MY CREATIVE CHARITIES

Hi, my name is Emily Ragozzino I am a visual artist who loves creating art and helping out people and animals as much as I can through creative charities in Toronto. I have lived in Toronto since 2007 and have been active with the occasional volunteer pursuit since about 2010 after doing some work in the comics community. I was asked by the store "Paradise Comics" to draw at one of their functions, there I was able to donate my drawings for people to "The Hero Initiative" which financially helps retired comic book artists without pension plans. From there I was asked to be a part of the "Kids and Dad's Program" where I helped to teach children and their young fathers how to bond over creating their own comics. After that I was asked to do some drawings for pamphlets and t-shirts for "Futurecon" a New Years convention mainly involving Time Travel Sci-fi enthusiasts. All of the proceeds raised at the event (including the t-shirt sales) were donated to "Epilepsy Toronto" by the event organizers. After that I was able to work for Paradise again and this time I was able to keep my money for the drawings I was doing but I decided to donate my earnings to "Spent Pencil" working right beside me, they work with the Royal Bank and donate time and money to the "Sick Kids" foundation often.

 

Currently I am doing volunteer work for the organization "Artists Without Barriers" where I use my traditional drawing and painting skills to help out artists with dis/abilities bring their vision to life in a studio that is accessible to everyone. 

 

I am a vegetarian and a somewhat "silent" political activist. I tend to buy a lot of products that are health conscious or involved in charities and often opt for cruelty-free product testing. I also get e-mails daily involving petitions to sign, involving both human and animal rights. I get them from both Care 2 Petitions and Change.org and sometimes I will post on facebook about a petition but often times I don't as I am aware that my beliefs do not line up with everyone's. If you wish to participate daily in online petitions I recommend those two sites for getting involved. You don't need to donate money to make a difference but if you wish to you may visit their sites to see how to do so. 

 

I love helping people and animals a like. Recently I met influential cartoonist Lynn Johnston who created the beloved comic strip, "For Better or For Worse" not only do I love her art but I also admire her involvement with the charity "The Farley Foundation". Though I do not have pets (as I have allergies) I have a fondness for animals and have drawn them my whole life. I also do not have a ton of money to donate to the charity, but if people would love to help me out I would love to draw or paint portraits of animals or people's pets based on pictures they send me and am willing to donate 50% of the proceeds to the "Farley Foundation". Not only will people get an adorable portrait of their pet or animal but they can also receive a charitable tax receipt along with it. Obviously if you just want to donate directly to the "Farley Foundation" or any other charities listed here please feel free. Though if you want to help out an artist that loves to get involved in charities just like you an art piece would be a nice benefit along with the helpers high you receive from giving to a charity, and if the art is a gift for someone I'm sure they'd appreciate it!

I also enjoy doing portraits of people, and that could involve yourself, friends, family members, or even celebrities and you may discuss giving to another charity that you feel strongly about, perhaps involving human rights, but that's just a suggestion. I also have a fondness of still-life if you think that is more interesting subject matter and again you can link it to a charity of your choice. I am not opposed to doing landscapes but it's not my forte, though if it was for an environmental donation I love doing art and if it's for charitable reasons all the better. Please feel free to check out some of the work I have done on my personal website and we can discuss a style of your own personal choice as well as fair pricing: http://emilyrags.wix.com/studio