Design Hope Toronto 2009 Event

Friday, February 6, 2009
St. John's Parish Hall, 186 Cowan Ave., Toronto

Design Hope Toronto is incredibly grateful to those who made 2009 our greatest year yet by helping us raise over $15,000 for the Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre (PARC) and Edmond Place. A packed St. John's Parish Hall showed that the right cause and the right people can weather any economic storm.

Moving the event into the heart of Parkdale went a long way towards achieving our goals. The local PARC Drummers played a rousing and enthusiastic set that exemplifies what PARC is all about, offering various artistic and skill-improvement services that allow people to take control of and feel better about their lives.

The evening was deftly handled by host and CBC meteorologist Nick Czernkovich whose trademark kindness translated into his bidding on, and winning, one of the pieces during the evening.

Bill Kime of Waddington's and the Canadian Antiques Roadshow graced us with his presence once again. Each year he runs the auction with the perfect balance of seriousness and humour, inspiring everyone to have a lot of fun while digging deep into their pockets for such an important cause.

The auction ended with Julia Bonnell's piece safe.warm.dry, which garnered the highest winning bid of any Design Hope Toronto piece to date. Its simple yet effective message corresponds perfectly with our belief that the smallest gesture, and the things that many of us often take for granted, can mean the most to those in need.

We would like to thank all of the artists, volunteers, sponsors and corporate donors that made the evening possible.

View photos of the event (PDF) »