Aloha!
On Wednesday, February 8, 2012, we invite you to shuck your winter gear for grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts and join us for Toronto’s 8th Annual Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey!

Slip into your best rendition of tropical Hawaiian chic and get ready to limbo down to a fun philanthropic soiree in support of the Brain Injury Association of Canada hosted at Hogg’s Hollow’s famous Miller Tavern (3885 Yonge Street).

BONUS: Reserve your $150 ticket by January 31st: save $50!

Special guests this year include:

• Hon. Carolyn Bennett MP, MD, Canada’s first Minister of Public Health
• Hon. Kathleen Wynne MPP, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, Housing and Aboriginal Affairs
• Hon. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Children and Youth Services
• Karen Stintz, Toronto Transit Commission Chair and City Councillor
• Bonnie Crombie, Mississauga City Councillor, former Fundraising Chair of the Ontario Brain Injury Association and co-founder of the Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey
• Daniel Bax, Survivor and Inspirational Coach
• Kent Bassett-Spiers, CEO, Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation
• Dr. Angela Colantonio, Ph.D., OT Reg. (Ont). Senior Scientist with Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and holder of the Saunderson Family Chair in Acquired Brain Injury.
• Don Stuss, Interim President and Scientific Director, Ontario Brain Institute
• Piroska Bata, BSCN, Neurotrauma Nurse, Manager, Humber River Regional Hospital
• Bill Pashby, J.D., Director, Brain Injury Association of Canada, and co-chair of Toronto’s 8th Annual
• Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey
• Cristina Onose, MA, Co-Chair of Toronto’s 8th Annual Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey
• Howard Brown , President, Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs, former Fundraising Chair of the Brain Injury Association of Canada and Co-Founder of the Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey
• Rick Montgomery, President, Miller Tavern and Co-Founder of the Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey

Enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres, oysters (of course!), Hawaiian leis, an open wine bar and Hawaiian punch for all. The evening will also feature, entertainment, music, a silent auction and lots of fun.

There are 2 ways to buy tickets:
1) Click on the PayPal button below:

2) Download and complete the Invitation and fax it to the address on the invitation.

LISA QUEEN Inside Toronto January 16, 2011

Brain injury prevention champion recalls cousin's ordeal. Howard Brown, left, Brian Sieber, Barry Brown and Rob Brown gather around Steven Sieber, seated, in December 1981. Photo/COURTESY

North York’s Steven Sieber was a bright university student with hopes of a career as a computer science supervisor when he was hit by a car, a catastrophic event that left him with a severe brain injury for almost a quarter-century before he died nearly a decade ago.

Just 21 years old when he was hit by a car while crossing the street to catch a bus in July 1977, he spent several weeks in a coma.

When he emerged, Sieber and his close-knit family discovered his world had changed forever.

He would never walk again, or even stand unassisted, even though his mother, Helen Sieber, organized an army of volunteers to come to the home to use a technique called patterning on her son.

For example, the volunteers would move Sieber’s limbs to simulate the crawling or creeping motions of a baby. The idea behind the controversial technique was to stimulate the inactive part of the brain.

Sieber also experienced a number of other symptoms including slurred speech, blurred vision and emotional issues.

“He would get angry at others and yell at them and afterwards, he would say ‘I don’t know why I said that.’ It was the brain injury of course,” said Helen, who had quit her job as an administrative assistant to care for her son.

Sieber’s cousin, Howard Brown, had just finished university himself and was travelling in Europe when he received a letter from his family telling him the devastating news of his cousin.

Although Brown and his brothers had grown up in Kitchener, they often visited and were close with their cousins, Steven and his brother Brian.

“Our big thing when we came to Toronto from Kitchener was going to the local deli and getting corned beef sandwiches. They weren’t available in Kitchener,” said Brown with a laugh.

Years after the accident, through his interest in Sieber’s life, Brown was asked to serve on the Ontario Brain Injury Association’s board of directors.

Six months after Sieber died on Dec. 30, 2001 Brown was asked by the association to form the Brain Injury Association of Canada.

On Monday Jan. 24, the national association will host Toronto’s seventh annual Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey, a tropical-themed fundraiser for brain injury support and advocacy.

After a couple of years at other venues, the fundraiser is returning to North York’s Miller Tavern, where it got its start, thanks in part to restaurant partner Rick Montgomery.

“We just have to give back to the community when we get a chance,” Montgomery said. “This is a good cause. It is the type of injury people tend to overlook until it hits close to home.”

As an advocate for brain injury survivors, Brown often turned to his cousin to act as a sounding board about the challenges of brain injuries, which are the leading cause of death and disability for Canadians under the age of 45.

He had even hoped Sieber would be able to address a legislative committee drafting Ontario’s persons with disability act years ago.

But a couple of days before he was to appear before the committee, Sieber suffered a stroke and ultimately passed away a couple of weeks later, three days past his 46th birthday. In her son’s place, Helen Sieber advocated changes to the legislation to better recognize brain injury survivors.

Brown believes his cousin’s ordeal highlights the importance of brain injury prevention and advocacy.

“Why am I involved? Because this guy inspired me. Because he was a fighter, he was an advocate and he never gave up until the end,” he added.

The Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey takes place Monday Jan. 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Miller Tavern at 3885 Yonge St. south of York Mills Road. Tickets are $150 before Jan. 17 or $200 at the door.

The fundraisers, which are held across Canada, have raised $750,000, including donations from corporate sponsors such as national presenting sponsor the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

During the event, the Ontario finalist for two free airline tickets to Hawaii will be drawn. Winners’s names will be drawn at the national conference in August.

For more information, visit www.biac-aclc.ca or www.hawaiianoysterodesseys.ca

This article is for personal use only courtesy of InsideToronto.com – a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

Media personalities, survivors and Ontario Transportation Minister to headline

(TORONTO – JANUARY 12, 2011) – It’s time to chuck your winter gear and grab grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts. There are only days left before a winter warm-up is set to take place at Toronto’s historic Miller Tavern at 3885 Yonge St. The Brain Injury Association of Canada’s (BIAC) premier fundraising event, the Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey (HOO) is set for January 24th from 6 to 9 pm.

For the 7th year running, this Hawaiian-themed event will be jam-packed with oodles of oysters, mystery prizes, fancy tropical cocktails and stories from brain injury survivors and plenty of mingling with medical experts, community leaders, public figures, business professionals and the media.

“Brain injury is Canada’s leading cause of death and disability for Canadians under 45,” said Larry Carlson, BIAC president and the first survivor of a brain injury to ever hold the post. “The Hawaiian Oyster Odysseys are our main source of funding to spread our message,” he said. Carlson will be a special guest at the Toronto event.

Some other highlights:
- Back by popular demand is the evening’s host, CTV Canada AM host Beverly Thomson.
- Special guests include Jim McKenny, former Toronto Maple Leaf and CITY-TV sportscaster, Maclean’s magazine columnist Andrew Coyne and Hon. Kathleen Wynne MPP, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation.
- Brad Cownden, a University of Victoria student will speak about his summer 2010 solo bicycle trip across Canada that raised money and awareness for brain injury.
- Toronto brain injury survivor Rob Ashe will give insight into his personal experiences.
- An exciting announcement from the Brain Injury Association of Canada and Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation is also set for the Toronto event, as plans for national brain injury research initiatives are currently in the works.

HOO fundraisers started in Toronto in 2005 and are held annually in cities across Canada including Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, Saskatoon, St. John’s, Charlottetown and Vancouver. They are organized by BIAC, in partnership with other brain injury organizations and made possible purely through volunteer efforts. The first event raised $30,000 and over $750,000 has been raised over the last five years from HOOs across Canada. Proceeds from the event go directly to BIAC and local associations to raise awareness of brain injuries.

The National presenting sponsor is the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Other sponsors include: TD Bank Financial Group, We Care Home Health Services and Air Canada who donates a pair of Airline tickets to Hawaii nationally. Local sponsors include the Posluns Family Foundation, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Goodmans Law Firm, Stem Cell Canada, Alpha Laboratories and CTV.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.hawaiianoysterodysseys.ca/ for $200/person or $150/person before January 17.

For further information, contact Howard Brown at 416-844-1180 or howard@brown-cohen.com.

www.twitter.com/TO_HOO
www.facebook.com/TheTorontoHoo

A FUNdraiser in support of the Brain Injury Association of Canada & Brain Injury Coalition of Prince Edward Island

Scheduled Special Guests: Hon. Doug Currie, Minister of Education & Early Childhood Development; Hon. Robert Vessey, Minister of Tourism & Culture; Ian “Tex” MacDonald, Hurricanes Head Coach; Harry Zarins, Executive Director BIAC; Mark McIntosh, Brain Injury Survivor

Tickets: $35 at the door

We are selling tickets for a draw for an autographed Steve Ott Dallas Stars Jersey.

For tickets call 314-4228 or email tickets@bicpei.com
When Fri, October 29, 7pm – 10pm
Where Inn on The Hill 150 Euston Street
Who • Kenneth Murnaghan • Harry Zarin

Westmount Golf and Country Club, 50 Inverness Drive, Kitchener, Ontario

Thursday September 30, 2010, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Special guests include former Ontario Health and Education Minister, Elizabeth Witmer MPP (Kitchener-Waterloo) and Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran.

Please RSVP by September 24th.

Oyster Poster 2010 (pdf)

Register and Purchase Tickets

Howard Brown, Kirsty Duncan, M.P., Harry Zarins, M.Ed., Carolyn Bennett, M.P., Laurel Craib, Ass. Dir. GR, CMA
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Photos by Sarah Metcalfe, first year Algonquin College Photography Program student. (Thanks Sarah!)

THE HAWAIIAN OYSTER ODYSSEY- a “FUN”draiser in support of Brain Injury Association of Canada was held at the Miller Tavern on Tues January 26, 2010.
Other 2010 Hawaiian Oyster Odysseys will be held in Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Charlottetown, Halifax and St. John’s. Initial discussions have taken place with representatives from the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia to hold similar events in the near future.
Zoomer Magazine, Fashion and Trends, Shucks!

Howard Brown holds the microphone for Gary Otsu, a brain injury survivor and speaker at the Brain Injury Association of Canada’s Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey in Toronto January 26, 2010.
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