Rock "For The Cause"

Last week, I was pleased to donate my time and skills to a very worthy cause organized by the co-workers of Carolyn Gough. Carolyn, as some of you know, was also a past co-worker and friend of mine from back in the Netcom Canada days, 10 years ago. Although we weren't especially close, we kept in touch throughout all the topsy-turvy transitions that a career in the fast-moving telecom business brings. She ended up at TELUS while I was at Allstream. When I moved full-time to my photography business, we reconnected through some of the TELUS corporate events I was hired to photograph.

She passed away very suddenly last December, a turn of events that shocked everyone who knew her. Her funeral services were attended by so many friends and co-workers that it was literally standing room only inside the chapel, with even more people crammed into the hallway just outside the door. I'm sure she would have been pleased knowing that there had been such a gathering of people in her memory.

April 8, coincidentally, is Carolyn's birthday and it just happened to be the date that fit everyone's schedules best for a fundraiser for The Kidney Foundation of Canada. I was contacted by a mutual friend saying that the organizers were looking for a photographer. I was more than happy to be involved with this, as a small nod to the good times Carolyn and I had together. The evening was hosted at the Hard Rock Café in downtown Toronto, attended primary by the employees of TELUS, RBC and Ogilvy-Renault. Performing for the assembled crowd would be bands formed by the employees of those respective companies.

Now, even though I had twelve years of piano lessons as a kid growing up in Ottawa, I am always in awe of a great, live musical performance, even more so when multiple instruments and vocalists are involved. All three bands sounded great. Band members were almost all employees or executives of those companies, each with a creative passion completely outside of their chosen day job. Having been in a similar situation myself, I completely understand why they love performing!

[return Home]