Cell phone records suggest fundraiser

By Angela Scappatura –

The suicide of a close friend and co-worker served as the catalyst for the upcoming Soulpact fundraiser said the event organizer.

“When you witness someone spiral with mental illness you realize how much it’s a bigger problem that all people feel pretty close to,” said Chanel Croker. “I think a lot of people have either known someone either personally or themselves have gone through this type of depression.”

Croker first met Nathan Savarie while they were hairstylists at John Steinberg and Associates and watched as her best friend slowly fell into a serious depression that ultimately led to his suicide.

“Nathan was my best friend at the time he died so it had a huge effect on me. It feels really good to do something,” said Croker. “It is a positive reinforcement to something so dark and negative. When you know someone who commits suicide it’s such a sad thing.”

The fundraiser is set to take place on July 7 at 99 Sudbury St. and will feature a silent auction of local artwork preceding a dance party. All proceeds going to the Distress Centre of Toronto.

The street where the event will be held holds a sad coincidence as Savarie grew up in the Northern Ontario city of Sudbury before moving to Toronto to work as a hairstylist.

The Distress Centre has the only 24-hour suicide prevention hotline in Toronto and Croker said it was their contact with Savarie that made them a great choice.

“I found the Distress Centre on Nathan’s cell phone and for some reason I felt like it was really unique,” said Croker. “It’s large, 600 volunteers in the city of Toronto but at the same time I feel like it has a heart, that it really cares about what it does.”

This event is a follow up to the successful Soulpact fundraiser last year that had an attendance of more than 200 and that raised $5,000 for the centre.

Croker said it is important that the event remain affordable and truly represent what Savarie would have wanted.

“It is important for us to keep it a grassroots event with people we know and care about. We don’t want it to become a ritzy gala,” said Croker.  “We want it to be something that reflects our personalities. Nathan was an artist, he was a creative person, the type of party that reflects him is what gives us the focus of it.”

The event begins at 8pm and bidding for the art ends at 11. Tickets can be purchased for $12 in advance at John Steinberg and Associates or at the door for $20. For details visit soulpactfundraiser.com.