I’ve had the pleasure of helping out with the organization of a fundraiser. I have learned that organizing a fundraiser is a ton of work, but knowing that all of the proceeds go to a great cause, the Casey House Foundation, makes it entirely worthwhile. Mind you, I’m not doing any of the difficult stuff – like canvassing in the rain for hours, or asking people to donate something for the event. Those tasks have been the job of the two thoughtful co-founders of the event: Jeff Tallon and Laura Darling.

The fundraiser is called Heart at Work. Heart at Work is a silent art auction at The Gladstone Hotel this Sunday, December 6. The doors open at 7:30pm and it fuses art, technology and music to raise money for the Casey House Foundation. Casey House is a specialty hospice that provides home care and outreach programs for people living with HIV/AIDS in the community.

Recently, Casey House had their annual contemporary art auction, Art with Heart. It is a huge event at the Carlu that showcases the best of Canadian contemporary art. Tickets are $125 to attend the event and the artwork sells for thousands of dollars, raising money for the Casey House Foundation.

Art with Heart is a great event, but Jeff and Laura thought that it would be nice to create an event for people who can’t necessarily afford to participate in a large-scale auction. However, the work that they’ve garnered for Heart at Work is very strong and this allows attendees to potentially walk away with a great work of art by a contemporary Canadian artist at a more reasonable price. So if you come to Heart at Work, you can enjoy a night of contemporary art, technology and music for just $10 admission.

So kudos to Jeff and Laura for creating a wonderful event for a great cause, and for those of us who would like to enjoy a more modest night out!