Last week I was host at charity gala at The National Club in Toronto. As past president of that historic institution (founded 1874, thank you very much) I picked the annual charity of choice. I chose Opportunity International, a micro-finance charity that works with women entrepreneurs in the third word helping them break the cycle of poverty by giving them the tools, funds and training to succeed. I have worked with them over the past five or six years, mostly through The Order of Saint Joachim.The evening set a record for the most money raised by The National Club through its unique "Giving Back" event, thanks to its generous members and guests and a matching donor. The National Club donates all of the food, wine and other overhead for this fundraising dinner so 100% of the proceeds can go to the charity.
The evening raised about $90,000, and together with and the previous fundraising golf tournament held earlier this year together raised approximately $120,000 for Opportunity International, which will provide meaningful support for hundreds of people and their families.
