West Park Tournament of Stars

May 7, 2018

On March 23-24, 2018, Raymond James participated in the second annual West Park Tournament of Stars in support of rebuilding the hospital. The event is a pro-am charity giving participants the opportunity to team-up with former NBA stars and other hoop-loving celebrities for a day of basketball action.

Back Row: Roger Mason Jr. (Raptors alum), Chamique Holdsclaw (WNBA player), Rashard Lewis (NBA alum), Zan Tabak (Raptors alum), Charlie Villaneuva (Raptors alum). Middle Row: Paul Allison (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Raymond James Ltd), Cormac Mac Lochlainn (Senior Vice President at Raymond James Bank), Damon Allen (CFL hall of famer), Brad Smith (tv personality), Pooch Hall (actor, Ray Donovan), Dan Simunac Managing Director & Principal Officer). Front Row: Neven Simunac and Daniel Simunac (sons of Dan Simunac) and Chad Owens (CFL all-star)

Dan Simunac, Head of Raymond James Bank for Canada, has been a board member of the hospital for the past seven years and served as the organizing chair of the fundraiser. In only its second year, the event raised nearly $600,000! That’s 50% higher than expected, and 300% more than last year and the single-largest fundraiser in the hospital’s 114-year history! An incredible achievement to say the least.

Funds from the event support the hospital’s redevelopment into a new state-of-the-art “campus of care.” West Park is a hospital with expertise in patient recovery from life-altering accidents and health challenges such as lung disease, diabetes, spasticity (a debilitating symptom of strokes), cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. It’s also a national leader in prosthetics design and construction.

Raymond James entered a team in the tournament consisting of employees and clients. Since Raymond James Ltd. was the Platinum sponsor of the event, Paul Allison, Chairman and CEO of Raymond James Ltd., and Daniel Simunac, presented a cheque at the event for $100,000.

“The event was a swooshing success” says Dan. “We had NBA celebrities there; Jerome ‘Junk Yard Dog’ Williams, Morris Peterson, Charles Oakley, Kevin Willis, Horace Grant, Ron Harper, among a dozen other Raptors alumni, NBA all-stars and former champions.”

Daniel Simunac, Managing Director & Principal Officer, Raymond James Bank for Canada addressing the crowd at the Celebrity Draft Party at Maison Nightclub on Friday, March 23, 2018.

Back Row: John Levac, Dan Simunac (Managing Director & Principal Officer), Vanessa Li (Analyst, Real Estate & Corporate Banking at Raymond James), Charlie Villanueva (Raptors alum), Brian Chick (Vice President at Raymond James Bank, N.A.) and his son Mikey, Jeff Sondic, Geoff Bond, Cormac Mac Lochlainn (Senior Vice President at Raymond James Bank). Front Row: Dave MacLellan (Capital Market Sales & Trade, Institutional Sales), Todd Orzechowski Jr. and Delko Blazanin Jr.

Mayor of Toronto, John Tory taking a photo with the Larry O’Brien NBA Trophy at the event

To learn more about Tournament of Stars, visit their website HERE.