YOUTH LEADERS: Society darling Kasondra Cohen-Herrendorf fronted her seventh Face of Today Gala. This fairytale party had a happy ending raising $250,000 to help turn dreams into reality for underserved youth. More than 230 guests — young entrepreneurs, aspiring CEOs and brash upstarts — filed into the Rosewood Hotel Georgia for the Alice in Wonderland-inspired evening. The fashionable crowd — many under the age of 40 — enjoyed a champagne reception with a cast of Wonderland characters before going down the rabbit hole and settling in for a sumptuous dinner, musical performances and to partake in the many opportunities to give to support the charitable organization. Cohen-Herrendorf founded it in 2009 to support youth-driven charities such as the Boy’s Network, Aunt Leah’s and UBC’s CampOUT.
ILLUMINATING EVENING: March is kidney health month and the Kidney Foundation is encouraging Canadians to know their risk factors and to talk about kidney health. The reality is one in 10 Canadians have kidney disease. There is no cure. Wanting to shine a light on the matter, in particular pediatric kidney disease, the organization hosted its fourth annual Shine a Light Kidney Gala celebrating the people and possibilities in the kidney community. CTV’s Norma Reid emceed the Hotel Vancouver cocktail party and benefit, chaired by Drs. Adeera Levin and John Gill. More than 300 partygoers took in the event — sponsored by AG Hair — and helped generate a record $230,000 for leading kidney research and patient services.
NEW LOOK FOR OPERA: Vancouver Opera’s last full season will mark a significant shift for the 55-year-old arts organization. Starting in 2017, the company will no longer present a yearly program, instead opting to run a three-week festival format. It also signaled the end of general director James Wright’s 17-year run with the venerable arts organization. The company’s newly appointed incoming general director Kim Gaynor made her Vanhattan debut recently at a downtown reception kicking off the company’s April 14 Overture Gala, the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Gaynor, who ran an international classical musical festival in Switzerland for the past decade, joined gala chairwomen Charlene Wong and Cindy Richmond for the preview of the French-inspired masque party, sponsored by BMO.
