A recent auction/exhibit called Dignity in Focus, which featured photographs portraying a range of issues, cultures and landscapes, brought together 180 socially minded individuals and raised more than $10,000 for the Acumen Fund, a volunteer-run, non-profit venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to alleviate global poverty.
The one-night event, held Nov. 24 at IX Gallery in Riverside, was organized with the support of the Nuru Project, a non-profit organization that leverages photography for social change. Some of the renowned photographers featured in the benefit included Per-Anders Pettersson, Palani Mohan and Ami Vitale. The fundraiser also served as the launch of the Toronto for Acumen chapter.The Acumen Fund, which has invested more than $45 million in companies that provide access to water, healthcare, energy, housing and agriculture inputs to low-income customers in South Asia and East Africa, now has official chapters in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Dubai and Chicago.Visit www.torontoforacumen.org or www.nuruproject.org for details. ~ Joanna Lavoie