Funds will support art programs for low-income youth

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With the holidays fast approaching, the Cabbagetown Community Arts Centre is giving local residents a chance to find that perfect gift.

The centre is hosting a Christmas bazaar featuring new and used goods donated by the community in order to raise funds for its various programs.

The not-for-profit centre offers low-income and inner city children quality instruction in visual arts, music, dance, drama and even karate. Most of the children who utilize the CCAC come from single-mother families and live below the poverty line, making dreams of an arts-based education otherwise all but impossible.

The centre also offers reasonably-priced rental space to other groups and organizations when the space is not being used for CCAC programs.

Though the organization benefits largely from the generosity of community sponsors, the breadth of programs offered by the CCAC can sometimes make it difficult to keep up with expenses.

"We're really lucky that people have been so great to us, but one thing that we always have to worry about is equipment and supplies," said CCAC executive director Sarah Patrick. "We always need money for things like guitar strings for music classes and art supplies for our art classes."

The bazaar will offer everything from furniture to clothing to baskets in hopes of raising $1,000 for the centre. Most of what will be on sale is being donated by CCAC board members, private donors and local businesses.

"We're going to have some really nice stuff and we'll be selling things at really good prices," Patrick said.

This marks the first time the CCAC will host a Christmas bazaar, but Patrick said she hopes it will not be the last.

"We'll see how it goes, but I've been calling it the first annual Christmas bazaar because I want it to become annual," she said.

The success of the bazaar will help the centre reach out to more young people in the Cabbagetown, St. James Town and Regent Park communities. The training children receive at the CCAC not only allows them to enjoy and learn about the arts but also fosters a sense of self-confidence and belonging.

"It's really important to us that every child has these opportunities, and a lot of kids wouldn't be able to explore the arts otherwise," Patrick said.

The CCAC Christmas bazaar will take place at the centre, 454 Parliament St. (near College Street) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.