Ottawa, November 27 - CASCO, a twenty-four-year-old organization at the University of Ottawa dedicated to raising funds for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), recently celebrated its annual Gala. The night-long experience was brimming with food, musical arrangements, a fashion show, and various dance performances. A highlight for much of the greater Telfer community, this event provides a great opportunity for students to come together, enjoy a fun evening before the exam season rush, and support the CHEO foundation. Despite being aware of the CASCO gala for over three years, this was my first time attending the event with my friends and loved ones. With twenty-four years of experience and the desire to reach a goal of a cumulated one million dollars, CASCO spared no effort to reach the epic benchmark of one million dollars donated.

CASCO, founded in 1998, started collaborating with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario to support its initiatives in childhood healthcare technology and research. Founded by Telfer alumni Alexandre St-Jean and Tuan Nguyen, CASCO was founded in honor of their friend Eric Danis, who passed away from leukemia. CASCO’s donations furthermore contribute to CHEO’s initiatives to make its patients as comfortable as possible in their new environment. With its main clientele being children, many have difficulty adapting to this new environment oftentimes away from their parents. These efforts can include anything from toys to comfort them in their hospital rooms to support programs for the children and their families.

CASCO's gala is an annual themed event that generates a significant number of donations for CHEO. Attendants can either choose to purchase an individual ticket or a table in which they can choose which of their friends or associates can sit with them. Alongside a three-course meal, the night is divided into two parts, featuring student performers, models, and dancers in both segments. The intermission between the two parts allows attendants to donate and purchase CASCO and CHEO merchandise, as well as take photos with appropriately branded CASCO and CHEO backdrops. Additionally, the event welcomes representatives from the Telfer School of Management and the CHEO foundation, who deliver speeches and provide insights into the organization's direction.

Arriving at the Infinity Convention Centre in Windsor Park Village, I was immediately promoted to check in my jacket at the coat check and was given my seating assignment, table eleven. After a brief cocktail catching up and joking with a few friends, we took our seats and the show promptly started. The show began with a presentation and speeches from the club’s executive team, including Faseeha Farhan, the vice president of operations, and Andrew Junop, the club’s president. Following this was the beginning of the show proper. The show followed the theme of Time and Time Again, and music, fashion, and performances which reflected the many eras that the show explored. Everything from the music of WHAM! to Taylor Swift performed, with dancers who embodied the distinctive styles of each era. While the song and dance performances were executed exceptionally well, I particularly enjoyed the modeling section of the show. Meant as a buffer and transition between the performances or speeches, the models—all students—adorned era-appropriate outfits. Despite having limited time to showcase their performances, each model ensured that their execution was full of character and personality, leaving a lasting and memorable impression. “I am immensely proud of the entire CASCO team for orchestrating such an incredible event. It was truly a night to remember,” Andrew Junop says as he reflects on the night.

A particular highlight of the night consisted of an actual patient of the CHEO hospital, who came up to deliver her brave story about her experience going through the rehabilitation program and learning how to walk again. After losing some of her ability to walk after complications from treatments, CHEO did everything in its power to give her and her family the resources and guidance they needed through this challenging time. In particular, Carissa and her brother found solace through the mental health service CHEO provides to families who have children currently staying at the hospital and were able to navigate Carissa’s stay and the many physical and mental challenges they faced throughout all of it. Partly funded by CASCO’s initiatives, this program gave a lot of attendants a powerful incentive to donate to the CHEO foundation and help families such as Carissa’s.

In an interview with Andrew Junop, the CASCO’s outgoing president reflects on the gala and his experience as president. Junop stated that “being president of CASCO for the past year, joining thousands of alumni who are part of the CASCO family, has had a profound impact on [his] life. It has been a year of growth, challenges, and new opportunities, both for [himself] personally and for CASCO,” and agrees however that he had an “amazing opportunity to grow and expand [The CASCO] model of grassroots fundraising and community engagement to support this tremendous cause, while providing students at the University of Ottawa, from all faculties, the chance to learn and use real-life business skills in a non-profit setting,”. Junop reinforces this through how he quantifies success in his team saying “[The CASCO team’s] success goes beyond just the number on our final cheque, it's about the friendships made, skills learned, and lives impacted,”. Junop states that he is more than “confident in the future of the organization, and grateful for the opportunities [he has] had,”.

“When I saw the cheque we presented, over $81,000, I was blown away. It was beyond what I expected," Andrew Junop commented after the night had concluded. CASCO's dedication to raising money for CHEO for over twenty-four years has inspired many to support their cause as much as possible. This support led to CASCO reaching its ultimate goal. As the night came to a close, the entire University of Ottawa's CASCO team joined Andrew Junop, the club president on stage, who presented the final amount raised for that year. Much to the delight of the audience, CASCO exceeded their goal, raising 1.1 million dollars for the CHEO foundation cumulatively over 24 years.

Works Cited:

CASCO uOttawa. CASCO. (n.d.). https://www.casco-telfer.ca/projects-3

Montoni, M. (2023, December 1). Interview with Andrew Junop. personal.