Lansdowne Consulting Group, and Mark Ford, senior security project manager with RHEA Group. He retired from the Ottawa Police Service a couple years ago as acting deputy chief.
Clément knows how important it is that kids are prepared for Canadian winters. She’s originally from the northeastern Ontario city of Timmins.
“The winter is no fun if you can’t enjoy it,” she said. “So, that whole concept of making sure kids in our community have warm clothing to enjoy the winter in Ottawa is a big thing for me. I know, as a kid, I was always outside.”
The Snowsuit Fund is “such a simple and necessary charity,” added Ford. “People can see that their donated money is going somewhere tangible, like a snowsuit for a child,” he pointed out.
“There’s nothing more powerful for all of us who’ve been involved, working as a volunteer and handing out snowsuits, then seeing these little kids come in,” Ford said of the family visits to the Snowsuit Fund headquarters on Donald Street in Vanier. “They’re excited because they’re getting something new, it’s colourful and they have big smiles on their faces.”
Oscar Arrieta, 32, can recall his first visit to the depot “like it was yesterday”. His family moved to Canada from Mexico almost 20 years ago. Money was tight at the time.
Arrieta told OBJ.social how he received black snow pants and a matching tri-colour striped jacket. “To me, it was, like, ‘Canada is amazing’,” he recalled of his reaction as a 13-year-old youth. “Those snowsuits are part of the very first memories I have of our first winter in Canada.”
The graduate of Carleton University’s engineering program is now looking to give back to the organization. “I feel blessed and privileged to be here and to be able to contribute and donate to the cause,” said Arrieta, who works for Calgary-based robotics company Attabotics.
caroline@obj.ca
