OBJSocial: Getting out for a great cause

Text and photos from OBJ.social columnist and photographer Caroline Phillips.

If you want to make like Macklemore and pop some tags, there’s a new social enterprise thrift shop that opened in Ottawa recently. With only twenty dollars in your pocket, you might find some awesome stuff, as the hip hop song goes, more or less.

The best part is, all proceeds from Thrive Select Thrift support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa (BBBSO)'s youth mentorship programs. The store is also helping mentees develop a range of important life skills, gain work experience and build confidence.

The new boutique has been “a project of love” for everyone involved, BBBSO executive director Susan Ingram said at the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony held at 1547 Merivale Rd. in Emerald Plaza. She came prepared with a four-page speech.

Donors, sponsors and BBBSO board members got a sneak peek at the new retail space, formerly home to a TD Bank branch. Guests were also invited to look through the racks for special finds of good-quality used clothing for men, women, children and teens. As well, the gathering featured very affordable items from the store that were modelled in a fashion show, emceed by retail store manager Hope Wood.

BBBSO board chair Mark Zekulin, BBBSO executive director Susan Ingram and store manager Hope Wood cut the ribbon. Tim Kluke, president and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, spoke to the crowd.

There’s no shame in bringing your hearty appetite to the OSEG Foundation’s Gourmet on the Gridiron because there will always be an Ottawa RedBlacks football player dining at your table and, chances are, he'll be eating way more than you.

The Ottawa RedBlacks team plays a remarkably involved role with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) Foundation to help more children and youth access sports, particularly those facing social and economic barriers.

Gourmet on the Gridiron, presented by Site Preparation Limited, was held for its third time at the TD Place stadium at Lansdowne. Normally, the 400-person crowd, including CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie, would've had their meal on the football field but, due to the wet weather, dinner was served on the rain-proof concourse.

The evening raised awareness for the RedBlacks Mentorship Program that helps youth from communities dealing with higher poverty and school dropout rates. The program, run by the OSEG Foundation, connects youth to Ottawa RedBlacks players, who act as athlete mentors and role models.

When children and youth aren't able to participate in skills development programs, the room heard, their health, education and job opportunities, and overall quality of life suffer by the time they become adults.

Gourmet on the Gridiron saw Ottawa RedBlacks players organize a fun ball-throwing game with guests.

If ever there was a time to really wake up and smell the coffee, it was at the 21st President’s Breakfast hosted recently by The Ottawa Hospital, with close to 400 business leaders, entrepreneurs and key community members starting their day off together.

These are exciting times for Ottawa as the hospital begins building a new Carling Avenue campus with the goal of revolutionizing the future of health care, creating hope and better outcomes for patients, the room heard.

“Every day, our researchers are pushing the boundaries of science,” Cameron Love, president and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital, told the crowd at the Canadian War Museum. “There are more research and clinical breakthroughs that are going to occur over this decade than probably occurred over the last 50 years. It’s our researchers who are helping to drive this change.”

It was the first time since 2019 that the breakfast was held in person due to pandemic disruptions. Supporters did still have the option of following along virtually.

Thrilled to be able to welcome everyone faceto-face were the returning breakfast co-chairs, Inflector Environmental Services president and CEO Jeff Clarke and Sarah Grand, real estate advisor with Engel & Völkers and a board member with The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.