Long Island City will be coming together this weekend to celebrate a day filled with art and mingling, all for a great cause.
New York City-based events company Revolver Productions and the nonprofit Roses for Linda, which aims to help families with travel and medical expenses, is presenting the Roses & Rosé Summer Fundraiser Event on July 18 at the LIC Flea & Food, located at 5-25 46th Ave.
The charity event, which will run from 1 to 6 p.m., will raise money and bring awareness to families that have terminally ill loved ones and cannot travel to make that final connection with them.
According to Sasha Perelman of Revolver Productions, with this event they are aiming to create an environment where young entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals can get together, mingle and socialize while “celebrating a beautiful cause.”
She also added that they have received support from many local businesses and artists that will be dedicating their time on Saturday.
“The experience we had putting all of this together is really inspiring and moving and makes me feel like what I’m doing as an entrepreneur and small business is really helping out,” Perelman said.
Funds raised during the event will go to Roses for Linda, which was founded in 2011 by TJ Hodges after losing his loved one, Linda, to cancer. Family members could not afford to travel to see her before she died.
The event will feature live art created on site by artist Lynx Alexander, canvas photography by Amy McMullen’s D’Arte Collection, live poetry by Jeffrey Berg, a comedy performance by The Melting Pot Variety Show, original art by Jamie Stang Ellis, and more.
Along with these activities, the charity will also include an auction of artwork featuring pieces from 4-year-old Lily Drake from Illinois. Lily was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was born and even though there were questions if she would be able to move, the toddler has shown she has a talent.
Hodges first heard of Lily through friends on Facebook and later reached out to her family to help them with expenses through Roses for Linda. He personally bought some pieces, and when he was contacted about doing a charity event, he knew he had to reach out to Lily’s family to ask if she could paint a few pieces to auction out.
“It was absolutely inspiring to see what she goes through,” Hodges said. “To just see the videos of her smiling with her art, to know that it helps not just with her morale but her muscle tone, is really inspiring.”
Although Lily’s family initially asked for the proceeds to go to families being helped through the nonprofit, Hodges said that any money raised from Lily’s pieces will go back to her family as a birthday present for Lily, who turned 4 on July 14.
For more information on the event and to purchase tickets, click here.
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