Charities refuse strip club cash
samsung1
Ohio
EDMONTON - Charities across Canada are hurting, but some of them aren't hurting enough to accept money from strip joints.
Thanks to the global recession, corporations and individuals have had to tighten their belts, and one of the first items to get the axe is charitable giving. Statistics Canada reports that donations to non-profit organizations have plummeted by $1.1 billion between 2007 and 2009, and it will only get worse. The average age of people who give is rising, which means that younger people aren't stepping up to do their part.
When he hears this, Edmonton strip club owner Mark Halashewski shakes his head. Even in these tough times, a lot of charities won't take donations from his business.
"Money is money," said Halashewski, who manages Diamonds Gentlemen's Club. "Nothing we're doing is illegal."
Halashewski says it's the same thing everywhere. When he managed strip clubs in Vancouver, they would raise money for charities and get turned down flat by some organizations.
"It's just the way it is with some groups," he said. "We're all taxpayers and we want to give back, so we find a way."
On Sunday, Diamonds will host its third annual Strip-A-Thon to raise money for the 100.3 FM The Bear Children's Fund. Over the years, the radio station's philanthropic arm has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to children's hospitals, schools, youth shelters and other worthy causes.
"They're our biggest single contributor," says Bear spokesman Rob Vavrek. "If you want to do something and raise money for a children's charity as you see fit, by all means, we're not going to say no."
Diamonds puts together the Bear Babe Calendar, which earned $43,000 last year. The Strip-A-Thon earned another $13,000.
Halashewski said there's a lot of misconceptions about strip clubs, most notably that they bring out the worst in men.
"A lot of people think they're havens for crime," he said. "I managed a strip club and a regular night club that were next door to each other. A guy would come into the strip club and be very well-behaved, then go next door and start a fight."
Nor or they exclusively male hangouts. In recent years, he says, a quarter to a third of their clientele are women.
"There's definitely a perception out there that this is the sex industry," said Akira Kruz, one of the 25 dancers performing in Sunday's event. "But this is the entertainment industry. We do our shows and we make people smile and laugh and have fun. Then we go home."
Kruz has been in the business for four years, since some friends entered her in an amateur contest.
"I loved it," she said. "Afterwards, it took me about a month to work up the courage (to call a booking agency)."
On Sunday, all money from cover charges, dancer fees and wait staff tips will be donated to the children's fund. There will also be door prizes and a silent auction.
"We're all looking forward to it," said Kruz. "It's a good time."
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/20…
Thanks to the global recession, corporations and individuals have had to tighten their belts, and one of the first items to get the axe is charitable giving. Statistics Canada reports that donations to non-profit organizations have plummeted by $1.1 billion between 2007 and 2009, and it will only get worse. The average age of people who give is rising, which means that younger people aren't stepping up to do their part.
When he hears this, Edmonton strip club owner Mark Halashewski shakes his head. Even in these tough times, a lot of charities won't take donations from his business.
"Money is money," said Halashewski, who manages Diamonds Gentlemen's Club. "Nothing we're doing is illegal."
Halashewski says it's the same thing everywhere. When he managed strip clubs in Vancouver, they would raise money for charities and get turned down flat by some organizations.
"It's just the way it is with some groups," he said. "We're all taxpayers and we want to give back, so we find a way."
On Sunday, Diamonds will host its third annual Strip-A-Thon to raise money for the 100.3 FM The Bear Children's Fund. Over the years, the radio station's philanthropic arm has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to children's hospitals, schools, youth shelters and other worthy causes.
"They're our biggest single contributor," says Bear spokesman Rob Vavrek. "If you want to do something and raise money for a children's charity as you see fit, by all means, we're not going to say no."
Diamonds puts together the Bear Babe Calendar, which earned $43,000 last year. The Strip-A-Thon earned another $13,000.
Halashewski said there's a lot of misconceptions about strip clubs, most notably that they bring out the worst in men.
"A lot of people think they're havens for crime," he said. "I managed a strip club and a regular night club that were next door to each other. A guy would come into the strip club and be very well-behaved, then go next door and start a fight."
Nor or they exclusively male hangouts. In recent years, he says, a quarter to a third of their clientele are women.
"There's definitely a perception out there that this is the sex industry," said Akira Kruz, one of the 25 dancers performing in Sunday's event. "But this is the entertainment industry. We do our shows and we make people smile and laugh and have fun. Then we go home."
Kruz has been in the business for four years, since some friends entered her in an amateur contest.
"I loved it," she said. "Afterwards, it took me about a month to work up the courage (to call a booking agency)."
On Sunday, all money from cover charges, dancer fees and wait staff tips will be donated to the children's fund. There will also be door prizes and a silent auction.
"We're all looking forward to it," said Kruz. "It's a good time."
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/20…
Got something to say?
Start your own discussion
4 comments