There were at least that many friends and supporters of BGC Ottawa (formerly Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa) at the Morning Social networking event and fundraiser held at its Taggart Parkes Family Clubhouse on Thursday.
This year’s theme, Family Ties, reflected the kinship and connection that many feel toward a local charity that’s been part of our community for more than 100 years. Lately, it’s had to work harder than ever to offer its free after-school programs and summer camp experience to thousands of kids living in vulnerable neighbourhoods around the city.
The breakfast, presented by Mark Motors Group, was chaired by BGC Ottawa board member and ophthalmologist Dr. Setareh Ziai, who’s also a surgeon at the Focus Eye Centre.
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The first hour of the event was like a family reunion of sorts, enjoyed over cups of freshly brewed coffee. It was followed by an inspiring, informative and uplifting breakfast held in the gymnasium of the Taggart Parkes Family Clubhouse. The new facility recently celebrated two years.
Special mention was made of Diane Deans, 65, the former Ottawa city councillor who passed away from ovarian cancer Tuesday. She played a major role in helping the organization acquire the land to build the new clubhouse on Heatherington Road. She had attended its official opening and, in her remarks, reminded its young members how “the world is your oyster and this centre is a pearl. It can take you anywhere you want to go.”
The organization not only achieved its fundraising goal of $600,000 but surpassed it, raising more than $628,000.
“This last year was a tough year for us,” BGC Ottawa chief executive officer Adam Joiner said at the podium.
“It wasn’t because we didn’t raise a lot of funds, because we did,” he said while graciously recognizing the support from sponsors and donors, many of whom were present in the room that morning. Particularly generous were the Ottawa Senators hockey club and its community foundation, and CLV Group/InterRent REIT, through its leadership of Mike McGahan, Oz Drewniak and rest of their team.
A combination of inflation and a growing demand from families in Ottawa resulted in “a pretty significant deficit” for the organization, Joiner explained. “We’re seeing more kids this year than we ever have in the history of the Club,” he said of the “unprecedented” level of engagement.
The room was full of business sponsors, donors, community partners, and BGC Ottawa staff, volunteers, board members and alumni. Board chair Robyn Osgood, managing director and chief operating officer of McMillan Vantage, thanked attendees for waking up bright and early to “kick start your day” with heartwarming stories shared by members of the BGC Ottawa family.
“Every child, regardless of their background or circumstances, has a dream; they want to do something interesting, important, creative or athletic,” said Osgood while touching on their collective role in helping kids achieve their dreams and “making sure they have a safe, warm and welcoming space, somewhere they can be their true selves while having fun, as they should.”
The Morning Social was emceed by CTV News Ottawa multi-skilled journalist Jackie Perez and Jock Climie, who, along with being a BGC Ottawa board member and retired CFL player, is a partner at labour and employment law firm Emond Harnden LLP. The pair kept the mood fun but never frivolous.
Climie touched on the theme of family and how this subjective concept can take on different meanings for different people. “To some, it’s the one you’re born into. For others, it’s the one you make when you surround yourself with people who love and care about you. That’s the BGC Ottawa family that I have grown to love, and each and everyone one of you are part of it.”
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From left, Angela Begin, executive director at OCH Foundation for Healthy Communities, Ottawa MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean), and Stéphane Giguère, president and CEO of Ottawa Community Housing Corporation, at BGC Ottawa’s Morning Social “Family Ties” breakfast held at the Taggart Parkes Family Clubhouse on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Photo by Caroline Phillips 
Adam Joiner, chief executive of BGC Ottawa, was joined at the Morning Social “Family Ties” fundraiser by his wife, Cornerstone Housing for Women’s senior program manager, Alison Telford, and their three kids, nine-year-old Tye, Madelyn, 15, and Chloe, 12, at the Taggart Parkes Family Clubhouse on Heatherington Road. Photo by Caroline Phillips The audience listened to children, parents, volunteers and business leaders share, either in person, written letters or via video, how BGC Ottawa is like a second-home for many. One mom expressed a sentiment widely felt by most parents when talking about her children’s enjoyment of BGC Ottawa programs. “When my kids feel good, I’m feeling good, too.”
BGC Ottawa welcomes young people, ages six to 18, at its Clubhouse and satellite locations and overnight camp. Said Joiner: “This is a safe and supportive place for you to come, learn skills, build opportunity, gain friendships, realize your potential and become whatever you want to be.”
Joiner has a deep love for BGC Ottawa. It’s an organization that’s been an integral part of his life since childhood, helping to open new doors and opportunities. His emotions crept up on him while he was speaking about BGC Ottawa, but that’s partly what makes the former Forty Under 40 Award recipient such an endearing leader. In introducing Joiner to the stage, Climie said: “I cannot think of anybody who is more passionate, more dedicated and more committed to this organization than this gentleman.”
The breakfast showcased a seriously cute video that involved whole-hearted participation from Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, business leaders Liza Mrak (Mark Motors Group), Michelle Taggart (Tamarack Homes, Tartan Homes), award-winning philanthropist Michael Wilson (1251 Capital Group), alumnus Kevin Marchand and Sohrab Shalileh, who’s both an alumnus and scholarship coordinator. He also works at Solink. Said Shalileh of the impact BGC Ottawa has had on his life: “I think it’s really shaped me and helped me get to where I am today.”
The video captures the business and community leaders engaged in various fun activities with kids from the Club, and includes interview snippets of them talking about BGC Ottawa, what the organization means to them and the kids, and how it meets their definition of family. For Wilson, family is the most important thing in his life and warrants his unconditional love. “It means I’m going to show up for you, no matter what. If you need me to be there, I’ll be there.”
In a way, that’s what some 360 community and business leaders did that morning by leaving their residences early on a Thursday morning to support a much-needed fundraiser for BGC Ottawa.
caroline@obj.ca
