Tuesday 22 October 2013

Our 12th Annual Benefit Bash


WELNepalis (left to right) Barry, Anton, Ashley, David Daai, Anh, Diana, Betty
















WELNepal recently threw its 12th Annual Benefit Bash, and what a bash it was! It was our first time in Toronto’s famed Tranzac Club and the venue was perfect. There was a plenty of room to meet, mingle and dance (and believe us, dancing was a big part of the evening!).

Auction tables
We welcomed about 100 guests to the party and treated them to delicious food donated and prepared by “our” chefs Mike and Max and popular Toronto restaurants The Roastery and Mt. Everest. We also showcased live entertainment, including performances by Nepali musical group Aryan and Band (fronted by adorable three-year-old drummer Aryan), belly dance troupe Tribe MayaFire and high-energy afro-pop band Njacko Backo and Kalimba Kalimba. DJ Simon provided the perfect soundtrack in between performances.
Aryan and Band

We also received a great response to our silent auction, and some lucky guests walked away with hockey tickets, original art, Nepali and Canadian-made jewellery and more. Guests also liked our colourful grab bags, and for the first time ever, we offered attendees the opportunity to sponsor two young women that we work with in Nepal.

Thanks to some very generous donors, both girls will be starting post-secondary school soon.

Njacko Backo and Kalimba Kalimba

All of us at WELNepal — and all the
women we work with — are incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to come out and celebrate our work with us. The benefit is so much more than a simple fundraiser. It’s about raising awareness of the issues so many Nepali women face and doing so in a fun, memorable and meaningful way. The night is a celebration of our mission, our women’s groups, Nepal and our incredible donors. We hope everyone had as fantastic an evening as we did and we hope to see you all next year!

We’d also like to take this opportunity to offer a very, very special thanks to the people who dedicated so much time to making this benefit the best it could be.

Tribe MayaFire with Aryan
A heartfelt thanks to our Maitre D and host Michael, all of our performers, Anneli, Pat, Anh, Jennifer, Big Guy Shane, Meesh, Hideki, Eli, Suzanne, Betty, Isabelle, Holly, Ethel, Celina, Chip and Nancy (for her famous noodle salad that she kindly provides every year). If we forgot anybody, feel free to call us out in the comments!

We’d also like to offer a huge thank you to our wonderful MC and dedicated donor and fan, Barry Flatman. His speech about his trip to Nepal helped boost the profile of the tiny country we all love so much.

So to everyone who came out to enjoy eating, drinking and partying with us — thank you! Your donations will give so many women the gift of literacy.

Namaste,

WELNepal


Friday 4 October 2013

Our Benefit is TONIGHT!

Tribe MayaFire
After weeks of preparation, we're beyond excited to be welcoming friends, guests and supporters to our 12th Annual Benefit Bash tonight!

In case you missed our past blogs, here's a brief rundown of the details:

Monica McKenna's 12th Annual Benefit Bash for WELNepal

Friday, October 4 (that's TONIGHT)! at 7:00 pm at The Tranzac Club (292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto)

There will be live entertainment and performances by:

DJ Simon

A Nepali percussion and flute duo

Belly dance troupe Tribe MayaFire


Oh, and did we mention that there will also be a fantastic complimentary buffet dinner and a silent auction featuring hockey tickets, electronics, jewellery, art and more?

We'd absolutely love to see you at all at what promises to be a fun and memorable celebration of your generosity and, most of all, the incredible achievements that the women in Nepal have made with your support.

Visit our website for more information on how to buy tickets for tonight's event (minimum $40 donation suggested).

See you tonight!

Namaste,

WELNepal