|
Ornithoodle Doodle Day
If you haven't snapped up your exciting,
one-of-a-kind, collector's-item cartoon-on-a-plate
by one of North America's best-known
and
most innovative cartoonists you still
have
time. But don't dither! Call now!
Expecting an article on birds and you get
a sales pitch instead?!?!! You bet
your bottom
dollar. But it's all for a good cause.
As part of an ongoing fundraising strategy,
the Fatal Light Awareness Program held
an
auction of ceramic plates adorned with
drawings
by famous cartoonists. Held in May
in the
shopping concourse of the Toronto Dominion
Centre the lunch-time event attracted
cartoon
enthusiasts, bird lovers and curious
passers-by.
Toronto Sun editorial columnist Andy Donato
("I know nothing about birds")
and Ted Martin, creator of Pavlov,
made guest
appearances, and city councillor Jack
Layton
was the auctioneer. A veteran of countless
auctions for environmental causes,
Jack expertly
pushed bidders past their limits getting
them to pay as much as $120 a plate
for the
more popular items. He was obviously
having
fun, but his reason for being there
was dead
serious.
Jack described FLAP's efforts to convince
office tower management to turn out
the lights
as a multiple-win situation. "Not
only
do we save migratory birds when the
lights
are turned off, but we also save energy
and
money, eliminate light pollution and
reduce
smog. Smog has been proven to cause
1,000
deaths a year in Toronto alone, so
by cutting
down on these pollutants we save human
lives
too," he said.
The auction raised $1,100 but we had an even
better reason for staging the event.
As a
condition of their $20,000 donation
to FLAP
last year, the Toronto Atmospheric
Fund insisted
that we organize a fundraising event
to prove
that we were moving towards self-sufficiency.
Soon afterwards we learned of the existence
of the cartoon plates which had been
drawn
at a cartoonists' convention held in
1987
at the Royal York Hotel. Tom Smith,
Director
of Internal Public Relations for the
hotel,
informed us that the plates had been
donated
to Variety Village but they had simply
left
them in storage. The plates were kindly
given
to FLAP to allow us to pursue the issue
of
light reduction in Toronto's built-up
areas.
So how about that cartoon plate? There are
only 18 of 65 left, and they're going
for
the knock-out price of $50 each! Check
out
the great plates on these two pages.
Then
WOW that special person in your life
or grab
one for yourself! Better yet, get two
or
three! Call (905) 831-FLAP to buy your
fabulous
plate today!
The Fatal Light Awareness Program
Wishes To Thank
The Trillium Foundation
For Their Generous Grant
|