June’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Natalie Fraser and Meena Rajulu to organize a giant outdoor lunchtime dance party. “Instead of sitting in the grey walls of your dark, depressing cubicle, who wouldn’t want to get out and dance at lunch,” says Natalie. “Dance Dance (Office) Revolution will break your solo lunchtime routine and get you out into the city for a dance party. This will be your most important business meeting of the week.” Lunchtime dance parties have taken off in Europe over the last few years, especially in Sweden. Natalie and Meena believe it’s time for Ottawa to be a leader in this trend and make Ottawa the first city in Canada to get on board. The pair describe themselves as lovers of travel, food, friends, life, and adventures. Meena left Edmonton to study in Ottawa, where she met Natalie, hailing from Cape Breton. In the past, they’ve embarked on such awesome adventures as organizing speed dating for charity, holding fundraising dinners for Haiti/Pakistan/Mongolian charities, and, as they put it, exploiting their friends to help raise money for worthy causes. We’ll be sure to put out the word when we learn when and where the dance party will take place. We’re… read more →

This month’s Awesome grant goes to Randy Peterson and Ageless Art – Randy’s small but growing program helping seniors in assisted living facilities uncover the artist inside. Randy started with one student 3 years ago and now serves over 200 LA-area seniors a month – many saddled with serious neurological and health issues but, says Randy, with creativity just waiting to bust out: I’ve seen people who really have no mobility and expression come to life through art. THAT is worth a thousand bucks in paint brushes. Here’s just a few of thousands of works created by Randy’s students. Later this summer, we’ll update you on an Ageless Art Gallery showing – stay tuned for more info!  

Awesome Foundation – Calgary is pleased to announce that the 15th grant in our chapter’s history went to Ashleigh Ahern and her Buying Local Project.

Here at Awesome Melbourne we are champing at the bit to stand at the edge of awesome and are constantly on the hunt to present you guys with something a little radical. In February we held the Awesome Party where you guys joined use in forwarding $4,317 to the universe with our first mega grant. That set the bar at a height of pretty epic proportions! Until now… The less awesome news: We will be holding off on the June grant, but our sister Awesome Squared will still be granting $1,000 this month. The totally awesome news: We will be giving away $1,000 in July…and the July grant winner will get to speak at TEDxMelbourne about their awesome idea with spreading! You know TEDxMelbourne, right? That massive event where rad people talk, influence and ignite real conversations. And just like us, they don’t ask permission, they just do. This is a crazy awesome platform guys. Not only are we giving you a $1,000 micro-flash of cash to catalyse your project, you will also receive the rare opportunity to share your idea with a massive audience of awesome, diverse and influential people! So let’s break it down: – The winner will… read more →

A Mexican restaurant, a new 10th member, tacos and more tacos. $1,000 to give away. This month we gave our grant to the boys at Free Love magazine, a free monthly mag that features one photographer, one writer, and one designer, plus a CD full of goodness. Each month this magazine costs dollars to print, to which the boys did not have said dollars for edition 3. So we got behind them and sent some dollars their way. Enjoy. You should also almost definitely like them on Facebook, here.