Hudson Valley Art Incubator

Project by Kelly Demers

Arts Development and Mentor Centres are in rare supply. Kelly Demers fundraiser project for the Hudson Valley Art Incubator is to see the creation of a downtown Artists Community Hub where the artists receive access to an environment that is both supportive and inspirational.

The centre would provide the level of services that coach and mentor artists to become equipped with the skills and knowledge to conduct business successfully. In addition, tools and services that give access to creative outlets still left untapped will find new talent emerge in the community. This activity will offer positive results within the larger community’s socio-economic status.

As Kelly Demers writes in her Kickstarter campaign page:

We’ll provide the tools, business resources and equipment – AFFORDable shared studio facilities such as a print shop and photo lab as well as editing equipment for low/no budget filmmakers and computer workstations for writing, scanning, graphic design & desktop publishing. In addition we’ll give artists regular gallery exposure and opportunities for networking within the community and beyond. The goal of this project is to not only help artists support themselves, but also to directly support the creative economy by creating jobs and opportunities for artists and people within the creative cluster, and to actively engage and enrich several community networks through outreach efforts and regular exposure to the arts.

This modest, yet impactful project holds tremendous promise with the right level of support to ensure its successful launch. You are invited to visit and lend your support at any level you can. The trick with the Kickstarter fundraising is that it is an all-or-nothing gamble. Not reaching the goal, all monies donated are returned, and the challenge is to surpass that goal, which only you can make possible.

Participating can be both financial to reach the goal, or in sharing so the project fundraiser is seen by more people across the web, increasing its opportunity for reaching the right audience able to see this vision through to success. Make a difference, one man is inviting you to join Hudson Valley Art Incubator and support this vision’s goal.

Video interview below.

British Columbia, Persons With AIDS Society hosted today’s (September 20th, 2009) fundraiser WALK through historic Stanley Park for the last time. Next year, as they work with the Vancouver Parks Board, the plan anticipates a more publicly visible location closer to the city’s Westend neighbourhood where more of the public will be able to see and participate fully.

This move comes about as the need to raise awareness in Vancouver increases, particularly as the HIV/AIDS issue continues to grow, not only in the gay community, or drug-user community, but also within the “mainstream” heterosexual community. As Glyn Townson, Chair of the BCPWA states, “The virus doesn’t care about your sexual orientation, it is only looking for a host.”

After encountering the event already underway today down at Stanley Park this afternoon, I recorded a video interview with BCPWA Chair, Glyn Townson, to share on the Live in The Westend (Vancouver) community website. You can view the post there, watch the video, join the community and make comments, as well as add your own voice to the cause of increasing public awareness. Included with the post is the BC Persons With AIDS Society media release containing more information and detail.

Donations are still being accepted: To make a donation, please visit the AIDS WALK for LIFE Vancouver website.

BC Persons With AIDS Society
The British Columbia Persons With AIDS Society (BCPWA Society) is dedicated to empowering persons living with HIV disease and AIDS through mutual support and collective action. It is Western Canada’s largest AIDS organization with a membership of more than 4,600 HIV-positive individuals.

There I was hovering over a busy ant-hill when thought I heard something. I leaned in a little closer to see what it was. You won’t believe it, but I’ll share it anyway.

“Do you suppose there is any rhyme or reason to any of this?” Dweedle-Ant posed.

“He He He! Of course, Mant! Of course! Just take a look at that cute little heiny and tell me that ain’t no reason. That’s a reason!” bellowed and guffawed Sext-Ant.

“Sure, if all that matters to you is thorax and antennae, Perv!” stated Iman-Ant. “Of course there is a point to it all, Dweedle-Ant.”

“Each and every one of us is a piece of a larger whole. The whole is the colony. While a colony can continue without us, it is no longer the same colony. The whole keeps changing, and yet, it depends upon us for its own existence. It is the nature of Life. Before the flower came the bud, before the bud came the stem, before the stem-the roots, before the roots-the seed, and after all is said and done, all that was the flower is returned to multiple seeds. These seeds varying in the sum totality of the experiences in the journey of the flower’s life.”

“So, you see, we don’t know and experience the future now. We pour ourselves into the now, knowing that a future self that is the sum of everything before (self-included), and aspires to even greater, will have more of the answers than we have now,” finished Iman-Ant.

Sext-Ant yawns and exhales, “Well you mucks can do whatever you want, or believe whatever you want. Me? I’m just going for more T & A, baby, T & A!” And sauntered off with a howl that dwindled to a chuckle.

Wow! They’re not much different than us, eh?

How can we change the world?

This is such a big question upon so many people’s minds as they look around them to a world with so many issues that seem apparent to each particular individual. Note it is issues that seem apparent to each particular individual, as the experience of one reflects issues important to the individual. Each of us has a sense of heart-driven desire to see a positive outcome occur for our pet-world-issues, or causes. Does the enormity of the issues cause your heart to pause?

You can make a difference. We can all make a difference. It is so much easier when we can see where and how.

One Man Can, One Woman Can

Getting the changes we’d like to see happen in the world meet resistance as politics, cultures, and business appear to create blockades to creating change. When Princess Di passed, millions bought flowers, crowded streets, and lamented her loss and the lesser impact for change that represented.

And yet, were each of these millions to pick up one actionable item, to donate rather than buy flowers, the impact of these millions would have dramatically impacted the causes Princess Di pursued. The little things we can do, do make a difference.

How to Get Volunteers

Many organizations seeking to create positive change are often challenged to find the support in their communities. Getting volunteers out is a job that also requires financial and human resources, along with creative ideas to reach out and find the hearts that beat.

We the People create change, have power, as the old adage “United we stand, divided we fall” reminds us. Amassing ourselves to support our causes with real intent…. well, imagine the impact.

TimeRaiser: A Vision Whose Time has Come

First noted is the Vision of TimeRaiser:

Our vision for the Timeraiser is to make it the most memorable, engaging and impactful civic engagement program in the country.

Our hope is that, in a few years, thousands of Canadians will be able to trace their engagement in their community back to the Timeraiser. We want to plant the seeds of life-long civic involvement.

From 2008 through 2010, we will host 16 Timeraisers across the country, that generate 250,000 volunteer hours, engage 5,000 Canadians in the charitable sector, invest over $300,000 in the careers of emerging artists and enable the valuable work of hundreds of nonprofits.

The expansion to other Canadian cities does not come at the expense of going deep in the communities we are already in. The Timeraiser will play the role of catalyst, bringing the emerging concepts of community development to the audience of volunteers and agencies that participate. Our experience shows that when given the right opportunity, people who get involved, stay involved.

Finally, we will be developing really cool strategies to leverage the involvement of professionals in the fields of Human Resources, Accounting, Organizational Design and Information Technology to elevate and expand the Timeraiser programming.

Second, visit the TimeRaiser website to learn more, and Vancouverites, be ready for more.

Getting involved your community isn’t always easy. That’s why VOLUNTEER VANCOUVER and FRAMEWORK FOUNDATION are proud build on the successful 2008 program to co-host the 2nd Vancouver Timeraiser. The Timeraiser has made it simple for Canadians in their twenties and thirties to find meaningful opportunities to fit their busy lifestyles. After successfully launching campaigns in six Canadian cities, the 2nd Annual VANCOUVER TIMERAISER will be held on Thursday September 24th at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown.

What Others Say

Volunteer Vancouver’s Chair states:

No other Vancouver event impresses the depth of impact and richness of innovation. If the arts inspire your heart, community engagement uplifts your soul, and camaraderie nourishes your being, then Timeraiser is where you need to be” says Chilwin Cheng – host of the 2008 Vancouver Timeraiser, Chair of Volunteer Vancouver’s Board of Directors and Principle/founder of Legal Process Solutions

Download 2009 Vancouver Timeraiser Press Release of August 26th, 2009 for more details.