SmartBride Boutique Charity Event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2009

Toronto, ON -- Did you know that one in seven women live in poverty? Local online business SmartBrideBoutique.ca is partnering with the Canadian Women's Foundation's Women Moving Women campaign to change this statistic, increase awareness with the highly sought after young professional donor group and raise enough money to move at least one woman in Canada out of poverty at the March 26, 2009 SmartBride Boutique Spring Charity Event in Toronto, ON.

SmartBrideBoutique.ca is a newly launched, FREE local classifieds site that connects brides past and present to buy, sell and save on new, used or discounted wedding items ranging from gowns, bridesmaids dresses, shoes, purses, decorations and more. "We wanted to do something meaningful for our first event," says Andrea Lown, Founder of SmartBride. "As a young woman, I feel it is important to give back to the community, especially during an economic downturn, and the Women Moving Women campaign is a perfect fit for our event and our business. The intelligent and savvy Canadian women who use our website, are the same women who will make the Women Moving Women Campaign a huge success".

The Canadian Women's Foundation Women Moving Women campaign seeks to move 2500 women out of poverty by getting 2500 women to each donate $2500 over the next five years. Each $2500 donation will allow one women to participate in a life-changing economic development program. Through the March 26, 2009 event, SmartBride Boutique plans to raise enough money to move a minimum of one woman out of poverty. "We are very excited about this partnership", says Leigh Naturkach of the Canadian Women's Foundation. "I'm looking forward to this because it gives us a chance to connect with young Canadian men and women who are passionate about their community during a critical time. Our campaign provides them with the opportunity to make a direct impact on the lives of Canadian women, which is increasingly important during an economic slowdown. Now is the time when donors are needed more than ever."

Event Details:
• Name of Event: SmartBride charity launch event
• Date: March 26, 2009
• Location and Time: Steam Whistle Brewery, 255 Bremner Blvd. in Toronto, Ontario, from 8pm to 1am.
• Details: This event will be a fun night out, with food, drinks, silent/live auctions, and free brewery tours for attendees. In addition to the $5 donation per ticket sold, 100% of auction proceeds will also be donated to the campaign. Silent and live auction items ranging from jewelry and artwork to sporting event tickets, will be on hand for guests to bid on, helping to change the face of poverty in Canada.
• Price: Admission is $30 and $5 will be donated directly to the Women Moving Women campaign.

Wherever possible, SmartBride has chosen to use the silent auction as a means to raise awareness for local artists and businesses while supporting a worthwhile cause. A selection of the silent auction items that will be available are listed below:

• Original artwork from Kitchener artist Heather Kocsis and Mississauga born artist Valerie Harbig
• Interior design consultation from Toronto's Beauparlant Design
• Personal training and nutritional sessions from Toronto's Urbanfitt Studio
• Gift Cards from Toronto based Solemates Inc, the Canadian distributor for Naot footwear
• Canadian designer jewelry from Kari Woo
• 1 month membership to exclusive women's club Verity
• Photography services from Toronto special events photographer Christina Gapic
• A garden lunch for 10 friends from the Toronto event caterer, Amazing Foods

For more information, contact: Leah Andrew, SmartBride Boutique, 416-727-1561 or leah@smartbride.ca.
More information about the event found at www.smartbrideboutique.ca/charityevent