Diane Forsythe-Abbott's Annual Crabtree Luncheon

Years ago YWCA Crabtree Corner provided Diane Forsythe-Abbott with a telephone and a warm place to sit on a stormy night. This chance encounter was the beginning of a lasting friendship, marked by this year’s annual fundraising luncheon for the family resource centre in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

A few days before Christmas in 1995, Diane Forsythe-Abbott stopped at a store on East Hastings Street on one of the rainiest nights in Vancouver history, only to find she’d locked the keys out of her car. On a wet, cold, dark night in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, she knew she needed help. She began knocking and Crabtree Corner’s door was the first that opened for her. Upon learning the name of the centre, she was astonished by a coincidence – Diane’s grandmother was surnamed “Crabtree.”

Diane knew she had come to a special place. Touched by the stories of families at the centre, many struggling to find shelter and provide for their basic needs, she vowed to help. She brought her friends together for a fundraising luncheon and asked them to bring gift certificates, clothing and toys for the women and children at Crabtree.

Seventeen years later, the annual luncheon continues to attract support, with over 100 guests anticipated to attend this year’s event at Hy’s Encore restaurant on Wednesday, December 7th.

“Everybody is welcome at the lunch. We always have a great time and it’s for such a good cause.”
– Diane Forsythe-Abbott

Photos by TOR BENGTSON PHOTOGRAPHY