Civilization.ca - Christian Bennedsen - Scrapbook of a Life in Letters

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4
A Dane in Little Italy

Later Years: Thorncliffe Park
and Thalassemia

In 1993, Chris retired from his work in the sheet-metal industry.

Chris Bennedsen at the Prueters, friends from Birch Run, Michigan, mid-1990s.
(CMC, Christian Bennedsen Collection, P35-5.A20-9.001,
E2007-00486)

In 1995, he began to direct OSIC's charitable and fundraising activities toward the Thalassemia Foundation of Canada. Thalassemia is a blood disorder that is most common among people of Mediterranean origin. In 1997, Chris became the President of the Thalassemia Foundation of Canada.

Chris Bennedsen at an Order Sons of Italy/Thalassemia Foundation Christmas party, Toronto, mid-1990s.
(CMC, Christian Bennedsen Collection, P38-5.M8-43.001, E2007-00515)

Chris Bennedsen at a Thalassemia Radio-thon, Toronto, September 1998.
(CMC, Christian Bennedsen Collection, P38-6.M9-4.001, E2007-00516)

Later Years: Thorncliffe Park
and Thalassemia

Chris Bennedsen at a Thalassemia Radio-thon, Toronto, September 1998. <br>(CMC, Christian Bennedsen Collection, P38-6.M9-4.001, E2007-00516)

Cover of Thal-A-Vision, Thalassemia Foundation of Canada newsletter, Winter 1999.
(Private Collection)

During this time, Chris and Connie moved to a two-bedroom, high-rise apartment in Thorncliffe Park, one of the most multicultural areas of Toronto, itself one of the most diverse cities in the world. In 2001, sixty-six per cent of the population of the Thorncliffe Park was immigrants, thirty per cent being recent immigrants. Chris was thrilled to live in an area that was home to so many new Canadians, and their home became a centre of activity and socializing for family, friends, and Thalassemia Foundation members.