Hope calendar breaks sales record, near sell-out of 17,000 calendars

A 20 per cent increase in sales of the Hope in Shadows calendar this year means not only will it likely sell out a record number before the New Year, but it will help more people in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

"We are really pleased the 2012 calendar is selling so well through our street vendor program," said Paul Ryan, Project Director for Hope in Shadows, who added that fewer than 30 per cent of the 17,000 calendars printed remain for sale. “Beyond providing much needed income, vendors have positive and meaningful interactions with the general public and connect with people from different communities. It helps build self‐esteem.”

Vendors, like Sandra Czechaczak , who have worked with Hope in Shadows for the last eight years have made the project an integral part of the Downtown Eastside community. The project has helped her not only economically, but emotionally as well, increasing her self confidence and creating community for her and others around her.

"This has been a real empowering experience for me to share positive pictures of my community to the rest of Vancouver," says Sandra who also had a winning photograph in the 2011 calendar. "It has been a great opportunity to connect with people in and outside of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside."

The Hope in Shadows annual photography contest gives Downtown Eastside residents the opportunity to portray their community through their own eyes. Now onto its ninth year of production, the calendar is taking off with great success. This past June, over 4,000 photos were submitted from some 200-plus cameras distributed to participants. Thirteen of those images have been compiled together to paint a picture of hope in a strong knit community, giving voice to residents of the Downtown Eastside, through the 2012 Hope in Shadows calendar.

The calendar is sold for $20 each by street vendors from now until it sells out in various locations across Vancouver and Victoria.