Our 2026 Autumn Evening for Autism raises $40,562!

What a wonderful night at our Autumn Evening! Thank you for joining us and making it another stellar event. 

Drum roll please 🥁...  Our grand total raised was $40,562!  
 
Highlights of the evening with photos below: 
 
- The 50/50 winner was Jody McCombe ($485!) 

- The Air Canada Foundation prize winner was Jia-Zhan Song (Kinaxis) who won two return Air Canada tickets for anywhere in North America including Hawaii and the Caribbean! 
 
Congratulations to you both!  
 
We were excited to share that John & Pina Sicard are donating a further $200,000 to our charity. Just WOW, what a difference you are making for so many children and their families. 
 
Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors: 
- Patchwork Child Psychology 
- Kinaxis 
 
and our Parent Sponsors: 
- RBC Wealth Management PH&N Investment Counsel - David Stewart 
- 49North an MDA Space Business 
 
Thank you to Amy Lamothe, our parent speaker, who stepped bravely out of her comfort zone and so eloquently shared her journey with us.  
 
We were pleased to have Jim & Ginette Munson, our Patrons, join us for the evening. 
 
Chef Blackie, as always, didn’t disappoint with the delicious food & wine pairing. Outstanding! 
 
Thank you, Lawrence Greenspon, for being our Emcee and for another entertaining and successful live auction, and Carter Grusys his able assistant! 
 
The NeXT staff and our volunteers were super!  
 
And last but not least, thank you to all our auction donors for their generosity. 
 
We look forward to seeing everyone next year!! 

Here are a few highlights from Amy’s speech:

“Long before I ever knew QuickStart existed, I knew what it felt like to have a child who needed support and not be able to get it. I knew what it was like to ask questions, to advocate, to wait and to watch years of my child's life pass while we were still waiting for answers or at least some kind of support…Someone told me about QuickStart.

I called. Suzanne answered the phone and told me they could help us with in just a few weeks And they did…QuickStart gave (my child) a head start. Or, quite literally, a QuickStart...Early support matters. 

My children don't need to be less autistic. They need to be understood. They need ways to communicate. They need support that meets them where they are and early enough to make a difference. And they deserve the opportunity to reach their own potential.”