Mackenzie Health Foundation's Around the World Gala

Vaughan.snapd.com
December 2, 2019

The 32nd annual gala, presented by Rogers for the eighth consecutive year, celebrated the contributions of the 1,100 community leaders from across York Region who attended, alongside government representatives, including Premier Doug Ford, King-Vaughan MPP and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, and City of Vaughan Mayor, Maurizio Bevilacqua.

Back for a second year, co-chairs Milena Calabro and Stephanie Pillitteri welcomed guests to an international experience, featuring cuisine from some of the most popular gastronomic destinations around the world. Guests feasted on dishes from China, Mexico, Brazil, Morocco and Italy while enjoying performances by a mariachi band, samba dancers and Chinese lion dancers.

Mayor Bevilacqua -- who is also the chair of Mackenzie Health’s newly launched Ultimate campaign -- delivered an inspiring speech and recognized the most recent donors to contribute $1 million or more to the campaign this past year. The Ultimate campaign represents a new phase of Mackenzie Health’s $250-million campaign journey and encourages the community to help bring the ultimate in health care to the residents of Vaughan, Richmond Hill and King. The campaign has raised $169 million so far. Among those recognized at the gala was the Cortellucci family, who made a $40-million gift, the largest single donation in Mackenzie Health’s history.

To date, 37 transformational gifts have been made to the campaign. This remarkable list of supporters was also recognized on Saturday evening: Antonio & Clara Battistella & Family, CIBC, R. Ferri Automotive, Scotiabank and Promenade Shopping Centre.

Throughout the night, guests had the opportunity to bid on more than 280 silent auction items, and one lucky raffle winner drove away in a 2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI RWD (valued at nearly $70,000), generously donated by R. Ferri Automotive.

This year’s live auction featured an equipment appeal that raised more than $148,000 for infant incubators. New incubators will help save the lives of high-risk and premature babies at Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, where the Woman and Child program will soon be located. Last year, 325 babies were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mackenzie Health and this number will only increase as the community continues to grow.