VOBOC’s 10 Year Anniversary Celebration Gala on March 23, 2011 was an outstanding success!

Gala raises $60,000.00 with 257 people in attendance.

Honouring Courage was the theme of the evening and it was visible in several ways Wednesday March 23, 2010. Testimonials from cancer patients, caregivers, doctors, nurses all honoured the Courage that it takes to battle cancer. Testimonies highlighted how VOBOC’s free services have touched the lives of patients battling cancer and how VOBOC helped ease the journey for those in palliative care.

Attendees enjoyed scrumptious cocktails and a fabulous dinner. The festivities celebrated VOBOC’s accomplishments over the past 10 years in touching the lives thousands of cancer patients either through the delivery of a Vo-Pak backpack to adolescent and young adult patient just beginning cancer treatment, the awarding of VOBOC’s free diversions, the granting of a Special Request to a palliative care patient or by sharing a moment with a cancer patient and their family.

Honourees who were awarded VOBOC 10 year service plaques were: Dr Henry Shibata, Dr Ina Cummings, Mme Josée Legault, Mrs. Gwen Vineberg, Me Brian Sher, Mrs. Gaby Morency, Mrs. Audrey Dalton.

Among the dignitaries in attendance were: Mme Ann Lynch, Associate Director General of Clinical Operations and Nursing Affairs, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Dr. Thierry Muanza, Radiation Oncologist, Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital, Mme Adréanne Saucier, Associate Director of Nursing Oncology MUHC, Mme Marika Swidzinski, Hemo-oncology Head Nurse Royal Victoria Hospital, Mme Hélène Deutsch, Clinical Nurse Specialist Segal Cancer Center Jewish General Hospital – Sir Mortimer B. Davis, Mme Jocelyne Bourassa, CM, Honorary Tournament Chair of 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open, and Mme Diane Dunlop-Hebert, Second Vice President at Golf Canada, Mme Carola Haney representing Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis.

Entertainment was provided throughout the evening by Jazz Trio: à Contre Temps – inspiring adolescent musicians with tremendous talent.

Moving performance by composer, producer Hip-Hop, R&B, Reggae & Jazz, 2 Time Grammy nominated Jonathan Emile who preformed two songs and spoke to the audience with such emotion of his own cancer journey a few years ago. He described how VOBOC assisted him and his mom on part of their cancer journey.

Guest performance by singer and composer, 16 year old, Meg Smith, an up and coming music sensation whose angelic voice brought the audience to tears with her powerfully pure voice.

The night was one filled with emotions, tears, laughter, and insight as to why and how VOBOC tries to ease the cancer journey for adolescents and young adults battling cancer at the McGill University teaching hospitals.

Guest left describing the evening as “inspiring” “engaging” “eye-opening” “uplifting” and “contagiously motivating.”