AWARE Art Show Benefit for San Diego Recycling Charity

AWARE is a local non-profit organization that generates funds for a variety of charitable causes through recycling in San Diego. In an effort to raise money for new recycling trucks that will help to improve the organization’s efficiency, AWARE is hosting an art show fundraiser at the Industry Showroom in downtown San Diego on Saturday, August 28, 2010.

The AWARE art show benefit will focus on recycling, re-using and social-justice with fine art provided by Samir Chala, curator of Gallery Without Borders. As guests admire the fine works of art, they will enjoy an open bar with beer donated by some of San Diego’s best local breweries, courtesy of the San Diego Brewers Guild. Tickets to the AWARE art show are $15 per person. With admission, each guest will receive five raffle tickets for a variety of artistic prizes on display. In addition to admission sales, 35% of all art sales at the event will be donated to the AWARE cause.

In order to learn more about the AWARE vision, we sat down with co-founder Vince Larson. From the organization’s beginning strides to an average night on the job and funny stories from the field, get to know Vince Larson.

What lead to the idea of Aware?

My wife and I have been collecting recycling items to raise funds for an orphanage in Myanmar. With the exchange rates, a bag of recycling equates to an equal-sized bag of groceries for the children in this orphanage. At the same time, we were also throwing large-scale fundraising events for local and international charities like Invisible Children. One day my wife said, this would be a great way to raise consistent funds for charities. Instead of these huge fundraisers, why don’t we collect recyclables on a regular basis from local businesses? That is how the idea of AWARE was born.

How did you start Aware?

Once we had the idea, I approached a good friend of mine, Chad McKinney (founder of Chance for Hope Inc.), who had worked side-by-side with us doing charity work. After I told him about the idea, he jumped onboard. The following day, we built a fence on the back of my truck and went out to ask businesses to donate their recycling.

What is your average night/day like working for Aware?

The morning starts with unloading the trucks and sorting out the recycling, which usually takes about three to four hours. Once we emptied the trucks, we begin the day run. Our day run routes consist of over thirty businesses in Downtown, Mission Valley and PB, from whom we collect recycling. The Day run takes about five hours to complete. After dinner, we go back out for our night run to collect from local bars, late night restaurants and clubs that want the recycling picked up at night. This takes about two to four hours. There is always a lot more recycling on the weekends.

Tell me about a funny story about a night out collecting?

Where do I start? From run-ins with local recycling gangs who had told us to stay out of their territory (or else), to several deep cuts from broken glass, strange encounters with our local population... geez. There is a new story every night!

Tell us about the beneficiaries? From whom are you raising funds?

We primarily raise funds for the San Diego Rescue Mission and Invisible Children. The reason we chose these two organizations is because they are both doing amazing things to bring change but are facing financial constraints. If we can help lift them up just a bit more, we will all benefit in the long run.

Why does Aware exist?

We exist to show the world a new way of doing business that benefits everyone and takes greed out of the picture. If we all share a little bit of our excess, we can make a huge dent in the poverty line both here and abroad.

Are You AWARE? Join the AWARE team in their effort to raise money for new recycling trucks that will help to improve the organization’s efficiency at the art show fundraiser at the Industry Showroom in downtown San Diego on Saturday, August 28, 2010. The AWARE art show benefit will focus on recycling, re-using and social-justice with fine art provided by Samir Chala, curator of Gallery Without Borders. As guests admire the fine works of art, they will enjoy an open bar with beer donated by some of San Diego’s best local breweries, courtesy of the San Diego Brewers Guild. Tickets to the AWARE art show are $15 per person. With admission, each guest will receive five raffle tickets for a variety of artistic prizes on display. In addition to admission sales, 35% of all art sales at the event will be donated to the AWARE cause. Get more details here.

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