The Salvation Army celebrates another successful Hope in the City Breakfast.

HITCB
by British Columbia
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The Salvation Army celebrated the 13th annual Hope in the City Breakfast in Vancouver, British Columbia on Tuesday, November 25th. Through the corporate support received at this annual fundraiser, The Salvation Army is prepared to continue to provide hope, dignity, and opportunity to those in need throughout local communities.

The Salvation Army provides unprecedented support to society’s most vulnerable, accounting for 1/3 of all social services in British Columbia, with 86% of funds raised being directly re-invested into the lives of those in need.

Set against the backdrop of the stunning Vancouver Convention Centre, this highly anticipated Christmas event is championed by some of Vancouver’s most influential business elite, including Thomas Skidmore, President and CEO of Glentel Inc, George Hungerford, OC, QC, Partner, Hungerford Properties, Ron McLaughlin and Brian Cole.

This year, The Salvation Army welcomed featured keynote speaker, Paolo Aquilini, Managing Director of the Aquilini Investment Group and owner of The Vancouver Canucks franchise. Paolo moved the audience as he spoke about leadership, the stigma surrounding mental illness and the good work of The Salvation Army. He has always believed that everyone has a responsibility to support their community and neighbors – and in particular, those in vulnerable positions. Shared Paolo, “we all have a place and deserve to have hope renewed and joy restored.” The Salvation Army, with its long history believes in the same guiding principles of giving hope, dignity and opportunity to those in need.

Alongside Paolo, the event drew Commissioner Susan McMillan, Territorial Commander for The Salvation Army in Canada & Bermuda. Commissioner McMillan has been a Salvation Army officer for 35 years. She has served in Canada, Mexico, South America East (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), South America West (Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador) and The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters in London, England.

This corporate breakfast is considered by many as the flagship corporate fundraiser to open the Christmas Season. Over the past 13 years, the Hope in the City Breakfast has expanded with the support of many local and regional corporate sponsors raising well over $2,000,000 for The Salvation Army’s work in British Columbia. The 2014 event drew over 960 influential corporate business people from across the country, and raised $308,000.