George Brown College Students Support Anishnawbe Health with Evening of Art and Conversation
This past March a group of six George Brown Sport and Event Marketing postgraduate students came together to host a fully virtual paint night in support of Anishnawbe Health Foundation (AHF). The event, Painting for Truth, was a night of art and impactful conversations about Indigenous culture, history, and truth and reconciliation. The evening began with remarks from Janine Manning, Manager of Annual Giving and Donor Relations at AHF and then followed with art instruction Lead by Ojibwe artist Ellie Lagrandeur.
The idea and planning for Painting for Truth was many months in the making and was part of the learning experience for the students in this one-year program. During the first semester, the group discussed the idea, chose the charity, and planned the event. In the second semester, the students were tasked with fulfilling the plan. When asked how the idea for Paint for Truth came about, George Brown student Dylan Reed explains, “The idea of a paint night and deciding upon an Indigenous charity as the beneficiary came hand in hand as the idea came to light. As we discussed with our classmates in the following weeks, we found ourselves to be the only group working in support of an Indigenous charity.”
Next the team had to decide on a charity as their beneficiary. Anishnawbe Health quickly became their first choice, “We really wanted to ensure that we found a charity that was doing incredible work for the Indigenous community in Toronto. After a quick google search, we knew Anishnawbe Health was the perfect fit.” Dylan continues, “We were truly inspired by the work that Anishnawbe Health was doing within the city and all the exciting developments coming. We had no doubt in our minds that Anishnawbe Health was the charity we wanted to support through Painting for Truth.”
With the planning phase over, the group moved on to creating their own website and ticketing page. It was important for the students to be able to collect additional donations for AHF, however issuing tax receipts was going to be a challenge. “Our CanadaHelps fundraising page was a huge factor in the success of our event.” Dylan says, “The page was simple to set up and allowed our donors to receive an instant charitable tax receipt while knowing their money was going directly to Anishnawbe Health.”
Overall, the Paint for Truth night was a great success. Twenty-five people participated in the painting portion of the evening, door prizes were donated by sponsors and over $675 was raised in support of Anishnawbe Health. Dylan exclaims, “We had some incredible sponsors and donors for the event that truly helped create a special night. We were honored to be able to support Anishnawbe Health through our event and hope we were able to inspire people to continue to support Indigenous causes year-round.”
Learn More on how to make a positive impact on the health of your community by hosting a fundraising event for Anishnawbe Health Foundation.