This was a perfect evening to meet and mingle with other community members with the same passion for the urban forest.
We were also happy to have some of our supporting partners attend the event. These partners make the work we do possible, and in 2015 they included: Ontario Power Generation, York Region, City of Markham, TD Friends of the Environment, City of Toronto, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Toronto Hydro, City of Mississauga, Town of Ajax, Durham Region, Toronto and Region Conservation, The Rotary Club of Toronto, and the Toronto Transit Commission.
Erin, our Volunteer & Stewardship Coordinator, presented our Volunteers of the Year awards. Because we have so many amazing people who help with our work, we couldn’t pick just one! We recognized seven outstanding volunteers who each received a unique framed photo.
We had the help of 13 volunteers and nine of our board members that evening. From the welcome desk to all of the activities and auction, we couldn’t have done it without you --thank you!
This year’s activities were a big hit! The very poplar button making station was a room to get creative and make your own unique pin-back buttons with a variety of templates, prints, recycled books and magazines to choose from. Over in the gift-tag making room, LEAFers were busy deciding on their favourite leaf stamps for their hand-made personalized tags to polish off their holiday gifts.
A special thank you to the generous donations from many local artists and businesses who contributed to our chance and silent auction to help raise funds for our programs! These include: Yasmine Louise, Front Door Organics, Forests Ontario, Martha Brown, One of a Kind Show, the Royal Ontario Museum, Float Toronto, Global Pet Foods, City of Toronto, Storyboard Furniture, Jen Vander Vecht, Banjara, RBC, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Karmatree, Lorraine Johnson, Mark Calzavara, Hardwood Ski & Bike, Scotiabank, Northern Skies Outpost Cabin, Hanlan Boat Club, Orchard People, Pizzeria Libretto, Stubbe Chocolates, Toronto International Film Festival, Trafalgar Artisanal Distillery and VIA Rail Canada.
Many tested their luck at the chance auction. One of our volunteers, Ayaz, celebrates winning the Burberry scarf!
Thank you to everyone who came out to party, and special thanks to our volunteer photographers Kanchan, Sammy, and Edith for capturing the event. To see more photos, check out our Facebook Album.
Lauren Brown is LEAF’s Education & Outreach Coordinator.