FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:Marilyn Scott – 780-465-1854

October 2014

jmarilynscott@shaw.ca

ART for ART: Buy local for global impact

Fundraiser to supportvillages in Eastern Cape South Africa

In 2010, Marilyn Scott, an Edmonton writer, was searching for meaningful way to celebrate her 70th birthday. A friend invited her to attend Art for Art, a fundraiser held in Edmonton every second year to support Keiskamma Trust in its work in the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa. In little more than a week, she was laying plans to fly to South Africa and put her skills to work as a volunteer with the Trust. Scott and husband Neil Sawers have returned for 6 – 8 weeks each year for the last four years. They’re not alone; the human bridge between Edmonton and the Trust also includes individuals who have volunteered expertise in nursing, pottery, music, writing and visual art. That’s the pull Keiskamma Trust can exert.

But not everyone can volunteer in person. Art for Art makes it possible to join the human bridge between continents by investing in original works of art and one-of-a-kind crafts. Set for Saturday, October 25, 6:30 p.m. at the Edmonton Petroleum Club – 11110 108 St., this year’s silent auction and sale will feature embroidery, beading and felting by the award-winning Keiskamma Trust Art Project, plus visual art, woodworking and ceramics donated by 40 notable local artists. Photos and story tables will provide glimpses of the lives touched  by Keiskamma Trust.

Working in neglected villages in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Keiskamma Trust’s holistic programming includes HIV/AIDS health outreach, organic gardens, a ceramics studio, education initiatives, a music academy, grandmother groups—and an aclaimed visual arts project. The Art Project provides a livelihood for 100 households while confirming how powerful art can be in community healing and health.

Art for Art is co-hosted by the Keiskamma Canada Foundation, a local registered charity, and Women of Hope, an Edmonton chapter of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. This year, we hope to raise $40,000 to help develop the Trust’s overall capacity to meet urgent administrative needs and support programs that assist women, orphans and vulnerable children.

Admission is $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Tickets are available at Edmonton Petroleum Club, through www.eventbrite.ca or by calling 780-465-1854. Anyone seeking more information or to donate is invited to click on  www.keiskammacanada.com.

Photos and interviews available by contacting Marilyn Scott, jmarilynscott@shaw.ca, 780-465-1854.