The 28th Annual Great Valentine Day Gala

While everyone was exchanging chocolates and candy this Valentine’s Day, CityEvents assisted The Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons (CFPDP) host The 28^th Annual Great Valentine Gala. Held at the prestigious Fairmont Royal York Hotel, The Great Valentine Gala was an evening filled with great food, appreciation of our paralympians hosted by CBC’s News Now Suhana Meharchand, with a performance by Adrien Breda and Debby Boone!

The CFPDP works to assisting Canadians with physical disabilities to improve their life, while recognizing the contributions and achievements they’ve made to society. Every February, the CFPDP hosts The Great Valentine Gala to showcase and celebrate all of the contributions and talents of physically disabled people. Raising close to 13 million over the years, The Great Valentine Gala offers guests an evening to congratulate Canadian paralympians for all of their hard work.

During the night, The CFPDP gives out awards to corporations and individuals, recognizing them for all of their contributions to the lives of people with disabilities. The King Clancy Award was given to three extremely generous and wonderful people, Rick Mercer, from The Rick Mercer Report; Dr. David Legg is the President for the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and Faye Blackwood paralympian coach. They have both made huge contributions to the physically disabled community and paralympians.  The corporations that were awarded included Shoppers Drugmart Home Healthcare, represented by VP of National Rehab Operations Fred Kosseim and The Royal Ontario Museum, represented by Director and CEO Janet Carding.

Some of the special guests who attended the event were:  Lt. Governor, Hon. David C. Onley and his wife, the Honourable Michael Wilson, Chairman Barclays Capital Canada and John Lutz, President, IBM, Other special guests who attended the Gala were, Honourable Preeti Saran Consul General of India, Senator Con Di Nino, Senator Joyce Fairbairn, Senator Don Meredith, Senator Jim Munson, Senator Asha Seth, Deepak Chopra, President & CEO, Canada Post, Sabi Marwah, Vice-Chairman & COO, Scotiabank, and Wilf Wilkinson past President Rotary International.

The Valentine Gala closed the evening with a moving performance by Debby Boone, ending her performance with a classic love song, “You Light up My Life”.

The Great Valentine Gala was a perfect evening; CityEvents staff contributed to the success of the event on and, behind the scenes as the event producer. Prior to the event, CityEvents was responsible for booking the suppliers of the event and organizing the flow, making sure our special guests were accommodated, as well as overseeing all of the logistics of the event. During the event CityEvents team worked to set-up and take down of the event. CityEvents were responsible to make sure guests and speakers were accommodated, and managed the stage flow.

If you would like to hear more about CFPDP, the Gala, how to get involved, or see pictures from this event, please visit http://www.cfpdp.com, www.torontocityevents.ca, http://www.flickr.com/photos/cityeventstoronto, or the CityEvents Twitter page for more event information.

3 Rules on Surviving Valentine’s Day

Another Valentine’s Day is here. Love is in the air. The streets smell like flowers. Your neighbours are getting three ft. tall teddy bears delivered to them… and you’re single.

Unfortunately on Valentine’s Day most events or parties are for couples, so where does that leave us singletons? We could take the oh-so familiar route of sitting on the couch, watching “The Notebook” , “Titanic” and “P.S I Love You”, while eating all of the contents of one’s fridge. Instead why not follow my three simple rules on how to survive Valentine’s Day, while avoiding the food-coma and cheesy romantic comedies.

Be Social. Nothing says “depressing single night” like spending the evening alone. That is why it is so important to grab some of your same-sex friends, and have a fun night out. As unwilling as you may be in the beginning, trust me, you will be glad you left the house (and your pity-party!). When you go out with your friends, you will be reminded of how you are not the only one who’s single on Valentine’s Day; the singles are actually the majority!  So go out, enjoy yourself! You’ll have so much fun you will forget it’s Valentine’s Day.

Treat Yourself. Valentine’s Day is one of the most expensive holidays of the year right after Christmas. The worst part is, couples are spending money on things that aren’t even useful! Flowers, candy, teddy bears, chocolate, cards and dinner can all add up. All together the average couple spends almost $200 for one day on things that won’t last you past the weekend! What I suggest, instead of spending hundreds of dollars on someone, treat yourself. Sorry Cupid, we’re going to be selfish this year and love it! Buy yourself a massage, facial, some new clothing or save it. Either way, you’ll have something to show for this candy-made holiday.

I am Beautiful. Although my first two tips are great for getting you out of the Valentine’s Day funk, essentially, you don’t need a man/woman to feel loved.  This holiday should not make you feel sad, alone or depressed because it is just a day. You should embrace the relationships you have with your friends, loved ones and family. Celebrate your love with them; buy your best friend a well-deserved rose, or a box of chocolates.  You do not need anyone to feel happy or better about yourself, because you are beautiful. If you find yourself feeling sad or alone, tell yourself at least ten times, with oomph, “I am beautiful”.

If all else fails, at least remember there is an even better holiday on Feb 15^th. “Flag Day”.

Four Things You Never Thought of for your Valentine

It happens every year. You and your sweetheart are basking in the post-holiday glow. All of the chaos of Christmas, Hanukah, New Years and oh-so many family get-togethers has passed and its back to just the two of you when suddenly you see it: that first pink and red shiny teddy bear in the drug store window.

Valentine’s day is a great fun day to show your partner how much you care about them, but the pressure to create a lasting romantic memory strikes fear in the hearts of even the most assured couples. So whether you’re old flames or a new romance check out these fabulous ideas to sweep even the hardest to surprise valentine off his or her feet.

Make it Unique
A box of chocolates and flowers are Valentine’s Day staples, but think outside the box to really knock the socks off your date. The perfect gift starts in knowing your date’s interests. At the same time picking a hobby related item when you don’t know much about the subject is a minefield. The safest route is to pick something fun, luxurious, and that they would never treat themselves to (forget practical gifts for this day). A great resource for strange gift ideas is http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/. Updated daily, here you can find gift ideas ranging from suit-jamas (silk suit pajamas), Ninja Star coat hooks, to remote control sharks. Prices range from the $55,000 working Tron motorcycle to the $6.87 glow in the dark toiler paper. It’s everything you never thought of, but always want.
Transformers USB Flash Drive $14.00

Make it Homemade
Not every Romeo and Juliet has the old-family money to throw around. There are hundreds of things you can make or do, even if your pocket book is on the lighter side. Homemade cookies, brownies, or other sweet treats always show your care and effort (which is always better than throwing a lot of money around). Can’t cook? Try a homemade craft or card. Everyone at CityEvents is in love with this neat idea guaranteed to impress: “Rainbow Roses”. Pick up 6 white roses and with a sharp X-acto knife, slice a 3 inch strip in the stem at the end, then quarter it so the end of the stem breaks into 4 prongs. Get four cups, and add 30 drops (super saturated) of food colouring of yellow red, blue and green in each cup (one colour per cup). Dip one piece of the stem in each for each rose, then gently tie the roses together so they don’t fall over (they tend to do that once the stems are split). Leave for 3-4 days and the roses will soak up the colours and the petals will begin to turn. Once they are coloured, cut off the split ends and be prepared to stun your date.

A Night on the Town
Now that you’ve picked out something to give your Valentine, it still leaves the question about what to do? We live in an amazing city. Any night of the week there is something interesting going on, the problem is narrowing it down to find the perfect event to take your Valentine to. Any savvy-Torontonian knows to do their research before hitting the streets. The City of Toronto lists all festivals and larger events: http://wx.toronto.ca/festevents.nsf/. Here you can find everything from the fantastic Winterlicious meal-deals to Valentine’s Day parties. As always http://torontocityevents.ca/site/ has featured events if your date enjoys touring the city.

Hiberdating
Not every Valentine is the type to dance till dawn. Knowing your date’s style social style will dictate if you paint the town red or curl up inside in front of a roaring fire. Staying in and “Hiber-Dating” as it’s affectionately known can be better than spending your money and time outside. Make it a perfect cozy evening for two with a bottle of wine (check the LCBO’s blog for hot deals) and a home cooked meal. Making the night a personal party for two does take some planning however, so stock up on snacks, treats, and movies and your evening is sure to be sizzling.

There are many different routes to take when planning the perfect Valentine’s Day but when in doubt keep it simple, keep it thoughtful, and just remember: make it unique to your unique couple style!

Have Fun This Valentine’s Day With Special Events Happening Around The City

Valentine’s Day is here again and there are plenty of fun and romantic specials for those interested. There is a diversity of events happening in Toronto for couples, families and, singles this Valentine’s Day, take part with the following events.

Couples

Singles needn’t worry about lack of events to attend on a day geared towards couples; Toronto is filled with opportunities for singles to have fun. No Sweetheart Required, is a festival presented by Cabbagetown Theatre Company from February 9 to the 14, the festival includes performances, music and more.  There is also the humorously named Toronto’s Largest Singles Anti-Valentine’s Day Party hosted by C-Lounge on the February 11.  and our recommended event:  Among the numerable things happening in the city this Valentine’s Day a few stand out among them is Shanny in the City and Gary Wilson’s Eligible Inc. Social Club present Valentine’s Masquerade Event, it is an exclusive and mysterious event happening in downtown Toronto on February 10. The event includes appetizers, drinks and door prizes.

image from freeimageslive.co.uk

Liberty Social Hour’s Noche Caliente

Outside may have been freezing rain but things were heating up for the 7^th Liberty Village Social Hour, at Williams Landing! On Thursday Jan 26^th. Liberty Villagers bundled up and headed out to network, socialize and most importantly have fun!  Planned by Rod Ponce of RPC and Deb Lewis of CityEvents, Liberty Villagers were treated to a night of relaxation, amazing door prizes, and a signature Liberty Village cocktail courtesy of Williams Landing at Noche Caliente.  For one evening the January gloom melted away into the chic urban glamour of the neighborhoods’ hottest new restaurant. If you missed out on the action, the next Liberty Social Hour is in the works for April 2012.

« Previous Page — Next Page »