Last weekend, Casino Rama hosted its 22nd annual Gala, Cirque Under the Stars on behalf of the Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital Foundation. The special event on November 18, 2023, proved to be another successful edition, and thanks to the overwhelming support from sponsors, donors, and guests, it managed to generate over CA$466,000 for the foundation.
This year’s running of the Gala attracted even more interest than before and the OSMH Foundation and Gala Committee opted to increase the capacity for the event. Cirque Under the Stars took place at the revamped entertainment venue at Casino Rama to accommodate the larger crowd and reported almost double the attendance in comparison to last year.
Enhancing Healthcare Quality
Perry Esler, President and CEO of OSMH Foundation commented that the event was all about the impact. He elaborated that every dollar raised from the Gala is helping the quality of healthcare for the foundation. With the newly raised money, the organization will acquire 30 new Centrella Smart+ Beds, providing a safer, more comfortable patient experience.
Over the weekend, guests of the annual Gala experienced a magical evening in support of local healthcare. Nearly 600 visitors tasted the culinary excellence and cirque-themed entertainment. They also supported the hospital by purchasing raffle tickets, silent auction items, and live auction items, and by donating directly to the purchase of the new smart beds.
Raquel Ness, OSMH Foundation Board Chair shared it was inspiring to see such a tremendous support for the foundation and to deliver benefits to the local community. She said the hospital is sincerely thankful to the many sponsors that made the record-breaking Gala possible, and its team is now looking forward to improving the care that Soldiers’ provides.
Lastly, OSMH Foundation extended its thankfulness towards the casino resort for hosting the Annual Gala, as well as BMO Nesbitt Burns for being headline sponsors, and the volunteer gala committee. Mr. Esler also thanked attendees, volunteers, and sponsors for making a difference now and in the future for better community healthcare.
Casino Rama itself is also a massive contributor to local community groups, and over the years it has made numerous donations. One of those was a generous CA$5,000 donation to The Sharing Place Food Centre in December 2022. But that was not all, as the gaming property also collected over 242 pounds of food which was also sent to the food bank.
Overcoming Cyber-Security Issue
Earlier this year, Casino Rama was one of the many Ontario-based gaming properties to shut down after a cyber-security incident. After being shut down for around two weeks, the gaming establishment renewed work on May 9, 2023. However, the operator, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment, did not provide much details about the cyber-attack, other than being resolved.
Source: “‘Magical’ gala raises over $460K for OSMH Foundation” Orillia Matters, November 21, 2023
