President`s Message Upcoming Events

keynotes
Summer 2010
Former guests karaoke it up at Retreat!
Ian MacDonald, Grace Frey and Gord Syme at the Syncrude Community Reception in Fort McMurray
Upcoming Events
Retreat (but no surrender)
Like a high school reunion, but you
don’t need to worry about running
into a bully. If you are a former
guest of Sorrentino’s Compassion
House, consider this your invitation
to attend our annual former guest
retreat, July 15-17 at the Marriott
River Cree Resort. Space is limited
so please RSVP to our house
manager Sayler at 780-425-7224.
Art of Compassion
Planning is in the works for the
first annual art auction in support
of Compassion House Foundation.
Anthony Stauffer and Brent Willet
have been getting the details set for
a spectacular event. Mark Nov. 5,
6-9 pm, at MacEwan Robbins Centre
in your calendar and watch our
website for more information.
Golf Tournament in
support of Sorrentino’s
Compassion House
The 11th annual golf tournament
will be held August 13 at the
Chinook Valley golf course. See
back page for more information.
President’s Message
Every forest grows from a single seed. At Compassion House Foundation we’re blessed with
an abundance of gardeners who bring all their passion to the growth of the organization.
Our friends aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get some dirt under their fingernails.
When it comes to providing a home away from home for women undergoing breast
cancer treatment in Edmonton, our supporters dig deep to build capacity so Sorrentino’s
Compassion House will hopefully never have to turn away a woman in need.
I’m tremendously pleased to introduce you to Growing Compassion, our capital campaign
to expand the capacity of Sorrentino’s Compassion House.
Why am I whispering instead of shouting out the news? We’re in the quiet phase of the
campaign, keeping a low profile as we secure gifts and recruit champions to carry our
message into the community. Campaign cabinet members have quietly been laying the
groundwork for a game-changing fundraising campaign. Meanwhile, our partners at
Stantec are consulting on building plans and we’ve secured Cormode & Dickson as our
general contractors for the build.
And speaking of spreading the news, plans are coming together for Syncrude presents
Fashion with Compassion 2011, which promises to be our classiest, most glamorous affair
yet. I’m delighted to welcome Melanie Nakatsui as event chair and Edmonton’s First Lady
Lynn Mandel as our honourary chair. As always, tickets go fast so flip now to the next page
of the newsletter with the information on how to buy tickets. You can come right back.
Are you still with me? Good. I really just wanted to say thanks for reading this. Thanks for
your generous support. It’s you, who makes it possible for Sorrentino’s Compassion House to
provide a cup of tea, a hug and a warm bed for these brave women. It’s your hospitality that
enables them to put all their energy into the fight
of their lives.
Ian B. MacDonald
Board President
Compassion House Foundation
OCTOBER 13, 2011
SHAW CONFERENCE CENTRE, HALL D
Take Jasper Avenue to the bright lights of Broadway.
The 15th annual Syncrude presents Fashion with Compassion event will take place on
October 13, 2011 at the Shaw Conference Centre. With a ‘bright lights, big city’ theme
we promise to make the show the most glamorous ticket in town.
The house will expand from the current six guest suites up to fourteen, with more common
areas – think large kitchen and dining area, a wellness centre and an entertainment room.
The expansion will add an elevator, making the house fully accessible. So just picture all
those warm thoughts you think about Sorrentino’s Compassion House, and then more than
double it. At Compassion House Foundation we know there is strength in numbers – imagine
the community of survivorship we are going to build on.
Between two fabulous fashion show events – a luncheon ($100) and a dinner ($250) –
Syncrude presents Fashion with Compassion provides guests with the opportunity to mix
and mingle during the reception and bid on a variety of spectacular silent auction items.
See the latest looks from Blu’s, Derks, Alligator Pie, Women with Vision Opticians, Night
Owl Designer Lingerie and Katwalk Shoes. New this year is a couture segment with gowns
by Michael Kaye.
Now comes the best part. We plan to be open in fall 2012 to celebrate the 10th anniversary
of Sorrentino’s Compassion House. Remember how your father told you to never leave on
a road trip without at least half a tank of gas? Our staff and volunteer campaign cabinet
have been securing gifts to get the campaign rolling toward a fall launch.
You know the routine - tickets go fast so go get them right now at fashioncompassion.ca.
For more information visit growingcompassion.ca or call Wendy at 780-425-7224.
Because we are BFFs with practically the whole town of Grande Prairie, you get a special
package this year – for $450 you can recline in comfort during a round-trip bus ride and
receive a ticket to the dinner event, followed by a night in the Coast Edmonton House
(plus a day of shopping, of course).
Setbacks during chemo were life
threatening. An infection spread to the
liver, kidneys and heart, sending her to the
ICU. Then, while celebrating her parents’
50th anniversary, Jennifer got the call to
head for radiation therapy in Edmonton.
When a vacancy opened up, Jennifer
couldn’t wait to check out and trade in
the scratchy motel sheets for the comfort
and companionship of Sorrentino’s
Compassion House. It marked a turning
point in her journey.
“When I first walked in, it felt like a
mansion. I thought, ‘I’ve never been in
a house this big before!’ And the kitchen
was great – it’s where everyone hangs out,
cooks meals and shares their stories.”
Having survived a few setbacks since,
Jennifer feels healthy today. She’s joined
a group of houseguests from Grande Prairie
to start a support/social network. She even
discovered the courage to share her story
of survival at community events, speaking
in front of a hundred people or more.
“If I can help someone else who is going
through this by sharing my story with them,
it just feels good.”
Did you really think our campaign cabinet was a piece of antique furniture
where we stashed our fundraising dollars? Our cabinet is a powerhouse team
of dedicated professionals who volunteer their talents and business experience
to create a winning campaign.
Cabinet Chair:
Gord Syme, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Vice Chair:
Barb Walker, Community Volunteer
Cabinet Team:
Lana Bertsch, Stantec
Carl Bird, City of Yellowknife (NWT)
Dena Carlson, Compassion House
Foundation Board
Jan Folk, The Orange Dog
Miles Konrad, SnoGlobe
Margaret Kool, mkm
Let’s Grow Something Together
Women come to Sorrentino’s Compassion
House from every corner of the province,
as well as neighboring ones. To meet our
campaign goals we need to take a closeup perspective on the communities we
serve. Regional committees are active in
Grande Prairie and Northwest Territories.
These supporters have been meeting with
businesses in northern communities to
raise excitement (and support!) for our
expansion project.
We are recruiting a committee in Fort
McMurray, so if you (or someone you know)
would like to get involved we promise to
keep you inspired. Find out more about
the regional committees from our fund
development manager Wendy Loar at
780-425-7224.
Lend a Hand
Campaign Cabinet:
Daring to Share
“Sorrentino’s Compassion House was full
so I spent the first part of my treatment in
a motel,” Jennifer recalls, “No fridge, eating
all my meals in restaurants – it was
very lonely.”
Growing Compassion – a campaign to expand Sorrentino’s
Compassion House
Well, if you read the president’s welcome you know the cat is out of the bag. We’ve started
our $5 million campaign to expand Sorrentino’s Compassion House; $3.5 million to build,
furnish and equip the house and $1.5 million for a sustainability fund to keep guest fees
at a reasonable rate.
Fashion with Compassion
Being a working single mom to two teenage
boys is enough stress for anyone. So imagine
how Jennifer felt when she received her
breast cancer diagnosis in Grande Prairie.
Having to tell her family, to see the shock
and disbelief come over their faces, was
just the first step in Jennifer’s brave
cancer journey.
Grande Prarie Committee Members: Katherine
Fleming (former guest), Scott Roessler,
Jill Lorencz, Maureen Leslie & Barry Lazoruk
Barry Lazoruk, Community Volunteer
(Grande Prairie)
Gillian Lee, MacKay LLP (NWT)
Maureen Leslie, Compassion House Foundation
Board (Grande Prairie)
Jill Lorencz, Sun Life Financial (Grande Prairie)
Ian MacDonald, MNP
Laura Mason, mkm
Val Mellesmoen, Current Communications Inc.
Cathy Munro, Nunasi Corporation (NWT)
Tania Nease, Mediactive
Scott Roessler, Focus Corporation
(Grande Prairie)
Don Thompson, The Oil Sands
Developers Group
Christy Yaseyko, mkm
If you have worked with us in the past you
know we do our best to roll out the red
carpet for our volunteers. If you (or that
special person you know) would like to
volunteer at Sorrentino’s Compassion House
or help out with Syncrude presents Fashion
with Compassion, please contact Sayler at
780-425-7224.
Guests & staff enjoying the flowers and yard
that was tended to by volunteers
Foundation Board of Directors
Executive
Ian B. MacDonald, President
Gord Syme, Vice President
Kathy Bonazew, Treasurer
Sandra Corbett, Secretary
Dena Carlson, Past President
Directors
John Cloutier
Grace Frey
Maureen Leslie
Marilyn Mucha
Janet Riopel
Tina Naqvi-Rota
Kathy Trepanier
Golf Tournament in support of
Sorrentino’s Compassion House
The 11th annual golf tournament will be
held August 13 at the Chinook Valley course
in Woking, which is just 50 km north of
Grande Prairie. And despite the town’s
name, we’ll let you drive the golf carts
and save the walking for the treadmill.
Registration fee is $100, which includes
green fees, banquet, silent auction and
a $50 tax receipt for your donation to
Compassion House Foundation. Register
individually or with your three best friends.
Call Barry at 780-831-7828.
Mellissa Kraft, Executive Director
Karen Percy Lowe, Honourary Chair
The Compassion House Foundation lost
a close friend with the passing of Metro
Macooh. Metro was very involved with
the golf tournament for years. Our
condolences go out to Metro’s family.
We’ll miss you Metro.
Founding Members
Double your money
Betty Carlson
Debra Kerr
Gisele MacMillan
Elexis Schloss
We recently received funding through the
Community Spirit program. Here’s how it
works. Supporters like your fine self make
donations throughout the year. When
we show the government of Alberta how
generous you are, it inspires them to match
your donation to the Compassion House
Foundation. So now we have twice as many
reasons to thank you (thank you).
Thanks
We were pleased to accept a $10,000
donation at the annual provincial Royal
Purple convention. We really appreciate
Royal Purple members and their
continued support.
Sorrentino’s South recently held a
bikini fashion show fundraiser with the
proceeds donated to support Sorrentino’s
Compassion House.
Find us on facebook by searching
Sorrentino’s Compassion House
Sorrentino’s Compassion House
10909 76 Ave
Edmonton, AB T6G 0J6
and support Sorrentino’s Compassion
House at the same time, contact Marie
at marieli35@yahoo.com.
Marie Li from Cabralli & Co.
Fork it Over January 2011
What do you shout when your spouse
is about to gobble the last bite of your
‘shared’ piece of chocolate cheesecake
on date night?
Exactly. Our 2011 Fork It Over event raised
more than $60,000 through a silent, live and
painted plate auction, hosted by celebrity
auctioneer Danny Hooper. Bridget Ryan
charmed 300 guests with a perfect blend of
hospitality and humour while they enjoyed
champagne and dinner at the Marriott River
Cree Resort.
Thanks must go out to our generous
sponsors: Nordic Mechanical Services Ltd;
Staples Advantage and Business Interiors
by Staples; Chilkoot Promotions; Dominion
Lending Centres; Eden Hampson Realtors;
Printers Priority Printing and Factory Forms;
Rodway Auto Parts and KRP.
A special thanks to those who donated an
auction package – the success of these kinds
of events is always measured through the
contributions of our partners.
Join us on January 27, 2012 for the
12th annual event.
Marie Li of Cabralli & Co. is donating 20% of
the proceeds from the sale of her beautiful
jewelry to Compassion House Foundation. If
you’d like to add to your jewelry collection
Telephone 780.425.7224
Toll Free
1.888.425.7474
Fax
780.429.3018
website
email
www.compassionhouse.org
info@compassionhouse.org