Eighth annual event tops $70,000
Community development, health and education in Honduras received a major boost, as $70,000 was raised at the eighth annual Spirit and Sport Christian Celebrity Dinner and Auction held on Thursday, Sept. 25 at Carmen’s Banquet Centre, 1520 Stonechurch Rd. E., Hamilton.
This year’s sports celebrity guests included former Toronto Argonauts’ all-star running back and coach, and now the team’s CEO, Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, as well as former Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltender Johnny Bower, who led the Leafs to the Stanley Cup in 1962, '63, '64 and '67. The musical guest was Diane Clemons, who recently released her first Gospel CD ‘Fly Away.’
Other sports celebrity guests included former NFL linebacker Robin Cole, who spent 11 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and won two Super Bowl titles, former Toronto Argonaut captain and CFL defensive player of the year Bruce Smith, Argo quarterback Kerry Joseph, fitness trainer/competitor Elaine Seth, and former BC Lion and current chaplain to the Tiger-Cats and Argos Steve Kearns.
Once again, the master of ceremonies was Herbie Kuhn, ‘The Voice of the Toronto Raptors.’ Along with the opportunity to meet various celebrity guests, the evening featured a wide assortment of live and silent auction items.
The event is organized and hosted by ‘The Carpenteros and Friends,’ a group that began at Flamborough’s Calvary Christian Reformed Church with two short-term mission trips in 2001, and has grown beyond the Hamilton area to include a number of congregations with a focus on community development through micro-credit.
The evening also featured an extensive silent auction with nearly 150 items, as well as the popular live auction - led by Jim McCartney, one of Southern Ontario's premier auctioneers - and popular items such as a week aboard a private boat in Holland, round-trip flights to Amsterdam, Muskoka cottage, Florida condos, a sightseeing flight from Spectrum Airways, a professional quality mountain bike, and more.
The 2009 Spirit and Sport Dinner is already scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24. Tickets will become available in July 2009, and can then be ordered by calling 905-627-5810, 905-689-5491 or 905-648-3460 or by sending email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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