$100K gift helps Maddy’s Gala shatter fundraising record for Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice

From left, Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice CEO Megan Wright with Otto family members Hannah, Jeanine and Dean during the big reveal of a new fundraising record set for Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

$100K gift helps Maddy’s Gala shatter fundraising record for Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice

Published On: April 19, 2026By Caroline Phillips

There are very few events that can leave a room misty-eyed one moment and buzzing with excitement the next. Maddy’s Gala is one of them.

It’s the kind of evening where guests wipe away tears during loving tributes, raise their glasses to a beautiful life taken too soon, and then hit the dance floor. Grief doesn’t get the final say in this room.

Held in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice (RNCH), the award-winning fundraiser, now in its 17th year, was back at Brookstreet Hotel on Saturday night. “This is one of those very rare events that manages to be both incredibly meaningful, a little emotional, and also turns into a bad-ass party by the end of the night,” emcee Patricia Boal, anchor for CTV News Ottawa, told the first-time attendees in the room.

This year’s Moulin Rouge theme, complete with faux windmill, costumed showgirls and an Eiffel Tower ice sculpture, carried through to a bold burlesque performance in the dance room following the formal program.

The burlesque show at the Moulin Rouge-themed Maddy’s Gala kicked off — and up — with a can-can dancing number. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Boal also acknowledged guests who have been “walking the journey with a very special family from the beginning.” Maddy’s Gala was created in 2008 to honour five-year-old Madison Otto, who passed away in 2007 at RNCH within 48 hours of a diagnosis at CHEO of an inoperable tumour.

Each year, her parents Jeanine Otto and Dean Otto, along with their daughter Hannah, host the fundraiser with a team of friends as a way of paying tribute to the little girl and the legacy she left behind. This year, the evening also partnered with the Senators Community Foundation.

The Maddy Gala committee (left to right): Tricia Scott, Meagan Willman (behind), Hannah Otto, Charlene Knight (behind), Jeanine Otto and her husband Dean Otto, Laurie Waara (behind), Jessica Crouch (front), Joann Birmingham, Brittany Smith and Anne Browne. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Patricia Boal, anchor on CTV News Ottawa, was back to host the Moulin Rouge-themed Maddy’s Gala in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice, held at Brookstreet Hotel on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ted Wagstaff, president of North45, Meghan Davis (partner of Ottawa Senators player Jake Sanderson), and Wagstaff’s partner, Jacqueline Belsito, president of the Senators Community Foundation, at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Maddy’s memory, it seems, still knows how to fill a room. The event — with 485 guests in attendance — sold out in just weeks.

Heading into the evening, the gala had raised $1.7 million over the years, but a surprise $100,000 gift from an anonymous couple attending for the first time helped push the event’s total funds raised past the $2-million mark. The audience was on its feet clapping when the announcement was made by Boal.

Though Maddy was only at RNCH for about six hours, the support the Ottos received at that time and afterward had a lasting impact on their lives. “Because of all of you, we continue to honour Maddy’s life by supporting families who need it most,” Jeanine Otto told the room before asking everyone to raise a glass for a toast.

“To our beautiful girl. To love that never fades. To a legacy that continues to make a difference. To Maddy.”

Her words were followed by the soft sound of clinking glasses. There was also a tribute video offering a glimpse into Maddy’s short but much-loved life.

Hannah Otto and parents Dean Otto and Jeanine Otto lead the room in a toast to Madison Otto, in whose memory Maddy’s Gala was created in 2008. Photo by Caroline Phillips

There were families in the room who understood Otto’s pain all too well.

Among them were Martin Bellehumeur and Elissa Fantuz, who shared the story of their daughter, Adéle, who died from the same cancer at RNCH in November 2022, at just 18 months old.

They described her as a “smiling force of nature” who was walking by 10 months.

They also spoke candidly about grief, parenthood and the emotional contradictions that come with both.

“CHEO and Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice could not save Adéle,” said Martin. “But they did the next best thing. They saved us.”

The couple has since welcomed a second daughter, Stella, calling her “our gift from the stars” for the joy, healing and new perspective that she’s brought to their lives. Bellehumeur recited a poem by Henry Scott-Holland called Death is Nothing at All. He shared this perspective: “There’s a profound truth in the idea that a society’s strength is not measured by the wealth of its most affluent members, but by how well its most vulnerable citizens are able to cope.”

Martin Bellehumeur, toting a Spartycat plushie as his emotional sidekick, shared his family story at Maddy’s Gala of losing their daughter Adéle to cancer in 2022 and the support they received from Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Bellehumeur, owner at Oakforge Home Renovations, has been supporting Maddy’s Gala for the past few years, buying a table and filling it with friends and family. While it was nerve-wracking to get up on stage, he was glad he did. “Adéle’s our favourite subject,” he told CiTC afterward. “We love to be able to share her story.”

Following their remarks, there was an exchange of supportive hugs from the Otto parents and their daughter Hannah, who is getting married this summer to Kyle McCarney, regional manager for Eastern Ontario of Inflector Environmental Services.

Maddy’s Gala is not simply a fundraiser. For many, it’s a reunion. A support system. A place where families who have endured the unimaginable can be together, and where first-time guests quickly understand they are being welcomed into something much bigger than a dinner event.

“To all of you here, welcome to the family,” Todd Thompson, who has attended every Maddy’s Gala, told the audience. The evening is a family affair, as well. Jeanine’s aging parents, Jean-Guy and Clare Savoie, drive each year from northern New Brunswick to take part.

Thompson kept the energy light while leading the crowd through a heads-or-tails game. This version ran on an app. “A coin is so 1999,” Thompson joked.

Dean Otto seen embracing Elissa Fantuz after she and her husband Martin Bellehumeur shared their family’s story of loss, grief and healing. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The evening was once again presented by Canadian Tire and also welcomed new major sponsor Caivan.

Representing the Ottawa Senators Foundation were president Jacqueline Belsito with Meghan Davis, whose partner is Sens player Jake Sanderson; foundation board chair Elliott Gauthier, an executive at global communications agency Burson; and retired tech executive John Sicard, who’s also on the foundation board. He was joined by his wife, Pina Sicard.

Sens alumni included Mark Borowiecki with his wife, Tara Borowiecki, and Zach Smith and his wife, Brittany Smith, who’s a long-time member of the gala volunteer committee. Radek Bonk, from an earlier era of Senators hockey, attended with his wife, Jill Bonk.

From Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice were CEO Megan Wright with members of her senior team and her volunteer board, led by Michelle Bouchard from accounting firm HW Partners and vice chair Mike Lupiano from Lupiano Executive Search.

Also in attendance was Steve Read, president and CEO of CHEO Foundation. One of its board members, Karen Sparks, executive director of Wesley Clover Parks, was in the crowd that night.

Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, is a regular attendee of the gala. His daughter Alaina is among the volunteers.

Andy Sparks, realtor with Royal LePage Team Realty, and his wife, Karen Sparks, executive director of Wesley Clover Parks and a volunteer member of the CHEO Foundation, at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice board members Megan Wallace (Mann Lawyers), Celine Fu (HW Partners), Janet Wilson (Export Development Canada), board chair Michelle Bouchard (HW Partners), CHEO Foundation president and CEO Steve Read, RNCH CEO Megan Wright, board member Paul Lalonde (Emond Harnden LLP), vice chair Mike Lupiano (Lupiano Executive Search) and past chair Ian Henry at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, former Ottawa Senators player Mark Borowiecki and his wife Tara Borowiecki with Brittany Smith and her husband, Zach Smith, who also used to play for the Sens, at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ronald Richardson, part of the Ottawa Senators’ local minority ownership group, with his wife Emily Richardson at Brookstreet Hotel for Maddy’s Gala in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice, named in honour of former Ottawa Senators assistant coach Roger Neilson, who passed away in 2003. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Ottawa Senators Foundation president Jacqueline Belsito with her board chair, Elliott Gauthier, his partner Melissa Pasi, and foundation board member John Sicard with his wife, Pina Sicard, at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

There were prizes — including two tickets to anywhere WestJet flies — along with a silent auction of 200-plus items and a live auction led by Stewart James of James Auction Service. It raised more than $55,000.

Highlights included a framed Alexander Ovechkin print by artist Tony Harris, which sold for $1,100, and a group experience at Omniscient Wellness Medispa that went for $6,000 after selling to the two top bidders, one of whom was lawyer Chris Spiteri from Spiteri & Ursulak LLP.

Lynda Clarke of Valley Utilities was the top bidder, at $13,000, on a multi-concert experience at the Canadian Tire Centre. The package included a VIP 400-level suite for 14 guests for the Luke Bryan concert, complete with food, drinks and limo service, as well as another show featuring American country singer, Bailey Zimmerman, enjoyed in a 100-level VIP suite.

A member of the Canadian Tire table bought a luxury trip to the Rockies for $12,000, while a Sparty skating experience at Canadian Tire Centre, with pizza, sold twice to the evening’s two top bidders at $5,500 each, with North45 president Ted Wagstaff among them.

A foursome for this year’s Senators Charity Open also went well over value, selling for $11,500 to Ottawa businessman, private investor and corporate director Ronald Richardson. He’s part of the local minority ownership group of the Ottawa Senators, as is Wagstaff.

A total of Spartycats were sold, with buyers gifting more than 25 back for children and families of RNCH.

After the formal program ended, the gala that began in memory shifted into momentum on the dance floor.

Later in the evening, attendees of Maddy’s Gala hit the dance floor. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, MNP regional managing partner Michael Dimitriou and his wife, Kim Dimitriou, CFO at CSW Landscape Architects, with table hosts Jane Spiteri, a volunteer at Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice, and Chris Spiteri, partner at Spiteri & Ursulak. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Stacey Nininger Santaguida, co-owner of Vittoria Trattoria, at the Moulin Rouge-themed Maddy’s Gala held in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, his wife Fatima Hyder and Supriya Bhargava, realtor with Royal LePage Performance Realty, and her husband, Dr. Anuj Bhargava at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Sarah McGivern, in the green dress, ended up being the last one standing in a prize-winning game of heads or tails, played during Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Hard Rock Casino & Hotel president Christine Crump and her vice president of marketing, Tammy McMullen, were out supporting Maddy’s Gala, held at Brookstreet Hotel in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Photo by Caroline Phillips

A trio of showgirls is surrounded by costumed guests for the Moulin Rouge-themed Maddy’s Gala, which returned to Brookstreet Hotel on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Former Ottawa Senators player Radek Bonk and his wife, Jill Bonk, co-owner of Showroom Furniture + Lighting in Stittsville, at Maddy’s Gala held in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Maddy’s Gala co-founders Dean and Jeanine Otto are seen in conversation with John Sicard (left), a volunteer board member with the Senators Community Foundation, along with his wife, Pina (left), Megan Wright of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice, and board chair Michelle Bouchard, who is mostly obscured. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Tara Campeau and her husband, Jody Campeau, who’s the owner, president and CEO of technology consulting firm Maverin, at the Moulin Rouge-themed Maddy’s Gala held at Brookstreet Hotel in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Highest-auction bidder Lynda Clarke, co-owner of Valley Utilities, was all smiles after winning a double-concert package at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Dean Otto, Valerie Hammell and Cliff Hammell, owners/operators of the Canadian Tire store on Carling Avenue, and Jeanine Otto at Maddy’s Gala held at Brookstreet Hotel. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Sharon Bosley House, owner of event planning and decor company Avant-Garde Designs, seen clapping during the burlesque dance performance at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Maddy’s Gala founders Dean Otto and Jeanine Otto with Jonathan Wiseman, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Caivan Communities, which signed on as a diamond sponsor this year. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This dancer’s routine got a lot spicier after she shed the feathers. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Committee member Hannah Otto and her fiancé, Kyle McCarney, regional manager for Inflector Environmental Services, at Maddy’s Gala held in memory of Hannah’s younger sister Madison “Maddy” Otto, who passed away in 2007 at age five. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Maddy’s Gala co-founder Jeanine Otto holds up a framed Alexander Ovechkin print donated by artist Tony Harris in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Senators Community Foundation board member John Sicard and his wife Pina attended Maddy’s Gala for the first time. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Jeanine Otto’s parents, Clare Savoie and Jean-Guy Savoie, drive to Ottawa every year from northern New Brunswick to attend Maddy’s Gala, held in memory of their granddaughter, Madison “Maddy” Otto, who passed away peacefully in 2007 at Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Todd Thompson, who has been attending Maddy’s Gala since it began in 2008, described the annual fundraiser for Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice as “a family reunion.” Photo by Caroline Phillips

Meghan Davis, left, was out supporting Maddy’s Gala on Saturday, April 18, 2026 but the partner of Sens player Jake Sanderson has also contributed to the second annual Jack’s Gala organized by Stittsville parents Anna Laidlaw and Richard Laidlaw. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Chris Spiteri was one of two top bidders on a package donated by Omniscient Wellness Medispa to Maddy’s Gala, held in support of Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Stewart James of James Auction Service was back to lead the live auction at the Moulin Rouge-themed Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice: Bruno Perrier (manager of community engagement and volunteer relations), Nahal Yazdani (director of clinical programs), Megan Wright (CEO), Stephanie Poirier (manager of quality and patient safety) and Kira Goodman (Canada’s Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance) at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

John King, managing broker at Engel & Völkers Ottawa Central, reacted with a dramatic fist to his heart after being outbid during the live auction at Maddy’s Gala. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Maddy’s Gala, which returned for its 17th year, featured a Moulin Rouge theme. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, Wealth (WCPD), Syntax Strategic, RBC, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, Welch LLP, and Brazeau Seller Law.
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