Each year, it gives CityEvents great pleasure to assist CFPDP in the planning of this awards ceremony and witness many outstanding Canadians inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Selection Board has chosen the following inductees in the categories of Builder, Achiever or Athlete.  These individuals have been selected because they have truly made a difference for people with disabilities.

• Sudarshan Gautam, Achiever – First armless person to climb the summit of Mount Everest without the use of prosthetics.
• Mark Wafer, Builder – As a Tim Hortons franchisee, Wafer has hired nearly 100 people with disabilities in competitively paid positions and developed an influential case mode for inclusive hiring practices.
• Elisabeth Walker-Young, Achiever – Four-time Paralympic swimmer and multi-medalist Walker-Young was recently named Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto.
• Chris Williamson, Athlete – Visually impaired athlete and Markham, Ont. Native Williamson is one of the world’s most decorated para-alpine racers.

Maureen Sabia, Chairman, Canadian Tire Corp. will be the keynote speaker this year. CFPDP is expecting an incredible turn out with over 500 guests registered for the event.

The Hall of Fame, located at both the former Metro Hall and the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, is open to the public around the clock. Nominations come from sources across Canada, including community groups, private citizens, associations and organizations of and for people with physical disabilities.

For more information about CFPDP visit their website, www.cfpdp.com.

CityEvents will be tweeting live from the event. Follow us on Twitter @CityEvents for frequent updates.

On Saturday, May 11^th LAMP Community Health Centre’s Walk for Change 5K Walkathon supported the 1 in 5 Canadians living with mental illness in your community.   The walk helped reduce the stigma of mental illness, and raised funds to benefit local mental health support programs, such as LAMP’s own Among Friends. This program provides social and recreation opportunities to individuals facing mental health challenges and helps them work toward recovery while promoting health, community, and respect.

The event began at LAMP Community Health Centre near Islington Ave & Lakeshore Blvd West, with Registration at 9am and the walk at 10am. Members of the community walked 5km through the Etobicoke-Lakeshore area, stopping first at the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital buildings, and continuing passed the Mastercard Centre on Kipling, towards the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Cemetery on Evans.  Along the way, speakers brought the history to life while discussing the importance of community mental health services to those of us affected by mental illness.  All members of the public were welcome.

Register now at: http://walk4change13.eventbrite.ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WalkForChange
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AFWalkathon

Bobby Flay is no stranger to culinary showdowns. This November, however, he’ll be hosting a culinary challenge in the name of ovarian cancer research at Mount Sinai Hospital.

We were lucky enough to attend the press conference for the second annual Chef’s Challenge last Wednesday and boy did our stomachs thank us. Each celebrity chefs came with a special hors-d’ouevre and everything was simply delicious! Whoever end up getting to work with these chefs is in for a real treat.

Left to right: Mark McEwan, David Rocco, Massimo Capra

Chefs present included David Rocco, host of La Dolce Vita, Massimo Capra, host of Restaurant Makeover and Mark McEwan, head judge on Top Chef Canada and host of The Heat with Mark McEwan.

Though we’re not huge chefs ourselves, the event looks so exciting and goes towards such a great cause that it had us thinking we’d want to participate too! The actual Challenge will be hosted on November 26, 2011 and will feature six (one more than last year) celebrity chefs from The Food Network who will each lead a team of 10 top fundraisers and self-proclaimed foodies to create the best-tasting five-course meal, as judged by a panel of celebrity judges. Last year, the Challenge raised $1.1 million for ovarian cancer research. This year, they plan to do even better!

Should be great! Can’t wait to see the culinary rivalry heat things up!

Ps. The Sub-Zero Wolf showroom is spectacular. It could not be more gorgeously designed. Great venue.