Celebrity Roast all in good fun for a great cause

THUNDER BAY - Brent Hagberg isn’t second guessing his decision to put his name forward to be roasted by friends and families, and even if the jokes might be at his expense, he knows it’s for a great cause.

“It’s all for good fun and at the end of the day all the proceeds that they raise go to a great cause so for me to put my name out there it’s fine, there’s enough stories going around about me,” he said.  

Hagberg, a mortgage specialist with RBC volunteered to be victim in this year’s Easter Seals Annual Celebrity Roast.

Rhonda Harrison, senior development officer with Easter Seals Ontario, said this is one of the biggest annual fundraisers for the organization.

“It has been going on for 17 years and in those 17 years we raised more than $700,000, so we are very excited for this year’s event,” she said. “We average around $50,000 every year so that is what we are hoping to do again this year.”

Easter Seals helps families with children living with physical disabilities with the purchase of equipment, communication devices, bathroom upgrades, and summer camp opportunities. There are more than 150 kids in Northwestern Ontario supported by Easter Seals.

Past celebrity roasts have featured prominent people in the city of Thunder Bay and while not many people want to be in the hot seat, Harrison said this year they got lucky.  

“This year’s victim was kind of easy,” she said. “He volunteered at last year’s event so we took him up on his offer. Brent is always great to work with. He’s been supporting Easter Seals for quite a few years now at quite a few events so we are very honoured for him to step into the hot seat this year.”

“I’ve been working with Easter Seals for the past two or three years,” Hagberg added. “Seeing what the proceeds go towards, for Kamryn and her family being able to help with accessibility issues, is something true to my heart.”

The Celebrity Roast will be taking place on Thursday, April 9 at the Victoria Inn. Tickets are $125 and tables of eight and 10 are available. For more information visit the Easter Seals website.

“It’s a lot of fun and people looking forward to coming to this event every year,” Harrison said. “Everyone has fun at the roaster’s expense. But it’s a really light fun evening.”