Hilarious fundraiser in Lachine

More than 250 people packed L’Entrepôt Tuesday night for a laugh-out-loud fundraiser that raised close to $50,000 for the Lachine Hospital.  Montreal editorial cartoonists Terry Mosher (Montreal Gazette) and Serge Chapleau (La Presse) entertained the crowd by showcasing their all-time favourite works of art.

During the event, Mosher, better known as Aislin, and Chapleau gave anecdotes about personalities and politicians they have met in their careers and discussed the process of putting together a daily cartoon.  They also answered questions from the public.

« People are very curious about cartooning, so we simply had a conversation with the audience, » Mosher says.

Organized by the Lachine Hospital Foundation, the event raised money that will be used to purchase new equipment.

Unique

« This was a unique event that was unlike any other in the city. It was bilingual. Serge presented in French and Terry in English. It epitomizes what Montreal is all about, » says Monica McDougall, executive director of the foundation.

The setup was quite simple. Mosher and Chapleau sat at a table on one side of the stage, and cartoons were projected on a large screen next to them.  More than a hundred cartoons featuring former Prime Ministers Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Jean Chrétien, Brian Mulroney, Paul Martin and current PM Justin Trudeau were shown.

« I’ve wanted to do this for some time and finally we arranged this thanks to my friend Serge. It’s for my local hospital. It’s a great hospital. It’s a pleasure to do this. Quite frankly, I’m getting a little older, it’s good to be nice to your local hospital, » he adds with a smile.

Mosher, who is 76-years-old, admits he is slowing down and is glad he had the opportunity to « go out with a bang ».