Friends of EDOYR host second Rock for Charity event at the El Mocambo

On the way down to the El Mocambo on Thurs. June 21, the event organizers found this in the sky: Some inspiration! Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Doors opened at Rock for Charity 2.0 at 7pm. Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Rae Smith is a university student who started “The Love Yourself Challenge,” a blog initiative that spreads self-awareness. On the blog, she posts these culture jamming images above, as well as others. She gave EDOYR permission to use these images at Rock for Charity 2.0. Thanks for being such a great friend-raiser, Rae! Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Our booth! For less than what it would cost to see a movie, guests were admitted into an awesome event with bands from all across the Greater Toronto Area. Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

And the preparation for Rock for Charity 2.0 begins! Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Sound check! Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

House of Coconuts opens the show and gets the party started! Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

The El Mo gets loud with TNG on Thurs. Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Ravyn Red performs their original song, “My Time” among others. Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Inside the El Mo! Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Couriers take the stage after a quick intermission and rock the El Mo! Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Highway Lights performs their original track, “Run With Me” among others at the El Mo. Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Outside Toronto’s most famous and historic venue. Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Eric Conlon plays hits by his band, Lambs Become Lions. Contact EDOYR at info@edoyr.com if you’d like a CD with a donation of five-dollars or more. Photo by: Natalia Tvoronovitch

Also with a five-dollar donation, you can pick up juggling balls, symbols of the challenges and opportunities in life. Photo by: Leviana Coccia

Members of the band Couriers show us their juggling skills. Photo by: Leviana Coccia

Jer Schell of Four Nines Fine, one of the bands scheduled to play at Rock for Charity 2.0 who were unable to due to an emergency, won our 50/50 event draw. He donated all the money to EDOYR. Thanks Jer! Photo by: Leviana Coccia

In January, EDOYR hosted our very first Rock for Charity. Here, Natalia, Administrative Assistant, signed the famous walls of the El Mocmbo. Photo by: Leviana Coccia

Four Nines Fine left their mark in January, too. Even though the band couldn’t perform on Thurs., we still kept the band in our thoughts all throughout the night. Photo by: Leviana Coccia

06/21/12

Rock for Charity 2.0 to take over the El Mo in two days

Even though you don’t need me to tell you this, today’s weather was sweltering hot and the forecast predicts similar temperatures until Thursday.

By Thursday, you’re probably going to be craving a place where you can let your hair down, grab a drink, listen to some good music, party with a few friends and ultimately cool down, right? There is no better way to Celebrate Summer, if I do say so myself. If my assumption is incorrect, please do forgive, but I know what I’ll be doing on Thursday.

I’m going to Rock for Charity 2.0, a concert organized by friends of Eating Disorders of York Region where all proceeds will benefit the organization.

Members of EDOYR’s Circle of Friends have also planned a “Ladies Not Barbies, Men not Ken” photo booth, where for two-dollars a shot, you can get your photo taken on a hand-made beach set wearing summery props (I can’t give away too much. You’ll just have to come on Thursday to find out what types of props we’ll have). Photos will be taken by Meaghan DeClerq, a fourth-year Media Studies student at the University of Guelph-Humber who also has her own photography company called DeClerq Photography.

You can also participate in a 50/50 Event Draw. Two dollars will get you one ticket, three dollars will get you five and for $10, you’ll get an arm’s length! Not sure how 50/50 works? Well, after the ticket-buying has stopped, we’ll draw a winner. The winner will get half of the money raised during the draw and the other half will go to EDOYR. In other words: You could win some cash while still helping out a great cause. Win-win, yes?

Not to mention, we’ll also be selling our recently-made “Life in Balance” t-shirts and giving away “Show Your True Colours” buttons.

I know I’m really excited for Thursday (so excited that I’ve been having dreams of all the bands playing). Speaking of bands, you’ll get to see House of Coconuts, Ravyn Red (with special guests Andrew Ferguson, bass guitarist, and Tam Duong, guitarist and singer/songwriter),  Eric Conlon of Lambs Become Lions, Couriers, Four Nines Fine, Highway Lights and TNG perform LIVEl

See you all Thursday.

— Leviana Coccia

Rock for Charity is in EIGHT days. EDOYR is busy prepping!

See this huge mural? We’re using it as the backgdrop for our “Ladies Not Barbies, Men Not Ken” photo booth. Photos will be taken by Meaghan DeClerq of DeClerq Photography. Photos will cost $2 each. If you fill out a contact card on the day of the event, you can receive your photo(s) – professionally edited – via e-mail.

Hoola skirts, crepe paper, and a Dollarama bag full of goodies!

This is what our rough sketch looks like…We promise the final outcome will be much more lovely.

Natalia (Administrative Assistant), Leviana (Events and Communications Coordinator) and Michelle (placement student) were getting in the “Celebrate Summer” spirit for Rock for Charity 2.0. You could be wearing the same skirt Leviana’s wearing on June 21 if you come and get your photo taken

Here the girls are again, smiling and laughing as per usual!

Remember those Kindergarten days where you would scrunch up pieces of crepe paper and glue them on a piece of construction paper? Leviana’s hard at work making a sun for our photo booth backdrop doing EXACTLY that!

Natalia loves to paint!

Natalia loves painting so much, she now has the unofficial title of “Painter.”

Natalia’s cutting out leaves for our palm tree!

That palm tree is sure coming together nicely.

Slowly but surely the backdrop is coming together!

"We’re Ladies, not Barbies" by Leviana Coccia

When I was a young girl, I was obsessed with the idea of perfection. I was surrounded by images of surreal beauty like Barbies, the Spice Girls and perfectly proportioned celebrities on the cover of every pre-teen magazine. At my young age, I was ignorant to the thought of dolls and famous people being anything other than flawless. All I wanted to do was be her, whoever she was, as long as she didn’t have any imperfections.

When I was in university, after coming across this photo of a life-like Barbie doll situated right next to a young woman, it became clearer than ever that the person I had longed to be could never exist.

If Barbie were a real person, she would not be able to live. Her rib cage would not be fit to hold her lungs or heart and she would be too top-heavy to stand up straight because her spine would snap! That’s what I call imperfection!

Galia Slayen was inspired to launch her own “Get real Barbie” Campaign to stimulate the conversation about eating disorders. As part of the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week one year, she built a life-size replica of what Barbie would be as a real person. View the article below for the full story!

From the “Get Real Barbie Campaign” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galia-slayen/the-scary-reality-of-a-re_b_845239.html

EDOYR is encouraging our friends to host a “Ladies, not Barbies” fund raiser in honour of our International Women’s Day Celebration, “Love Can Change the World.” All proceeds will benefit EDOYR.

For instance, you could take the money you might have spent at a local bar or pub and support the organization, instead.

My ideal “Ladies, not Barbies” event would be a slumber/pajama party where I could hang out with my friends (guys as well as gals) and still feel comfortable with who I am and what I look like.  I’d even order in some food to enjoy with good company!

Guys, you can get in on this too, to celebrate the women in your lives who are “Ladies, not Barbies.”

In other words, I’m devoted to kicking the idea of Barbie doll figures to the curb. I believe all women are gorgeous for who they are not how they look. We deserve to be treated that way—by others AND by ourselves—no matter what!

If you’re interested in celebrating International Women’s Day and supporting EDOYR through your friend-raising event, the proceeds can be donated on-line at www.edoyr.com.  A tax receipt will be automatically issued.

To share your thoughts, ideas and/or photos, send an e-mail to info@edyor.com and we’ll be happy to post them on our blog and/or Facebook. Some might even make it into our next newsletter!

Leviana Coccia is a media student at the University of Guelph-Humber and volunteer at Eating Disorders of York Region.

Get inspired:

True Colors – Cindy Lauper

Beautiful – Christina Aguilera

SMILE! Spring is near 🙂

Photograph by Nisha Thomas