Barbie Raises $700 for PWRDF

She didn’t look a day over 19, but Barbie, the Mattel creation that has sold a billion copies since 1959, celebrated her 50th birthday with a tea party in honour of PWRDF.

Parishioners at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Kingston, Ontario made Barbie cakes –the round “skirts” covered in pastel icing, topped by a Barbie torso – for the occasion. Others contributed an array of Barbie and Ken dolls, siblings, friends and accoutrements to put on display.

But the real reason for the party was to draw attention to the work of PWRDF – on the opposite end of the spectrum from self-centred Barbie – in the world today. Organizer Debra Fieguth pointed out that Barbie has already had 108 careers, so it was time for her to add “fundraiser” to that list.

The 50th anniversary Barbie costs about $50. If you add tax, the approximate $56 would pay for a literacy workshop for a woman in Guatemala ($10), a sustainable garden for a family in Sri Lanka ($30), and seeds and tools for a family in Tanzania ($16).

Party-goers were asked to make donations to PWRDF to help women and girls and their families who are a lot less privileged than Barbie. The event raised more than $700. View more photos