Call for Volunteers, Artists & Sponsors - Silent Art Auction in Toronto for Pakistani Flood Victims
I was on a conference call with several friends from Waterloo and Toronto last night, where we discussed the issue of doing our part to raise awareness and money for the victims of the floods in Pakistan.
I'm sure by now, many of you have heard the statistics where the United Nations estimates 20 million people have been affected, including 4 million people who have been made homeless due to the floods. You've probably also seen pictures of the devastation and desperation of the people in the country given the situation on the ground (see Boston.com The Big Picture - Continuing Pakistani Floods).
If you were wondering to yourself whether there was a way for you to do something about the dire situation in Pakistan, and are located in or around the Kitchener-Waterloo/Toronto area, perhaps there is a way you can help directly.
If you're not located in either KW or Toronto but do feel the strong need to do something about the situation in Pakistan, please feel free to take the idea proposed below and replicate it in your own community.
Silent Art Auction in Toronto for Pakistani Flood Victims
Hearts for Haiti Vancouver - March 6, 2010
Inspired by a similar and very successful event called Hearts for Haiti in Vancouver, where the money raised went to the victims of the earthquake that devastated Haiti earlier this year, a small group of us are looking to put together a silent art auction in Toronto scheduled for the week of October 4th (depending on the venue), with a target of 150-250 people in attendance, and 50-75 art pieces to be auctioned off.
Keep in mind that we are still at the very early stages of planning for this event, and there is certainly a lot of room on the team if you are willing to help.
How YOU Can Help - Call for Volunteers, Artists & Sponsors
With that said, in order to make the maximum impact ($ raised), we're looking for a lot of in-kind donations and could use your help for suggestions and connections to make it happen:
- Volunteers: If you or a friend would be interested in volunteering your time to help us make this event happen in Toronto, we would love to hear from you!
- You can take a lead on the organizing team (a great group of super fun people, I promise!) where there are certainly major areas where we need someone to take a lead on; or you can volunteer 3-5 hours of your time at your own time based on your schedule and availability.
- Artists: Do you have any artists in your networks that may be interested in donating pieces (paintings, mini sculptures, framed photographs, fashion pieces, small artsy furniture, etc) that people would want to bid on for a silent auction? Anything that does not get the minimum bid at the event would be returned to the artist.
- Venue: We're looking for a venue in Toronto that can accommodate 150+ people and is subway/streetcar accessible. Please check out the pictures from the Hearts for Haiti event in order to get a sense of the space that we're looking for.
- Sponsors: Any connections for financial and/or in-kind sponsorship would be greatly appreciated.
If you are interested in helping out with any of the above, please feel free to get in contact with me, Renjie Butalid, or Saba Rehmani for more information.
THANK YOU so much for your help and we look forward to hearing from you!
