Day 60, Lingering thoughts…

Exciting Update: We have just past $4000 and we have more donations coming in. We are getting so close to our target folks, lets give this one last push and see if we can go all the way:). There is still time to spread the word. Lets give it a try. 

As hard as it is to say,…This is it, our last official blog.  We would like to thank everyone for having made this an unforgettable experience. Our service providers, donors, volunteers, sponsors, Quaff Cafe who was so amazingly cooperative with us regarding the auction event, everyone who attended the auction, and everyone else who encouraged us with their enthusiastic comments and helped us get the word out on what we were about.  It has been a unique and rewarding journey and to help commemorate that, we have been asking everyone to share with us their most memorable TW4H moments. We will keep updating this blog as we receive all your answers, so be sure to let us know about your favourite moments if you have not already done.

Elliot:

My most touching moment is ever time I want to give up, I receive another email praising our good work or a new service provider on board. We are very blessed with all the people we met along the way.

Thank you for every single person who has helped us.

AGO, Mark Savel, Ryan Shorts, all our service providers, Karen Au, my core team, Katherine, Kat, Kilim, Jeremy, Rox, Marisa. People showed up at the event, Carol, Quaff Cafe, Mark from Rightsleeve, and all other sponsors.

Karen:

Watching the TW4H progress has been a rewarding experience, and I’m proud to be acquainted with such a dedicated team!

 Favourite memory: meeting Elliot online and having the opportunity to learn about TW4H!

 Most interesting memory: seeing my face posted on the website next to my services offered, in contrast with all the other professional logos. It’s brought on a new perspective on personal branding!

*One act of kindness at a time…

Cheers, guys Thanks for everything!

Roxanne:

Our first blog was a defining moment. The intention to help was crystallized and took form.  

Sophie:

There were so many great parts to TW4H, but I really enjoyed being part of such a dedicated and intelligent team. What TW4H accomplished in such a short amount of time is something to be proud of. Congratulations TW4H!

Kilim:

Throughout the 60 day journey with TW4H, every single moment was precious to me. The moment I got a call from Elliot. The moment I started typing the very first blog entry. The moment I realized I was part of an amazing, inspiring and dedicated group of people who never gave up in the face of unexpected challenges. The moment of looking back at the sixty day journey and realizing that I learned, experienced and affirmed that we have the power and the tools to make a difference.

Katherine:

 I don’t know where to start.

I concurred with Elliot — we have been encouraged and blessed by the strong support from our donors, supporters, a network of amazing volunteers.  We faced various, many challenges on a weekly bases.  There were times we don’t know if we will be anywhere close to our goal. Yet, we always find help and support to solve the problems.

Personally I was so touched that so many people attended the silent auction night. The weather didn’t stop people from attending and supporting Haiti.

Most importantly, 65 days after the earthquake, people have not forgotten Haiti.  Please continue to support and help rebuild Haiti

It’s hard to believe there is only one day left from our 60 days. As we continue to wrap up what we have yet to do in our last days, setting up the buyers and volunteers from the auction, receiving donations, and making sure all is going as it should, there is a little sadness lingering in knowing that we are very close to the end of our TW4H activities.

 But I know that I am alone in saying that we also have a sense of achievement and satisfaction of being about to complete what we set out to do. Besides, we have met some amazing people, (and that certainly isn’t something that is coming to an end), had lots of fun and yes, some crazy stressful moments, which we WILL miss. So in that spirit, I am asking everyone to share a thought with us about TW4H that we will feature on our farewell Day 60 blog, so that we make sure we remember it all.

We got invited to an event tonight by Canadian Journalism Foundation. (Thank you for inviting us!) “Stories from Haiti: A Round Table Discussion with Reporters Who Were There” featured four journalists who filed stories and took pictures on the ground in Haiti. The experience and the assignment would probably stay with them for a long time. Yes, there are varying views on the state of the media today, but it is the media that helped us understand what was going on in Haiti, put things into perspective, and become involved and motivated.

As we draw closer to the end of our 60-day adventure, we wonder how the legacy of the Haitian relief efforts will shape up in coming years. Would all of the interest and aid efforts, including our own, end up simply being one of many stories of the humanity? Are Haitians able to make the most of everything? In 5 years from now, what will we say about the earthquake, the aftermath and the legacy?

Tomorrow is Day 59. Our donation page is still open. There’s still time for you to help us get one step closer to the target!

The excitement from the auction is still fresh! Once again, huge thanks to everyone involved for your enthusiasm, dedication and positive energy. We head into the final week feeling the love and support from a network of a few amazing Torontonians.

Don’t forget we’re still receiving donations! Please go to our donation page to make a contribution. If you have any lingering questions that you didn’t get a chance to clear up at the auction, let us know too.

The results are in…the TW4H + Silent Auction raised $1,656, making the grant total of TW4H raised to date to $3,400. Thanks again to our volunteers, artists and donors!

This will be the FINAL WEEK to contribute towards TW4H’s fundraising campaign for Haiti – the last day of the TW4H campaign is March 18. We’re still short of our goal of $5000, and time is running out! Tell your friends, colleagues, and neighbours about TW4H, the services that we offer, and ask them what WE can do for THEM in exchange for a donation.

Can we make this final push for the people of Haiti? We think so. And we need to do so. As UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said during his visit to Haiti today, we’ve only reached 49% of the $1.4 billion needed for Haiti to rebuild, develop its long term plan, and establish its future economy.

Thanks to everyone who came out for not letting the rain stop the TW4H + Silent Auction from being the great evening that it was! Quaff Cafe was transformed into a bustling gallery for 30 pieces of artwork, including the non-tangible art of our fantastic musicians of the evening, Soul Nidus and Jake Courtney. One section of Quaff Cafe showcased the services provided by TW4H’s hardworking volunteers, who were on hand to introduce themselves and their talents. We had close to 100 people attend the event…who knew so many people could fit in that cosy space!

From TW4H

From TW4H

From TW4H

From TW4H

We’d like to thank everyone for coming out to the Silent Auction and making it such a fun night. In particular, we’d like to thank the artists who donated their art for the auction: GPHT, Hae, Nuwan, Gorilla Arts, Elliot and Kilim, and to our volunteers for providing their service packages: Larissa, Yolanda, Mike, Rick, Jana, Ali, Jeremy, Francois, Kat, Tomoe, Kim, Jennifer, Sophie, Ryan, and Karen.

Thanks to Cafe Quaff for being a wonderful host, to the AGO and Autoshare for providing auction items, and to DeSerres, Rightsleeve, Woolfitt for providing the door prizes.

In total, the Silent Auction raised $1,656.22, making the grant total of TW4H raised to date to $3,400. Thank you, donors!

More pictures of the event:

It happened! Success! Details and pictures tomorrow.

Just to think, the auction is only 24 hours away is overwhelming. Our very next blog will contain information about not what is leading up to the auction but about how it went. While the countdown is still on though, we continue to feature more members from amongst our amazing service providers who have made having a count down possible in the first place.

 Tonight we are featuring Michael O’Leary, Katherine and Jana.

 Michael is an IT consultant as well as an expert in web design. In addition to offering his expertise as a service provider, he has also generously helped us with the auction set up. Our sincere thanks to him and Yolanda for helping us with the transport of the artwork. We could not have done it without you guys.

 Jana is an expert in web design, web application development and graphic design. With over 5 years of experience, she has worked with a variety of clients ranging from small businesses to large corporations.

 Katherine has a strong background in business planning and management. She has extensive experience in event planning and fundraising in government and non-profit organizations. Her efforts and expertise have been at the very backbone of TW4H.

Wow. Two days just sounds so few. That is how close we are to Friday, but there is still ample time for people to hear of us. This is how I think of the remaining time frame: just think how many TW4H related conversations can be held between now and then…hard to count! I guess what I am saying is, if you have not had the chance to get the buzz going about the event, there is still time.

 To continue letting you know about our fantastic service providers, I bring you Larisa Makuch, Sophie Bifield and Jeremy Phan tonight.

 Sophie Bifield is a social media strategist with a great passion for online communication. Sophie has close to 5000 hours of experience as an influencer in the social media field, and is very experienced in consulting, tactical and creative strategy, community management, creating both custom and user generated content, and analysing analytics. Her client list includes: The Canadian Cancer Society, Black Creek Investment Management, The MBA Tour, Talent Egg, Train of Thought Arts Inc, Motivate Canada and TD Canada Trust.

Jeremy Phan is an IT and home theatre expert. He has been supporting corporate, retail and private clients since 2000. During his career he has worked for Intel, Staples as well as the Toronto District School Board. Jeremy is also a talented writer and writes professionally for CanadaHiFi magazine as well as sympatico’s technology blog Sync.

 Larisa Makuch is a member of the Certified Divas, an entertainment provider group who have combined their passion for entertainment with their creativity and provides a unique experience for gal parties: in-home Pole Dancing Parties. Larisa Makuch has been with the group since 2006; although her passion for her work makes it seem the experience is as novel for her as for her clients: “We give ladies the opportunity to get away from their everyday chores, let their hair down and celebrate with the girls. There’s lots of hooting, hollering and cheering for one another, as everyone has the most fun they’ll ever have…. fully clothed”.

Only 3 more sleeps until the Silent Auction on Friday! Now’s the time to check out some of the artwork up for auction at the TW4H website and strategize how you’re going to get the piece that you like the most.

Tonight we feature the artsy language services provided by volunteers Kat Asari and Tomoe:

• Kat Asari has a Masters in French and recently returned to Toronto after studying and teaching in France. With five years of experience tutoring, Kat has taught French and English and can provide instruction entirely in French. – Tomoe has extensive experience in teaching Japanese language courses to university students.
• Tomoe also writes articles in both English and Japanese for major newspapers and academic journals. Whether it’s translation or language instruction, Tomoe can help you with all your Japanese language needs.

We have also updated our featured artwork: