Harmony and Hope Gala: A Lifeline For Care

Jul 19 2024

Famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli highlighted the Harmony and Hope Gala, which raised funds for Chai Lifeline Canada to assist families dealing with childhood illness.

There may be no worse nightmare scenario in life than a child who is born nor diagnosed with a serious illness. It is the greatest fear of every parent and nothing, absolutely nothing, matters more than securing the care needed to overcome the illness and reaching out to organizations that may be able to help.

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Chai Lifeline Canada is just such an organization. For the past 18 years it has been stepping up to provide the much-needed and sometimes overlooked programs and services a family in crisis may need — services that may seem simple, such as help getting to doctors’ appointments or providing hot meals when children are hospitalized, or the extraordinary, such as providing supervised overnight camps that give children confidence, courage, a sense of normalcy and the life skills they need to fight dreaded illnesses, including cancer. Chai Lifeline Canada knows that any child’s illness impacts not just the child who is sick but also their entire family and it provides these critical programs and services free of charge.

Chai means ‘life’ in Hebrew,” says Mordechai Rothman, Chai Lifeline Canada’s executive director, in a recent interview with Dolce. “And I think that speaks to who we are as an organization. Oftentimes, people who are going through the toughest thing in their lives may feel isolated, disconnected or not able to enjoy things in life and we want to do everything we can to keep the family together, ensure they have memorable experiences and continue to be there for each other in a meaningful way. We’re all about bringing that life and vibrancy back, when perhaps illness has taken that away.”

Providing its services free of charge means fundraising is needed to allow Chai Lifeline Canada to continue to provide these essential services, which families rely on as a beacon of hope. That is why its annual Harmony and Hope Gala, held in April, played such a key role in the community. The gala was a testament to the impact Chai Lifeline Canada has on its community as a lifeline for care, and to the real difference its committed volunteers, corporate sponsors and donors are making.

A sold-out crowd of more than 1,200 attended the 18th Anniversary Harmony and Hope Gala, which honoured Shelly Avital, Silvio De Gasperis and Jack Eisenberger as this year’s Community Builders. The evening’s Impact Speaker was Sisi Kleiner-Fisman, who represented all Chai families and captivated the room with her own Chai story. In a full-circle moment, the Gala welcomed back to the stage performer Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, who had performed at the very first Gala in 2008.

“WE’RE ALL ABOUT BRINGING THAT LIFE AND VIBRANCY BACK WHEN PERHAPS ILLNESS HAS TAKEN THAT AWAY.”

The glittering evening’s Humanitarian Award honourees were famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and his wife Veronica. After a stirring musical performance typical of the master, Bocelli ended the evening by prodding the audience to bid on his guitar, which he was offering to donate — the bidding reached an astounding $150,000.

The Harmony and Hope Gala Committee, chaired by Shoshana and Israel Schachter, comprised passionate volunteers Alana De Gasperis, Alexandra De Gasperis, Toby Feldberg, Samantha and Jeff Gottesman, Goldie Hauer, Julie and Yaakov Kaplan, Francesca and Eugene Profis, Jeff Rubenstein, Elli Schochet, Yonatan Wisebrod and Michelle Goldstein Zaldin, all of whom share the vision of providing care and compassion to families during dark times.

“My dream is that no child and no family should have to suffer from any illness and that, God willing, someday we’ll be able to say we don’t need an organization like Chai Lifeline anymore to provide this type of support because we’ve eradicated cancer,” says Rothman. “So, my dream is that Chai Lifeline wouldn’t have to exist in its current form.”

Until that day comes, we must continue to shine a spotlight on good people doing good things from the goodness of their hearts, which is never lost on families dealing with childhood illness. Organizations such as Chai Lifeline Canada and the staff, volunteers and sponsors who support the programs and services it provides are lifelines for care at a most critical time.

www.chailifelinecanada.org
@chailifelinecanada

INTERVIEW BY MARC CASTALDO

Harmony and Hope Gala: A Lifeline For Care

Famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli highlighted the Harmony and Hope Gala, which raised funds for Chai Lifeline Canada to assist families dealing with childhood illness.

There may be no worse nightmare scenario in life than a child who is born nor diagnosed with a serious illness. It is the greatest fear of every parent and nothing, absolutely nothing, matters more than securing the care needed to overcome the illness and reaching out to organizations that may be able to help.

Article Continued Below ADVERTISEMENT


SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT


Chai Lifeline Canada is just such an organization. For the past 18 years it has been stepping up to provide the much-needed and sometimes overlooked programs and services a family in crisis may need — services that may seem simple, such as help getting to doctors’ appointments or providing hot meals when children are hospitalized, or the extraordinary, such as providing supervised overnight camps that give children confidence, courage, a sense of normalcy and the life skills they need to fight dreaded illnesses, including cancer. Chai Lifeline Canada knows that any child’s illness impacts not just the child who is sick but also their entire family and it provides these critical programs and services free of charge.

Chai means ‘life’ in Hebrew,” says Mordechai Rothman, Chai Lifeline Canada’s executive director, in a recent interview with Dolce. “And I think that speaks to who we are as an organization. Oftentimes, people who are going through the toughest thing in their lives may feel isolated, disconnected or not able to enjoy things in life and we want to do everything we can to keep the family together, ensure they have memorable experiences and continue to be there for each other in a meaningful way. We’re all about bringing that life and vibrancy back, when perhaps illness has taken that away.”

Providing its services free of charge means fundraising is needed to allow Chai Lifeline Canada to continue to provide these essential services, which families rely on as a beacon of hope. That is why its annual Harmony and Hope Gala, held in April, played such a key role in the community. The gala was a testament to the impact Chai Lifeline Canada has on its community as a lifeline for care, and to the real difference its committed volunteers, corporate sponsors and donors are making.

A sold-out crowd of more than 1,200 attended the 18th Anniversary Harmony and Hope Gala, which honoured Shelly Avital, Silvio De Gasperis and Jack Eisenberger as this year’s Community Builders. The evening’s Impact Speaker was Sisi Kleiner-Fisman, who represented all Chai families and captivated the room with her own Chai story. In a full-circle moment, the Gala welcomed back to the stage performer Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, who had performed at the very first Gala in 2008.

“WE’RE ALL ABOUT BRINGING THAT LIFE AND VIBRANCY BACK WHEN PERHAPS ILLNESS HAS TAKEN THAT AWAY.”

The glittering evening’s Humanitarian Award honourees were famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and his wife Veronica. After a stirring musical performance typical of the master, Bocelli ended the evening by prodding the audience to bid on his guitar, which he was offering to donate — the bidding reached an astounding $150,000.

The Harmony and Hope Gala Committee, chaired by Shoshana and Israel Schachter, comprised passionate volunteers Alana De Gasperis, Alexandra De Gasperis, Toby Feldberg, Samantha and Jeff Gottesman, Goldie Hauer, Julie and Yaakov Kaplan, Francesca and Eugene Profis, Jeff Rubenstein, Elli Schochet, Yonatan Wisebrod and Michelle Goldstein Zaldin, all of whom share the vision of providing care and compassion to families during dark times.

“My dream is that no child and no family should have to suffer from any illness and that, God willing, someday we’ll be able to say we don’t need an organization like Chai Lifeline anymore to provide this type of support because we’ve eradicated cancer,” says Rothman. “So, my dream is that Chai Lifeline wouldn’t have to exist in its current form.”

Until that day comes, we must continue to shine a spotlight on good people doing good things from the goodness of their hearts, which is never lost on families dealing with childhood illness. Organizations such as Chai Lifeline Canada and the staff, volunteers and sponsors who support the programs and services it provides are lifelines for care at a most critical time.

www.chailifelinecanada.org
@chailifelinecanada

INTERVIEW BY MARC CASTALDO

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