Thursday 7 August 2014

A Little Update!



Some of us more mature folk might remember our elders complaining about walking miles in the snow to the old school house, but I’m betting that all of them had the luxury of walking on a bridge to cross rivers!

Earlier this year, we told you about the projects we initiated this year in Nepal. We are happy to say those projects are going well. Unfortunately, for every group of women we help, there is one that we cannot because of lack of funds.

For this reason WELNepal has added members to its board of directors.

WELNepal's New Board of Directors
Sadly, we have said our goodbyes to Diane Hanson, WELNepal’s first treasurer. Diane helped make WELNepal a charitable organization and kept all aspects of our organization running smoothly. We missed Diane before she even left.

Shortly after Diane’s departure, we welcomed Suzanne Campbell to the board.  Suzanne, a very busy and successful project manager and interior designer, is generously giving her valuable time to WELNepal

George and Eva Kostiuk, WELNepal’s most generous donors, have also joined the board. Both bring years of experience from positions at other boards and will help us better the lives of women in Nepal. 

Jennifer Stephenson — who traveled to Nepal earlier this year to visit Everest Base Camp and some of WELNepal’s projects — has also joined us on the board. I always knew Jennifer to be a most capable and tireless volunteer at our benefits. What I didn’t know was of her years of experience working on boards of other charitable organizations.

Bonnie and Jerry Good, although not board members, have agreed to act as wise council. Bonnie and Jerry have organized the support of many young women’s educations at the Mary Ward School in Kathmandu.

We know the support and expertise of our tremendously passionate and capable new board members will  help WELNepal flourish and continue to teach even more women’s groups how to read, write and be a force for positive change in the beautiful Chitwan region of Nepal.

Steam Whistle
Those of you who have attended our annual autumn benefits know that Steam Whistle has been providing us with their wonderful beer for the past eight years. This year, we are going to throw our annual party at the Steam Whistle Roundhouse. For those who have been there, you know what a great venue it is.  Those of you who haven’t taken a tour of the brewery or stopped for a beer are in for a treat.

More beautiful Steam Whistle
The biggest treat of all is that Steam Whistle has donated the use of their space for free.  We are extremely indebted to all the folks at Steam Whistle for their generosity.

I know it’s early, but please mark down Monday, Oct. 20 on your calendar — the date of our next benefit bash! Come to the Steam Whistle Roundhouse to enjoy wonderful food, great entertainment, good company and pride in knowing how much your attendance is helping women in Nepal.

Tribe MayaFire
Speaking of great entertainment, belly dance troupe Tribe MayaFire is holding their 5th Annual Spooky Souk Benefit for the women of WELNepal on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the lovely Staircase theatre in Hamilton, Ont.  If you enjoyed being entertained by Tribe MayaFire at our last four benefits, you’ll really enjoy them and many other talented belly dance groups at the Halloween-themed Spooky Souk!

Also, while we’re talking about parties, all you GTA-ers should make your way down to Nathan Philips Square on Sunday, Aug. 17 at 2 pm for the Nepalese Canadian Community Service’s Himalayan Mela 2014. It’s a wonderful outdoor party that celebrates Nepalese music, food, culture and entertainment. We’ll be there— so come out for some sunshine, dancing and delicious chicken mo-mos!