The Sistering organization for women held their annual Sistering event at Glen Gould Studio in the CBC for its seventh year in a row last night.
Hosted by Gemini-nominated Comedy Network star and comedienne Elvira Kurt, the night boasted the best in independent female talent from across Canada and brought them together for a night of spectacular fundraising.
Featuring musical artists Liberty Silver, Divine Brown, Toya Alexis, Emma-Lee, Elizabeth Shepherd and Amanda Martinez and backed by the house band, Hot House, comediennes Kate Davis and Shannon Laverty also came along to support a great cause.
The Sistering organization has been providing supportive services, hope, peace and encouragement in a safe environment to women in crisis for more than 26 years. For some this organization is not just a service but also a place that has become home to many. By providing support to those in need, stress, poverty, mental and/or physical health and other conditions, Sistering provides hot meals, warm clothing, washrooms, laundry facilities, access to healthcare, informal counseling and a meeting ground to meet their friends - other women with similar goals and needs.
Without a doubt it has to have been one of the greatest shows of not only female support, but of the incredible talent that exists here in Canada and locally, on our doorsteps that we take for granted. Seeing these magnificent women of Indie music and comedy grace the stage to lend their support to an endeavor such as this, and to share between performances intimate snatches of their own lives, was touching and it was hard not to feel personally connected on a deeper level to the message of Sistering, through the music and laughter that they brought to the stage.
My only regret is that we will have to wait another year when the organization begins its fundraising efforts anew to help keep Sistering afloat as it has not given the economic structure it so obviously deserves from the powers that be. It will also be another year before we get to see another female fronted line-up such as this again. We shouldn’t wait for a whole year to pass before we sit up and take note of what is happening around us and how we can help to transform another’s situation for the best. It shouldn’t be another year before we acknowledge the great talent that resides here in Toronto and beyond, that we also take for granted and do not support often enough or hard enough in order to keep the brilliant musical uniqueness that is Canada’s cultural stamp.
Events like this are a happy, yet bittersweet reminder of what the power of the collective can do together to effect positive change and bring about a new awareness of organizations, like Sistering, coupled with the power of the arts.
