Last night we had the pleasure of attending a charity fund raiser put together by the boys school, Stonehill. The P & F there are in the very lucky position that their fund raising efforts can nearly exclusively be used for providing funds to charities. The school fees cover the needs of the school and we are lucky to support a number of special charities. The other added benefit is that the parent community are primarily expats who, usually, have their school fees paid for by the relocating company, leaving more disposable income available to support charities.
The theme for last night was "Walk the Red Carpet" and was held at the nearby Marriott Hotel. The Stonehill parents dressed up and enjoyed a night of fine wine (well Indian wine), fabulous food, silent auctions and wonderful company. The silent auctions were where the money was to be made. Up for offer were, nights at the Marriott, bread from the bakery for a year (not to be scoffed at here in Bangalore.....), gorgeous paintings, iPads, jewel leery, weekends away and much more.
The three charities supported were the Stonehill Government School, Morning Star Ashram and the Iksha foundation.
The Stonehill Government school receives a lot of support and funds from Stonehill. It is a local school setup with the assistance and funding from our private school. Our students get to visit and help with the local children and many fund raisers are done in conjunction with the government school. Previously, the school has provided resources such as uniforms, writing materials, computers, support for staff, a computer teacher, arranging dental visits for the students, and much, much more.
Morning Star Ashram is an orphanage for boys in Bangalore, currently housing about 70 children from 4 years of age. The funds raised will assist with providing resources such as bedding, food, clothing, books and medical supplies for the orphanage. They also ensure these orphans get an education and support them through to moving into the community at an appropriate age. The orphanage was founded in 1991 and has a goal of 'assisting street children with housing, food and education opportunities.' But also increasing awareness of the associated problems with homeless in Bangalore.
Iksha was the final charity, focussing on Retinablastoma, Eye Cancer, where they are increasing awareness, providing support for those who have eye cancer and providing funds and assistance for research to assist with care. Each and every day in India, 4 children are born with Retinablastoma, and many of these will die from the disease. In countries where healthcare is poor, 80% of sufferers will die, whereas in countries with better healthcare only 5% will die. Iksha is a great charity working to improve awareness and providing support for families dealing with Retinablastoma.
The evening was a great deal of fun and am sure the charities will be thrilled with the funds provided from it.
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