We’re proud to announce that on October 1, 2012, the Academy for Peace and Justice welcomed a whopping 1,400 students to school for the year! With the help of Artists for Haiti, a fundraising organization chaired by Ben Stiller and David Zwirner, construction on the second wing of classrooms was finished and able to double the size of the Academy since last year.

Ben, who also sits on the Board of APJ, came down to Haiti with his wife Christine for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new wing. It was a beautiful day of joy and gratitude — and we want to share it with you. Check out the video here:

Artists for Peace and Justice: School Opens 2012 from APJ Now on Vimeo.

Our heartfelt thanks to Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor and David and Monica Zwirner for making this day possible.

Fun, Philanthropy, and Artists for Peace and Justice: The 2012 Festival Lunch raised $550,000 for Haiti!

On September 9th, 2012, we held our fourth annual Toronto Film Festival fundraiser to benefit our programs in Haiti. This year’s event was held at the University of Toronto President’s Estate, a beautiful outdoor venue, and was co-hosted by Trudie Styler, Jude Law and APJ Canada Board Member George Stroumboulopoulos.

Guests were treated to truly incredible performances from Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace, K’Naan and Arcade Fire, and among the revelers were Alexander Skarsgard, Ian Somerhalder, Claire Forlani, the Property Brothers and Alison Mosshart of the Kills. K’Naan’s poignant performance struck home with the audience, as guests sang along to the lyrics, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark.”

For the finale, Arcade Fire strummed through the crowd and ended up on stage, giving a rousing performance of “Sprawl II” and then “Haiti,” a particularly moving song for our event. As Arcade Fire has been supporting work in Haiti for years, lead singer Win Butler gave an impassioned speech echoing the words of CEO David Belle urging all guests to be generous in their support. It worked – the afternoon raised $550,000 for our programs in Haiti. Thank you, Toronto! See you next year.

ARTISTS FOR HAITI – Artists for Peace and Justice from Ciné Institute on Vimeo.

Artists for Haiti was co-founded by Ben Stiller and David Zwirner, following a joint trip to Haiti a year after the devastating earthquake. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization awards grants to selected charities in support of children’s education and health initiatives in the country. Artists for Haiti hired Ciné Institute graduates to film institutional portraits of their beneficiaries including Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ). APJ supports communities in Haiti through programs in education, healthcare, and dignity through the arts.