 An
account of the November 2002 Fundraiser
The community of the Byron Shire in Australia gathered together
to create a fundraising event on Friday the 15th of November. Initially,
we held a meeting to discuss what we could do to support Indonesia
during this time. After discussing the issue and reading several
emails that we received from Bali, we decided the best thing we
could do was try to raise money while also raising awareness. We
set out to create beauty from this tragedy and the event that followed
in just a few short weeks was a gorgeous display of community support
and compassion.
A group of about 10 members of the local community met regularly
to work out not only the technicalities of the event, but our intentions
for it as well. We wanted to have something that really displayed
the close ties that we all feel with Bali and the Indonesian culture.
We also knew that we wanted to raise a fair amount of money to contribute
to the Bali Hati Organization.
So, we set to work. The amount of energy within the group and the
support from the surrounding community was incredibly heartening.
Everyone found their niche and went to it, each performing a vital
component in the creation of such a wonderful evening. There were
some who gathered an unbelievable amount of donations from generous
businesses and residents in the area. Others organized the venue
which was donated by Surf Club. Some focused on promotion, while
others worked on the sound equipment needed. People just kept coming
to donate their time to play music, make food, decorate, do a slide
show, manage the stage, be a sound technician, the list goes on
and on. As the temptation to mention every single person to help
is great, several pages would be needed so we will have to offer
a heartfelt general thanks to every person that volunteered, donated,
came to the event, bought raffle tickets, or even just rang to express
support in the time during the organization of show.
The evening itself was magical. The surf club was transformed into
a Balinese paradise, Byron style, decked out with flowers, palm
fronds and colorful fabrics. The night started with Made bringing
in a beautiful Balinese offering. This was the perfect start of
the evening, and we are so grateful to Made for this. As the offering
was brought in, the Byron Shire's own gamelan orchestra Langen Sari
began their lovely playing, filling the surf club with a marvelous
Indonesian ambiance. After their performance, David Laeser captivated
the crowd with a heartwarming speech. During the rest of the night,
we all enjoyed performances by Tarshito, Musician-in-Residence Efiq
Zulfiqar, Couchfunk and Greg Sheehan and Skin. People mingled and
danced, in between conversation and absolutely mouth-watering Indonesian
cuisine prepared by Ray and his wonderfully hard-working kitchen
staff. We were even given the treat of watching acclaimed Australian
dancer Kerensa perform a traditional Balinese dance and story. The
creativity and beauty was alive and well and the multicultural flavors
of Byron Shire came together to create an evening to savor.
Through the generosity of the community on all levels and the hard
work of the many volunteers, Byron Loves Bali raised over AUD $10,000.
This money will be going to Bali Hati Foundation to projects that
will be touching Indonesian people directly. Already over $2000
worth of burn creams purchased in the Byron Shire have been sent
to Bali and are currently helping patients in the hospitals. The
group is researching what the most effective use of the rest of
the money will be. There is a huge influx of money into Bali right
now, and we would like to be cautious with the delegation of funds,
to assure that it will be directly helping people in need right
now. Bali Hati has asked us to decide which exact project we would
like to contribute to, so we are considering the options at this
point.
But we're not done yet. Byron Loves Bali has decided to continue
on with the group in our support of Bali. We are planning to coordinate
another event in the Byron Shire in February or March of next year,
and will be discussing how we can provide continued support to the
Indonesians in this time of uncertainty in Bali. We have begun another
raffle at this point with the grand prize being a trip for two to
Bali including airfare and luxury accommodation. We are also working
on commissioning the production of Byron Loves Bali t-shirts to
be sold here in Australia, which will generate employment in Bali.
The energy and dedication within the group is amazing. Everyone
has been contributing in their own important way. Of course we could
not have been so successful without the amazing community support
we feel here in Byron. We are also especially grateful for the inspiration
we feel from the Indonesian spirit in Bali which helps us to continue
on for the sake of working to create and nourish beauty in the wake
of a tragedy.
|
Shakuntala
fundraiser May 3rd 2003