It’s hard to imagine watching the Ottawa Redblacks in action without cracking open a cold one, right?
So, it made sense that Labatt Breweries of Canada would return for its third year Thursday to host its big charity party for about 400 people in Otto’s Club at Lansdowne’s TD Place.
Labatt has maintained a corporate partnership with Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group for the past 10 years, ever since the Redblacks’ inaugural season in 2014. It’s proud to be one of the founding partners.
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Its Labatt Cheers for Charity event raised $30,000 for OSEG Foundation, which is the charitable arm of OSEG. The non-profit provides opportunities for children and youth to play, learn and develop through sports. “We live in an amazing city, but the reality is far too many kids don’t have the financial ability to benefit from sport,” OSEG Foundation executive director Janice Barresi said during her brief remarks.
Last year, the Foundation helped more than 6,3oo kids from the community by collaborating with dozens of community partners. Its Redblacks Mentorship Program, for example, involving players from the football team, provides guidance to at-risk youth. Three years ago, it launched its activity-based, positive-youth development program Girls on the Run Ottawa. Six hundred girls have participated, along with 100-plus volunteer coaches.
OSEG Foundation also works with Blind Hockey Canada to give visually impaired youth the opportunity to try hockey. As well, it’s been using sport to help connect youth from military families, given the unique challenges they face due to frequent relocations and parental deployment.
Jon Clement, district manager for Eastern Ontario of Labatt Breweries of Canada, and a member of the OSEG Foundation’s community cabinet, was there to welcome the crowd to the party.
Clement said their purpose for hosting Cheers for Charity was twofold. “One, it’s to raise money for a really great cause and, second, it’s to have a good time,” he told everyone while standing on the same stage where Kingston-based band Ambush would later rock out like crazy.
A bunch of Redblacks players turned out for the event. Their season doesn’t kick off for another month, with their first home game slated for Thursday, June 13.
Also there were OSEG CEO Mark Goudie and its vice president of corporate services and general counsel Stephanie Spruston. As well, attendees included Ali Shafaee, regional vice president of Live Nation Canada, Escape Manor co-owner Steve Wilson, Ideal Roofing co-owner and vice president Philippe Laplante, Thunderbolt Contracting’s Steve Lasenby and Tory McNeely, and local realtor Tammy Laverty. She’s founder of the Ed Laverty Legacy Sports Fund in honour of her late father, a Nepean Sports Hall of Fame inductee and co-founder of what is now Touch Football Ontario. Laverty has also been playing touch football since she was 13.
The $50-a-ticket event featured auction items, a 360-degree photo booth, food offerings from Levy, and a raffle. The grand prize was a VIP trip with the Redblacks to a game in Winnipeg this summer. Arief Raun from Otto’s was unable to attend but he did get a shout-out from Clement for the $5,000 gift from the local car dealership, which sells BMWs and Subarus.
The selection of drinks went beyond regular beer to include Labatt’s expanded portfolio of ciders, coolers, canned cocktail drinks, low-calorie and non-alcoholic offerings. Drinking habits are changing, said Clement. The former varsity football player with Carleton University and St. FX University did a stint as corporate partners and ticket sales manager for the Ottawa Renegades, our city’s former CFL team, prior to joining the leading beverage company nearly 20 years ago.
“The beer industry has changed a lot; it’s way more dynamic,” Clement told OBJ.social of how the company sells almost as many ready-to-drink brands as it does beer.
Premiumization, which involves a more discerning market segment, is continuing to trend, he added, explaining how consumers are looking to trade up to such Labatt brands as Corona, Stella Artois, Cutwater and Nütrl. “Coming out of COVID, people are going out less often but, when they do, they’re willing to indulge more, they’re willing to pay a premium.”
caroline@obj.ca
