Annual Report 2016

33 / 76

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation 29
Spreading holiday cheer in a meaningful way
Holidays are a traditional time of saying thank you to customers, suppliers,
colleagues and loved ones, and both individuals and organizations sometimes
struggle to find the most appropriate and meaningful way to do that. For
nine years, Tolin Enterprises— a framing construction contracting firm in
Concord, Ontario—has said thank you to their clients and suppliers by making
donations in their honour in support of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
Tony Gargaro, President of Tolin Enterprises donates to The Princess Margaret to support great care,
research and its exceptional staff. He has experienced firsthand, the loss of close family members and
friends, so this cause is dear to his heart.
Marisa Messina, Office Manager at Tolin also shares great admiration for The Princess Margaret, with the
loss of her mother and father to cancer. Her sister was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and is in
remission at the present time. “Dr. Donna E. Reece M.D. and her team gave our family the best support and
everything available to cope with this illness.”
The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation is very grateful to Tolin Enterprises for their support of cancer
research at The Princess Margaret. They have donated over $65,000 through the Holiday Program, and they
have also been great supporters of riders and walkers in our Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer and Rexall
OneWalk to Conquer Cancer.
Fighting cancer one dress at a time
Preparing for a wedding is a time when brides and
grooms often reflect on who will be missing from their
important day. It might be a parent, a sibling, or a
friend. When Helen Sweet was planning her wedding
11 years ago, she thought about her best friend Lisa,
who she lost to sarcoma (the same cancer as Terry
Fox) when she was just nine-years-old. Cancer later
took her cousin, several grandparents and friends.
The experience of planning her wedding planted a
seed in Helen that led her to start The Bride’s Project.
It provides an environmentally, socially and fiscally-
conscious option for brides seeking a wedding dress,
and for brides seeking the benefits of recycling and
reusing after they no longer need their wedding dress.
Helen has donated $40,000 over the past two years
from the proceeds of The Bride’s Project to support
cancer research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
“When they hear about The Bride’s Project, many
brides see it as a wonderful way they can honour the
people they have lost to cancer, as well as those who
have survived the disease,” explains Helen.
For more information about The Bride’s Project,
go to
Helen Sweet, Owner of The Bride’s Project and
Michelle Lawrie Kundurpi, who donated her dress.