| Caring and sharing: Community support through event sponsorship
By Sean Moon
June 28, 2013 | | |
As an immigrant to Canada from his native India more than 25 years ago, Tony Sabherwal has long held a global perspective on issues such as poverty, sustainability and social responsibility. When it came time to put his views into practice, however, Tony knew the best place to start was within his own local community. For more than 10 years, Tony and his wife Abby have been volunteers for the Riverdale Share Community Concert in Toronto, helping the annual event raise tens of thousands of dollars each December. The Riverdale Share Concert is a diverse holiday celebration where residents, businesses, students, volunteers, community leaders and performers pool their resources and talent and gather under a single roof to help raise money for families in need. The event raises money through ticket sales, donations and the generous support of sponsors such as the Sabherwals, owners of the Magic Oven, a group of restaurants specializing in pizza made from organic and locally sourced ingredients. | |
| | “My wife Abby and I were fairly new immigrants from India and we had just opened up our own small business,” Tony Sabherwal recalls. “After about three years, we became successful enough that we were able to share with others. The first people who ever asked us for anything was Riverdale Share. We became entrenched in the Riverdale community, we got to meet the people, and we’ve been helping out in any way we can for more than 10 years.” Star-studded support Although the Sabherwals’ early participation consisted mainly of handing out flyers and putting up posters, Tony and Abby’s event sponsorship quickly mushroomed, helping to grow the event into a veritable showcase of homegrown talent that has included the likes of Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, ex-Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page and children’s entertainers Sharon and Lois. |
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| | “Restaurant owners who want to give back have to think about things that are close to them, close to their heart,” Sabherwal advises. “I came from what was then a developing country and I noticed that Canadians send millions and millions of dollars around the world. And while I agree that it is important to do that, I think that many times we don’t actually do enough for our own communities. I don’t think it is ‘sexy’ enough. You don’t get big swag bags if you raise funds for your local school or community garden. Those are the kinds of things we need to start with.” In his typically modest fashion, Sabherwal likes to downplay his role in community service, preferring instead to focus on the people who stand to benefit most from the proceeds of events such as Riverdale Share. Still, he does acknowledge that there have been a few unexpected rewards that come from being able to give back to those in need. Unexpected rewards “In some ways it is hard to quantify the rewards of charitable contribution. I don’t think that every person who goes to the concert comes dashing into the restaurant to have a meal. What I really appreciate is the fact that it has made us feel good to be able to give back and contribute. We feel good, our brand is respected and when we walk out into the community a lot of people identify us as people who are willing to help out others. It’s not that we are trying for that kind of recognition, but it does make us feel good.” Sabherwal emphasizes that although there remains much to be done and many people who need help, his fellow restaurateurs don’t need to spend a lot of time or money if they want to start giving back. In fact, he says thinking globally usually begins by acting locally. “The first thing for anyone to do who might be interested in any kind of giving back is to help their local school. It is the best vehicle to get to know your customers a lot better, and I believe that education is the only way out of many of the problems we may be experiencing as a culture and society.” See also: | |  | | < Back | | | | | Copyright © RestoBiz. All rights reserved. | |
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