LUSH LAWN: Simon Pinsky, chair of Lawn Summer Nights, welcomed another 160 pretty young things who, in a variety of costumes, flocked to the Granville Park Lawn Bowling Club for the annual Cystic Fibrosis benefit. In the seven years since the summertime tradition first hit the greens in Vancouver, the fundraiser has grown from one city to seven, including Victoria, Toronto and Halifax, raising more than $1 million for Cystic Fibrosis Canada — the success largely due to the creative fundraising efforts of young adults who rally against this fatal disease. Inspired by their good friend Eva Markvoort, a CF advocate who succumbed to the disease in 2010, Pinsky, along with Duncan Gillespie and brothers Andrew and Graham Dalik, carried on with her work, raising awareness about the inherited lung disease. Conceiving a tourney now called Lawn Summer Nights, this year’s Vancouver edition generated another $100,000 for research with the ultimate goal of finding a cure.
SEEING STARS: Fairchild Television celebrated 22 years of serving Chinese Canadians in Metro Vancouver with a star-studded celebration. The broadcaster, led by CEO Thomas Fung, flew a dozen of Asia’s top superstars to Vancouver to perform at the All Star Charity Gala, hosted in partnership with Emperor Entertainment and TVB Hong Kong. Among the celebrities joining the 3,000 guests making the scene at the Vancouver Convention Centre: Raymond Lam, Hins Cheung, Gillian Chung, Vincy Chan, Ken Hung and Sherman Chung. They were joined by local favourites Gloria Tang (Miss Chinese International) and Canadian-born artist Fred Cheng. Benefiting the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, the gala dinner and concert raised a remarkable $1.6 million, three-quarters of it coming from philanthropists and health advocates Jason and Emily Ko, to go towards lung care and research at Vancouver General Hospital.
LUCKY SEVEN: Helping shake off Vancity’s no-fun moniker, Vancouver’s maestros of fun, the Social Concierge, held their seventh derby, The Deighton Cup, at Hastings Racecourse. Thousands of young fillies and mares once again made the parade to the East Side post for a fashionable day at the races and one of the most anticipated and stylish events of the summer season. Complete with cocktail competitions, and a styles stake for best-dressed man and woman, this year’s thoroughbred event was a fun-filled affair, attracting some of Vancouver society’s finest. Donning their fascinators and most dapper attire, men and women enjoyed an afternoon of smart cocktails and horse racing while supporting Variety, the Children’s Charity.
