Tsunami Fundraiser 2011
HERE FOR THERE II / ARTISTS FOR JAPAN Fundraiser
Saturday March 19th @ La Petite Mort Gallery
Hello, my name is Paul Sharp. I was on the JET program between 2000 and 2005. Like everybody else, I was glued to my television all weekend watching the tsunami tragedy in Japan unfold. I knew my fiancé and her family were safe in Gunma, but I feared for all the people in Tohoku where I was fortunate to visit twice during my years in Japan.
I want to do something to help the people displaced by this tragedy in Japan. After the earthquake in Haiti we held a fundraiser at La Petite Mort Gallery where we raised $12,000 plus dollars which was matched by the government of Canada. Over $24,000 went towards World Vision Canada as a result of our little event. One hundred percent of that money donated by the 400 plus people that attended the event went towards relief efforts in Haiti. http://www.guyberube.com/january-28-2010/
We are arranging another event for this Saturday, March 19th. We will be selling art and requesting five dollars at the door as a donation. Inside we hope to have takoyaki and other treats ready for people to enjoy. Once again one hundred percent of the money will be going towards disaster relief, this time in Japan.
Besides offering a cutting edge space for artists and art lovers in Ottawa, La Petite Mort Gallery has a laudable track record of hosting fundraisers for many different charities. We have held two fund raisers for Doctors’ Without Borders where representatives of the organization have attended and shared information about their work: http://www.guyberube.com/september-25-2009/
Every year the gallery host a charity for local Alzheimer’s patient care, last week we helped raised funds for Crohn’s Disease, last year we hosted an event supporting the Stephen Lewis Foundation: http://www.guyberube.com/march-27-2010/ ; these are only a small number of the charity events hosted at La Petite Mort Gallery. The owner of the Gallery, Guy Berube, feels strongly that local business have an obligation to do what they can to rally public support, raise funds and awareness for problems affecting the world and her people.
Citizens in Ottawa want to do something to help those suffering in Japan. Hopefully our event will be a positive way that people can help. We would very much appreciate if somebody from the Japanese embassy in Ottawa could attend the event, and hopefully say a few words about what happening in Tohoku. Our event is focusing on giving something back to the Japanese people through Ottawa culture since we have been so blessed by Japanese cultural exports (i.e. Japanese pop culture, traditional arts, Japanese cuisine etc).
As our event: HERE FOR THERE II / ARTISTS FOR JAPAN Fundraiser is happening on Saturday March 19th, I would really appreciate it if someone could get back to me at their earliest possible convenience. We are hoping to contact the CBC the Citizen and other local media outlets to today or tomorrow to help us raise awareness about our event.