On November 26, 2016, the Children’s Aid Foundation’s 30th Annual Teddy Bear Affair was held in Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the celebrated event which draws some of Toronto’s most dedicated and generous philanthropists.
The e=mc2 events team in Toronto was in charge of producing the event elements including entertainment, technical production, decor, production management and logistics. They worked closely with Fluid Events who was responsible for all of the internal management, on-site fundraising, volunteers, CAF youth engagement & involvement, staff engagement, committee, table sales & sponsorship.
The production goals for this special anniversary event was to tell the story of the foundation and what it does for the community and the youth. This was evident as soon as guests walked through the doors. To achieve this, they used strong decor elements outlining the faces & stories that have helped CAF communicate their message and the story of the Teddy Bear Affair for over 30 years.
The highlight of this event was the way that former youth in care were scripted into the event, creating stories about their own experiences and providing guests with a first hand glimpse into the power and outcomes of the work being done by CAF.
Former youths in care were invited to participate, to take centre stage and tell their stories. This inspired an original song written just for The Teddy Bear Affair, which then debuted during the event.
Aerial artist Anna Amy Ho, also a former youth in care performed alongside a violinist to a backtrack of her story.
The rest of the evening was filled with spectacular and moving performances by Sean Jones, Jillea, Jessica Mitchel, Will Lamoureux, Sistema Toronto Children’s Choir, Wexford Collegiate Glee Club, Montreal Rhapsody and a surprise performance by The Tenors.
The night raised of $1.9 million dollars for the Children’s Aid Foundation.
“Together with Fluid Events we are proud to be part of one of Toronto’s longest standing galas. Telling the story of the Children’s Aid Foundation through poignant and engaging story-telling is not a simple feat, but it was made possible by the countless hours and boundless dedication of each and every member of our event team”. — Trevor Howes, Event Producer &
Team Lead at e=mc2 events.
Sponsors, suppliers and production team include:
Bespoke Audio Visual, Décor & More Inc., Curtain Call, Air Magic, Givergy, Production Canada; Andy Stinton, Show Caller; Briane Nasimock, Script Writer;
Andrea Weissman-Daniels, Entertainment Creative Director; Bill King, Musical Director