Art, An Extraordinary Young Woman & Make-A-Wish

I am very privileged to know an extraordinary young woman and talented artist named Chelsey Bigland. Please check out the upcoming Auction of her work at the Douglas Reynolds Gallery in Vancouver. All proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Link: http://chelseybigland.weebly.com/index.html

For Immediate Release:
September 2009

17 year old Chelsey Bigland is a young, emerging artist who uses her creative talent to cope with cancer. Diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in July 2008, Chelsey’s journey through cancer has been difficult at times. Using her artwork as a coping mechanism has allowed her an escape from the daily rigors of this awful disease into a place of endless possibility.

In the spring of 2009, Chelsey was granted a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The goal of Make-A-Wish is to allow children facing a life-threatening illness and opportunity to focus on something more positive, thus alleviating some of the stress of the illness. For her wish, Chelsey received a digital camera, Adobe Photoshop and a drawing tablet, giving her more tools to pursue her artistic endeavors.

Chelsey specializes in acrylic paintings, digital drawing and photography. Chelsey wanted to use her artistic talent to help Make-A-Wish raise funds and the idea of auctioning off a selection of her work is now a reality. The auction will be presented at the Douglas Reynolds Gallery (2335 Granville Street) on Thursday, October 15, 2009 from 6-8pm. Tickets are $25 each and are available for purchase at the door or by calling the Make-A-Wish office.

"When I paint, I totally lose myself in the creative process....it makes me feel better. Knowing that my artwork will be seen by others and used to raise money for Make-A-Wish makes me feel great that I can give back in some way."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is dedicated to granting the heartfelt wishes of children 3-17 who are battling a life-threatening illness. For over 25 years, Make-A-Wish has made over 1,200 wishes come true in BC with 120 expected to be granted this year. Wishes fall into four categories: I wish to go, I wish to have, I wish to meet, I wish to be. www.makeawishbc.ca

For more information:
Kim Heron
Director of Development
Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon
Tel: 604-688-7944
Cell: 604-762-5802

Please do check it out. Not only is Chelsey's art incredible but Make-A-Wish is a very worthy organization. And it may be of interest to you that of the 1,200 wishes that they have made come true over the past 25 years, one of them was the wish of our daughter Brenna for a dog to keep her company as she watched her new TV and videos. Now I have two very big reasons to carry a soft spot in my heart for this group.

Salynne ©2009