Starting today, January 29, 2010, members of the Etsy Wedding Team are holding a fund raiser to help the people of Haiti recover from the earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince earlier this month. The money they raise will be donated to The American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

Over 50 handmade items, like the ones pictured in this article, have been donated by members of this group and will be on sale in their team's shop through February 12.  When you make a purchase from The Etsy Wedding Team Helps Haiti,100% of the money you spend (minus the Etsy and PayPal transaction fees) will be routed to the Haitian people via the Red Cross. Another way you can help these artists help the Haitians is to spread the word about their fundraiser and encourage others to visit their shop.

Kim, of Glitzy Events and leader of the Etsy Wedding Team since August of 2008, initiated the idea for this fund raiser.  When asked how it came about, she said, "After seeing the devastation that happened in Haiti it really hurt my heart. I knew that I would make a personal donation to the cause, but, with 80 plus members on the Etsy Wedding Team, I knew that if we could all come together we could really do something special." 

Early last week, Kim sent an email out to the team's members outlining the project and the response was overwhelmingly positive, despite the fact that this is "wedding season"--the busiest time of the year for artists who supply beautiful handmade items like wedding invitations, candles for the ceremony, table decorations for the reception, favors for the guests, and jewelry for the bridal party. Kim then created a Google Document to facilitate sign-ups, and in just 10 days, over 50 items including shipping, were generously donated to the cause. 

Another key player was Melissa, owner of DesignCircus and PrintParade and member of the Etsy Wedding Team. She created the team's shop banner and avatar and volunteered to help Kim get all the donated items listed in the team's shop. She also creates all the artwork for team giveaways which appear on the team's blog.

The list of participating shops is too long to print here, however the following shops have generously donated 2 or more items:
Post, MayLui Designs, Mikiye Creations, Oh Two Vintage, Print Your Party, and Bellina Bridal Boutique. The lowest priced item in the Etsy Wedding Team shop is $10.00, but the average cost is $20.00-$30.00. Both wedding and non wedding items are available for purchase in an attempt to reach a larger audience and they are arranged into shop sections by product type so that customers can find exactly what they are looking for quickly and easily.

The team shop will remain open after February 12. It will be up to the team member who has donated the item whether it will remain in the team shop until it sells or be moved back to the artist's shop. Kim concluded, "I would like to make the donation to the Red Cross before the end of February, so I am hoping we sell everything!"

Whether you're buying or spreading the word about this event, let's all pitch in and help these artists help the Haitians. 

_________________________________________

Photo Courtesy:
Upper Left: One World Designs
Middle Right: CoolHot by Kemba Celebrations
Middle Left: Print Your Party
Lower Right: The Ballerinas Closet