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| Path: Main Street : Resources & Library : Research Articles : Feature Article |
The Battle of the Brains gets corporate honchos givingMay 27, 1998; Canadian FundRaiser
"What famous blues singer calls his guitar Lucille?" If you don't know, you wouldn't have been much help to the tables of corporate executives competing at The Battle of the Brains last April 2. Members of over 55 of Canada's leading national corporations paid for 75 $10,000-tables at the CBC Atrium in Toronto, where a dinner was topped off with a Jeopardy-style competition. It was the fifth annual battle the Invest in Kids Foundation has organized to raise funds for its programs to help children with financial needs. Since 1994, this mental Olympics for Canada's corporate world has raised $1,865,000 for intervention programs for children with special social, emotional and cognitive needs.
Ever since it was launched with a huge Ontario government grant, the extremely well-connected IKF has been clearly determined to raise its profile, and is willing to invest heavily to do so - for example buying a full-page ad in the Toronto Globe & Mail the day after the Battle, to announce the event had taken place and ensure that the corporate sponsors and directors received adequate public recognition. "We're a young foundation and this is a great way to become known in the corporate community," says Katherine Richmond, Development Coordinator for IKF. "The evening provides corporations with an interesting way to entertain their clients and something very different from the usual black tie function."
Tables of ten corporate players captained by their chief executive officer, president or senior executive tried to answer questions on topics such as the Royal family, newsworthy events, the financial community, geography, history and the Arts. The points each table earned from solving questions were shown on electronic scoreboards at each table. McCarthy Tetrault won this year's competition, to take home The Kidder Cup for 1998. Other corporate participants included Unilever Canada Ltd., CIBC Wood Gundy, RBC Dominion Securities Inc., Bank of Montreal, Novacor Chemicals Ltd., United Airlines, TD Securities Inc. and The Royal Bank of Canada. The Rider Travel Group sponsored the Battle of the Brains with Mark Ryder as the chair for the evening.
Changing the venue of the event has been one way Richmond says the foundation has helped to build its appeal. The battle was first held at the Molson Brewery, then at the Fort York Armouries in its second. For the last two years, the Sheraton Hotel was chosen and its location allowed some executives to walk there after work from Bay Street. In the future, Richmond says that the Battle of the Brains may change its venue and some of its format but hopefully not its success.
For more information call the Invest in Kids Foundation at 1-888-543-3863.
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