Current & Past Articles » Headline News

Caledon Mayor recognizes 40 community groups with donations following Charity Gala

May 7, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Following her annual charity gala, Caledon Mayor Annette Groves held a recipients dinner the next week for local organizations and charities.

On the night of April 30, more than 200 attendees packed the Caesar’s Centre in Bolton, most from community groups who would be receiving funds that evening.

It was shared at the event that Groves’ recent gala, attended by over 800 people, including local MPs, MPPs, and politicians, raised approximately $800,000, bringing the total over $1.5 million in two years.

40 organizations were recognized at the dinner, presented with cheques, including the Alton Legion, Caledon Agricultural Society, Caledon Meals on Wheels, Cassie’s Place, Maple Community Network, Palgrave Rotary, Valleywood Block Party, and more.

Some of these organizations gave speeches that evening, including Humberview Head Coach Adrian Piscitelli on behalf of the Humberview Football Program, Sarah Leslie on behalf of Downtown Bolton BIA, and Dr. Oluremi Adewale on behalf of Women Focus Canada.

“From the very beginning, your support of our club has never been surface level. You didn’t just show up for a photo, shake a few hands, move on. You stayed, you listened, you engaged, and more importantly, you cared. You gave our players something rare, not just recognition, but respect,” Piscitelli said during his speech that evening to Groves. “Because of you, we will keep going, and every future player, every young person who finds their way into us in the moment of need will be part of your legacy too.”

Dr. Adewale recognized Groves’ partnership with their program, first appearing at their Youth Civic Engagement event in Brampton and supporting them in bringing their efforts to Caledon.

Leslie noted Groves’ recent announcement regarding her upcoming retirement from the position of Mayor. 

“You recently said it has been your honour to serve the Caledon community over the past 26 years. But the truth is, it was and is our honour to serve our community with you by our side,” says Leslie.

Recipients were not the only ones to take the stage that evening; after receiving a bouquet of flowers and thanks from local group Cassie’s Place, Groves addressed the room.

She recognized her over two and a half decades of serving the Caledon community, calling it a “privilege.”

Looking back on her decades of service, Groves recounted experiences had, memories made, and even time spent bringing her son to Town Hall during her time as Councillor for Council meetings.

Groves touched on Caledon’s future growth, noting that growth needs to be done “responsibly.”

“We will make sure that those areas that need to be protected will continue to be protected, and we will make sure that we continue to have fresh air, clean air, so that we can breathe.”

During her time as Mayor, Groves has faced controversy for decisions regarding planning and development.

At the event, she said that as a leader, sometimes decisions made are “not always popular with everyone.”

“I always believe that if the decisions you are making serve the greater good, then you need to stand up and you need to stand by those decisions,” said Groves. “We have a lot of folks in our community that are building in this community, and I strongly believe that they need to reinvest into our community, reinvest in our children, reinvest in our seniors, and reinvest in the Town of Caledon.”

At last year’s event, Groves had both recipients and donors in attendance.

She said this year she hosted them separately because she “wanted to make sure that what you do wasn’t lost at a gala with almost 800 people.”

“Because of that, I wanted to do a special evening for all of you, because all of you are so very special.”

“It’s been a wonderful, wonderful journey. But I think sometimes God has other plans for us, and sometimes we need to know when that time comes, when we have to end this journey, but we continue on another journey,” said Groves. “We continue another chapter in our life, and I can say this with pride, that it has been a real honour, a real privilege to serve you.”

Readers Comments (0)