Hundreds of ROM supporters play annual guessing game to raise funds
Fact? or Fiction?, the highly successful annual fundraising game organized by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) Governors, returns this month for an incredible 13th successive year on Thursday, October 22, 2009. Presented by Burgundy Asset Management and Beaujolais Private Investment Management and hosted by Heather Hiscox, host of CBC News: Morning, the event begins at 7 pm via the Historic Rotunda Entrance at the ROM. The fun-filled night is expected to attract hundreds of guests, who will enjoy a gourmet buffet and bar, and a sneak peek of the new traveling ROM exhibition Fakes and Forgeries: Yesterday and Today, a thrilling account of counterfeiting through the ages.
Scorecard in hand, Fact? or Fiction? participants venture to determine the true identity or purpose of 20 rarely seen objects from the ROM’s vast collections, based on two plausible descriptions given by devious Museum curators. Players are encouraged to ask curators questions concerning the legitimacy of the item or description to figure out which explanation is fact and which is fiction. Players compete to win a Grand Prize luxury trip, courtesy of Tour East Holidays and Cathay Pacific Airways.
All proceeds from the event support ROM curatorial research through the ROM Research Endowment Fund. The ROM is the largest field research museum in Canada with curatorial and research staff in more than 30 countries around the globe. The event raises $50 to $100k net each year. Tickets are $250 each, with partial tax receipts available to individuals as per CRA guidelines, and may be purchased online at www.rom.on.ca/factorfiction.
Led by Committee Chair Roman Dubczak, the Fact? or Fiction? Organizing Committee includes Nancy Campbell, Peter Carruthers, Michelle Khalili, Jeffrey Musson, Elisabeth Patrick, Ric Randmaa, Elizabeth Schad and Mary Vitug.