HAIL UBC: UBC’s Thunderbird football team — 2015 Vanier Cup champions – picked up more hardware this week. At a fundraising dinner produced by David Sidoo’s 13th Man Foundation, the players were presented with their championship rings in front of 700 fans at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. A Cinderella story for the ages, the team turned a 2-6 record last season into an unimaginable run that saw the Thunderbirds make it all the way to the final, edging top ranked University of Montreal Carabins 26-23 with a dramatic last second field goal. Dedicated to improving the fortunes of UBC’s varsity football program, which had not won a national championship since 1997, Sidoo — a former member of that winning team — founded the 13th Man Foundation. Off-season signings of winning coach Blake Nill and star American quarterback Michael O’Connor followed. After a 2-2 start the team sported a seven-game win streak to reach the finals and earn the country’s top varsity honours.
SPRING STEP: For more than 35 years, the Disability Alliance of B.C. (formerly B.C. Coalition of People with Disabilities) has championed issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities through advocacy, direct services, community partnerships and research. The organization staged its fourth Swing into Spring Gala fundraiser held at the Croatian Cultural Centre, led by executive director Jane Dyson and an army of volunteers. More than 200 people filed into the East Side ballroom for the festivities, with CBC’s Stephen Quinn serving as emcee. The broadcaster brought his Quinn’s Quiz to the gala-do that also included a buffet dinner, silent and live auction and presentations of Outstanding Employer and Employee of the Year Award. Wheelin’ Mobility, a wheelchair repair company, won the outstanding employer award, while Aaron Lee, an administrator at Vancity, was cited employee of the year.
WORKS OF ART: The Vancouver Art Gallery hosted its bi-annual art auction, one of the organization’s most significant fundraisers. Bringing together valued art collectors, artists and donors, the gallery assembled nearly 70 works for the auction block, including paintings, photography, prints, sculptures and multimedia works. Held at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and co-chaired by Bruce Wright and Hank Bull, the exclusive evening featured works from renowned local and international artists such as Rodney Graham, Jeff Wall, Dana Claxton, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Gordon Smith and Wang Tiande.
