Left to right: Guy Barthell, Chair of the Board of Directors (Fondation Olo); Martin Gingras, Honorary Co-Chair (National Bank); Élise Boyer, General Manager (Fondation Olo); Alain Ménard, Honorary Co-Chair (Sobeys). Photo credit: Marc-Antoine Zouéki
Fondation Olo’s gourmet benefit, Dîner Olo, held its 17th edition online on November 6, 2020. Presented by the National Bank and by the Marchés Tradition and Marché Bonichoix banners, a gourmet meal was delivered to each of the 238 participants who attended the online, interactive event benefitting babies’ health. An amount of $177,000 was raised for Fondation Olo in its mission to give families an equal chance of bringing healthy babies into the world and have them learn healthy eating habits early on in life.
Contributing to this total, the online auction raised $22,000, thanks to the local companies that generously provided 136 auction lots and to the many donors who bid on the items.
“In this year when nothing can be taken for granted, Fondation Olo is thrilled with the success of Dîner Olo and especially with the participation of its partners and donors. With great generosity, they demonstrated their support for our mission, which is more important than ever, to reduce food insecurity and stress, which are harmful to the health of unborn babies and their mothers,” said Élise Boyer, General Manager of Fondation Olo.
The host of Dîner Olo was Élyse Marquis, a favourite with Quebec audiences. The event featured a varied program including testimonials, live performances and business networking, and it also featured a few surprise attendees, like singer Florence K and host and actor Julie Ringuette, both of whom are pregnant. They each performed a song and gave a touching message of support.
A young mother named Rebecca also gave a testimonial on her pregnancy last spring and on the help Fondation Olo provided: “Before the Olo follow-up care, I had no idea of all the services available to pregnant women. Fondation Olo’s help really opened my eyes and gave me support during my pregnancy, even through the pandemic.”
Truly generous partners
Fondation Olo was proud to count among its allies for the 2020 Dîner Olo these Partner Presenters and Honorary Co-Chairs: Martin Gingras, VP Retail Distribution, West of Quebec, at the National Bank; and Alain Ménard, Senior VP, Retail Operations, at Sobeys Quebec.
Agropur and Bonduelle, the Associate Partners of Dîner Olo, also offered outstanding support for the event, notably through donations, sponsorship of dairy products (Agropur) and surprise additions to the guests’ boxed meals.
Dîner Olo would not have been as successful without the dedication of the volunteer members of our Honorary Committee: Martine Allard (Deloitte), Guy Barthell (Guy Barthell Gestion et conseils), Véronique Boileau, François Brabant (Dentons), Pierre Carrier (Agnus Dei and Avec Plaisirs Traiteur), Jean-François Couture, Caroline Dignard (Cogeco Media), Ève Kirlin and Luc Reny (Power Corporation Canada).
Fondation Olo was also able to count on its Friend Partners, who ensured guests would enjoy a top-notch experience: Agnus Dei catering, Cidre Rabaska, Éclipse Solutions AV, Expert’Ease, Cogeco Media and its radio stations 96.9 CKOI, Radio Circulation 730 AM, Rythme FM 105.7, 98.5 FM, and The Beat 92.5, along with Isabelle Moïse Conseil, Unibroue and Y Kombucha.
Lastly, Fondation Olo offers its warm thanks to everyone who participated in Dîner Olo, be it by purchasing a ticket, making a donation or bidding at the auction, and to all the companies that provided items for the auction.
Precious assistance from Tradition and Bonichoix merchants
The success of Dîner Olo is also due to the participation of 135 Tradition and Bonichoix merchants who organized in-store fundraisers in the fall of 2020. Thanks to these initiatives, a total of $84,000 in donations was raised for Dîner Olo—a wonderful success!
