I was delighted to once again be a member of the curator and host committee for the
UNICEF Next Gen Annual Photo Benefit. This year we raised an amazing $52,000! We were fundraising for our current project, which is to raise $100,000 for the i
ndigenous children of Colombia and with the help of the photo benefit we surpassed our goal, raising over $200,000! The theme of this year’s benefit was Seeing Zero, which comes from the UNICEF saying “
I Believe in Zero.” Currently 19,000 children die every single day from preventable causes and UNICEF believes in bringing that number down to zero. Just in the short time I have been involved with them that number has gone down from 23,000 to 19,000 so I most certainly believe that zero can be achieved in my lifetime and am excited to be working with such an amazing organization. I donated a piece from my recent trip to Antarctica, which I was very happy to see sold and found a happy new home. I also had a great time working on our new #seeingzero instagram campaign, where we take photos of all the ways we see zero around us everyday and are constantly reminded of our goal to reach zero. Check out the hashtag and post some of your own zeros! Prinstagram generously donated the printing of a curated selection of instagrams, which were sold at the show so who knows maybe next year your zero will be up on display!
A big thank you to all the amazing artists who contributed this year as well as my fellow committee members, Rebecca Robertson for leading us as our wonderful curator and the UNICEF staffers who worked so hard to make this event amazing! A bigger thanks to Mia Baxter and Jenna Bush for starting the event 4 years ago and helping it grow into the incredible event it was this year! Thanks also to Lauren Bush for having a great FEED table at the event! I finally bought the beaded one I’ve been wanting forever and I don’t even have to feel guilty about it because it goes to an amazing cause- if you’ve never seen them before check them out!
