Volunteer Alex Reklitis would rather stay behind the scenes making things happen than be in front of a microphone.

He credited Lindsay Firestone, vice president of corporate engagement and events at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation, for getting him to speak at the sold-out Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament on Monday.

“She deserves an award for convincing me to stand up here,” Reklitis joked at the podium during the dinner portion of the fundraiser for the Heart Institute.

The tournament returned to the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, raising an all-time high of $327,000. It was supported by dozens of local businesses, including presenting sponsor ServiceMASTER Restore and ServiceMASTER Clean.

Heart Institute patient Leslie Mise (Audi West Ottawa) was back as the organizing committee chair, joined by fellow volunteers Nicholas Assaly (Audi West Ottawa), Kristen Cannon (Cavanagh Realty), Rocco Caminiti (Export Development Canada), Aldo Chiappa, Brent Daviault (RBC Dominion Securities), Scott Johnson (The Royal Montreal Golf Club), Alexander Kealey (Sutherland Investment Group), Andreas Koloniaris (Tetra Window Treatments), Matt Landry (Kelly Santini LLP), Eli Saikaley (Silver Scissors) and Craig Stevenson (The Shore Club).

And of course Reklitis.

From left, golf tournament committee volunteers Andreas Koloniaris, Brent Daviault, Nicholas Assaly, Alexandros Reklitis, Kristen Cannon, committee chair Leslie Mise, Craig Stevenson, Rocco Caminiti, Alexander Kealey and Eli Saikaley with the ceremonial cheque for $327K at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Madison Tackaberry, special events and donor engagement at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation, alongside the Heart Institute’s president and CEO, Dr. Rob Beanlands, Foundation president Lianne Laing and her vice president of corporate engagement and events, Lindsay Firestone, at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Committee member Alexandros Reklitis spoke about what “the gift of time” has meant for his family during the dinner portion of the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, John Cooke, president of presenting sponsor ServiceMASTER Clean and ServiceMASTER Restore, with his wife, Nadine Delange, and their kids, Chloe Cooke and Elliott Cooke at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

When Firestone asked Reklitis to speak, it was her phrase “the gift of time” that resonated. For him, it’s far more than a fundraising slogan.

“The phrase stuck with me because, for my family, it carries a very real meaning,” he said, referring to the birthdays celebrated, family dinners shared and new babies welcomed.

For Reklitis, his connection to cardiac care goes back to Great-Uncle Angelo Reklitis, who underwent bypass surgery before the Heart Institute opened in 1976. Although the procedure was considered successful and extended his life by eight years, he died at 46.

“He never got to see his children get married,” Reklitis told the crowd. “He never got to meet his grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

“That story has always stayed with us because it reminds us what advances in research and care can really mean. They don’t just extend lives, they create memories and more time with family.”

If Angelo’s story illustrated what a family can lose, the experience with Reklitis’s father showed what can be gained through advances in cardiac care.

Reklitis and his family had a major scare when his dad, Jim, experienced a heart attack at age 42 during a family gathering. “From that day forward, the Heart Institute became part of our family’s story,” Reklitis said.

Over the years, physicians and staff monitored Jim’s condition and, at age 54, performed a valve repair that gave him many more healthy years.

Jim recently welcomed his fifth grandchild — a baby girl — and just celebrated his 39th wedding anniversary with Penny Reklitis.

“The truth is, many of those moments — the birthdays, the holidays, the family dinners and other memories — might never have happened without the care, research, innovation and people behind the Heart Institute,” said Reklitis, lead project manager at the University of Ottawa.

“For my family, that is what the gift of time looks like.”

Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament committee member Alexandros Reklitis alongside his mom Penny Reklitis and dad Jim Reklitis, who chaired the annual golf tournament for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute for 13 years, helping to raise $1.3 million. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Heart Institute CEO Dr. Rob Beanlands reflected on the vision of founder Dr. Wilbert Keon, who chose to return to Ottawa and open the Heart Institute 50 years ago rather than pursue opportunities available to him in larger centres.

Dr. Keon helped to build not just a cardiac centre but a culture where people felt connected to something larger than themselves, said Dr. Beanlands, noting his own father, the late Dr. Donald Beanlands, played a key role in those early efforts.

At the dinner reception, it was a touching moment to see the founders’ sons — Dr. Rob Beanlands and Ryan Keon — together. Keon praised Dr. Rob Beanlands for continuing their fathers’ legacy, calling him “the perfect guy” for the CEO job.

Among the participants were the Heart Institute’s new board chair, Jacqueline Gauthier, a retired senior executive with Calian Group. She succeeded former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, who golfed that day with his kid sister, longest-drive winner Noralyn McGuinty — the youngest of the 10 McGuinty siblings — as well as her partner Janet Hall and retired Ontario Superior Court judge Mark Shelston.

From left, Dr. Rob Beanlands, president and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and Ryan Keon spoke about the legacy their fathers — Dr. Donald Beanlands and Dr. Wilbert Keon — helped create when they founded the institution in 1976. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, retired judge Mark Shelston golfed with Dalton McGuinty, former premier of Ontario and past board chair of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Janet Hall and her partner Noralyn McGuinty at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Jessica Rose/Rose Photography

Golfers heard about the Heart Institute’s One Million Canadian Hearts mobile screening program — a reminder that heart disease has touched, or will touch, almost everyone in the room in some way. The program saved the life of George Georgiopoulos, who later described the care he received following open-heart surgery as “nothing short of exceptional,” Reklitis said.

The mobile clinic also flagged a serious heart condition in an unsuspecting shopper at a local mall, prompting an immediate trip to the Heart Institute for major surgery.

“That story really touched me,” said ServiceMASTER president John Cooke while expressing his appreciation for the Heart Institute’s community outreach work. For Cooke, the golf tournament is a way to remember his brother-in-law Ian Eckersley, a former patient of the Heart Institute who passed away 10 years ago, almost to the day.

The formal program was hosted by Will Aiello, co-host of CTV’s Your Morning Ottawa. He lightened the mood by raving about the Golden Palace egg rolls served on the golf course earlier in the day.

The upbeat energy continued with Ryan Watson from Raising the Bid. He sold a grilling package donated by Capital BBQ with accessories, as well as a gift card to Wellington Butchery and beer from Big Rig Brewery. The top bidder was Newfound Recruiting president and CEO Steve Stanley.

Will Aiello, co-host of CTV Your Morning Ottawa —  who helped out as emcee of the dinner portion of the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament —  with University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation president Lianne Laing, who for years was part of the Bell Media family. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ryan Watson from Raising the Bid sold off thousands of dollars worth of donated items to the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Also up for grabs was a year of date nights, with a different restaurant each month, plus a two-night stay at the Fairmont Château Laurier. The lineup included The Shore Club, Social, Whalesbone, Harmons Steakhouse, Sussex & Co., Restaurant e18hteen, Napoli’s, Fratelli, Gitanes, Angelina, Heist and Riviera. It was essentially a tour of some of the city’s most popular dining spots, one reservation at a time. The package went for $3,600 to brothers Dino and Nick Giorgio from Byron Rental Properties. They plan to share the spoils with their wives.

As well, there was a car makeover from Paint Protection Experts and a Frigidaire Gallery wine cooler stocked with premium wines. Mike Tannis, who was outbid on one of the earlier items, won a private dinner and wine experience for 10, donated by Chef Oz from Annabella’s and Sala San Marco, for $3,000.

The silent auction was packed with donated items, including a dinner for four at Al’s Steakhouse, an Alfa FXCM outdoor wood-fired pizza oven, golf days at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, an Ottawa Senators game night getaway, a dinner for eight at Vittoria Trattoria and stays at Le Germain, Hard Rock and Andaz hotels.

Reklitis’s father, Jim, chaired the Heart Institute’s golf tournament for 13 years, back when it was known as the Keon Fuller Golf Tournament, helping to raise more than $1.3 million. Jim attended the dinner alongside his wife, Penny, and was met with a warm round of applause from the crowd.

For the Reklitis family, the Heart Institute has long been part of their story, and that connection has helped shape Alex Reklitis’s own sense of responsibility to give back. “My father taught me that when an organization helps your family, you have a responsibility to help others in return,” he said.

From left, Lindsay Hockey, senior vice president at Colliers, and Kevin Chadwick, director at Focus Eye Centre, were out supporting the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Steve Stanley, president and CEO of Newfound Recruiting, was among the top bidders in the live auction at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Nick Giorgio and his brother Dino Giorgio, vice presidents at Byron Rental Properties, were out supporting the University of Ottawa Heart Institute at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Matt Levinson golfed with his brother, Tillbury Group president Jake Levinson, Curtis Holmes, and cousin Daniel Firestone, vice president of sales at DashQ, all wearing matching Tillbury Group hats at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament in support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Dr. Rob Beanlands thanked participants of the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament for their support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Gillie Vered, CEO of Arnon Corporation, and his wife, Susan Viner Vered, Bob Gauthier, chief investment officer at Doherty & Associates, and Lizane Castonguay at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament, held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Mike Tannis, joined by brother Kammal Tannis, was an active bidder in the live auction during the dinner portion of the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament, held in support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament committee volunteer Eli Saikaley, owner of Silver Scissors hair salon, committee chair Leslie Mise, a Heart Institute patient and general manager at Mark Motors Group, and Dr. Rob Beanlands, president and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Dino Giorgio, along with his brother Nick Giorgio of Byron Rental Properties, bought a year of date nights for themselves and their wives at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Brookstreet Hotel general manager Nyle Kelly golfed with Michael Magnussen and Dimos Agraniotis, director of dealership operations at Mercedes-Benz Ottawa Downtown, and realtor Geoff Walker (RE/MAX Absolute Walker Realty) at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Members of the team from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and its Foundation at the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. 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, Brazeau Seller Law and Prime Benefits Group.

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