In one week, I had the opportunity to be the “official photographer” for two separate events in Fredericton. The first was Fredericton Tweetup, held at the Boyce Farmer’s Market. The second was the Get Frank About Homelessness fundraising dinner, held at the Fredericton Convention Centre.
Both events reming me what being a New Brunswicker is all about. On the most basic of levels, both events help to build community. The Tweetup in a networking sort of way, helping people to push out from behind their online persona and to put faces to Twitter handles. The Get Frank dinner reminded me of the way community is supposed to work. When a member or segment of one’s community is down and out for whatever reason, the rest of the community should step up and help out. This was done in a very tangible way. Close to $160,000 was raised to the cause of eliminating homelessness in NB.
The Tweetup was open to anyone on Twitter and free to everyone who registered beforehand. It was a great experience, with 500 plus people in the space of the Market, looking to meet old friends, make new friends and enjoy an evening with Pretty in Pink, a 80s cover band based here in Fredericton.
The Get Frank dinner cost $175 and sold out. The keynote speech at Get Frank was given by Frank McKenna, and ably supported by a dialogue between the 2 Tims: Tim Richter and Tim Ross. The 2 Tims are advocates for eliminiating homelessness in Calgary and Fredericton respectively.
Were you at one of these events? If not from Fredericton, does you participate in community events like these?