It’s happy hour every hour at Martini Madness for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada

More than $100K was raised for research into cure for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

Michael Andlauer and his wife, Lucie Andlauer, while at the Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn's and Colitis Canada, watch lawyer Lawrence Greenspon auction off 12 tickets donated by the Ottawa Senators to a 2024/2025 season game in the 100 Level Owner's suite. Photo by Caroline Phillips
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Island Bernard-Docker’s initials, I.B.D., proved to be a most unfortunate foreshadowing when, two years ago, the young hockey player was sent to the hospital in pain and subsequently diagnosed with Crohn’s, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. 

Doctors would determine she needed surgery to remove the majority of her colon. “Basically, an 18-year-old girl’s worst nightmare,” said Bernard-Docker, 20, speaking to a large crowd at the 17th annual Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, held at LAGO Bar and Grill, at Dow’s Lake Pavilion, Thursday.

It wasn’t the typical topic of conversation one hears in a room full of 400 people. Yet, they were the details one should hear in order to appreciate the importance of raising funds and awareness for a currently incurable disease.

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From left, Jon Beckman from Beckman Wealth Management and NHL players agent Andy Scott, who’s also a lawyer with Scott Law Group, co-chaired the 17th Annual Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, held at Dow’s Lake Pavilion on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Out supporting Martini Madness in support of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada were, from left, Michael Andlauer, owner of the Ottawa Senators, and his wife, Lucie Andlauer, along with Stacey McMillan, senior manager with KPMG Private Enterprise, and her husband, Drew McMillan, president of Ages Group of Companies. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Andy Scott, a hockey players agent with the NHL and lawyer with Scott Law Group, and senior investment advisor and life insurance advisor Jon Beckman, of Beckman Wealth Management, were back to co-chair the popular fundraiser.

Returning to the organizing committee were Santini Gallery art dealer and consultant Lauryn Santini and her husband, Dave Warren, managing partner of  ReferralMortgages.com, and senior IT advisor Deborah Power, while new this year were Scott’s sister Tara Lawlor, executive sales manager for Dentsply Sirona, Fraser Sutherland from the Sutherland Investment Group of CIBC Private Wealth Wood Gundy, and Lucie Andlauer, CEO of Subterra Renewables. She’s married to Ottawa Senators majority owner Michael Andlauer, CEO of Andlauer Healthcare. The couple attended that night. Also part of the team were Stephen Piercey, vice president of sales with CBRE, Nick Hannah, commercial realtor with Lennard Commercial Realty, Shawn French, software engineer with Shopify, and Danielle Redekop, coordinator with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.

True story: Martini Madness committee members Lauryn Santini and her husband, Dave Warren, started dating through their volunteer involvement in Martini Madness, which returned to LAGO Bar and Grill on Thursday, May 2, 2024, to raise funds for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The Andlauers watched in amusement as Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon auctioned off 12 tickets in the 100 Level Owner’s Suite for an Ottawa Senators home game during the 2024/2025 season, donated by the Ottawa Senators hockey club. It sold for $7,000 to Fraser Sutherland.

KPMG Private Enterprise senior manager Stacey McMillan, who’s one of the Forty Under 40 award recipients announced this week, was highest bidder on tickets to a 49ers football game package in San Francisco, donated by Gold Bar Whiskey. Also popular was the one week stay in a two-bedroom oceanview villa at the Grand Isle Resort & Spa in Exuma, The Bahamas, courtesy of Foundation WCPD. It sold for $9,000.

There were three donated dinners at local restaurants that collectively raised more than $15,000. They included one dinner for eight at Harmons Steakhouse with Sens defenceman Jakob Chychrun, another at North & Navy for six with former Ottawa Senators player Marc Methot, and a third at The Whalesbone for six with Sens player Tim Stützle. It was bought by Faces Magazine owner and editor-in-chief Justin MacKinnon for $6,218 (the specific dollar amount relates to Greenspon’s preference for the number 18, considered lucky in many cultures). Items also included a Mike Tyson-signed boxing glove and tickets to a Glass Tiger concert, with signed guitar.

The evening’s presenting sponsor was Kelly Santini LLP, represented by Pat Santini and fellow partners of his law firm.

From left, Kelly Santini LLP partners Michael Leaver, Shawn O’Connor, Pat Santini and Mike D’Aloisio at Martini Madness for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, held at LAGO Bar and Grill at Dow’s Lake Pavilion on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The room heard how Martini Madness has grown from a small event that started with a few dozen supporters sipping the classic cocktail and bidding on art. Last night’s fundraiser raised more than $100,ooo, bringing the amount to date to more than $750,000. Performing  were Dave Kalil, Tyler Kealey and Todd Huckabone from the Dueling Pianos. Visual artists David Casey and Jenn Thornhill Verma spent the night working on their respective canvases to complete paintings sold off that night. 

Martini Madness has grown so successful that Crohn’s and Colitis Canada president and CEO Lori Radke flew up from Toronto to attend. During her brief remarks, she spoke about the progress being made in world-leading Canadian research to find a cure. Currently, there’s a global research study being led in Toronto, called the GEM (Genetic, Environmental Microbial) Project, to uncover possible triggers of Crohn’s disease, she said.

Bernard-Docker, in  sharing her inspiring story, spoke about the embarrassment she initially felt, living with an ostomy bag, and of how desperately she wanted to return to hockey. She plays for Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B. She took up the sport “since I could pretty much walk”, following in the skate tracks of older brothers Jacob and Seth. 

“Everyone around me seemed to be moving forward with their life while I felt like Crohn’s had stripped me of the largest part of my identity of being a healthy, athletic individual,” the young woman told the room.

Bernard-Docker was limited in what she was permitted to do, physically. She was allowed to walk. So she did. Every day. “I was basically our Neighbourhood Watch.”

The young woman refused to quit the sport because of her disease and, through grit and determination, trained as hard as she could, returning to the team faster than expected. But, it’s not like the disease went away, she pointed out.

“This ‘invisible disease’ is still something I deal with,” said Bernard-Docker. “When I speak to many people, they use the past tense, saying ‘You were sick’, not understanding that Crohn’s is a chronic illness. Meaning, once you are diagnosed, it is something that is with you until death.

“The disease sucks. Point blank period.”

Bernard-Docker said she does feel gratitude in how IBD has inspired her to be part of something bigger than herself — helping to raise awareness and money toward “creating a future where those diagnosed with Crohn’s have a more manageable time battling the disease and that, I hope, one day leads to a cure.”

From left, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada president and CEO Lori Radke with Island Bernard-Docker, who was the guest speaker at the Martini Madness fundraiser held at LAGO on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Giselle Bergeron-Raganold and her husband, Bruce Raganold, director of business development for Welch LLP, Martin Aass, managing principal at CRESA, and Erin Binks, senior account development representative at Humanscale, at the Martini Madness fundraiser held at LAGO in support of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Jacqueline Belsito, president of Senators Community Foundation, with the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club’s Sandy Stewart, Christine Clancy and Brendan Du Vall, and MARANT Construction business development manager Jennifer Cross, at Martini Madness  for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Photo by Caroline Phillips
CTV News Ottawa multi-skilled journalist Jackie Perez in conversation with Mike McMurtry, a sales representative with CBRE, at Martini Madness held at LAGO on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in support of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Fraser Sutherland (centre) from Sutherland Investment Group of CIBC Private Wealth Wood Gundy, was the highest bidder on an Ottawa Senators game for 12 in the suite belonging to team owner Michael Andlauer (left), who attended the Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada with his wife, volunteer committee member Lucie Andlauer. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Growcer co-founder and CEO Corey Ellis, who recently made MacLean’s 2024 climate “power list”, and Jeff Todd, v
Tyler Kealey seen performing with Dave Kalil, far left, and Todd Huckabone (centre) at
From left, Christine Clancy, senior director of premium sales and service for Senators Sports & Entertainment, Martini Madness co-chair and NHL players agent Andy Scott with his sister and fellow committee member Tara Lawlor, and Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer at the fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, held at LAGO at Dow’s Lake Pavilion. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon in action at the 17th Annual Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis, held at LAGO at Dow’s Lake Pavilion on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From The Sutherland Investment Group of CIBC Private Wealth Wood Gundy, from left to right, Jake Lindblad, Alexander Kealey and Fraser Sutherland at the Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, held at LAGO Bar and Grill at Dow’s Lake Pavilion on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Andy Scott, co-chair of Martini Madness, and George Wamala, director of regulatory and government affairs at RBC, at the fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, held Thursday, May 2, 2024 at LAGO Bar and Grill at Dow’s Lake Pavilion. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Artist Jenn Thornhill Verma created an oil painting, Scene of The Battery, St. John’s, Newfoundland, that was part of the silent auction for Martini Madness for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The three Kyles, from left: Better Group co-founder and CFO Kyle Soutar, Meerkat Marketing CEO Kyle Turk and Better Good co-founder and CEO Kyle Simourd at Martini Madness  for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Martini Madness committee member Debbie Power holds up the Mike Tyson boxing glove, donated by Capital Ridge, that sold for $1,400 at the fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and held at LAGO on Tuesday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Jon Beckman, co-chair of the Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, and Shopify software engineer Shawn French at LAGO on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Brigitte Dionne, Tanya Ramsamy, Dan McManus and Richard Rambaran celebrate at the 17th Annual Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, held at Lago Bar and Grill. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Pat Santini, partner at Kelly Santini LLP, and his long-time friend Lawrence Greenspon, partner at Greenspon Granger Hill, at Martini Madness for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, held at LAGO on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The 17th Annual Martini Madness fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada had sponsorship from Barrister Gin and from Vodkow. Photo by Caroline Phillips
caroline@obj.ca

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