Overview
Hosted by Women for Men’s Health and Hotel Arts, Big Ball raises funds and awareness to progress men's health care. They aim to support men and their families as they face the mental and physical challenges that accompany severe health issues.
Our partnership began on day 1 with an ambitious goal: raise enough funds to build the Kawakami Pre-habilitation Clinic at the Prostate Cancer Centre. The pre-habilitation program would optimize healing outcomes for patients by improving their physical, mental, and emotional health prior to surgical intervention.
Years later, we’ve seen Women for Men’s Health not only open the clinic but surpass that milestone and begin to raise funds for multiple initiatives making a difference in our country – including Special Olympics Canada and One Ball.
Being able to fundraise such an ambitious amount is thanks to the tireless work of Dr. Shelley Spaner, founder of Women for Men’s Health, and her work in the community. Big Ball is the night she shines brightest, bringing together Calgarians to celebrate innovations in medical care and build the future together.
The care put into the evening is clear at every touchpoint. Hotel Arts pulls out all the stops with the menu, crafting unforgettable bites and beverages that set this evening apart, while Proshow Audiovisual and Orange Frog Productions allow us to pull off the scale of activations guests have come to expect at Big Ball.
Key educational messaging is brought home by the Big Ball Ambassador – someone who champions and embodies the spirit of Women for Men’s Health.
Through the years, we’ve been honoured to have community advocate Karen Gosbee, former NHL player Theo Fleury, Dr. Julie Hong representing her remarkable husband Jun Kawakami, Cavalry FC goalkeeper Marco Carducci, and Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury as ambassadors. Each has shared their story of the unique ways trauma and illness impact men to collectively break stigmas surrounding men’s health and inspire our community to donate toward a brighter future.
To keep the fundraising component engaging, we’re continually raising the bar with completely customized activations. From our crowd-favourite punch wall—where guests purchase a ticket to punch the wall and receive a prize–to our branded claw machine, donating is always an interactive and exciting part of the evening.
Impact
The culmination of efforts to raise guests' awareness around bettering men’s health care is shown in the sheer amount Women for Men’s Health has raised over the years and the incredible changes made possible by those funds.
With interactive activations and impressive guest speakers, this event is a success story in furthering men’s health care by getting guests on board with Women for Men’s Health’s vision.



















