Held at the majestic Casa Loma, the event was co-hosted by an influential team who joined Bovet 1822 owner Pascal Raffy including APJ founder, Paul Haggis, Jeremy Renner, Jim Belushi, Catherine Keener, Maria Bello, Maxwell, Jimmy Jean Louis, and George Stroumboulopoulos. Thanks to the exceptional support of Bovet 1822, APJ is able to give 100 per cent of every dollar raised directly to supporting health, dignity, and education initiatives in Haiti.
Paul Haggis, Pascal Raffy and Maria Bello presented J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO) founder Sean Penn with the second annual Peace and Justice Award, recognizing his longstanding commitment to supporting communities in Haiti and promoting the ideals of peace and social justice around the world.
The live auction offered those in attendance access to bid on one-of-a-kind experiences that went for impressive amounts in support of the cause. Items included a walk-on role in Paul Haggis’s Gold, starring Matthew McConaughy, a day on set of David Simon’s new HBO series The Deuce starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Actor Jeremy Renner auctioned a double date for the red carpet TIFF premiere of his film, The Arrival, won by a duo Dean and Dan Caten of DSQUARDED. Soul crooner Maxwell added a surprise auction item, allowing the winner to accompany him and R&B artist Mary J. Blige on their King + Queen of Hearts world tour.
Jeremy Renner, Pascal Raffy and Paul-Haggis © Bovet 1922
Additional VIPs who walked the red carpet for the event included Jimmy Jean-Louis, Maripier Morin, Peter Tunney, Gabriella Wright, Jeanne Beker, Ian Hylton, Drew and Jonathan Scott, and Kevin O’Leary. Several stars and attendees wore BOVET timepieces for the evening, including actors Jeremy Renner, Jimmy Jean-Louise and Katherine Castro; television and radio personality George Stroumboulopoulos, Academy Award Winning Director and APJ Founder Paul Haggis, and APJ Executive Director David Belle. Several on-air correspondents also wore elegant timepieces.
Immediately following the 2010 earthquake, APJ funded the purchase of land and construction to build Haiti’s largest and first free high school, the Academy for Peace and Justice, which serves the poorest and most deserving youth in Port-au-Prince. The Academy reached 2800 students at full capacity in 2016 and celebrated its first graduating class, giving underprivileged children the opportunity to continue their education beyond the sixth grade. Bovet 1822 became involved in the cause early on, with Bovet Owner Pascal Raffy drawn to the organization’s heartfelt mission.
“I met the great Artists for Peace and Justice family during an evening fundraiser on Sunset Boulevard in California”, said Pacal Raffy. ” This led me to discover with them the Sun City or Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince with Father Rick of The St. Luke Foundation of Haiti. This giant inspired my indefectible will to feed the hope of Haiti’s children through education, perseverance and pride. Today our partnership with Artists for Peace and Justice continues to uphold the same valued qualities of the house of Bovet. We are proud that coming together in Toronto was again a success and that we can help guarantee 100% of the gifts from this beautiful evening go straight to supporting the children and school in Haiti where it is so desperately needed.”
