That’s right, folks !  PAVSA is hosting our 30th Annual Art Auction this Saturday, November 13th, in the Harbor Side Ballroom at the DECC.

We’ve got some great local talent showcased in the auction this year, including pieces by Adam Swanson, Erika Mock, Lee Englund, Adam McCauley, Cyrus Swann, Adu Gindy, Jill Aubin, and many more.  To see a sampling of what will up for the bidding, check out our online Artist’s Gallery!

Tickets are $50.  Includes a plated dinner with three dee-lushous options (duck breast, walleye, or ravioli).  There will be live entertainment, as well as  silent auction, live auction, and the best part of the evening, a dessert auction.  Cheesecakes.  Tortes.  Death by Chocolate.  More to be unveiled Saturday evening.  Drool.

For tickets, call the PAVSA office at 726-1442.
Hope to see you there !

Doors open at 5 pm; program begins at 5:30 pm

Performers include 2one8, belly dancers, Oshkii Giizhik singers, Three Song Sunday, and Charity Huot

-March through the Hillside and Downtown Duluth,  7 pm
-Speakout, 8 pm

End the silence, speak out against violence!

At the 2009 Art Auction, PAVSA will be honoring individuals through three awards.  Receiving the 2009 Community Ally awards will be Coral McDonnell and Officer Robert Carter.  Coral McDonnell has been actively involved as an advocate in the sexual assault and domestic violence movements since for more than three decades.  She worked with the Domestic Abuse Intervention Program for many years and has served on the PAVSA Board of Directors since 2006.

Also receiving the Community Ally Award is Investigator Robert (Bob) Carter, a long-time patrol officer and former member of the Duluth Police Sex Crimes, Abuse and Neglect Unit.  Officer Carter, who passed away in August, was committed to ending sexual violence and was a leader in addressing the issue of trafficking of adolescent girls in our community.  Bob was also an avid photographer and donated his work to the PAVSA Art Auction. 

PAVSA’s Artist of the Year Award will honor artists Michael Tonder and Jody Freij-Tonder, co-owners of Blue Skies Glassworks.  Michael and Jody have been longtime donors to the PAVSA Art Auction, and we are pleased to recognize them for their environmentally conscious sculptures, stained glass, and fused glass pieces.

To buy tickets or for more information about PAVSA’s 29^th Annual Art Auction, please call PAVSA at (218) 726-1442. 

Folks interested in being trained as crisis/resource line advocates will gain the skills necessary to listen, provide crisis intervention, offer information to callers, and give referrals to other resources.

Volunteers interested in serving as direct service advocates can provide accompaniment for survivors of sexual assault during evidentiary exams, interviews with law enforcement, meetings with prosecutors, and hearings in court.  Advocates empower survivors by providing information and supporting them in their decisions, assisting them in locating community resources, and understanding the common effects of sexual violence.

Individuals interested in serving as advocates on either the 24-hour crisis/resource line or as direct service advocates should call the PAVSA office for more information at (218) 726-1442. Advocacy training will begin mid-October and run through the first week of November.