On Saturday, June 4, 2022 members of the Elmwood community came together in celebration of the school at the 31st annual Elmwood Gala. Titled “Growing the Good”, the gala event was an outstanding success raising over $320,000 in support of In Our Element, the campaign for the Sciences for K-12, including the renovation of the Chemistry Lab and the creation of a Science and Art hub in the Junior School.
Guests were treated to a full evening beginning with a cocktail reception sponsored by Dentons LLP. While guests mixed and mingled, they were able to view an art exhibition in the Auditorium featuring art created by students from the Junior, Middle and Senior grades, as well as bulletin boards full of photos from spring athletics. The gym was completely transformed following a garden theme, and guests were seated at tables decorated with greenery and decor elements of green and gold with whispers of blush.
James Whitehouse welcomed guests and spoke about the importance of community and togetherness, something that had been lacking in all our lives over the past two years. He shared his pride of the school, staff, faculty and the incredible girls - the “good” in the school. He also thanked Gala Patron Jamilah Taib Murray for her leadership support and introduced a video filmed especially for the event. Jacqueline Palumbo-Sugunasiri delivered words of thanks to the Gala Committee, table sponsors, donors and friends for their commitment and support of Elmwood.
Chef Candice and the Bistro team outdid themselves and prepared a delectable three-course meal that concluded with a scrumptious dessert course sponsored by Rogers Communications. A savoury platter of cheeses was kindly donated by Jacobsons Fine Food.
The fun really started when professional auctioneer Ryan Watson of Raising the Bid took to the stage and started the Live Auction. The crowd cheered when each of the ten exclusive packages received multiple bids, some garnering bidding wars amongst the crowd! The Cash Call allowed each guest to contribute to the cause. Both the Live Auction and Cash Call raised record-breaking levels of support from the gathered guests!
Finally, the Montreal Band Electrik got everyone to their feet and onto the dance floor to bring the evening to an end. It was a night to remember!
The Elmwood Gala would not have been possible without the tremendous support of the many sponsors and donors. Our sincere gratitude to:
Gala Patron
Jamilah Taib Murray ‘82
Diamond Sponsors
Antonia & Craig Betts
Ye Chen & Tingting Liu
Sapphire Sponsors
Jennifer & Jeremy Bouchard
Stephanie James-Brennan & Chris Brennan
Denise & Dan Carruthers
Whitney Fox & Dan Goldberg
Kelly & Peter Hudson
Jacobsons
Catherine & Terry McLaughlin
Clara & Simon Nehme
Janice & Tim Saunders
Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties & Christie’s International Real Estate
Category Sponsors
Dentons LLP - Cocktail Sponsor
Rogers Communications - Dessert Sponsor
Ruby Sponsors
Alexander & Stefanie Czartoryski
Jill & David Dickinson
Simran & Rahul Kochar
Véronique & Ben Merkley
Tara-Leigh and Jeff Mierins
The Peony Families
Robyn Ryan Bell & James Ryan
Debra & David Wu
Friends of Elmwood
4Office Automation
CAPCORP
Nila Matthews, Residential Real Estate Representative
Smith, Petrie, Carr & Scott Insurance Brokers
Gala Donors
Stephanie James-Brennan & Chris Brennan
The Nicolini Family
Wine Sponsor
Cru Wine Merchants
Stratus Winery
Beer Sponsor
Stray Dog Brewing Company
2020 & 2022 Gala Committee
Antonia Betts
Jennifer Bouchard
Denise Carruthers
Aileen Conway
Alice Fyfe
Simran Kochar
Clara Nehme
Juliana Nightingale
Julie Petit
Tracy Pratte
Michelle Ruel
Janice Saunders
Tamer Tarchichi
Sandra-Lynn Thomson
Karen Turner