21st Annual Butterfly Ball Raises $720,000 to Supp

TORONTO, May 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre (Boost CYAC) is thrilled to announce that its major fundraising event of the year – The Butterfly Ball ^® – raised a stunning $720,000 to support its critical work to support children and youth who have experienced abuse and violence. The sold out event welcomed over 400 guests and took place last night at the Four Seasons Hotel. Yannick and Shantelle Bisson were Honorary Chairs of the gala and hosted the exciting evening.

Yannick is best known for his long-running role as Detective William Murdoch on CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries and Shantelle is a regular contributor to Huffington Post and a producer, actress, and novelist.

“We are truly honoured and privileged to be part of the Butterfly Ball and to support the vital work that Boost does to help children in crisis. Having raised three daughters, the safety and security of children is very important to us. Through our charity work, Yannick and I primarily support, donate to and promote children's causes,” noted Shantelle.

“As our single largest fundraiser, the Butterfly Ball plays a huge role in our ability to provide critical services to children and youth in Toronto. After 21 years, this event is still going strong, in part because of our generous guests but also because of the dedicated volunteers who plan and execute this stunning event year after year,” stated Boost CYAC President & CEO, Karyn Kennedy in her closing remarks.

Guests were entertained by the smooth sounds of singer/songwriter, Aion and donned their dancing shoes for tunes by BELLOSOUND. Master auctioneer, Brett Sherlock navigated the live auction expertly and kept the bidding lively. Items included a trip to New York Fashion Week, an Adrenaline Package that included a day-long experience with Toronto Police Marine Unit as well as tickets to local sporting events, a trip to Augusta, Georgia for the Masters Golf Tournament and a private tour of the Guerlain’s atelier in Chattres, France. Guests were also treated to a $100 gift card from DAVIDS Footwear.

Toronto Police Chief, Mark Saunders attended the event as did The Honourable Peter MacKay, current Chair of the Boost CYAC Board of Directors. “I believe Boost CYAC is the gold standard of care for our country. It focuses on trauma-informed, best practices in addressing the needs of each child and on gathering strong evidence for court. The need is simple; to develop a new facility and a strong funding base for programs. This vision to grow city-wide and build an exceptional space for all children in the city is possible,” noted MacKay.

Click here for photos from the event .

About Boost CYAC Boost CYAC is an innovative community response to child abuse investigations. A partnership between local community and government agencies, it brings together all professionals involved in child abuse cases under one roof, for a coordinated, interdisciplinary response to child abuse victims in Toronto. In addition to housing Toronto’s only child & youth advocacy centre, Boost CYAC offers a number of direct services including, primary prevention, public education, trauma assessment and therapy and court preparation for child witnesses. boostforkids.org

Media Contact Lindsay Jolie, Director of Communications & Community Relations (416) 560-7568 | jolie@boostforkids.org