Ancoura hosted its ninth annual gala, and second since the beginning of the pandemic on October 12th. Following on last year’s success, Ancoura again ran a trivia contest as part of the event. This year, the contest was hosted by Paul Paquet of the renowned Ottawa Trivia League, and the winning team from Blackburn Hamlet took home eight tickets to a 67s home game.
For the second year in a row, Lawrence Greenspon acted as master of ceremonies and ran an exciting and engaging live auction for all 75 attendees, helping Ancoura reach $5,000 in proceeds from the event.
One of the goals for this year’s gala was to bring in influential members from our community. To that end, Sylvie Bigras, President of the Lowertown Community Association agreed to be the keynote speaker for this year’s gala. Sylvie’s message reiterated the important role that Ancoura plays in the community, as well as its effectiveness and sustainability as a supportive housing organization. In addition, Alan Neef, a representative from Stephanie Plante’s (councillor for Rideau-Vanier) office, attended the gala.
Kevin and Anesti, both residents of Ancoura, delivered moving accounts of their experiences living with mental illness, and the important role that Ancoura plays in their lives.
Looking forward to 2024, Ancoura will look to build on the momentum of the past two galas, to host an even larger event, and to invite influential stakeholders within the Ottawa supportive housing community.
