Chasing Around the City in Support of Stella’s Place

Dear Stella’s Supporters,

On Tuesday, July 17^th we ran an event called “Stella’s Chase” in support of Stella’s Place.

As part of the curriculum of the Sport and Event Marketing Postgraduate Certificate Program at George Brown College, we were tasked with planning, organizing and executing an event. In addition to planning this event from scratch, our task included the need to source all of our own sponsorships, our own partnerships, and our own donations; the proceeds from which would be donated to a charity of our choice.

After much deliberation and brainstorming, we decided that we were going to run an Amazing Race-style chase through Toronto’s downtown core. Beginning at Stella’s Place, our “Chasers” wandered through the city streets, seeking out and taking pictures in front of numerous landmarks. The Chase ended at the Jason George Pub at Front and Jarvis where more supporters joined in the celebrations. This “After Party” aspect of the event featured over $5,000 in raffle prizes (every single one, generously donated by companies from all across the city), a photo opportunity with the Stella’s Place Instagram cut-out, and a speech by Stella’s very own Asante Haughton. This fun-filled night drew a crowd of nearly 100 students, friends and family, and in the end, it was deemed a great success as we surpassed our goal of $2,500, raising more than $4,000 for Stella’s Place!

While it cannot be stated how extremely proud we are of the outcome of Stella’s Chase, we wanted to take you back to the very beginning of this process.

The first item on our list when planning this event was to choose a charity partner. Safe to say, we quickly realized just how many there are in Toronto. Therefore, we decided we needed some outside help.

So, we approached the Toronto Foundation.

We provided them with a list of criteria we were looking for in a partner. We wanted a place that both supported a cause dear to us, and where we would be able see the positive impact of our donation. They came back to us with a shortlist of possible alternatives and we put it to a vote amongst our group.

The vote was unanimous in favour of Stella’s Place.

Everyone on our team deals with, has dealt with, or knows someone who has dealt with mental health challenges in their lifetime. That was the initial rationale behind our choice, but what we never anticipated was just how supportive the Stella’s team would be, or how willing they were to help with the organization of the Chase. From last-minute meetings in the lead-up to the event, to hosting the kick-off on Chase Day, it was truly a pleasure to work with the team at Stella’s Place and without hesitation, we can safely say that we could not have picked a better partner charity!

It has truly meant a lot to work so closely with such a fantastic organization that does so many incredible things in helping young adults that are facing mental health challenges.

Thank you to Andrei, Dagmar, Asante, Lucia and the Stella’s Place team for all of your help over these last couple of months.

 

Thank you those of you we met at the Donor Recognition & Appreciation Event in June and the kind, supportive words you shared with us.

Thank you for welcoming us into the Stella’s family!

Sincerely,

Kyle, Kristy, Vanessa, Caity, Melanie, Liam and Nick

Stella’s Chase Organizing Committee