I’ve decided to move some older content into a blog format so in this first post in the blog I’m doing a round-up of some activities covered in 2016 and early 2017.
Last fall and winter I became involved in a few art sales and wanted to use them as an opportunity to do some fundraising for a local cause. I became most interested in contributing to “Ethan’s Journey to Walk”, a fundraiser for local Gravenhurst boy, Ethan Van Ekelenburg.
From the family’s Go-Fund-Me page: https://www.gofundme.com/get-ethan-walking:”Ethan is the wonderful 3 yr old child of Steve Scharman and Tina van Ekelenburg. Ethan was born January 2nd 2013 at 25 weeks weighing 500g. He suffered bilateral grade 3 brain bleeds which in turn caused brain damage. At 18 months he was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy…. which means that the muscles in his lower extremities are very tight, in turn making it very difficult to walk. ”
Ethan has been approved for a surgery that will help him to “walk independently in all environments” however the surgery isn’t covered by OHIP so the family and community has been raising the funds. I decided I’d like to contribute too by donating the proceeds from the sale of Christmas cards based on photos I’ve shot locally and based on pieces of artwork I’ve done over the years.
As part of the fundraiser I also had over 100 pieces of winter outerwear available – gently used snowsuits and pull-up and bib overall snow pants in sizes ranging from baby to teen and a some adult sizes too. All the items were priced $5-$10. If there is some interest I may be able to do this again sometime.
I may still have some sizes on hand so if you’re in the Gravenhurst area, or not too far away, and looking for any winter outerwear for this season please feel free to get in touch with me! Some sizes run out quickly so the sooner I hear from you the better the chances are that I can meet your requests.
In addition to donating the proceeds of my art and craft tables to Ethan’s Fundraiser I included/donated some photography services too in the various fundraiser sales I attended. For any amount donated to Ethan’s fundraiser I offered a special opportunity for local (Gravenhurst/Bracebridge area) hockey players to get some action photography, free proofs and some prints.
Earlier in the fall I participated in a local Scouting fundraiser.
The highlight of the day for everyone was meeting the people and horses from Twin Maples Farm. Despite the rain that day all the kids and families had a great time on their wagon rides!
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