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April Issue 2004
Charleston's Top Artists Raise Money for Habitat for Humanity by Auctioning Off Unique Birdhouses
Fourth Annual Houses for Homes Birdhouse Auction Event Sponsored by Skirt! Magazine and the South Carolina Aquarium to Benefit Habitat for Humanityıs Women's Build Project
Charleston SC's finest artists will soon auction off their houses for charity, their birdhouses, that is! The fourth annual Houses for Homes, on May 5, 2004 from 6:30 - 9:00 pm, features unique birdhouse creations individually designed by local artists to benefit Charleston Habitat for Humanity's Women's Build Project. This year's event has been moved to May to be held in conjunction with the annual International Migratory Bird Day Festival, a festival that celebrates and raises awareness of the needs of migratory birds. Sponsored by Skirt! Magazine and the South Carolina Aquarium, the event will also include live entertainment and fine cuisine from Sustainable Seafood Educational Partners Fish, Hominy Grill, Sea Island Grill at Wild Dunes Resort, FIG, J. Bistro and Tom Smith.
Chairperson of Houses for Homes, artist Jeff Kopish, has recruited an impressive list of artists to donate their birdhouse designs to the auction. Participants will include notable local artists Mary Edna Fraser, Paige Hathaway Thorn, Elizabeth Carlton, Dixie Dunbar and many more. Tickets will be $20 in advance or $25 at the door. For information on how to purchase tickets, call 843/722-7145.
Taking place several days before International Migratory Bird Day, Houses for Homes organizers also hope to bring acknowledgment to the international celebration created to educate others about migrating bird species. Increasing threats and other problems along routes of migration have begun to cause a decline in the population of migratory birds. A movement began in 1993 to bring this issue to the attention of individuals and organizations across the country, encouraging them to support migratory birds and educate others about the needs of the declining species. The creators of Houses for Homes hope that the birdhouse auction will spark interest in and encourage others to learn more about the needs of migratory birds.
The South Carolina Aquarium proves to be a natural sponsor for the event. Several migratory birds take refuge in the Aquarium, all rehabilitated or born in captivity. Over 35 species of birds are found throughout the popular attraction including a red-tailed hawk, a screeched owl, herons, white ibis, cardinals and purple gallinule. Secrets of the Amazon, the Aquarium's new changing exhibit opening March 26, will feature a variety of exotic birds as well, including two macaws and a green Aracaris.
A non-profit ecumenical Christian housing ministry seeking to eliminate substandard housing, Charleston Habitat for Humanity has built over 40 homes, providing housing for over 200 people, since its start in downtown Charleston in 1989. Homeowners and volunteers build houses under trained supervision; the houses are then sold to families in need at building cost, with no profit and zero interest. Mortgages paid by the families go into a revolving fund to help pay for later Habitat construction projects. The Women's Build Program of Charleston Habitat for Humanity was created to provide Charleston women with the opportunity to build houses for needy families. The women builders of Habitat are given practical, hands-on experience in all of the levels of home construction, providing them with new skills and the satisfaction of having helped a family in need. Houses for Homes will serve as the kickoff for the 2004 Women's Build Project.
For more information call the SC Aquarium at 843/579-8576.
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.