Molson in the Community

I was thrilled to receive on behalf of Molson an Award of Distinction from Business Leader in the Arts for our participation with the Framework Foundation. The award recognised Molson for its participation Timeraiser events, which have raised more than 31,000 not-for-profit volunteer hours.

How do you raise 31,000 not-for-profit volunteer hours and support emerging artists by purchasing $160,000 worth of their work, all without costing you a dime???  In an art auction with a twist - Timeraiser allows young adults to give their time, skills and energy to not-for-profit organisations, instead of their dollars.  Timeraiser purchases art at fair market value from emerging artists, which people then bid on using donated time, not dollars.  The artists receive incredible exposure, the not-for-profit finds lots of great help, the spirit of community involvement grows and volunteers get a permanent reminder of the contribution to hang on their walls.  Since 2004 Molson has supported Timeraiser and encouraged other corporations to get involved.  Other blogs about Molson at Timeraiser.

It was a thrill to receive this award from the Business Leaders in the Arts. Other recipients of the award of distinction were Cineplex for The National Ballet of Canada; TD Bank for the Magenta Foundation; and Bordeaux Developments for Epcor Centre.

Have you ever participated in a Timeraiser event?

My name is Scott Ewart, I am the Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer for Molson.  I work with Ferg Devins and Tonia Hammer and this is my first blog post!!!!!!  I look forward to having conversations with you and you’ll hear from me again soonI

A few months ago, I wrote about an event organized by Framework Foundation called Timeraiser. Molson is a founding sponsor and partner of the event, and I attended along with half a dozen Molson employees. See post: http://blog.molson.com/community/2008/04/07/timeraiser-toronto-raises-over-11000-hours/ A quick background: Timeraiser is an art auction, but Instead of bidding money on the the art, people are asked to bid their TIME which is then donated to a charitable organization of their choice….very cool idea. For this year’s Timeraiser in Toronto, Molson’s VLOG creator and CSR partner, ARC (Artists Raising Consciousness), filmed a short documentary showcasing the event — from conception, to planning, to execution. The film, a J.W. McConnell Family Foundation “Change in Action” film, shows the layers of a Timeraiser and how it’s moved to a national level. Timeriaser was founded by Anil Patel, a social innovator and executive director at Frameworks Foundation. Anil has been leading the organization since its inception in 2002, and through Timeraiser, he has found a way to build community investment and strength by bringing together non-profit and charitable organizations, local artists, students and young professionals and community-minded corporations. Congrats to Anil and his team on yet another successful Timeraiser.

Molson employees volunteering time at the Framework Foundation’s Toronto Timeraiser on Saturday, April 5, 2008.  From left: Peter Bombaci, Fiona Cunningham, Tonia Hammer, Sebastien Gagner, Kathleen Krisciunas.

‘Wow’ is the only way I can describe how amazing Saturday night at the 5th annual Timeraiser was.  Held at the beautiful Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District, this year’s Toronto event was sold out days before the event date.

What is a Timeraiser you ask? 

A Timeraiser is a charity art auction where rather than bidding money, you bid the number of hours that you are willing to volunteer for an organization of your choice — An AMAZING way to help young Canadians who want to volunteer, connect with different organizations.

This year’s Toronto event was a great success, raising over 11,000 hours – way above the original goal of 7,500.  Everyone was bidding like crazy!  The bid maximum was 150 hours per piece of artwork, and at least 90% of the art pieces reached the maximum amount.

Molson has been a proud sponsor of Timeraiser since its conception 5 years ago.  Some of Molson’s community partners were part of the event too, including The United Way and Meal Exchange.  I decided to bid hours for Meal Exchange, and I can’t wait to start working with such a great organization.

Interview with Molson employee and Timeraiser volunteer, Peter Bombaci

Watch for upcoming Timeraisers in Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver - www.timeraiser.com for more information.

Proud to play our part…..cheers!