By Sally Warburton
Thursday, October 8th was the date for The Gatehouse’s Fundraiser for 2026. Held at the luxurious Liberty Grand on Exhibition Grounds in Toronto. The evening started with a welcoming community from The Gatehouse staff including Humber students in the Police Foundations program. At the front foyer guests signed in and greeted each other. It was a warm welcome which set the tone for the evening.
Upon arrival guests were offered hors d’oeuvre and a drink while they had the chance to observe Toronto based artist Loui Penfold doing live painting. This was also the time to check out the many items on the fundraising silent Auction Table. Later delicious food stations manned by chefs were set up around the room. Guests talked and met new and known people while they enjoyed the food and atmosphere with music from DJ Sean. DJ Sean is known to be able to read a crowd and play the right music to create an evening of magic. This night was no exception. His music was fantastic.
There were tables of a wide variety of auction items including tickets to Raptors game, Leafs hockey game, Air Canada flight tickets, art, restaurant and store vouchers to name a few. Guests bid and lots of money was raised for the cause.
Who were the special guests and entertainment?
The MC for the evening was Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, a highly respected advocate for mental health, who opened the evening along with Executive Director, Maria Barcelos. Sponsors were thanked, including a generous donation by Mantella Corporation.
Tara MacLean, Canadian singer songwriter, was the KeyNote Speaker. She spoke of the abuse she suffered as a child in Prince Edward Island from a family member and how she has dealt with it. Tara is a successful award winning singer, mother of three children and very recently an author. The title of Tara MacLean’s book is Song of the Sparrow. In the autobiography, Tara tells about her abuse, her life and struggles, the help she received later in life and her happiness now. Sharing & learning about childhood abuse was an important part of the evening.
Singer Dylan Bell performed as did singer and fiddler Miranda Mulholland and violinist Lara St. John. Beautiful music and singing. Canadian talent ruled the evening! The music, community, food and venue on October 8th were a wonderful way of fundraising for such an important cause – The Gatehouse.
Dealing with childhood abuse is constant – people – children as well as adults – need much help dealing with this. A lot of help. This is what The Gatehouse offers. The help and support to aid in recovery and to survive from their terrible abuse.
Located on Lakeshore Blvd in Etobicoke, west Toronto, The Gatehouse offers a range of support programs, workshops and resources designed to help survivors. CSA (Child Sexual Assault) survivors are all welcome for connection, community and a path toward healing.
There are volunteer opportunities, fundraising events and other ways to support The Gatehouse. If you wish more info on The Gatehouse or if you wish to donate, here is the link thegatehouse.org
Let’s Stop Child Abuse. Let’s see a world without child abuse.
