Author: Ed Fong
The 104th-Street community is thrilled to announce Saturday, June 9 as the date of our annual Al Fresco block party and fundraiser. Mark your calendars and save the date for an action packed day of fun and excitement in the downtown core!
We are feverishly working on event programming to bring you a fabulous day that includes:
– The Downtown Edmonton Community League Pancake Breakfast running from 8 to 11 AM
– Edmonton Downtown Farmers’ Market operating between 9 AM to 3 PM
– A “Kids Zone”, run in cooperation with the City of Edmonton, opening from 4 to 8 PM
– The deVine Wines & Spirits and Yellowhead Brewery “Tasting Lot” and salon serving between 12 noon and 8 PM. You will have an opportunity to sample 90 different types of wine, beer and spirits in this urban enclave!
– Extended patios from your favorite restaurants and wine bars on 104th-St.
– Music from a lineup of great DJs and stage performers
– Fashion show and a drag show brought to you by some of Edmonton’s most fabulous Queens
– An armada of food trucks coming together for another, much anticipated “What the Truck” event
– Street food from some of Edmonton’s hippest and most fun-filled restaurants
Coming Together as a Community – “The businesses and residents along 104th-Street and surrounding area are excited to share the vibrancy in our growing community”, says Al Fresco Committee Chair Ed Fong. “Al Fresco celebrates the start of summer, and we wanted to do something special as a community to support a very worthy cause. This year, I am pleased to announce we will be supporting the Zebra Child Protection Centre.”
Al Fresco is not only a celebration, it is a grassroots fundraiser designed to bring the 104th-Street community together by uniting everyone in support of a great cause. Our goal, as a community, is to raise $15,000 for the Zebra Child Protection Centre and to create public awareness of the public service they offer.
Barbara Spencer, CEO of the Zebra Centre says “Our success at the Zebra Centre truly comes from the resiliency of the kids we work with and the strength of the community that supports our good works. The Centre is very fortunate to have been given this gift of support from such a vibrant community within Edmonton. In the words of a child…this is going to be ‘the best ever’ Al Fresco Block Party so far… look forward to seeing you there and sharing our zebra centre story with you.”
Zebra Child Protection Centre is a non-profit, community-based organization that was established in 2002 to improve the lives of children who have suffered abuse. Through Zebra’s community partnerships, the Centre is able to provide children and their families with essential social, medical and mental health services and supports. To find out more, please visit their website at http://www.zebracentre.ca
How Can I Help?
You can help us achieve our goals in many different ways.
1. Come downtown and celebrate with us on June 9. The restaurants, wine bars and food trucks will be donating a portion of their proceeds in support of Zebra. Net proceeds from the Downtown Community League Pancake Breakfast and the gate receipts from the “Tasting Lot” will be donated to Zebra.
2. Participate by bidding on our on-line silent auction. Last year, nearly $20,000 was raised for E4C’s Edmonton School Lunch Program. The on-line silent auction can be tracked on deVine Wine’s website at http://devinewines.ca/eventAuctions/alfresco_auction.html. Please bookmark this url and come back often, the online auction starts Wednesday, March 28th.
3. Donate an auction item. We are seeking auction items to make this our most successful to date. If you are interested in donating an item to the auction, please fill out the in-kind donation form and then email the completed form to Ed here.
4. Donate item(s) from the Zebra Centre’s “Top 5 Wish List”. The Zebra Centre needs:
– Non-perishable snacks & juice boxes
– Sweaters/hoodies for kids under 8 years of age
– Gift cards from teen related stores
– Jewelry for young teens
– Board games for children
Prior to Al Fresco, these items can be dropped off at deVine Wines and Spirits at 10111-104th-St. We will have drop boxes set up at the Zebra Information Table on the day of June 9 to receive any “Top 5 Wish List” donation items as well.
5. Make a cash donation. Please fill out the donation/tax receipt form here and then email the completed form to Ed here.
6. Donate your time. The Al Fresco Planning Committee is always looking for eager volunteers to help us run this exciting event. If you would like to volunteer your time, please contact Caitlin McElhone at 780.761.6682 or email Caitlin here
Please don’t forget to mark your calendars for Saturday, June 9th, and we hope to see everyone downtown for this special event.