Shoes, Politics and Rappers

I have always wanted to go to Chicago, and last week my dreams were realized when I attended the annual Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference. As a die hard arts enthusiast and fundraiser I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Architecture and art and jazz oh my! I made sure to explore all the goodies of the Windy City, but the biggest standouts were meeting colleagues passionate for the organizations they work for and listening to these three key note speakers:

His name is Blake Mycoskie. He is the CEO for a shoe company. It’s for profit but is changing capitalism as we know it by its one-to-one business model: for every shoe you buy they donate a pair to a child in need.



His name is Bill Clinton. He used to be the President of the United States. Now he spends his time raising awareness and funds for social and environmental issues.



Her name is Queen Latifah. She is a rapper. And Oscar nominee, artist, philanthropist… She uses her star power to gain support for everything ranging from the arts to education.





What an experience! A tremendous time of storytelling further validating my chosen profession. Great conversations, great food, great city.

And with my sugar high, the plane took off I couldn’t help but hum: “…this is my kind of town, Chicago is…” but really there’s no place like home. Go Canucks!

- Amanda Burrows, Development Coordinator, Vancouver Opera