Many of you in Hamilton will remember the Afghan refugee killed in January when his car was hit by a train while he was delivering pizza. He had only recently emigrated to Canada and was supplementing his income and re-establishing his career in editorial cartooning.

You might be interested in a very cool fundraiser that will be held Saturday June 23 to raise money for his widow and family of seven children. I plan to do a little cartoon slide show and offer some of my cartoons in exchange for donations. I'll be joined by two Canada's greatest cartoonists, Terry Mosher (Aislin) and Brian Gable of the Globe & Mail at the event at the Pearl Factory. Details are below:

Three outstanding Canadian political cartoonists will headline an art show and fundraiser in honour of one of their colleagues killed in Hamilton Jan. 15.

Terry Mosher, longtime political cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette under his non de plume of Aislin, Brian Gable, of the Globe and Mail, and Graeme MacKay, of The Hamilton Spectator will be on hand Saturday June 23 for a show of the work of Said Shiragha Rahimi, who died before he could stage a show of the political cartoons that made it impossible for him to return to his homeland of Afghanistan. Rahimi was killed when he was hit by a train while delivering pizza to help feed his wife and seven children.

The event is called Cartoons Speak: A Celebration of the Afghani Political Cartoons of the late Said Rahimi. It will be held at The Pearl Company, 16 Steven Street at the east end of King William, 7-10 p.m. Saturday June 23.

Tickets are $30 a piece and are on sale at the front desk of The Spectator, which is one of the sponsors, or from Bill Johnston in the newsroom. (Bill is on vacation until June 11 but can be reached at 905 523-7128 during that time.)

There will also be a second chance to help the family Saturday June 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chapters in the Meadowlands in Ancaster. Buy a book or two at Chapters at that time, mention the Rahimi fundraiser and Chapters will donate 10 per cent of the cost to the fundraiser for the family.

Terry Mosher, longtime cartoonist with the Gazette, has won two National Newspaper Awards and was invested as an officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. Brian Gable, editorial cartoonist for the Globe since 1987, won one national newspaper award for his work with the Regina Leader-Post and three with the Globe. Graeme MacKay has been the editorial cartoonist for the Hamilton Spectator since 1997, and recently won a citation for a cartoon he drew from the United Nations Correspondence Association. They will be joined by independent Hamilton cartoonist Roy Carless.

Said Shiraga Rahimi, 35 when he died, was a talented political cartoonist whose work, while he lived in exile in Iran and Azerbaijan, mocked the fanaticism that had taken hold in his homeland. He came to Canada in 2005 and Hamilton last year and was planning for a show of his cartoons even as he worked to help his children get the education they need to be successful.

There will be cartoons by Rahimi and the others for sale and brief presentations by the cartoonists at the June 23 event. All money raised will go into a trust fund to pay for the education for Rahimi's children.

The exhibition is supported by the Ontario Arts Council and the Immigrant Culture and Art Association.