Abundant Light Silent Auction

I have always been a lover of art. I love performance art, visual art, and literary art. Show me your art and even if I don’t like it (because experience with art is subjective), I will appreciate it because it takes courage putting your creative work out into the world for all to see.

One day while I was pondering, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to create a silent art auction?” I would get to promote friends’ artwork and we could funnel funds to a worthy cause. Sounds like fun, yes?

Now, doing something like this on my own was… impractical. I knew the basics of fundraising from my time working in a non-profit organization, but I needed support. I floated the idea past friends. They wholeheartedly thought this was a great idea! And so, we joined forces as part of The Safe Guardians Network, to make it happen.

On November 18th, 2023, The Safe Guardians Network created a silent art auction to mark the United Nations World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence. It’s a mouthful, I know, but it encompasses both the goal of prevention and the important work of healing.

Fifteen generous artists (both professional and amateur) contributed their creative work. Select art pieces were showcased at an in-person event at Fortune Gallery. All arts pieces were displayed online to bid on. With each bid, supporters got to vote for one of five Canadian organizations doing vital work in prevention and healing. In total, we raised $1,700.

As organizers we learned a ton about what worked and what didn’t. Ultimately, we furthered the conversation around Child Sexual Assault (CSA) and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) in our network, increasing community awareness.

I am so incredibly grateful to all those who showed up and supported this event. I have undying gratitude for the artists and their willingness to support this cause. What comes next is unclear, but I know there is support in my community to continue this work.