From CASCO to CHEO: A student charity organization at Telfer
When Telfer alumni Alexandre St-Jean and Tuan Nguyen (BCom ’99) founded CASCO in 1998, their mission was clear: to create a fun, engaging and inclusive environment for Telfer students and faculty, and the broader Ottawa business community, to raise funds for a charitable cause.
CASCO, or the Commerce and Administration Student Charity Organization, is a student-run club at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. Each year, the club hosts various fundraisers, networking events, tournaments and an annual gala, with all proceeds benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
Since its inception, CASCO has raised over $1 million for the CHEO Foundation. Thanks to support from local community organizations, the Telfer School of Management, and uOttawa alumni, faculty, and student volunteers, CASCO continues to make a positive difference in the lives of children receiving treatment at CHEO.
The early days of CASCO
CASCO was born of an artist’s dream. Although he was an accounting major in his final year at Telfer, Tuan had always dreamed of producing a Broadway-style show filled with dance, fashion, food and laughter. As someone with a deep love of the arts but little experience in the forms themselves, Tuan was shocked to find he was not alone and that many business students had given up their passion for the arts when they entered university.
Tuan noticed that in addition to lacking an outlet for their artistic talents, business students faced another challenge. Time and time again, networking events held by the faculty, student clubs, or local businesses placed students on an unequal footing with professionals, which prevented both parties from forming any true connections. Without any relationships or resources, Tuan watched as business students, and their innovative ideas, were pushed aside and discounted by those in the professional world.
In 1998, Tuan set out to create an experience that was part theatrical performance, part networking event, something that had never been tried at Telfer. Run entirely by students, this event would highlight students’ artistic abilities and creative ideas while nurturing valuable connections with community and corporate partners.
and Tuan Nguyen (left) welcome guests
to the 2024 CASCO Gala.
While pitching his concept to a group of Telfer club representatives, Tuan met Alexandre St-Jean, who was passionate about philanthropic initiatives and eager to get involved in his idea. It was then that Alex shared the story of his good friend Eric Danis, who had passed away from leukemia. In honour of Eric, Alex and Tuan decided that their initiative would have a charitable purpose at its core, and they set their sights on raising funds for CHEO.
They started by contacting Dave Ready, the former VP Corporate Relations at the CHEO Foundation and the late Max Keeping, former VP of News and Affairs and evening anchor at CTV Ottawa. Showing immense support for Alex and Tuan’s vision, both Ready and Keeping were instrumental in connecting Tuan and Alex with the CHEO Foundation, CTV Ottawa, and the broader Ottawa business community.
Now, equipped with a dream, a community of passionate students, and a purpose, Alex and Tuan were ready to begin.
“I don’t think anyone provided an opportunity where students can run with their ideas, where students can be creative and be artists, and then at the same time, where students can develop leadership skills, all to give back to charity.”
– Tuan Nguyen, CASCO co-founder
CASCO’s evolution from humble beginnings to citywide impact
This event, yet to be named and formally recognized by the School as a club, began with a small group of only 9 executive members and roughly 15 dancers. The group had no money or resources to produce a large-scale show. What did they have?
Creativity and passion. Alex and Tuan knew they wanted this event to be casual, no black-tie attire or formal obligations. They booked the former Ottawa Athletic Club for late May 1999 and built a stage on two tennis courts. The Ottawa Athletic Club lent them kitchen space and a chef, and so Alex, Tuan, and their friends came together to cook finger food and snacks for the attendees.
The first ever CASCO show was half fashion show and half dance performance with, at the suggestion of Dave Ready, a special lip-sync competition between the media companies they had invited. The show was covered in newspapers like the Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun, and Le Droit, which expanded the event’s visibility across the city.
And yet, even though they had generated high student engagement to produce a standout show, Alex and Tuan weren’t expecting a second year until they were asked about the plans for the following year. And so, the torch was passed to the charity’s first co-presidents, Genevieve and Christiane, two inspiring women who were integral to the initiative’s first full year. Other important contributors, including former Dean Michael Kelly and former director of undergraduate services the late Peter Koppel, were instrumental in having the initiative formally recognized as a Telfer club. In 1999, the initiative was officially renamed CASCO.
As interest in the cause grew, so did CASCO’s size and impact in the community. The club’s ability to engage with a normally hard-to-reach audience set it apart from other campus initiatives. CASCO’s stage has been graced by several Telfer faculty members – from the late Professor Koppel and his “dancing TA’s” to Dean Stephane Brutus and his infamous conga line.
pose at the annual gala afterraising over
$1 million for the CHEO Foundation.
By fostering an environment of creativity, inclusivity and fun, CASCO has seen almost 7,000 students from a number of faculties participate in or attend a CASCO event. What started at Telfer has since expanded to other faculties, with students from across the University of Ottawa invited to participate. In 2023, the club passed a milestone when it reached $1 million in total donations raised for the CHEO Foundation. A year later, in 2024, CASCO celebrated another major milestone: its 25th anniversary.
Making a lasting difference in the community
A healthier Canada
By helping fund new technologies, resources and support programs at CHEO, CASCO is helping to build a healthier Canada, which is one of the pillars in Telfer’s vision for a Better Canada.
CASCO’s fundraising efforts support the urgent needs of the hospital on a year-to-year basis. In previous years, this included increasing access to mental health services and the development of Project Stitch, an ongoing renovation of CHEO’s surgical ward. In 2024, CASCO raised over $157,000 in support of CHEO’s biggest capital campaign to date, 1Door4Care, which aims to build a new integrated children’s treatment centre.
addressed guests during the annual gala.
A longstanding tradition between CASCO and the CHEO Foundation is the naming of an annual CHEO Champion. Selected by the CHEO Foundation, the CHEO Champion recognizes a child or youth who has received long-term care at CHEO. Bob Ghosh, community engagement officer for the CHEO Foundation, highlights how important CHEO Champion stories are as sources of inspiration and humility, since CHEO’s best spokespeople are CHEO children and their families.
CASCO honours the CHEO Champion at the year-end gala each November, inviting them to enjoy a special evening celebration and to share their personal journey at CHEO with the guests.
“The legacy [of] the CASCO community has allowed CHEO doctors and nurses to be able to get newer, state-of-the-art equipment, helped with our world-class research and overall support the urgent needs of the hospital for the past 25 years, which allows kids a chance to live their best lives possible.”
– Bob Ghosh, Community Engagement Officer at the CHEO Foundation
A more connected business and alumni community
CASCO is also helping to build a stronger, more connected business community in Ottawa by forging relationships with local organizations and within CASCO’s alumni network.
CASCO regularly engages with the Ottawa business community to sponsor their larger events, like their golf tournament, Cheers-to-CHEO networking event, or the year-end gala. Previous sponsors include BMO, Logan Katz, CHIN Radio and Deloitte.
One of the strongest ties to the local community is through CASCO’s extensive alumni network. The CASCO Alumni Advisory Council offers insight and suggestions to the current year’s executive team, while the Alumni Mentorship program pairs current members with alumni in similar fields.
“There’s a feeling that comes with [CASCO] that sticks with you, even after you are no longer an active member. The culture of philanthropy, giving back to the community, “for the kids”, is something that resonates with so many and becomes part of the norm. I feel like it’s hard to let go of. Regardless of how many years ago you participated, you always feel part of the CASCO family.”
– Amanda Richardson, 2007 CASCO creative director and Telfer faculty adviser for CASCO
A philanthropic student community
Finally, at the core of CASCO, are the student philanthropists who make it all possible. With a mission of providing support to children receiving treatment at CHEO and their families, CASCO became one of the first Telfer clubs to have a 100% philanthropic purpose.
Once established, CASCO had a ripple effect on the Canadian university student experience. With the help of Alexandre St-Jean, McGill University established its own CASCO organization in support of Montreal Children’s Hospital.
To Faseeha Farhan, 2024 CASCO President, engaging initiatives that give back to the community, like CASCO, foster a sense of social responsibility early on in a student’s life.
“University can often feel like an insular experience, and speaking from personal experience, initiatives like CASCO remind us of the broader impact we can have outside of academia and just how much more exciting it becomes to apply what you are learning in the lecture halls to real-world settings.”
– Faseeha Farhan, 2024 CASCO President
CASCO members develop practical skills, like event planning, budgeting, problem-solving, communication and collaboration, to name a few, which are essential to any career.
Faseeha also highlights resilience, empathy and adaptability as valuable skills developed through CASCO.
Continuing the CASCO legacy
Applications to join CASCO’s executive team open in December of the previous year, with auditions for cast members held the following August and September. To learn more about upcoming applications, visit CASCO’s website or email the CASCO president.
When asked about what’s next for CASCO, Tuan reflects on the club’s evolution from a small tennis court show with a team of 30, to a team of over 80 students and more than $1 million raised for the CHEO Foundation.
“CASCO in 25 years can be a major agent of change in so many ways. An agent of influence, and an agent of impact. So, sky’s the limit for CASCO,” said Tuan Nguyen.