A host of Canadian leaders came together to show their support for the cause upheld by the Baycrest Foundation. Rolex too showed its support by sponsoring the event and ensuring the presence of Rolex Canada’s CEO, Victor Royce at the gala. Six community leaders came together for the dance competition that was organized to raise funds for charity. The list of community leaders scheduled to perform at the gala included well known philanthropist Wendy Switzer Myles; co-owner of Toronto Argonaut, David Cynamon; the CEO of Rose Corporation, Sam Reisman; vice-chairman Deloitte, Garry Foster; vice-president RSM, Richter Robert Harlang; and renowned artist Tootsie Halbert.

The leaders were paired with professional dancers from Toronto Dance Inc. and trained for almost two months to be able to give a spectacular performance at the gala night. The ballroom dance competition had been fashioned after the hit series “Dancing with the Stars�. The annual gala from the Baycrest Foundation was held at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto. The president of Baycrest Foundation, Mark Gryfe, stated that the goal of the event was to give an opportunity to people to understand and support the cause upheld by the foundation along with enjoying a fun-filled event which was unique. Mark Gryfe also added that the event caught on so well with the audience that prominent leaders queued up to sign up for the competition next year.

The CEO of Rolex Canada, Victor Royce, graced the occasion along with his wife Bernice Royce and showed his support for the cause by later joining the leaders on the ballroom floor. Other prominent leaders present at the gala included President, T.R.L. Investments, Sydney Cooper along with Florence Cooper; President and CEO, Cineplex, Ellis Jacob along with Sharyn Jacob; Founder, Danier Leather Inc., Irving Wortsman along with Sylvia Wortsman; principal, Genuity Capital Markets, Earl Rotman along with Ariella Rohringer; chairman and CEO, Apotex Inc., Barry Sherman along with Honey Sherman; chairman and CEO, Harry Rosen Inc., Larry Rosen along with Susan Jackson; honourary chairman, Shoppers Drug Mart, Murray Koffler along with Marvelle Koffler; chairman, Burnac Corp., Joseph Burnett along with Colleen Kennedy; district vice-president, Toronto Centre, Scotiabank, Ed Keohane along with Michelle Keohane; and deputy CEO, Gluskin Sheff, Jeremy Freedman along with Judith Finer-Freedman.

Representing Baycrest Foundation on the dance floor was Anthony Melman, chairman, Baycrest, as well as chief executive of Nevele Inc., along with his better half Valerie Melman. Rolex too has lent its invaluable support to various philanthropic and sports events over the years. Rolex has had a long and esteemed association of supporting sports events for the past three decades. Rolex also runs its own philanthropic program which is the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. The philanthropic program run by Rolex helps bring together the masters and aspirants of an arts discipline and give them a platform to exchange ideas. The program is a novel initiative as it not only helps the protégés learn the intricacies of their discipline directly from the masters, but also helps preserve the cultural and artistic heritage of the world.

Spruce Meadows located in the foothills of the Canadian part of the Great Rockies is a well known destination for show-jumping which is popular all across the world. With the announcement that it would be permanent home for not just one but three Rolex watches not only gave the biggest boost to its popularity but also came across as a rare honor for Spruce Meadows as well as the city of Calgary itself.

The announcement came as a pleasant surprise to the participants as well as their fans. If one looks at the kind of prestige the facility holds in the world of show-jumping then it was long overdue. As a matter of fact the same feelings were put forth by the CEO of Rolex Canada, Victor Royce as well. He very rightly acknowledged that the Masters is itself a very prestigious event in the world of show-jumping and it holds the highest position in its field. For Rolex it turned out to be an easy decision to make and a great opportunity to for wider exposure.

The earlier practice which was followed was to bring in the time pieces from US. That too was a difficult task as there is usually some PGA golf tournament or some other event taking place and the Rolex watches used to visit Calgary for a fortnight or less of time. It was not really the kind of arrangement comfortable for Rolex and worthy of a prestigious event like Spruce Meadows. So the decision to make Spruce Meadows the permanent home for three Rolex watches was long overdue.

As admitted by Victor Royce over the years Rolex has grown to become a part of the Spruce Meadows family and this decision only reinforces the same fact. Moreover, a permanent home brings in added advantages. Now Rolex will have its clock in place for two other very important tournaments too, the Canadian National Championship and the North American.

Spruce Meadows is a place where champions descend from all over the world to test their skills against the best of competitors. From Olympic champions to World winners, European as well as National Champions, this is one place where every show-jumping winner wants to come and become a part of. It brings in immense quality to the game of show-jumping.

In fact, quality is what Rolex is also known for. And with this new level of association the things will only improve in future. To facilitate the historic decision Rolex had stationed three highly trained personnel at the Spruce Meadows since the last week to move the in-ring clocks whenever the course was changed. It has been done to make sure that Rolex is well prepared for whatever is likely to happen in future.

Rolex has been bringing its watches to the prestigious masters for close to two decades now and it was but natural that a day would come when Rolex would make a move and make Spruce Meadows a home for its watches and the same has been carried out eventually. It was an historic moment the Spruce Meadows as well as Rolex.