Our own creative director Peter Ash Lee is one of the photographers featured in this year’s “Drawn to Develop” gala in Toronto. The annual event pairs some of Canada’s top photographers with former street kids, who submit drawings that represent their past lives. The photographers are each assigned a drawing and then challenged to re-create the work as a photographic print in their own individual style. The original prints will be auctioned off at the upcoming gala, with the proceeds going to charity. This year’s charitable partner is Street Kids International — a non-profit group based out of Toronto and the UK, that supports street youth through business skills/career training and health awareness programs and outreach.

The “Drawn to Develop” event takes place this Thursday, October 15, from 7:30 pm – 1am at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District in Toronto. In addition to hearing from some of the participants, there will also be music from Kevin Drew, Jason Collett and a special DJ set from Broken Social Scene member Brendan Canning. Find out more about the event, read up on the participating artists and photographers and get tickets for the gala at drawntodevelop.com.