Live paintings that would be auctioned off at the 5th Annual 'Healing The Voice Within' Art Fundraiser on Oct. 5, at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. Pictured is artist Montina Hussey applying final touches before it goes to auction at the fundraiser.Supplied
The organizer: Lorne Simon
The pitch: Raising $300,000 and climbing
The cause: The Gatehouse
Lorne Simon spent more than 25 years raising money for Toronto’s Crime Stoppers program when he decided to take a break in 2015. The pause didn’t last long.
“I was doing Crime Stoppers for such a long time and I said ‘I think I have to a take a break from it for my health reasons,’” recalled Mr. Simon who runs a Toronto-based public relations firm. Within a few months, a police officer he knew told Mr. Simon about an organization called the Gatehouse which helps survivors of childhood sexual abuse through a variety of programs including peer support groups, art therapy and wellness workshops.
Mr. Simon was immediately impressed with the organization which is based in a historic house that dates back to the 1890s. “I just see the passion in the volunteers and the staff,” he said.
He quickly got to work organizing an annual fundraising event called Healing the Voice Within. The first gala was held in 2016 and attracted around 120 people who donated $50,000. The evening has grown ever since and this year’s gala on Oct. 5 drew 300 people. So far the event has raised around $300,000 in total for the Gatehouse. The money has gone toward expanding the charity’s programs and creating a safe space for police officers to speak with sexual-abuse survivors.
Mr. Simon organized a second event in November at Toronto’s Paris Texas restaurant which raised $10,500 for the Gatehouse and the Marner Assist Foundation which provides a range of programs for children. He’s also working with the Gatehouse on opening facilities in Sydney, N.S, and Halifax.
“I can see this one growing,” he said of the Gatehouse. “It’s small, it needs help, it needs volunteers, it has some paid staff, and I can see the passion that these people have for this organization.”
Mr. Simon, 57, has no intention of taking another break from fundraising. “It’s what I like to do with charities. And I wake up in the morning and say, ‘Hey, I made a difference,’” he said.”