CORNWALL, Ontario – Art and community spirit was on display at Cailuan Gallery on Thursday, June 7.
Roughly 80 people showed up for the first ever TimeraiserX event in Cornwall.
The event featured delicious food, dancing demonstrations, music and of course, visual art.
All art displayed was created by local artists, and guests were invited to bid on the art, not with their money, but with their time.
Each item could be bid on with volunteer hours. Bidders could spend those hours with any non-profit charity organization of their choosing, but there were a few on hand at the event if they were looking for a place to start.
The Canadian Cancer Society, Priest Mill Arts Centre, the White Knucklerz, Maison Baldwin House, Bereaved Families, Habitat for Humanity and the SD&G County Library were all on site to tell guests about the benefits of volunteering and the difference their volunteer hours could make for their organizations.
The Canadian Cancer Society for example runs programs like Wheels of Hope, which helps to get cancer patients to appointments and their Wig Salon, which helps match cancer patients with quality wigs. Both of these programs would not be possible without the help of volunteers.
“For the inaugural Cornwall TimeraiserX, we had an amazing turnout and raised 770 volunteer hours for local organizations,” said organizer Kelly Bergeron. “We celebrated local visual artists, dance, and song and were so lucky to have an incredible location partner at Cailuan Gallery downtown. Thank you to everyone who supported this, including Seaway News. Having a vibrant arts community is what allowed this to be a success.”
