The Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair was held on Saturday, December 6 and was a huge success raising over $40,000 for local non-profit organizations.

WHAT IS AN ALTERNATIVE GIFT FAIR?

The Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair is a fun way to bypass the annual stress of holiday shopping and "stuff" accumulation while honoring friends and relatives with donations to causes that fit their values. What's more, the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair provides critical support for a diverse collection of 31 local, national and international organizations with established track records of helping people and the environment. Last year's gift fair earned more than $50,000 for the participating organizations.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Each organization that participates in the fair offers variously priced gifts that have a specific purpose. Last year, the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair raised over $50,000, all of which went to the participating organizations. Gifts in the past have ranged from $5 to give a compact fluorescent light bulb to a local, rural household; $10 for a week of school, clothing and two meals a day for an orphan in Zambia; to $100 for a "Golden Opportunity" scholarship fund to help students remain successful in area schools. There were 160 offerings to choose from. For each donation, the giver received a holiday card with a description of the organization and gift.

For information write to:
Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair
c/o CRESP Center for Transformative Action
117 Anabel Taylor Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca , NY 14853
Fax: 607-255-9985