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May 30, 2003
Seniors are big winners
$1 million raised at the Meet the Challenge dinner.
NOAH MORANTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Our community's seniors will live in security, dignity and comfort.
That was the resounding sentiment of more than 400 guests and participants
at the Louis Brier Gala Dinner held Sunday night at the Four Seasons
Hotel.
At its first fund-raising dinner in eight years, the newly formed
Dr. Irving and Phyliss Snider Campus for Jewish Seniors and the
Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation honored the community's mothers
and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers with a festive and entertaining
evening.
The dinner's honorees were two of Vancouver's best known philanthropists
and supporters of the Louis Brier, Joe and Rosalie Segal. As part
of a family whose instrumental support for the institution dates
back to Rosalie's father, Abrasha Wosk, Joe Segal addressed the
guests with a message of generosity and compassion.
"Our community has this great institution which preserves the
dignity and comfort of our seniors," Segal said. "If you
have the capability to give, then give."
Also recognized for their decades of support for the Louis Brier
were dinner honorary co-chairs Ben and Esther Dayson and Max and
Margaret Fugman.
The tone for the evening was set early on as the guests were treated
to an emotional and informative 15-minute audio-visual presentation
produced by Eli Gorn.
"The video really set the mood for the whole evening and brought
the Louis Brier and the Weinberg Residence to the Four Seasons Hotel,"
said Dvori Balshine, director of development for the Louis Brier
Jewish Aged Foundation.
Also included in the evening program was a musical performance by
the vocal trio of Lisa Ehrlich, Shira Elias and Advah Soudack. As
master of ceremony, Vancouver Board of Trade director and CEO of
Canada Wide Magazines and Communications Ltd. Peter Legge kept the
evening running smoothly and delighted the crowd with his comical
wit.
"Honor your mother and father is not a suggestion, it's not
advice, it is a command," quipped Legge.
Guest of honor Premier Gordon Campbell gave a heartfelt address
to the dinner guests.
"The creation of the Dr. Irving and Phyliss Snider Campus for
Jewish Seniors, housing the Louis Brier Home and Hospital and the
beautiful new Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Residence, is an accomplishment
that this community and this city should be very proud of,"
he said.
The dinner attendees were also buoyed by the proclamation by Louis
Brier president Lee Simpson that this dinner had managed to raise
$1 million that will be allocated to the newly created Golden Key
Endowment Fund.
"This fund will ensure that not one of our community's seniors
who wants and needs to move into the Weinberg Residence will be
without the means to do so," said Simpson.
Noah Morantz is assistant director of the Louis Brier
Jewish Aged Foundation.
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