Panda Ball at the Aria room at the Four Seasons Hotel

Panda Ball at the Aria room at the Four Seasons Hotel

The Panda Ball is an evening of celebrating the place that connects us all, Earth. This 2nd annual fundraising gala for the World Wildlife Fund brought together key philanthropists and business visionaries who want to make positive changes in the conservation of the universe’s only known living planet. The work that the WWF does is so vital, dealing with issues that impact everyone on a global scale in a changing climate, melting Arctic, health of our oceans, rivers and the preservation of wildlife and endangered species.

It was our first time at the new luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville. We had the pleasure of meeting The Bachelor Canada’s one and only Brad C. Smith who had heaps of fun facial expressions to share with us. Thanks for the photo ops!

Following the reception, guests were gathered into the thoughtfully decorated Aria banquet room with elegant dining table settings. The gold panda pins at each seat were a nice touch. The charismatic Ziya Tong, co-host of Daily Planet, did a great job as Master of Ceremonies for the evening and she made inspirational speeches about the importance of environmental issues and our planet Earth.

Environmental Leader Awards were given out to Greg Kiessling, co-founder of Bullfrog Power, for “Leader for Conservation”, followed by the award for “Partner in Conservation”, accepted by Coca-Cola Canada President, Nicola Kettlitz, and the “Living Planet Legacy” was awarded to Annette Verschuren who highlighted her work as President of Home Depot Canada.

Feist rounded out the evening with unique renditions of her hits such as “My Moon My Man”.

At the end of the evening everyone enjoyed choosing their own WWF stuffed animal species to take home and adopt. So many great ones to choose from! Check out all these great stuffed animals you can choose from that would make great Christmas gifts. You’ll also be eligible to receive a tax receipt while also supporting WWF’s conservation efforts.

We wish the best success to the WWF in it’s fundraising efforts.

ABOUT WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is Canada’s largest international conservation organization with the active support of more than 150,000 Canadians. We connect the power of a strong global network to on-the-ground conservation efforts across Canada, with offices in Vancouver, Prince Rupert,Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, St. John’s, and a growing presence in the Arctic. For more information visit wwf.ca

Brad C Smith, Bachelor Canada, and Arlene Dickinson of Dragon’s Den at the VIP reception

Auctioneer, Jay Mandarino with guests at the VIP reception

Dinner setting for Panda Ball at the new Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville, Toronto

Dinner setting for Panda Ball at the new Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville, Toronto

Ziya Tong, co-host of Daily Planet and MC of Panda Ball 2012

Ziya Tong, co-host of Daily Planet and Master of Ceremonies at Panda Ball 2012

Annette Verschuren, O.C. accepting an Environmental Leader Award: Living Planet Legacy

Feist performing at Panda Ball 2012

Feist performing at Panda Ball 2012

Feist performing at Panda Ball 2012

Dessert at Panda Ball

Dessert at Panda Ball: Caramelized pear Pavlova, vanilla brulee with Cointreau Chantilly

Wonderful WWF ladies giving out stuffed animals to each guest

Lindt chocolate teddy bears for a sweet ending to the evening

Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style
An evening of hands-on molecular cuisine

Nick Lee

Editor and Photos at BestOfToronto.net