September gave us plenty to celebrate, from a joyful opening at Perley Health to a weekend looking skyward at AERO Gatineau-Ottawa, and a delicious night at Canada's Great Kitchen Party. Catch up with us on the memorable moments from the month, plus fall events worth putting on your calendar!

Here's a look at what's inside:

Andrew Fleck Intergenerational Centre Opens at Perley Health

The sights and stories of AERO Gatineau-Ottawa

Yannick La Salle takes gold at Ottawa's Great Kitchen Party qualifier

& more

On September 16, Perley Health and Andrew Fleck Children's Services opened the Andrew Fleck Intergenerational Centre, where 49 children now share daily life with the campus's Veterans and Seniors. We led media relations for the grand opening, connecting reporters with the people behind the project and supporting them on-site.

The moment that stayed with us? Toddlers came down the aisle to You Are My Sunshine, pressed sunflowers into residents' hands, and joined a paper-chain ribbon with one of them. Some stories don't need a pitch, just a room full of people watching.

Five years in, and Harvest: A Feast of Fall is still one of the best nights on Ottawa's fall calendar. On September 16, the region's chefs, restaurants, producers, and beverage partners served up a cocktail-style evening of fall-inspired plates, all of it raising funds for Youturn Youth Support Services. We're grateful to have been part of another year of Harvest, from building the chef-reveal campaign across social to getting the story in front of media.

Harvest works because the food is the draw and the cause is the point. A room that stays busy from the first pour to the last plate, guests circling back for seconds, and an organization that walks alongside young people through the hardest stretches of their lives, getting its moment in front of the whole city.

From September 18 to 20, AERO Gatineau-Ottawa filled the skies over the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, and this year carried real weight: after 55 seasons, the CT-114 Tutor is being retired, and this was the region's last chance to see the Snowbirds fly it. We were glad to be behind the scenes again, building the bilingual media strategy and spending three days on the airfield connecting reporters with the people who could tell them what this farewell meant.



Fans travelled from as far as Calgary to be there. One called it one of the best shows the team has ever flown. Getting those voices in front of regional and national media was the whole job this year, and the Tutor made it an easy one.

Five chefs, five dishes, and one seat at the national table. On September 21, Canada's Great Kitchen Party marked its 20th anniversary with the Ottawa All-Star Invitational at Raphaël Peruvian Cuisine. Yannick La Salle, Executive Chef at the Supreme Court of Canada, took gold with veal sweetbreads made with maple syrup and apples he gathered with his children. We were proud to help tell the story of a night that sends an Ottawa chef to the national stage.



La Salle now joins two-time Canadian Culinary Champion Marc Lepine to represent Ottawa-Gatineau when the Canadian Culinary Championship returns to Ottawa January 29 and 30, bringing 20 All-Star chefs from 10 cities together for three days of competition. Tickets are on sale now.

The clippers came out just after 2 p.m., in front of the Grand Guitar, with a crowd watching. On September 21, four Hard Rock Ottawa team members shaved their heads for CHEO as part of Shave to Be Brave, an idea that started with team member Raquel and grew into a full afternoon of donations, matched giving and a surprise visit from Station 32's firefighters.

Being alongside Hard Rock Ottawa for causes like this one is what makes the work worth it. Together, they raised $10,500 for CHEO and the kids and families it serves.

A Good Morning with United Way

A Good Morning with United Way is sold out, but the waitlist is open. Workplace champions, philanthropists and community leaders gather at the Infinity Centre on September 29 at 7:30 a.m. for stories of collective impact and a look at what comes next for United Way East Ontario.

The RNCH Butterfly Run

Join the RNCH Butterfly Run on Sunday, October 4 at W.C. Levesque Park, 10 a.m. Built on the belief that no bereaved parent should walk alone, the run raises awareness and funds for Roger Neilson Children's Hospice's perinatal hospice and bereavement support programs.

Black Tie Bingo for Bruyère

Glamour, giving, and high-stakes bingo return on Thursday, November 5, at the Infinity Convention Centre at 5:30 p.m. Black Tie Bingo for Bruyère brings supporters together over cocktails and dinner, with proceeds funding patient care and programs at Bruyère Health.

Ottawa Police Gala

The Ottawa Police Gala marks its 15th year at the Rogers Centre Ottawa on Saturday, November 7. Proceeds support Voice Found, the Capital Prosperity Foundation, and the Ottawa Police Service Memorial Cemetery at Beechwood.



Christmas Cheer Breakfast

Christmas Cheer marks 75 years at the Westin Ottawa on Friday, November 27 at 7:00 a.m. What began in 1951 as a radio-thon is now one of Ottawa's most cherished holiday traditions, supporting dozens of local charities that help families through the season.