Star-studded gala spectacle raises millions

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This article was published 03/10/2016 (3627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DAVID FOSTER FOUNDATION GALA: A lineup of stars including Seal, Michael Bolton, Sinbad, Carly Rae Jepsen and the Tenors attracted the who’s who of Winnipeg to the MTS Centre Sept. 24. It may have been the oldest mosh pit ever seen at the front of a Winnipeg stage, with Mayor Brian Bowman and his “rock-star wife Tracy” leading the dancing. The party took off when David Foster sat down at the piano. The result was a full-scale Hollywood-style production of light, sound and spectacle — complete with cannons shooting pink sparkles in the air to end the evening.

SPOTTED: Bonnie and John Buhler sat stageside and Victor Micallef of the Tenors sang It’s Now or Never/O Sole Mio to Bonnie and appeared to try to give her a smooch. The Tenors buzzed around the audience during the auction that raised $3.2 million for Foster’s foundation, which covers non-medical expenses for families of children undergoing organ transplants. Also making the scene was city businessman Hartley Richardson, who got up and sang. The audience got the feeling Winnipeg teen Maria Aragon was auditioning for Foster as she sang Born This Way, pulling out all the stops.

Also in the audience were: Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon and Gary Filmon; Winnipeg Police Service deputy chief Gordon Perrier; philanthropist Gail Asper and Michael Paterson; Deputy Premier Heather Stefanson, and Jason Stefanson; retired Winnipeg police chief Devon Clunis and Pearlene Clunis; WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky and Debb Saretsky; WestJet VP Richard Bartrem; Mike Ravenhill, CEO of the David Foster Foundation, and Cassandra Ravenhill; and rock ’n’ roll’s Ronnie Hawkins.

UP WITH WOMEN: Women’s Health Clinic celebrated its 35th anniversary Sept. 23 with a smashing dance party at the Marlborough Inn. The program involved spoken-word performances and speeches before female DJs Leigha Phelps, Anastasia Chipelski and Mama Cutsworth got the dance party started.

“We are the only community-run Women’s Health Clinic in Canada,” says medical director Dr. Carol Scurfield (my sister, I’m proud to say). “We look after thousands of women a year in all our programs.” The clinic is responsible for the mothers programs at the Birth Centre, an eating-disorder program, a surgical abortion site, a Thursday night teen drop-in and student health services at Vincent Massey Collegiate.

SPOTTED: Volunteer co-ordinator Gio Guzzi; executive director Joan Dawkins; board chairwoman Laurel Harris; former provincial health minister Theresa Oswald; Dr. Barbara Goldman; midwife Kelly Fitzmaurice; nurse Ladine Klassen; Access River East nurse Janet Williams; Kris Robinson of the University of Manitoba’s midwifery education program; Birth Centre manager Trina Larsen; Leigh Anne Caron, manager of the medical program; Val Regehr of the counselling program and queen of the front desk Christy Smolick.

BERLIN MARATHON REPORT: Six Winnipeg women just returned triumphant from running the Berlin Marathon in Germany: Cathy Sochasky, Marie Buisson, Lynn Glowach, Janet Kastellanos, Kim Wong and Carol Bohn.

“Marie Buisson suggested it to us as it was on her bucket list. It’s an important marathon as it’s one of the six majors in the world,” Kastellanos says in an email. The majors also include Boston, Chicago, New York, London and Tokyo.

“We all trained together for the marathon, which entails 20-plus weeks. We proudly wore our Canadian singlets and enjoyed the cheering crowds and post-marathon German beer. The course was beautiful, winding its way through central Berlin, culminating in a final sprint through the Brandenburg Gate.”

THEY DID IT!: Ray and Glory St. Germain and 120 fans, friends and family members celebrated the couple’s 40th anniversary at a bash Sept. 25 at the downtown Pony Corral. During the renewal of vows between the couple, Ray’s voice cracked, ending with, “And I promise to let Glory hold the remote control!”

Forty years ago, 22-year-old blond and beautiful Glory (Glorianna Faye Doerksen) from Winkler married 34-year-old Ray St. Germain. Some whispered, “It’ll never last,” but this couple has had an extremely happy and playful marriage. They sang Jackson together, a song that goes, “We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout.” Says Ray: “Everything I did was in a fever then. Yeah, and now I’m older it’s a real fever.”

SPOTTED: Ray’s longtime guitarist Denis Hammerstedt and son D.J. St. Germain, who calls Vancouver home these days, collaborated on Working Man Blues as part of the family stage show after dinner. Singer-songwriter Sherry St. Germain of Las Vegas sang Me and Bobby McGee, Vancouver-based daughter Cathy St. Germain and Chrystal Roy traded verses and broke into harmonies. Ray himself sang It’s Now or Never and did a rock ’n’ roll medley that included Long Tall Sally and Good Golly Miss Molly. He’s 76 this year and his voice is still as strong as ever. Also on hand were Kimberley Dawn of Country 104.7; Ray’s sister Judy St. Germain; Naomi Clarke, Ray’s co-host of NCI-FM’s Metis Hour x2; and NCI CEO Dave McLeod.

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