"Cause I Can" Judith Cantor's fundraising projects

It was fabulous, dahling!

I spent last Saturday morning surrounded by a rather motley crew - transvestites, drag kings, members of the GLBT community and queer-friendly folk - for the Little Black Dress Run in aid of Camp Goodtime for children living with HIV Aids.

We didn't as much run the 4km track around Centennial Park as sashay in a taking-in-the-scenery and basking-in-the-spectacle kind of way. 

We had a number of stops for photo opportunities including taking over the Moonlight Cinema grounds (which felt a little like an alternate scene from "O brother, where art thou" [see below]).

Hostess Joyce Maynge kept the crowd in stitches with her warm-up exercises and herding skills, and embodied the spirit of all things Mardi Gras. 

A very large cheque for $17,000 was presented to the representative from Sydney Children's Hospital - Paediatric HIV Service which will be extremely useful in putting together the next Camp Goodtime which runs in six weeks' time.

Unfortunately the size of the donation fell way short of last year's effort but there's still time to rectify that! Visit www.gofundraise.com.au/Cantorj to support the Camp.

A big 'thanks' to those who have already given so generously.

Curiouser and curiouser...

What has Judith been up to of late? 

Well, on top of preparing for the Little Black Dress Run this Saturday and pulling a team together and training for Kayak 4 Kids in March, I've been arranging a colourful fundraising event in support of national mental health charity SANE.

Thursday 4 March is a date you won't want to forget - or be late for. It's a very important date. It's the Australian Opening Night of Tim Burton's long-awaited feature film Alice in Wonderland and I've secured exclusive use of Gold Class at Event Cinema in Bondi Junction for a 3D screening!

It's a strictly dress-up affair and Dennis and his team from Face Focus have kindly donated their time (and face paints) to come along and transform everyone into Lewis Carroll's fantastical characters.

Fancy Shmancy Boutique Fancy Dress Hire are supporters too so be sure to visit their store for all your costume hire needs (91 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction - 9387 1330).

Tickets are available through www.whiterabbit.eventbrite.com and include a drink on arrival and canapes.

Remember to bring a few extra notes with you on the night though  - there will be a raffle with prizes from Edifier, Stevie English Hair, Cocolo Chocolates and more.

Thanks to CP Communications for their help in promoting the event to the media, and Virtual Advertising for the great invitation.

I look forward to seeing you incognito!

Love is definitely in the air

Valentine's Day is, I feel, a day of gratitude. A day to take stock of the love around us - whether it be past, present or future; based on Eros, Philial, Caritas or Agape - and take it in.

Last Friday I took part in a Facebook initiative called Write Love on Her Arms Day - a day of love and support for people with eating disorders who have depression, self-harm or are suicidal. I was amazed at how the simple act of writing the word 'Love' on my arm gave me a sense of strength, empowerment, humility and compassion. I was honoured to explain its meaning to my friends when they admired my bravery in getting a tattoo.

What are you going to do to show your love?

On Saturday I'll be taking part in the Little Black Dress Run in Centennial Park - a rather silly event with a serious raison d'etre: supporting children living with HIV Aids.

Why not show them some love in appreciation of the love you receive unconditionally? Pay it forward.

If you can, visit www.gofundraise.com.au/Cantorj and make a donation. Your gift of love will enable the Positive Kids team (a program at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick) to help the children recognise the love in their lives and thrive.

Wishing you a beautiful day filled with love whichever way you choose to spend it.

Blessings.

Call for kayakers

February is shaping up to be charity challenge central! Actually this challenge is at the end of March but a fair deal of preparation is needed for it to be a success. And this is where you come in!

I'd like to put together a team of 12 kayakers for Lifestart's Kayak 4 Kids on 28 March. Why 12 you ask? Because it's a long way to paddle! 


The course is 17.5km in total which is, even for me, way too far. If we have 12 team members, we can have three to a kayak per leg of the challenge. Much better idea!

That plus it makes it far more social and fun.

In preparation for the big day, I've arranged kayak hire for the preceding six weeks starting Sunday 14 February. All sessions are at 4pm and, as with any social gathering, there's room to party on somewhere else afterwards.

And just so those of you who may be groaning at the fact the first session is on Valentine's Day, I've come up with something that both singles and couples may enjoy to do afterwards - see NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU under the stars at Moonlight Cinema.*

Please get in touch if you want details on training, the race, the social program, the cost or the charity, or if you would like to put your participation pants on straight away. 

And feel free to forward this on - the more the merrier! That, plus we'll need reserves.

Oh, and we'll need a team name. Most creative suggestion wins... the admiration of the rest of the team. Okay, I'll shout you a drink ;)

Thanks,
Judith
0402 257 655
judith@cantordirect.com.au
@judithcantor


*To see the review and make your booking visit www.moonlight.com.au 

LBD invasion at Centennial Park

Last month I spent a day in silence in support of the White Ribbon Foundation and the work they do promoting anti-violence against women. This month I will be taking part in something a little more frivolous yet no less important. 

On 20 February I will don my own LBD and join hundreds of similarly clad men and women as they walk, run or shuffle (for those who choose to wear their heels) the 4km circuit to raise funds for Positive Kids' Camp Goodtime (an initiative of Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick).

Camp Goodtime has been running since 1990 and, according to the Hospital's site, "facilitate[s] communication between and within families living with HIV, reduce[s] the isolation experienced by the families, provide[s] a recreational and therapeutic environment where children and parents can share experiences with others in similar circumstances, and provide[s] a venue where information about the medical, social and other aspects of HIV can be shared and where new ways of coping with the virus can be learned."

If you can (and can't we all to some extent?), please make your donation via www.gofundraise.com.au/... and give both the children living with HIV Aids and their families much-needed support.

And yes, I'll have my camera with me!

Happy Mardi Gras :)

Ready to roll


Right! The groceries have been bought, my flatmate has been warned, and the scene has been set. There's now no room for interruption or temptation during my Day of Silence tomorrow in commemoration and support of women who have experienced abuse.


Show your solidarity in the 'anti-violence against women' movement by donating to www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_3. All money raised goes to the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia so they can expand their education program and offer a safe place for women to come forward and start their healing journey.


I greatly appreciate your consideration and help.


Peace.

Powerful silence

The act of not talking can mean different things to different people depending on the context. For women who have been on the receiving end of verbal, physical or sexual abuse, it can be both a blessing and a curse. For some it's their protection. For others, in a way, it's their perpetrator. For many it's both.

To honour women who, for whatever reason, feel they do not have a voice, I will be entering into a Day of Silence on Saturday 16 January. From the wee hours until the end of the day I will be abstaining from talking, reading, writing, watching the small screen, the big screen, the silver screen, any eye contact... I will, in short, be spending the day meditating on the far-reaching issue of violence against women and all that needs to be done to overcome it.

The White Ribbon Foundationare doing an admirable job of educating the public but limited funding can only reach so far. 

Please support my Day of Silence by making a donation to the Foundation via my fundraising page: www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_3 so that they can spread the word even further afield. All donations will be gratefully accepted and any over $2 are tax deductible.

Please also take a moment to think of anyone else who may be interested in Day of Silence and let them know where to reach me or read more?

Awareness is crucial to creating change and we can all make a difference.

Thank you. Very much.

Can Judith really keep her mouth closed for that long?

It's going to be a challenge, let me tell you!

From sunrise to sunset on 16 January, 2010 I will entering into a Day of Silence in support of women who have been abused - emotionally, physically or sexually - but haven't felt strong enough to talk about it.

The timing is actually quite poignant for me.

 A few short weeks ago, someone I met through Twitter emailed me and three other people about soliciting Christmas gifts for a women's shelter in Western Sydney. It's amazing how the act of asking for help can be so powerful.

Not only did we all jump at the opportunity, but we managed to secure beauty products, pampering sessions and journals for the 15 women who had most recently moved to the crisis centre, and gifts for their 35 children. The response from the companies we approached was quite unbelievable. 

The man I mentioned before blogged about the act of giving and within 40 hours, his blog had been read by 1,000 people and forwarded on 99 times. It seems human kindness is still prevalent in a busy, money-driven world!

I feel very lucky to have been part of this impromptu act of kindness, and I really hope that the presents go some way towards lifting the spirits of the women, and help them on their healing journey.

So, back to my Day of Silence next year.

Although it will not yield anything tangible, the healing energy and mindfulness I intend to practice will hopefully create a shift on a spiritual and metaphysical level.

The money raised, however, will indeed be tangible! It will go towards the White Ribbon Foundation so that they can assist women in Australia who have experienced domestic violence.

Please, please donate to this important cause via my fundraising page: www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_3.

And if you can, please also forward my message on to anyone else you feel may benefit from it, or want to help as well.

All the very best to you and your loved ones. May the Festive Season bring you much peace and joy.

Unexpected mud wrestling

Yesss! I lived to tell the tale (or maybe that should read "tail"). In fact, I loved it!

The inaugural Sydney Mud Run was totally exhilirating and it reminded me of why I do things like Laughter Yoga and hanggliding - what fun! A bunch of adventure seeking fitness fanatics running, wading and swimming through mud pits, grassy fields and rivers. Even Channel 9 News came to Glenworth Valley to capture the "nutters" eating dirt!

Thankfully I think they'd left before people started throwing themselves lemming style into the river to try to get clean. It reminded me of that baptism scene from "O Brother Where Are Thou?"... minus the music, of course. Check out the photos below.

Next year I definitely want to do it again but "upgrade" to the 12km track and share the experience with a large group of friends. More on that later.

So, what was all this in aid of again, you ask?

Well, other than the sheer silliness of it and some cross-country exercise, I was raising both awareness and funds for RSPCA NSW.

I've left my fundraising page open until Christmas because even animals deserve gifts! Please don't forget them when you shop for your family and friends... in fact, why not visit www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor-6 right now and make a donation? All donations great and small will help the shelters cope with the over-capacity crowd during the holidays. Donations over $2 are also tax deductible.

A big thanks for your support. And, as always, please forward to any animal lovers you know?

Woof!

Mud for breakfast

Tomorrow is Mud Run day! I look forward to it with a healthy dose of trepidation and the excitement of a child on Christmas morn or a dog about to be given a bone.

If you can, please support my charity of choice for this whacky event - RSPCA NSW - and let others know about it too?

Let's make sure all dogs in NSW have caring owners to give them bones... or at least shelter and a warm, snug bed!

To make sure you are one of the first to see photographic evidence of me in all my mud-encrusted glory, visit www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_6 and leave your Festive Season gift :)

Thanks so much!