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Chair Affair raises almost $100,000 for Furniture Bank
thurs dec 13, 2012
416-235-2500 gary@remaxdiamond.com Gary Chahinian
Broker of Record/Owner
conservatory christmas
This year’s third annual Chair Affair in benefit of Furniture Bank was the most successful yet, raising close to $100,000 for the Etobicoke-based charity. The November event drew more than 300 guests out to bid on one-ofa-kind refurbished and redesigned Furniture Bank chairs. “We are thrilled and honoured with the overwhelming support we received for the event from the design community, our sponsors and long-term supporters of Furniture Bank,” Susanna Kislenko, Furniture Bank’s executive director said in a statement. “Combined with the support and the commitment of our incredible volunteers, this has been the most successful Chair Affair yet.” top designers Using the theme of ‘Vibrant Toronto’ as their guide, this year’s 18 participating designers – a veritable who’s who list of Toronto’s top designers including CBC’s Steven and Chris, Heidi Richter and Paul Lafrance of HGTV’s Decked Out, Alex Chapman, Kelly Cray and Neil Jonsohn of UNION31, and Jessica Helps and Jeff Schnitter of Seven Haus Design – took on the challenge of interpreting Vibrant Toronto in refurbishing chairs they’d selected from Furniture Bank’s warehouse. In the end, $93,000 was raised for Furniture Bank, an organization that has been helping families create homes since 1998 by collecting and distributing donated furniture and household items to women and children escaping violence, newcomers to Canada and the formerly homeless. – Cynthia Reason
Staff photo/IAN KELSO
floral display: Alice Wikaruk lights one of the candles in front of a display at the Centennial Park Conservatory’s annual Christmas event. The event, which featured the floral creations of the centre’s growers, continues until Jan. 6. For more photos from this event, turn to page 3.
Teachers set to rally outside MPP’s office CYNTHIA REASON creason@insidetoronto.com Nigel Barriffe misses his extracurriculars just as much as his students do – from helping out with the Greenholme Jambalaya Band, to
hosting lunchtime tutoring sessions, to coaching his school’s volleyball and cross-country teams. The Greenholme Junior School special education teacher and community activist is helping to organize a teacher’s rally outside Etobicoke
North MPP Shafiq Qaadri’s office this Friday not only to protest against Bill 115, but also to let local parents know that recent strike and workto-rule action at Ontario schools is about more than just a wage freeze – it’s about collective bargaining
rights. “I think the number one issue is that we (teachers) just want the collective right to bargain and that, under Bill 115, has been repealed and there hasn’t been a fair bargain>>>TEACHERS’, page 28
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