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Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation receives surprise $1-million donation

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Sine Chadi handed the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation a cheque for $1 million Friday night and said it was from his family.

“The kids and families that spend many days months and often years at the Glenrose have made a space built in 1964 work for far too long,” Chadi told a sellout crowd at the foundation’s annual Courage Gala at the Shaw Conference Centre.

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“It is our hope that our family’s gift will transcend to inspire more support. The Chadi family is joined by several other community leaders here tonight who have pledged a donation to the Write the Future Campaign.”

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Glenrose staff were euphoric by the surprise announcement.

“This is the largest donation ever received for pediatric rehabilitation and it will ensure youngsters will have access to world-class facilities,” said the foundation’s Trina Johnson.

“The gift from Sine, his brother Jake and the Chadi family is a huge signal to the community that Glenrose kids matter.”

The new space will be called the Chadi Centre for Pediatric Care.

Chadi, whose Imperial Equities company was in its final year of a five-year commitment as the gala’s presenting sponsor, said much has changed in five years, but an important element remains unchanged.

“By supporting the Glenrose, we’re supporting loved ones at their most vulnerable time and helping them to regain their life,” he said.

Wendy Dugas, the Glenrose foundation president and CEO, praised the Chadi family for its gift in difficult economic times and then noted the gala itself had raised some $900,000.

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A fun part of the night was when Jason Gregor of TSN 1260 radio issued an appeal full of humour to persuade 100 guests each to promise to donate $1,000 to the Glenrose foundation.

Steve Petasky of the Luxus Group introduced the only auction item of the night, a seven-night stay at a restored six-bedroom 16 century, Tuscany farmhouse. It sold for $26,000.

Leading the way to the dance floor were a few of the 19 young Glenrose patients who attended, some of whom spoke of near-death experiences or had lost limbs.

Jared and Jessica Smith were the gala’s honorary chairs and it was Jessica who explained why there was an exhibition of many poignant photos of youngsters.

“What I love about photojournalism is it is real photography,” said Jessica, who took a photojournalism course in New York last year.

“So much photography we view today, so many images we share and consume on social media, are contrived, arranged, planned and highly constructed. We are spending countless hours absorbing other people’s filtered images while we walk through our own realities unfiltered.”

The union Unite Here Local 47 has signed on as gala presenting sponsors for the next five years.

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Grit beats pizza slip

Thank goodness for epicureans and countless charities — Carmelo Rago did not quit when he slipped and fell into a snowbank one miserable winter night.

“My pizza delivery driver hadn’t shown up and the pizza I was delivering flew everywhere,” says Rago, who then owned a restaurant in Castle Downs.

“I was a teacher and nearly quit. But the next night I was out delivering pizza again.”

He persevered, married his wife Stella Saccomanno in 1979 and together they built the Sorrentino’s restaurant chain.

Stella knew commerce. When she was nine, she’d stand on a crate to handle the till at her father’s grocery store.

This week, the couple will arguably make Edmonton the “stinkiest” city in North America after bringing in 1,000 kilograms of garlic for Sorrentino’s 26th annual Garlic Festival.

“We expect to serve more than 100,000 guests in one month,” says Stella. “It’s our biggest month after Christmas.

“All our restaurants have signs saying ‘Eat, Drink and Stink,’ including Stony Plain, a franchise, and the Bistecca Italian Steak House, where we partner with our corporate chef Sonny Sung.”

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Restaurateurs Carmelo and Stella Rago have raised millions of dollars for charity and expect to raise a sizable sum this month during their Sorrentino’s 26th Annual Garlic Festival. They have brought in 1,000 kilos of garlic for the festival and say this is their biggest month outside Christmas.
Restaurateurs Carmelo and Stella Rago have raised millions of dollars for charity and expect to raise a sizable sum this month during their Sorrentino’s 26th Annual Garlic Festival. They have brought in 1,000 kilos of garlic for the festival and say this is their biggest month outside Christmas.  Journal file photo

Carmelo says he didn’t know the difference between a rye and Coke and a Caesar back in the early Castle Downs days.

“But I began to research when customers increasingly asked about garlic dishes,” he says. “I found out about California’s self-styled capital of Gilroy and went to investigate.”

He might actually have lost money on the first one-night garlic celebration, but it quickly took off and today the Garlic Festival now boasts its own garlic wine, garlic beer and garlic ice cream.

The Ragos always knew their success was community-based and have donated several million dollars to charities, including helping create Sorrentino’s Compassion House, the cancer home for out-of-town women in Edmonton for treatment.

Other charities that have benefited include The Campaign for Prostate Health, the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, the Bissell Centre and the YWCA.

A highlight this week is Wednesday’s Big Garlic Night, from which five per cent of sales from all restaurants goes to Sorrentino’s Compassion House. On Sunday, April 30 there’s a lavish, limited-seating Mini Garlic Stomp at Sorrentino’s downtown, supporting Compassion House. Tickets are $200.

If you’d like a trip to San Francisco and a visit to Gilroy, enter the Garlic Festival Cook Off on May 3. The winners will also be featured on CTV’s Morning Show.

For more festival information, go to www.sorrentino’s.com.

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