French Ambassador Michel Miraillet opened his doors fully and completely to Ottawa Salus last night and, in doing so, opened up opportunities for the non-profit organization to provide more supportive housing for people living with mental illness.
Some 270 attendees gathered for Soirée Salus at the magnificent embassy, raising a net total of $87,800 and boosting the profile of a charity that would like to become a household name.
“The thing about Salus is, we’re kind of quiet; not a lot of people know about us,” acknowledged Ottawa Salus’s new president and CEO, Mark MacAulay, at the podium. “But, we’re starting to get loud.”
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Having loquacious lawyer Lawrence Greenspon help out as emcee and charity auctioneer that night certainly amplified things. So did having Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who dropped into the soirée, raise many thousands of dollars in support of Salus when he ran his gazillionth marathon in the Ottawa Race Weekend last spring.
The French embassy has been hosting the signature fundraiser since 2016, taking a break during COVID until it could pick up where it left off. New board chair Janet Yale was joined by many of her fellow board members, including Fiona Murray Cook, who’s head of the philanthropy committee.
“Wow, it is so good to see you all here,” said MacAulay as he looked at all the familiar faces gathered in the embassy’s stunning second-floor grand salon. “It’s been three years, and three years too long, since we joined here. You’ve come here today to support some of the most marginalized people in our community and, for me, it moves me every time in my heart that we’re doing this for people in our community.”
Salus, which has been around for 46 years, provides supportive housing and mental health services and programs to individuals living with severe mental health and substance use challenges. It runs 15 permanent supportive housing buildings in Ottawa with plans to soon open a new building geared toward aging clients.
The organization helps more than 800 individuals. But, the number could be even higher if it had the resources, the room heard.
“The demand is great,” said MacAulay of the 500 names that remain on the organization’s waiting list. “We can’t do this without your support. Everyone here, the whole community, we know the solution for supportive housing involves all levels of government, our community and our businesses.”
The room heard from Salus client Claire Burrows, whom MacAulay described as a smart, caring and resilient woman. Burrows, 30, struggled as a teenager with mental health challenges, which led to a medical diagnosis and some time spent in and out of hospital.
Burrows told the room how scared and nervous she first was to join the Salus community. “I was a little bit lost,” she acknowledged. But, the transitional rehabilitation program helped to prepare her for living on her own. It’s also where she discovered her love of cooking and baking. Burrows now has a place in an independent living apartment building on Gladstone Avenue, where she continues to have access to resources and services.
“Gladstone is my home and, to me, a home is a safe place; it’s somewhere I can feel comfortable, have a roof over my head and simply relax after a long day,” said Burrows, who delivered parts of her speech in French.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without Salus,” she continued. “They gave me so many different opportunities. They helped me to believe that I shouldn’t give up and that there’s help out there.”
Burrows, who recently started a job in the food and hospitality industry, wanted to provide hope to others through her story. “Anyone can have a new beginning and a brighter future. Salus gave me that light at the end of the tunnel,” said Burrows, who gave a special thank you to her dad, Bruce, who was with her that night.
In the crowd were Daniel Alfredsson, former captain of the Ottawa Senators and a committed supporter of mental health causes, with his wife, Bibbi. He was asked to join Greenspon at the front of the room to help auction off an item. He did so, but not without graciously thanking the ambassador for his hospitality and giving a big shout out to Burrows for delivering such a great speech. “You killed it,” he encouragingly told her.
Alfredsson offered up to the top bidder a couple hours of his time on the ice, playing shinny hockey. “If people are over 18, there might be a beverage after, as well,” he added. In less than two minutes, $5,000 was raised after Ottawa business leader Dennis Laurin, who owns Laurin General Contractor, won it.
Greenspon also sold off a one-week stay at a London flat, with tickets to see English professional football team Arsenal FC for $8,000 to Eli Tannis. A dinner for 12 to be hosted by the French ambassador sold for $8,500 to John French (given his surname, how apropos).
In addition, the fundraiser featured a silent auction. Popular items included dinner for six, to be hosted by Coconut Lagoon and Thali restaurant owner and executive chef Joe Thottungal and his wife, Suma, at their home; a sausage and beer tasting for 12 with German Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser; a cocktail party for 25 at Sheila Whyte’s Thyme & Again’s second-floor venue space, Nest; a custom wine tasting with Stephen Beckta, owner of well-established restaurants Beckta, Play and Gezellig; a visit from The Merry Dairy Ice Cream Truck; and lunch dates with such authors as Charlotte Gray at Social, Bob Fife at The Clarendon and Andrew Cohen at Side Door.
caroline@obj.ca
