Special Event: Life's Basics - Fundraiser 2009

Commercial Drive & Friends Care

WHAT?
“Life’s Basics”- a fundraiser bringing awareness to essential basic needs of all people. Our focus is mainly surrounding water, and the need for clean, pure drinking water for everyone, but especially those living in under-developed nations.

WHY?

Everyone has a right to basic needs of water, food and shelter/protection. Unfortunately, there are so many people on this planet who do not have access to these rights. Queen Victoria Annex Elementary has been raising money to fund water-well building in Africa. Currently, they have almost raised enough to build a well in Tanzania. This well will allow children to attend schools, instead of spending their days collecting unclean and unhealthy drinking water for their families. Water collecting is usually a female job, therefore causing girls to miss or be late for school. A well will give everyone access to a basic right that they have been unable to have in the past.

Life’s Basics will help raise enough money to fund the completion and maintenance of this well in Tanzania. It will also help raise awareness for other issues such as everyone’s right to naturally grown foods free of GMOs and other harmful chemicals, as well as fairly-traded goods, shelter and protection and issues regarding sustainability.

WHO?

Anyone can be involved. Our goal is to unite businesses and members of the community from The Drive, Greater Vancouver as well as globally to come together and support this important cause. Not only will this be a successful fundraiser, but also an opportunity for businesses and people in the community to connect.

WHEN?

February 8, 2009. This is purposely scheduled close to Valentine’s Day to bring awareness to the harm that the holiday does to the planet. Flowers are covered in pesticides and soils for food are depleted with the fertilizers. Non fair-trade chocolates support cash crops, which are a large contributor to the feast and famine crisis that this planet has endured. Trees for bleached cards that are then covered with ink. We want to encourage ethical consumerism that is fair to all involved.

WHERE?

On

Commercial Drive

at 4 venues – the Grandview Legion, A Small World, WaaZuBee, and The Libra Room

However, all the businesses on the drive are invited and can participate as much as they like through promotion of fair trade & sustainable products and a percentage of the sales that day on that product, donated to the water well project. Another suggestion would be a silent auction item donation that is taking place at the 4 main venues participating. A great idea for a business as well, is sponsoring a part of the event and utilizing the exposure as well as tax-deduction advantages.

Venue Information - February 8th 2009

Tickets available for all venues (Pan African Forum is free)

1. Grandview Legion: Noon-3:30 pm (

2205 Commercial Dr.

) $15 Family/$5 Child/$6 Adult

• Kid’s Dance & Masquerade

• Poetry Slam (feat. Scruffmouth, Sonya Littlejohn, Relevant & Taslyim Li)
• Drumming & Live Music feat. Warless & Chelsea Johnson
• Raffle
• Recycled Costumes/Masks encouraged!

  
  

2. A Small World: 3pm-6pm (

2120 Commercial Drive

) Free

• 2^nd Annual Pan African Forum hosted by Black Dot Roots & Culture Collective

• Silent Auction

• Raffle

3. WaaZuBee: 7pm-Midnight (

1622 Commercial Drive

) $8

• Sustainable Fashion Show
• DJ
• Silent Auction
• Raffle

4. The Libra Room: 7pm-1am (

1608 Commercial Drive

) $15

• Live Music feat. Chelsea Johnson, Ghost Brothers, & Pacifika
• Sustainable Fashion Show
• Silent Auction
• Raffle

If you would like to become a sponsor or donor for this event, or to purchase tickets, please contact Jem or Katie at 604-630-2337 or

778-892-4044. Tickets are also available at Vancity

(

East 1^st Ave.

@ Commercial Drive)

Literary: Floetics

Saturday, January 31, 2009
Time:6:30pm - 9:00pm
Location:Bump N`Grind Cafe
Street:916 Commercial Drive
City/Town:Vancouver, BC

A night were 4 AMAZING spoken word artist go up and do their thing.

We got:

*Chris Gilpin (aka Faust McKenzie)
A member of the 2007-08 Vancouver Poetry Slam Team, the runner-up in the 2008 Vancouver Individual Poetry Slam competition, and the champion of Vancouver's 2008 Haiku Death Match. His sources of inspiration have come from such various sources as snooze buttons, donair, and arbutus trees. In the summer of 2006, he toured the Canadian Fringe circuit with his play "87% True: The Lies That Bind", co-created with Rosemary Rowe. His literary work has been published in Vancouver Review, Forget Magazine, 42opus, The GIG, and others. Chris always encourages the audience to stick their finger in the wonder socket.

*Magpie Ulysses
Has been called "One of Vancouver's most prolific and dynamic performers.” She has been a member of three Vancouver poetry slam teams, including two Canadian champion teams at ‘The Canadian Festival Of Spoken Word’, and is the winner of Vancouver's 2008 CBC Poetry face-off. Magpie has performed at festivals, poetry slams, fundraisers and house parties across Canada and throughout the United States. Magpie's poems and stories have been published in Common Ground Magazine, and two self-published chapbooks; "Tinfoil, Twist-ties & Other Shiny Things; Love poems from the aviary" 2005, and "School Of Etiquette." (2006)
She spits hot fire and is always happy to see you.

*Sean McGarragle
A poet and storyteller operating in East Vancouver. He helps out with the Vancouver Poetry Slam, The Main Street Slam, The Vancouver Story Slam, is the founder of the West Coast Poetry Festival, sits on the board of the Vancouver Poetry House, was a member of the 2007 Vancouver Poetry Slam team and the 2006 Story Slam Champion and has shared stages with the likes of juno winning dub-poet Lillian Allen, cowboy poet Ken Mitchell, Jazz poet/spoken word mama Sheri-D Wilson, slam champions Shane Koyczan and Brendon Macleod while touring Canada and the US. He is still looking but has a new pair of glasses.

*RC Weslowski
A clown mouth full of x ray visions attempting to get at the heart of things. A juggler of silly-balls and tart infused rhetoric RC was most recently given the 2008 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word Male Poet of Honour Award in Calgary. RC is also a member of the multi media clown rock combo: Awesome Face who has been playing in Vancouver to sell out crowds since November 2008. They are the most under hyped band ever. In 2007 representing Canada, RC finished 2nd in the world at the World Cup of Poetry Slam Competition in Bobigny, France.

*We also have the musical stylings of the lovely Chelsea D.E Johnson. She is a resident Commercial Drive songstress, constantly aamazing people with her voice and stage pressance.

$5 Bucks at the door

Sighn up for open mic @ 5:30pm

Show Starts @ 6:30pm