May 13th GenNext hosted London’s First Timeraiser.  The GenNext demographic (20 and 30 year olds) showed what they are made of and bid to contribute over 4000 volunteer hours for local London non profit agencies!  Approximately 20 local nonprofit agencies attended the evening event and chatted with participants about their unique volunteer opportunities.  Local artists were also on hand to answer questions on the art work they submitted for bidding.

We talk with a few of the participants, Jodi Simpson and Jason Clarke to find out what they thought about London’s 1st Timeraiser.

DB:  Jason, Jodi, was this you’re first Timeraiser?  What prompted you to attend?

Jason:  This was my first Timeraiser and I was prompted to attend because it combined 2 of my favourite things, supporting local organizations that are doing great things in the community and art! I also have wanted a piece of original art in my house for a long time, but unfortunately I have been unable to afford it. With Timeraiser, I was able to get some art, save some money and support my community.

Jodi: Yes this was my first Timeraiser event. I was excited by the concept of the event. Bid volunteer time for art? How cool is that?! I was also excited to see that this event was bringing together a lot of great organizations. I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities, the networking and the opportunity to learn about the amazing volunteer opportunities that are available in London
DB:  Have either of you volunteered before? 

Jason:  I volunteer frequently at The Arts Project as a bartender, and I also serve on 2 boards (London Fringe, and London Short Film Showcase).

Jodi: I sure have! And continue to lend my time to a number of organizations and groups.  (Jodi participates for a number of organizations such as Emerging Leaders)
DB:  What did you bid on at the event?

Jason:  Volunteer: Reforest London definitely attracted my interest with some work with their marketing and promotions, and they are also looking to do some video work in the future which I will most definitely help out with. GenNext also interested me and I hope that I can spend some time working with that organization as well.
Art: I bid on several pieces and was excited to win one of my favourites.

Jodi: Unfortunately I didn’t win this year – despite bidding 125 hours (this is the maximum bid) on 3 wonderful pieces of work. However, my not winning will not deter me from continuing to stay involved and volunteer.  I have my sights on volunteering with the Youth Action Centre and YOU! Another thing I really enjoyed about the event was the opportunity to learn more about organizations out there that are actively recruiting volunteers.

Thanks guys, and thanks to everyone who attended Timeraiser and made the event such a smashing success!  If you missed out, you can still learn more about the nonprofits (and corresponding volunteer opportunities) that participated by visiting the following link: http://www.timeraiser.ca/en/1st-London/agencies.

Also keep linked in by joining us on Facebook or Twitter.

Prepared by: Diana Bumstead, GenNext volunteer and Timeraiser enthusiast.