Chris Bennedsen retired on January 15, 1993, when he was 62 years old. With more time on his hands, he focused on his involvement with the Order Sons of Italy, becoming the Order’s first National President in 1995. He also directed the Order’s charitable and fundraising activities towards 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’s working life had been extremely interesting and fulfilling, and his labour was fundamental to the building of what became Canada’s largest metropolis. He was one immigrant who helped build the new city and the new society in which he and thousands other were destined to make a new start.