Toronto, Ontario -- CARSTAR Welland helped raise funds for children orphaned by AIDs in Africa.
On October 18, the business donated pair of open Toronto Raptors tickets to a charity auction held by the Burlington Ubuntu Grandwomen at the Burlington Baptist Church.
The event, which featured a performance from Freedom Train, a popular local band, raised $13,265 to support the Stephen Lewis Foundation' Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, which backs community-led HIV/AIDS projects in sub-Saharan Africa. The Burlington group alone reported having sent more than $320,000 to the foundation over the years.
Alongside the Raptors tickets, CARSTAR Canada supplied an official jersey to boost bidding. The tickets sold for $275 and the jersey for $75.
The decision to participate was made by owner John Scetta, whose mother, retired Sun Life underwriter Judi Scetta, had been involved in the Burlington Ubuntu Grandwomen since 2010.
“It was something my mother had been involved with for many years," he said. "Offering support through the silent auction felt like a great way for us to help,” said.”
Judi Scetta said the contribution from CARSTAR meant a great deal to the cause. "It's difficult to convince corporate donors to give to international causes... they tend to prefer to keep their funds in Canada."
Last May, Scetta was one of 15 members of the Ubuntu Grandwomen who visited South Africa and Eswatini at their own expense to evaluate the way the Stephen Lewis Foundation was distributing funds in the region, shortly after the Trump Administration announced it would make sweeping cuts to international aid programs.
“The funds can really change people’s lives," she says. "The fact USAID had cut off support was horrendous.”
The Stephen Lewis Foundation said money raised by Canadian grandmother groups went directly to African community organizations that cared for children orphaned by AIDS, supported older women raising grandchildren and ran prevention and treatment programs.
