BOVET 1822 Raises $1.25 m for Haiti Charity

BOVET 1822 Raises $1.25 m for Haiti Charity

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An impressive $1.25 million was raised at the annual Bovet 1822 Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) Festival Fair presented at the iconic Casa Loma in Toronto Canada. Co-chaired by Natasha Koifman and Suzanne Boyd, the event was co-hosted by an influential team who joined Bovet 1822 Owner Pascal Raffy including APJ Founder, Paul Haggis, Jeremy Renner, Jim Belushi, Catherine Keener, Maria Bello, Maxwell, Jimmy Jean Louis and George Stroumboulopoulos.’

Held at the majestic Casa Loma the evening’s title sponsor was APJ strategic partner Bovet 1822. Thanks to the exceptional support of Bovet 1822, APJ is able to give 100 per cent of every dollar raised directly to supporting health, dignity, and education initiatives in Haiti.

Bello started her tribute to Penn by asking guests to declare a word that described him; when the word “Relentless” was sounded, there was a collective sigh of agreement in the room. Upon accepting his award to a standing ovation, Penn encouraged every table in the room to commit to giving to APJ, helping to increase the level of funds raised beyond the already successful live auction.

The live auction offered those in attendance access to bid on one-of-a-kind experiences that went for impressive amounts in support of the cause.  Items included a walk-on role in Paul Haggis’s Gold, starring Matthew McConaughy, a day on set of David Simon’s new HBO series The Deuce, starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Actor Jeremy Renner auctioned a double date for the red carpet TIFF premiere of his film, The Arrival, won by a duo Dean and Dan Caten of DSQUARDED. Soul crooner Maxwell added a surprise auction item, allowing the winner to accompany him and R&B artist Mary J. Blige on their King + Queen of Hearts world tour.

Guests in attendance were treated to a musical performance “It’s A Wonderful World” dedicated to Pascal Raffy by the indie-soul American singer-songwriter, Arum Rae. Slaight Music artist Kayla Diamond, winner of the label’s It’s Your Shot contest, also entertained the crowd earlier that evening with her alt-rock tunes.

Additional VIPs who walked the red carpet for the event included Jimmy Jean-Louis, Maripier Morin, Peter Tunney, Gabriella Wright, Jeanne Beker, Ian Hylton, Drew and Jonathan Scott, and Kevin O’Leary. Several stars and attendees wore BOVET timepieces for the evening, including: actors Jeremy Renner, Jimmy Jean-Louis and Katherine Castro; television and radio personality George Stroumboulopoulos, Academy Award Winning Director and APJ Founder Paul Haggis, and APJ Executive Director David Belle. Several on-air correspondents also wore elegant timepieces.​