The First Lady of Canada has just taken Bracelet of Hope’s Women to Women Pop Up Boutique fundraising event up a notch, or two, or three.
It’s not that Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau’s high-heeled shoes are particularly high-end. The shoes are from Aldo. The earrings, however, are quite a bit fancier.
“It’s fantastic,” Candice Coghlan, Bracelet of Hope’s director of business development said, speaking of the Grégoire-Trudeau’s gift. “We contacted her and she has sent us a pair of her black high-heels, and some beautiful Canadian designer earrings.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife included in the package a sweet, hand-written note. It reads, in part: “It’s an honour to walk with you in this path for helping to make a better world for all women and girls!”
The event, happening Sunday, May 28 at the Frank Hasenfratz Centre for Excellence in Manufacturing at 700 Woodlawn Road, is all about shopping for special women’s things, and raising money to support Bracelet of Hope’s important programs in Lesotho, Africa, said Coghlan, who recently returned from a visit to Lesotho.
Bracelet of Hope runs a number of programs in the tiny country, including foster homes for children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country. Coghlan captured video of a number of the foster parents. That video will be shown at the May 28 event.
Women and girls donate “lightly loved” items to Women to Women, she said. They are steamed and tagged. Then lots of women stream into the venue and purchase them.
A kind of pop-up consignment shop, this year the event has grown and has moved to a much larger venue. It runs from noon to 5 p.m.
“This is our third year,” Coghlan said. “The number of donations we’ve got has grown extensively in the last couple of years, along with the number of participants that come to shop. We thought it would be great to have a bigger space for them to wonder around, shop, have some food, and network.”
Women to Women also serves to raise awareness about the status of women internationally, while raising funds to support women and girls affect by HIV/AIDS in the country. It has one of the highest prevalence rates for the disease in the world, with about 310,000 people (22.7 per cent of the population) living with HIV as of 2015.
Tickets for Women to Women are $20, and include a beverage and hors d'oeuvres.
“We have shoes, clothings, purses, and jewelry, all donated,” Coghlan added. “We price them and put them up for very low prices. It’s like a bazaar, where people can get great discounted clothing.”
There is also a silent auction component. Handmade wooden beads from the organization Positively Empowered Artisans in Lesotho are turned into various pieces of jewelry by Canadian artisans. Those are auctioned off.
The event raises between $12,000 and $15,000 each year. The goal this year is $20,000.
“When you ask ladies to come and shop in support of other women and girls, it is not a hard ask for us ladies,” Coghlan added.
