Posted by Teri Clark, student, class of Spring 2015
Raising $23,150 for charity is no easy feat, but Centennial’s corporate communications and public relations students managed to do it, and on a $0-budget. With no budget and very little event planning experience, this project seemed near impossible to me. I’m sure some of my colleagues felt the same, but with the help of our instructors and some quality teamwork, every event turned out to be a huge success. I’ll be highlighting the five events of CCPR’s Section Two.
The first event was More Than Just a Brew, a charity coffee and tea tasting event in support of Evergreen at Aroma Espresso Bar. With fantastic raffle prizes, live entertainment, and unique teas and coffees for guests to try, the event was a success. The group even managed to secure some media coverage from The Toronto Star (huge PR kudos for that!)
Tea leaves on display at More Than Just a Brew
Braeden Mitchell, Indie Week Artist performing at More Than Just a Brew
The next event was No Laughing Matter, a comedy-themed event in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) at the Bad Dog Comedy Theatre. This group of students secured some awesome high-profile talent: Rebecca Kohler (Toronto’s Best Female Stand-Up in 2013), Mark Little (you know, the guy from Mr. D!), Sandro Veri, Craig Anderson and Colin Munch. The comedians had us in stitches from start to finish, and the team of organizers drove home some important messages about mental health.
No Laughing Matter organizers (L to R): (Top row) Mike Hajmasy, Katie Heffernan, Lukas Pesa, (bottom row) Brianna Hurley, Ali Seller and Sarah May
Mark Little at No Laughing Matter
The organizers of ART HAUS T.O. did an incredible job of converting The Original Grooming Experts barbershop into a trendy art gallery with live entertainment, all in support of Greenhope for Children. With Gary Levy hosting, performances by Of Gentlemen & Cowards and Wolf J MacFarlane, and even some media coverage from OMNI, it really felt like a high-profile event. You’d never guess this group pulled it off with a $0-budget!
ART HAUS T.O. team: (from left) Ranjit Dhatt, Melanie LeBlanc, Pablo Crespo, Vivian Kwong, Chloe Stanois and Jessica Cheng, with Of Gentlement and Cowards (back)
A full “haus” at The Original Grooming Experts
Next, the A Skating Chance team hosted a free skate at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (former Maple Leaf Gardens) in support of Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart charity. A Skating Chance was a day full of skating, games, tasty snacks and hot chocolate, and some amazing raffle and silent auction prizes like a signed Maple Leafs jersey by Nazem Kadri (very fitting for the event!).
Free skate at Mattamy Athletic Centre for A Skating Chance
Raffle time at A Skating Chance
The last event was A Wilki Night Out, a silent auction fundraiser in support of extracurricular funding for Wilkinson Junior Public School. Held at a beautiful venue called The Forth, parents of Wilkinson students had the chance to socialize and raise some money for the school. The Wilki Night Out team raised $5,043 overall and broke the record for most money raised by CCPR students.
Auction items on display at A Wilki Night Out
A Wilki Night Out was held at an elegant venue, The Forth
The Future of PR 