Arts charity turns to crowdfunding to save a popular fashion program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Carleen Robinson | cell: 647-203-8699 | email: [email protected]
Liz Forsberg | cell: 416-953-0981 | email: [email protected]
Media Advisory: Arts charity turns to crowdfunding to save a popular
fashion program for marginalized Toronto youth.
TORONTO, ONTARIO (September 8th, 2014) –Art Starts has 10 days left to reach its
crowdfunding goal to save its popular Sew What?! program and is seeking supporters to
help keep the program up and running.
For the past 3 years, Art Starts has been offering a highly popular youth fashion arts
program that has successfully prepared marginalized youth to pursue further education
and careers in the fashion industry. Over 75 youth have graduated from the program
with an impressive portfolio of their own designs and industry contacts to help them get
started. This summer alone saw 3 Sew What?! grads get accepted into accredited postsecondary programs.
One such success story is Daniel Thompson. The 19 year-old Sew What?! grad was just
accepted into the Fashion Design Program of the Toronto Film School at the RCC
Institute of Technology.
“The skills I learned through Art Starts influenced my decision to apply for the fashion
department. I got an interview and my portfolio consists of everything I’ve made in Sew
What?!” says Daniel. “The interviewer was overwhelmed that I had learned so much in
six weeks and she was sold on my portfolio. She said she had to have me in the school
and only 20 students are chosen each year!”
The Sew What?! program was funded for the first 3 years through the Ontario Trillium
Foundation but is coming to its natural end and Art Starts is seeking support from other
sources to keep it going.
“Sew What?! challenges youth to break out of their comfort zones, ignites their creative
capacity and drives their motivation all the while providing the tools necessary to move
forward” says Katherine Earl, Program Director at Art Starts. “We want to ensure this
vital program continues to provide young people with opportunities to take their fashion
inspiration to the next level!”
Art Starts is looking to raise $3,000 in their crowdfunding campaign between now and
September 18th to keep the program going during the fall semester while they work to
secure more long term funding for the future. Sew What?!
Program Manager, Carleen Robinson is hopeful that they can achieve this. “Over the
past 3 years, I have personally seen the positive impact that Sew What?! Has had on the
participants” she says “This program provides exposure to a segment of the arts that is
not typically available to this age group. We look forward to continuing this arts training
over the years to come!”
Donations to the crowdfunding campaign can be made by visiting Art Starts’ website at
www.artstarts.net or by going directly to the crowdfunding campaign page at
https://greedygiver.com/campaigns/Save-Our-Program
Donors can choose from array of perks such as gift cards, thank you videos or even
professional garment alterations, screen-printing workshops or a personal fashion
consulation from Sew What?! instructor and fashion designer extraordinaire Matthew
Visser-Charest.
Art Starts is charitable organization that has been bringing professional artists and
underserved communities together in community-building arts programs for over 20
years. They are the winners of Toronto Arts Foundation’s 2013 Arts for Youth Award.
Follow on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn at artstartsTO.
WHO: Sew What?! and Art Starts
WHAT: Sew What?! crowdfunding campaign
WHEN: now until Thursday September 18, 2014
WHERE: https://greedygiver.com/campaigns/Save-Our-Program or
http://www.artstarts.net/
WHY: Donate to help keep the Sew What?! program up and running
For more information, please visit http://www.artstarts.net or contact Carleen Robinson at 647203-8699 or Liz Forsberg at 416-953-0981.