Aboard the Mariposa Belle for the fifth time, Canadian and U.S. supporters of the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF) cruised on Lake Ontario on July 18. Although rain was predicted, it turned out to be a beautiful evening, and a boat was the best place to be in the midst of Canada’s late July heat wave. About 110 guests attended the event, with C.E. Electronics buying the most tickets, at 19. EESF Canada (EESFC)’s Secretary-Treasurer Tom Rennick doled out tickets with a little help from your reporter. Attendance was up over previous years with the help of great publicity from Canadian Elevator Contractors Association Executive Director Catherine Bothwell.
Bill Rogan of Skyline Elevator enjoyed his second year as fund campaign chairman for EESFC. He and Alan Hopkirk had secret bets going to see who could outdo the other in donating. Each ended up donating CAD1,600 (US$1,536) to the Foundation after much back and forth messaging while each held down his end of the boat.
It was amazing how fast the gorgeous Toronto skyline slipped away and more rural areas of the lake appeared. To your reporter, it looked very much like a South Alabama salt marsh – complete with the humidity and heat, but minus the mosquitos! Many cruisers enjoyed watching families of ducks and geese floating about. After an hour or so of cruising, a full meal was served on the lower deck. Meanwhile up top, music and an open bar added to the enjoyment.
As the three-hour trip came to a close and the brightly lit Toronto skyline reappeared, Executive Director Barbara Allen announced the 50/50 draw winner (one of C.E. Electronics’ guests) and that the trip had netted more than CAD7,000 (US$6,721) for the organization – enough to present Safe-T Rider© to more than 14,000 children in Canada. Next year’s Toronto Cruise for EESFC will be on July 17 aboard the Mariposa Showboat.
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