Japan Fundraiser II

There was another fundraising event for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This one was at the Arbor Room at Hart House at U of T. Some of the same artists that performed at the fundraiser the week before were there as well as a few new ones. It was fun none-the-less.

The setting wasn't as casual as the week before. It was in a cafeteria/café type place. So there were tables and chair where people sat. Before we got up and moved from room to room and some people sat on the floors. That was nice.

Also, since it was held at night in a dark room the lighting wasn't that great. At one point they dimmed the lights really low because Earth Hour was on at the same time. Needless to say, some of the shots aren't as good as I would have liked. What can you do?

Eyes of Hope - Umbrellas

These umbrellas had been displayed at the U of T's SKULE (engineering department) Arts Festival at 40 St. George Street. Along with artwork from some of the other students there, the exhibition ran for one week between Monday, January 24th and Friday, January 28th, 2011.

The umbrellas were painted by some of the youths who attend the Out of the Cold program at Knox Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evenings during the winter.

I'll retype what's printed on the paper on the easel telling more about the project:

University of Toronto - Eyes of Hope

Eyes of Hope started the new school year with a fresh and exciting project to connect with the homeless youth in the Toronto community. Since November 2010, Eyes of Hope has been organizing umbrella painting sessions through the Out of the Cold Program at Knox Church every Tuesday night.

The sessions provide a platform for both the university students and the homeless youth to engage in a shared interest in the arts. Through this program, the club hope that the youth will feel more included in our society.

Now, Eyes of Hope would like to take this opportunity to share this hope and friendship with you!

The following are thoughts left by some of the youth from the program:

"I'm 30-years-old and I come and volunteer at the Knox drop-in on Tuesdays. I really like to be creative, so when the students came from U of T I was very excited. I did a flower because I think it represents friendship. I also have two types of ADHD and being creative is what calms me down not have scary thoughts. Thanks for coming. I hope we get to meet soon"

- Traci Noble

"The measure of a man is what he does with Power" - Plato

- Delano Grant