Sarah Warsi

On May 31st, I attended a lovely charity event, Kate Linder & Friends: Tea in the Garden, hosted by Kate Linder, better known as Esther Valentine on long-running daytime show The Young and the Restless (Y&R). Candace Daniel, news anchor and producer at Global TV was the emcee for the afternoon. The event was held at the beautiful Paradise Banquet Hall in Vaughan.

If you’ve been following my blog for some time, then you know that I am a longtime fan of Y&R. The good, the bad, the ugly, I’ve been loyally watching for 30+ years now. =D

This was my second time attending a charity Y&R event. The first one was in 2019, which I documented in a post at the time. That was an awesome experience and this event was no different.

The Purpose Behind The Event

This year’s event was held in support of Million Dollar Smiles (MDS), a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of children with life-threatening illnesses and special needs.

What makes MDS particularly unique is its commitment to building custom playgrounds for children with special needs. These playgrounds aren’t generic one-size-fits-all structures; they are hand‑built, personalized, and designed specifically for a child facing a life‑threatening illness or special need.

For example, children who might be immunocompromised from intensive medical treatments or have mobility challenges often cannot use public playgrounds due to accessibility, safety, and sanitary concerns.

The MDS custom playground program brings a custom-built, safe, and sterile recreational space directly to children so they can experience outdoor play fit for them in their own backyard – literally. I personally think this is such a great and unique way to give back.

The initiative is made entirely possible by community funding with a team of volunteers – affectionately dubbed the Smile Angels (as seen below) – who build and customize a playground to meet the child’s specific needs – all in one day.

The Cast of Y&R Join the Million Dollar Smiles Mission

The major highlight of the event was, of course, the Y&R cast members who were in attendance. Alongside Kate Linder, the lineup included Sean Dominic (Nate Hastings), Bryton James (Devon Hamilton), Michael Graziadei (Daniel Romalotti), and Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin).

In the days leading up to the Tea event, the actors were involved in charitable activities, including a local playground construction project where they became Smile Angels themselves by participating in the building of a playground – and enjoying themselves in the process! 🙂

Admittedly, I hadn’t heard of MDS until this event and I’m so humbled by what they do. It’s such a unique way to give back to the community and put smiles on children’s faces. According to their website, MDS has built 500 playgrounds to date! What a wonderful achievement.

Kudos to the Y&R family for their contributions to a great cause!

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So, going back to the event, the afternoon started off with a scrumptious buffet lunch, followed by an entertaining live Q&A session, a live and silent auction, and exclusive raffle giveaways.

Below is a snapshot of the delicious dessert spread that was on hand.

The merchandise table had a nice selection of exclusive show merchandise, including the iconic Crimson Lights coffee mug (which I got at the last event), along with cute tote bags, as seen below.

One of the best parts about events like these is that you get to meet other fans and banter about the show in person. People from all over the GTA and even out of province were in attendance, so it’s like an instant unspoken camaraderie with otherwise strangers.

Ask Anything

The Q&A session was entertaining. This is where fans got the opportunity to ask their burning questions about the show.

I low-key wanted to ask Sean Dominic if Nate would ever consider going back to his medical practice, and luckily someone else ended up asking it for me in the end. LoL I actually can’t remember what his specific answer was, but I do believe he would welcome the opportunity if that happened.

Someone else asked what kind of storyline they would want to see in the future: Bryton said he would like Devon to be less angry all the time. (haha) And Sean said that he would like to see Elena back, which I would love as well. Brytni Sarpi is amazing, and it would be great to have her back someday.

One question that came up a couple of times was whether the actors ever have a say in the direction of a storyline, and the answer was generally no. They are given a script that they need to bring to life within a very short amount of time!

Live Auction

This was a fun part of the event where the actors auctioned off exclusive specialty items related to the show.

A physical script of the show was one of the popular items given away. I may have misheard, but I think one of the scripts was from December 2022. Bryton and Michael were acting out an excerpt of the script – and it was comical. You can catch the clip here.

Another standout auction item was an original piece by Christian LeBlanc – a beautifully-crafted artwork featuring the iconic Chancellor mansion tea set – serving as a nostalgic reminder of the days when Esther (Kate’s character) was the maid and would offer regular tea service. (The OG’s will know exactly what I’m referring to!) =)

This signed and numbered framed print is something that Christian created specifically for the event, making it a truly special collector’s item. So nice of Christian!

Bryton is seen here showing it during the bid. I can’t recall what it ended up being sold for, but I am sure it was for a hefty amount.

The ‘grand prize’ of the live auction was an exclusive tour of the Y&R set in Los Angeles. This tour would be personally guided by Kate Linder herself, with hotel and airfare included for two nights. As long as they weren’t filming that day, you’d get the chance to visit the sets and really relish the experience up-close and personal. Talk about an awesome opportunity!

A really sweet lady shared her own personal experience with the live tour that she’d won 10+ years ago and gushed about how memorable it was. I totally believe that!

And wait for it…the final winning bid went for a whopping $13,000!

Meet & Greet

The event concluded with the highly anticipated meet & greet session with the stars.

Sean Dominic (Nate Hastings)

Sean Dominic has played the role of Nate Hastings on the show since 2019. He was an absolute gentleman! So warm and kind. Fun fact: when I approached him for his autograph, he thought I looked familiar! (Insert sheepish grin) He mentioned social media, of course, and that made perfect sense since I have a pretty active Y&R presence online – but still! For him to even remotely recognize me was kind of cool, to say the least! =D

Michael Graziadei (Daniel Romalotti)

Michael Graziadei has played the role of Daniel Romalotti on and off since 2004.

He was a total hoot. Very outgoing and funny – definitely seemed like the joker of the group. When my cousin and I met him, we asked whether he played the guitar in real life, and he actually pulled out his phone and quickly showed us a home video of him playing the electric guitar (and playing it really well!) It was like we were just buds for a second. Super personable.

Bryton James (Devon Hamilton)

Bryton James has played the role of Devon Hamilton since 2004. Wow, I still remember his debut – I can’t believe it’s been over 20 years! He was a delight to meet – very warm and friendly.

Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin)

Christian is a long-standing member of the show, having played the role of Michael Baldwin since 1991.

Christian is such a humble person. So friendly, so personable. Fun Fact: I met Christian back in 2019 at the first Tea event. I figured it made perfect sense to share the pic that we took together that year, and he was delighted to see it. No clue if it actually rang a bell, but who cares! lol

Kate Linder (Esther Valentine)

Kate is the true OG of the group, having played Esther Valentine on the show since 1982!

It was my second time meeting Kate as well. She was charming and lovely, as always. Throughout her career, Kate has been deeply committed to philanthropic efforts – hosting annual charity events in support of worthy causes. She’s been holding these annual tea events since 2012. Great work, Kate!

Overall, my cousin and I had a wonderful time. The event was well organized and carried a warm and welcoming energy. Plus, knowing that it supported such a meaningful cause made it even more special.

Together, attendees helped raise nearly $60,000 to fund programs for children with special needs – an incredible accomplishment and a true testament to everyone who helped put the event together.

If you’ve never been and you’re a Y&R fan and want to support a cause that genuinely makes a difference, I’d highly recommend attending a future event if one comes to your area.

If you’d like to read up on my experience at the 2019 Tea event, you can do so here.