National Indigenous Peoples Day Auction 2020

WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH but thank you to everyone who stepped up to make this a record-setting year even in the face of COVID-19.

We hoped that we would increase morale and raise spirits by simply carrying on as normal. We hope your morale and spirits are soaring!

Our huge gratitude to everyone who donated auction items, including their own artistic and artisan creations; solicited auction item donations; submitted bids, whether they won or not; shared and posted the auction link with friends and contacts; made direct donations to the cause; hoped, prayed, crossed their fingers, lit candles, etc.

Every one of you owns this huge success. Let it inspire you to many other victories - big and small - even in the midst of the pandemic. Tough times don't last but tough people do.

We received a couple more donations after the auction ended so our total raised this year is $13,285, shattering our old record set in 2011 when we raised $10,065.

We also set records for the most ever auction item donations - 123 - and the most bids received by a single item - 28 for Corrine Hunt's Raven pendant.

Another record was set for the winning bid that was the highest above the item value. Depending on how you look at it that record was also set by Corrine Hunt's Raven pendant for which the winning bid was $125 (39%) above the value. However the $210 winning bid for Jan Gladish's photos taken in Heiltsuk territory was more than twice the value!

The ratio of total bids to total value was an amazing 88.4%. When we asked you to BID UP you did just that!

On behalf of the CBABC Aboriginal Lawyers Forum and our future Legal Warriors, thanks everyone, let's do it again next year!

A Great Cause:

As a forum of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch, the ALF is still the first and only forum of its kind in Canada. Our 2020 event this year will be the ALF's 13th annual online auction in support of the ALF's mandate which aims to increase the stature and influence of Indigenous people in the legal profession – a cultural imperative. With your help money will follow our mandate!

The success of our annual auction has built over the years. Even in the face of COVID-19 let's continue to build on that established success.

Last year in 2019, owing to the success of the auction, we increased our three annual Student Appreciation Awards from $500 to $1,000 to an Indigenous student from each of the law schools at UBC, UVic and TRU. We also held an extra-special event last year to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of our annual Holiday Banquet at which the Student Appreciation Awards were presented as well as the ALF's annual Special Contribution Award.

Here is a link to the ALF's latest newsletter that includes photos and write-ups of all of the ALF's signature events last year as well as other content that illustrates the role and influence of the ALF in BC's legal community. https://www.cbabc.org/Sections-and-Community/alf/Resources/Newsletters/Forum-Drum-Spring-2020

The following are steps we are taking to address the COVID-19 crisis while carrying on with the auction:
• Donors are asked to postpone the physical delivery of their donations to us. Instead they can send photos and descriptions for us to post on the auction website. After the auction we will receive the donations and make arrangements with winners when it becomes feasible to do so.

We’ve Got This!

Again, no matter how much we raise this year, 2020 will be the auction's best year ever only because we carried on. We THANK YOU for joining our effort!

'Toyaxsii niisim - all the best (Gitxsan)

The CBABC Aboriginal Lawyers Forum (the "ALF") is the first and only Aboriginal Lawyers Forum in the CBA nationally. The mandate of the ALF is to facilitate social networking, mentoring, professional development and a celebration of Aboriginal culture. Through its mandate the ALF supports Aboriginal law students, graduates and practitioners in order to enhance the stature and influence of Aboriginal people in the legal profession. On behalf of the ALF we appreciate your support! :)