YYC4SlaveLake raises $16,000 in support of Slave Lake relief efforts

Thanks to the unbelievable generosity of Calgarians, YYC4SlaveLake is proud to announce more than $16,000 was raised for the Canadian Red Cross Alberta Fires Response. On the evening of June 29, donations poured in at the door of Melrose Café & Bar as more than 150 Calgarians gathered to support the relief efforts in Slave Lake today and in the months to come.

The night featured a silent auction and door prizes that included many sought-after prizes donated by local businesses in Calgary. The YYC4SlaveLake 50/50 draw raised over $1,000 and the lucky winner was generous enough to donate his portion of the draw back to the Red Cross. A special thanks to our MC for the event Jill Belland and special guest Jillian Harris for their support leading up to and during the event.

YYC4SlaveLake was a huge success – bringing together Calgarians from all walks in life in support of one amazing cause. A huge thank you to all who attended and an even bigger thank you to all of the local businesses and individuals who donated so generously to the cause:

• Earls Willow Park
• Willow Park Wines
• Calgary Flames
• Unlimited Blue
• Sunridge Mall
• Eveline Charles
• Rebecca Dawn Flower Design
• Calgary Stampeders
• Original Joe’s
• Edo Japan
• Crossfit Ramsay
• Ginger Group
• The Costume Shoppe
• Beauty Gram
• Land & Sea
• Elbow Springs
• Yaya Calgary
• Virgin Radio
• Pawsitively Natural
• Timeless Snapshots
• Foxx Force 5 Studios
• Stella and Dot
• Kadori
• Alberta Fashion Week
• GEC Architecture
• SAIT
• Melrose Café and Bar
• Pat Tan
• Jersey City
• April Battenfelder

New event date – YYC4SlaveLake to be held on Wednesday, June 29

Hey everyone!

The YYC4SlaveLake volunteer committee would like to announce a new date for YYC4SlaveLake. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the event has been moved to one week later on Wednesday, June 29 at 6:00 p.m. Event details will remain the same.

Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates on the event and we hope to see you all there!

Twitter community bands together for Slave Lake relief

Canadian Reality TV star Jillian Harris to attend YYC4SlaveLake event on June 29

CALGARY, AB (June 16, 2011) – On Wednesday June 29, Calgary’s Twitter community will come together to enjoy a night of entertainment in support of the Red Cross relief efforts in Slave Lake. Initially, YYC4SlaveLake was scheduled for June 22 but due to unforeseen circumstances, the event has been moved to one week later on June 29.

The event will feature live local entertainment, a silent auction, a raffle and door prizes. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Canadian Red Cross Alberta Fires Response. The event is expected to attract over 100 members of the Calgary Twitter community including local TV personalities.

The fundraiser will also be attended by Canada’s favourite Bachelorette, Jillian Harris. Jillian, who now stars as a designer on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, is originally from Peace River and spent her summers as a child growing up in Slave Lake. When news spread about the devastating damage in the community of Slave Lake, Jillian immediately began engaging on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, raising awareness and urging her 50,000 plus followers to help.  Jillian will be touring the town of Slave Lake with the Canadian Red Cross on Thursday, June 16 and will share her experience, providing insight into the depth of the destructions and the importance of donating to the relief efforts.

“When a disaster of this magnitude happens, it is almost impossible to wrap your head around where to begin the relief effort,” said Jillian Harris. “As someone in the public eye, I am proud to be able to use my voice on social media to help support the relief efforts in Slave Lake and to spread my love for those out there suffering from the fires. “

Drawing on the success of a similar event, YYC4Haiti, held in January 2010, Calgary’s Twitter community is coming together once again to show that Calgary cares. The event, although primarily spread through the Twitter community, is open to all Calgarians and will be held at Melrose Café and Bar on 730 17^th Avenue on June 29 at 6:00 p.m.

“The way in which the social media community has been able to mobilize this event has been absolutely remarkable,” said YYC4SlaveLake Project Manager Donna McTaggart. “In the span of only a few weeks, we have had so many Calgarians come forward to volunteer, to make donations and to say they will attend the event. The tragedy in Slave Lake hits really close to home and it’s so important we help our fellow Albertans in any way we can.”

There is no cover charge or cost for admission, however donations in support of the Red Cross are strongly encouraged. The money raised will help provide short-term assistance to affected families, including food, shelter, hygiene supplies and other essentials.  The Red Cross will help the families rebuild their lives.

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For more information visit www.yyc4slavelake.wordpress.com and for media inquiries, please contact:

Leanne Laverick
PR Coordinator for YYC4SlaveLake
Phone: 403.993.1327
Email: laverickleanne@gmail.com
Twitter: @LeanneLaverick or @YYC4SlaveLake

For media requests regarding Jillian Harris:

KristinAnn Janishefski
The Vanguard PR
Phone: 604.628.2249
Email: kristin@thevanguardpr.com

Come to YYC4SlaveLake

The Twitter community is coming together once again to lend a hand.

On Sunday, May 15, the town of Slave Lake in northern Alberta was evacuated due to approaching wildfires. When the smoke cleared, 372 homes were destroyed, leaving many residents with nowhere to go.

One-third of the town, including Town Hall and the police station, has been destroyed and many of Slave Lake’s 7,000 residents remain housed in emergency shelters in Athabasca, High Prairie and Edmonton.

Calgary’s Twitter community will do what it can to help the wildfire victims in Slave Lake. A YYC4SlaveLake team, drawing on the success we had with YYC4Haiti in January 2010, has been assembled and we are getting all the plans underway.

A Tweetup will be held at Melrose Cafe and Bar on Wednesday, June 29, starting at 6 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Canadian Red Cross Alberta Fires Response.

The money raised will help provide short-term assistance to affected families, including food, shelter, hygiene supplies and other essentials. In the long-term, the Red Cross will help the families rebuild their lives.

We will be featuring a silent auction, a raffle draw and door prizes while we have entertainment and Tweeters gather to assist our fellow Albertans.

Stay tuned here for more details, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and RSVP to the event!