WHEN MARY ANN MacINTOSH became Vice President of Corporate and Community 
Engagement at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre last year, it wasn’t just another step on her professional journey – it was a personal calling.

Mary Ann was in her early twenties when her mother passed away, but despite that devastating loss she learned to cope and move forward, thriving in roles that saw her raising awareness and money for causes close to her heart – the Ottawa Hospital and the National Arts Centre among them. But when the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre offered her the chance to help families reeling from the effects of cancer, she jumped in with both feet.

“This is my personal crusade,” reflects Mary Ann sadly. “My mother learned that she had breast cancer at 46. It moved to her bones and she died at 52. I am really doing this for my mom.”

The ORCC is the only local charitable organization dedicated exclusively to cancer, and is the voice of cancer survivorship in Eastern Ontario. “If a centre like this had existed when my family was living through my mother’s illness, it would have alleviated a lot of stress,” attests Mary Ann. “It would have helped make my mom’s situation a bit better.”

With the downturn in the economy, Mary Ann has had to come up with innovative ways to fundraise for the Centre, like this fall’s Celebrity Chef’s Club for Cancer Survivorship, chaired by Laureen Harper.

Accustomed to organizing the city’s most glittering galas, Mary Ann decided to trade big ballrooms for intimate gatherings of close friends in beautiful homes, catered by Ottawa’s culinary wizards who are donating their time and food to the cause.

The money raised – and hopes are that it will be significant as tickets are $1000 apiece – will help finance the building of Wellspring House. It’s a facility that will offer cancer survivors and their families the emotional and psychological guidance that is essential to getting back to optimal health.

“We’re doing a great job of treating the illness itself, but not such a great job of dealing with the psycho-social issues that arise with a cancer diagnosis,” states Mary Ann.

So, she has designed a turn-key event to help change all of that. All the host has to do is open their home and invite their friends. In return they get great food, great company and the knowledge that they are helping to build a facility that increases cancer survivorship.

It’s entertaining that makes a difference, and that’s the kind of meal everyone wants to share. — Catherine Clark is the host of 
Beyond Politics on CPAC.