Auction for Action

Walking With Our Sisters (WWOS) is currently holding an Auction For Action.  The Auction started on February 15th and runs until March 6th.  This year WWOS is partnering with Awasis: A Sacred Journey, Butterflies in Spirit, and Got Bannock.  All the proceeds from the auction will be shared between these four community based initiatives.

The Auction is facilitated through a facebook page set up by WWOS. The 21 day auction is open to anyone on facebook, both to bid and to provide donations.  To donate an item to the auction donors simply upload a good quality photograph of the donated item, a short description, and shipping details.  Bidders can big directly on the item using the facebook comment function.  The community based nature of the fundraiser reflects the grassroots nature of all the projects involved.  A large number of the items already donated are handmade, indigenous made, and beautiful works of art.  Well worth a look for anyone interested in supporting these great causes.

More information about each of the organizations this fundraising supports can be found below:

Walking With Our Sisters (WWOS) is a memorial that honours the lives of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. WWOS is touring until 2019 at 32 locations across North America.The exhibit incorporates the act of ceremony and honouring with the work of approx.1400 artists who created 1808 pairs of moccasin tops. Operated entirely by volunteers, with none of the organizers getting paid, this project has not applied for nor received a government grant for the materials, shipping costs or any other costs associated with it.

Awasis: A Sacred Journey. Donna Gamble is walking across Canada for “my sisters who’ve left and those who continue to struggle. I also pray for our babies and the brothers. As a mother grandmother & Chapan (great grandmother), I walk in prayer for missing and murdered sisters and for the health of our communities and children. ‘Awasis’ is a child. Donna began her journey when Tina Fontaine (15) was murdered in Winnipeg. She completed the first half of her walk in the fall of 2014 from BC to Sask. She continues her walk this spring from Sask to Ottawa. Proceeds from this auction will go to support her completing her journey.

Butterflies in Spirit is a Vancouver dance troupe raising awareness of violence against Aboriginal women and girls, including those who have gone missing or have been murdered. To commemorate them, their images are worn on t-shirts in performance, as the dancers pay respect to their lives. They have performed at more than 10 events across Canada.Got Bannock is a grassroots initiative by Althea Guiboche to feed the hungry, the homeless and less fortunate on the cold streets of Winnipeg Her motto is “in honour of the village we once had”. Althea is a stay-at-home single parent who encourages a more selfless life that caters to Mother Earth and her children. She states “The traditional village my people once had was based on respect, honour and love. We were self-governed and every member of the tribe was a contributor towards survival of the village…our wealth was measured less in what we had than in what we shared with one another.” Proceeds from this auction will go to Got Bannock to be able to continue the good work it does.

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