I don’t know a lot about a lot of charities, and I don’t pretend I do. I
fundamentally believe that at everyone’s core is a desire to help
people, but they just don’t know quite how to. Some people are able to
do it on a daily, personal basis, some through grand gestures in
association with charities. But sadly, it has become pretty trendy to
sh*t on charities lately.
That has gotta stop.
The toy disaster
with the Salvation Army didn’t do anything to improve morale among my
friends, but a general distrust seems prevalent. People love talking
about the size of the offices and the salaries, failing to notice the
magnificent amount of work that people are doing to help the world. Not
that I am endorsing blind trust, I most certainly am not. But if you do
your homework – you won’t have to look far to find an organization you
can get behind.
Smart Giving is a really handy
resource. A Canadian guide to charities that can help direct you towards
something you believe in. They have an article
by Mark Blumberg on why it’s impractical to rate charities based solely
on their overhead. (But it is certainly a good starting point).
To start the conversation on charitable giving, I spent the afternoon
watching an art show come together on behalf of War
Child. This charity is just special. It’s not a relief organization,
like so many others, but more of a promoter of humanity. Since its
inception more than 90 cents out of every dollar raised has gone
directly to their charitable programs for children. So you can be
assured that your hard earned money is getting where it needs to be.
They focus specifically on the children and women in war zones, and
believe that education, opportunity, and justice are absolute
fundamentals in getting a society back on track.
As was explained to me by the lovely Barbara Harmer of War Child, when a
country is in heavy conflict, the culture is one of the first things to
go. Children aren’t focusing on developing themselves, they are focusing
on survival. They have no choice. But when you can reintroduce an
ability for these people to feel seen, and an ability for them to
contribute to the welfare of themselves and others, you are empowering
them to rebuild a country in a real and long term way.
War Child works in Afghanistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Sierra Leone,
Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. They involve the citizens in the building
of new schools (rather than flying in volunteers), they help women start
their own businesses, and they foster a sense of pride by allowing
locals to literally have a hand in the rebuilding of their own cities.
They are masters of the chain reaction.
An art show couldn’t be more fitting. The ability of art to help
children process and heal is incredible.
The show, Freehand,
is a contemporary art auction that features work from obliging
international artists. The art is available online for pre-bidding at
www.artbarrage.com, or you can just wait for the big sexy auction night.
Six of the pieces were painted by children in the Afghanistan War Child
program.
April 25th, doors open at 99 Sudbury at 6:00pm.
Tickets,
$60.
You can listen to an exhuberant auctioneer, you can donate money while
knowing you’re making a difference, and you can spend a night surrounded
by some like-minded individuals.
Cheers to that.
To peek behind the scenes as the artwork is being hung at Waddington’s
Auction house, look on…
I have my eye on at least 3.
xo Holland
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