Optimistic Me to We Cultural Organization Gala

The gloomy, dull weather outside was a sharp contrast to the many happy faces inside the Crystal Banquet Hall in Scarborough, Ontario on October 5th.

Three hundred people were in attendance.  Families with small children, elders with their grown up children and grandchildren as well as people from other cultures such as Egypt, Pakistan and Bangladesh were present.

Mr. Deputy Mayor of Markham, Mr. Heath, and City Councillors Chiu, Ho and Shore were there representing Markham.

Representatives from two school boards, Toronto District School Board and York Region District School Board were present and gave short speeches.

Mr. Shi, Xiaoguang from the Chinese Consulate of the People's Republic of China in Toronto attended and spoke to the assembled guests at this  proud moment of thanksgiving for the first year anniversary of Optimistic Me to We Cultural Organization and the publication of their book, for which I was the English editor and  Xiao Bu Sun was the Chinese editor.

Naiwang Sung, a retired ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher with the Toronto District School Board, started this group and in a short period of time (one year) it has blossomed into a centre to serve the needs of Chinese speaking seniors in Markham, Ontario.

It was well covered by the Chinese media which included Fairchild TV, WOW T.V. and Ming Pao Daily News.

Naiwang Sung - organizer and leading light!

The buffet tables were filled to the brim with scrumptious food and guests took full advantage of this delicious meal.  The wait staff were very attentive and everything was very clean and attractive.

The programme commenced with all standing and  singing" Oh Canada" which delighted me as we don't sing our national anthem enough in my opinion.

Many greetings were sent by by dignitaries such as the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper,  and many Members of the Provincial Parliament and Councillors from Municipal governments.

There are just too many people to mention in this short article who participated in this well run programme.

Representative of China's consulate - Mr. Shi,Xiaoguang

Some of the authors in the book - the gentleman beside me is in his 98th year and he wrote a story too!

group picture

Naiwang Sung and unknown gentleman

The youngest performer - so cute

There was a solo by Helen He and a very good male singer whose name I did not catch, a fashion show, ballroom dancing, two different choirs, the Red Fan dance, role play in English, a piano played by Abraham Chen and lucky draws.

Dance group

Mrs. Zhuy Liu - accordian player

Ms. Helen He -        Soloist

Choir 

Abraham Chen

Soloist

Wilma Seville - English Editor and Naiwang Sung - Organizer

Wilma Seville giving speech, Niwang Sung translating into Mandarin

A beautiful choir

Young people performing

Role playing on travelling to Canada

Dance group

Youth volunteers being recognized by their school principal

Choir

Red Fan Dance

Spanish Dance

Fashion Show

Ballroom dancig

Fashion show

Fashion Show -  Mr. Li, Shiju was the M.C. for many performances

I cannot adequately express what a wonderful occasion this was and how much happiness it brought to so many people.  I was honoured to be invited.

I wish this group every success in their second year and onward.

Picture taken by Mimmy Song

.

Picture taken by Mimmy Song

Picture taken by Mimmy Song

Picture taken by Mimmy Song

Picture taken by Mimmy Song

Picture Taken by Mimmy Song

Picture taken by Mimmy Song

Louisiana Must Release Dying Prisoner After Judge Overturns 1974 Conviction | Amnesty International USA

Louisiana Must Release Dying Prisoner After Judge Overturns 1974 Conviction | Amnesty International USA


Is this what they call American justice?

Our Canadian system is definitely not perfect, but this article shows a prison system which one might find in a less developed nation.

If you notice when you read the article, this person must be a black person and I have observed many years ago when I was young, signs in the southern states saying saying "whites only" for wash rooms, "Negroes and dogs not allowed" for restaurants. There were many other negative signs but I don't remember them now.  I also remember, as a 14 year old, being in Washington, D.C. and taking a city bus and sitting at the back of the bus.  This nice man figured out that I was not from around there and warned me that the white folk would not like me to sit with them.  That was a shock to me as in Canada, we can sit wherever there is a seat available, no matter what colour. race, or creed we are.

I think that experience helped to shape me and make me more aware of man's inhumanity to man, as young as I was at that time.

Thanks for dropping by and have a good day.  .

Emergency Sweater Drive for Syrian refugees

Donations of new and gently used sweaters urgently requested

Do you have some extra sweaters taking up space in your closet? See that they get put to good use by donating them to a man, woman or child in need of warmth this winter.

As the devastation of the Syrian civil war continues to unfold, refugees living at the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan are bracing themselves for another harsh winter. A housing shortage, lack of appropriate clothing and a demanding climate can make life extremely difficult for families who have fled the violence. At the request of our partner agencies, CLWR will be dispatching a second shipment to support Syrian refugees living in Jordan, and we need your help.

Our goal is to gather 10,000+ new or gently used sweaters this fall and dispatch them in time for winter. Sweaters of all sizes are needed, for men, women and children.

IMPORTANT! How to collect and send us the sweaters

Can I send other pieces of clothing other than sweaters?

Unfortunately, no. Please only send new or gently used sweaters - this is so everyone who is served by this distribution receives the same thing. Sweaters can be any size.

Who will be collecting the donations in my community?

Any Lutheran congregation can get involved! You can designate one or two people from your congregation who are willing to take the lead in collecting the sweaters. If your congregation will not be participating but you'd still like to donate, please contact Patrick Stewart (CLWR We Care program coordinator) at patrick@clwr.mb.ca or 1.800.661.2597 (locally at 204.694.5602) and we'll see that other arrangements are made.

I'm taking the lead in collecting and shipping sweater donations in my Lutheran congregation/community. What do I need to do?

Set a deadline for sweater drop-offs. This should be no later than October 27, to give you time to box and label them for shipping. All boxes must be labelled and in transit to the CLWR Winnipeg warehouse by October 31. If you can send them earlier that would be really helpful for our warehouse staff and volunteers! That will save them from receiving everything all at once.

Shipping labels can be downloaded here.

How do I ship the boxes to you?

If you're in the Winnipeg area, you can drop off your sweaters at the warehouse, located at 549 King Edward Street, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0N9. See a Google map byclicking here. The warehouse is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can give us a call ahead of time to let us know you're coming, especially if you will be bringing a lot of sweaters (204.694.5602).

If you're outside of the Winnipeg area:

If you are already familiar with shipping to CLWR, you can go ahead and ship those sweaters - but please check ahead with Patrick (patrick@clwr.mb.ca or 1.800.661.2597) and/or the shipping partner you use if you will be bringing them more boxes than usual. We don't want to overwhelm them!

If you haven't ever shipped to CLWR before, you should contact Patrick before you drop off your boxes at Home Hardware or another one of our shipping partners.* Patrick can connect you with the appropriate outlet.

*(FYI - Home Hardware stores and some of our transport partners in specific regionsgenerously offer free shipping to supporters who are donating items to our We Care program, provided the donations are boxed and labelled (see above).)

I’m not connected to a Lutheran congregation but I would like to lend a hand. What do I need to do?

Contact Patrick at patrick@clwr.mb.ca or 1.800.661.2597 and he will advise you. If you are in Winnipeg, you are welcome to drop off boxed sweaters at our warehouse (see above).

Are you going to continue to receive sweater donations after October 31?

Unfortunately, no. We normally don’t ship bulk clothing due to regulations many countries have for shipping clothing.

Spreading the word

We encourage everyone to engage their local community to help us reach this goal by issuing a local media release and talking to neighbouring churches.

We've prepared a media release, poster and bulletin blurb that you are welcome to use in spreading the word. The media release and the poster (in Word format) can be edited to include information specific to your congregation. They can be downloaded here:

Media release / Bulletin blurb / PDF Poster / editable poster in Word format

The significance of this humanitarian catastrophe cannot be overstated. Through the past year CLWR has lent its support with a material aid shipment and by gathering financial donations. For decades the generosity of Canadian Lutherans has made a real difference in times of crisis. Today your help is needed again to provide warmth and dignity for those that have survived unspeakable hardships. Together we will make a difference.

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Nu Deal teaches students at risk how to become artistic entrepreneurs

Nu Deal teaches students at risk how to become artistic entrepreneurs



This is not a long read and I think you will find it very enlightening.  I certainly did.  Hands on experience is the best way to learn!

Thanks for dropping by.

Canadian Lutheran World Relief

Donate Now

Inspired by God's love for humanity, Canadian Lutheran World Relief challenges the causes and responds to the consequences of human suffering and poverty.

Emergency Sweater Drive for Syrian refugees

Donations of new and gently used sweaters urgently requested

Do you have some extra sweaters taking up space in your closet? See that they get put to good use by donating them to a man, woman or child in need of warmth this winter.

As the devastation of the Syrian civil war continues to unfold, refugees living at the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan are bracing themselves for another harsh winter. A housing shortage, lack of appropriate clothing and a demanding climate can make life extremely difficult for families who have fled the violence. At the request of our partner agencies, CLWR will be dispatching a second shipment to support Syrian refugees living in Jordan, and we need your help.

Our goal is to gather 10,000+ new or gently used sweaters this fall and dispatch them in time for winter. Sweaters of all sizes are needed, for men, women and children.

IMPORTANT! How to collect and send us the sweaters

Can I send other pieces of clothing other than sweaters?

Unfortunately, no. Please only send new or gently used sweaters - this is so everyone who is served by this distribution receives the same thing. Sweaters can be any size.

Who will be collecting the donations in my community?

Any Lutheran congregation can get involved! You can designate one or two people from your congregation who are willing to take the lead in collecting the sweaters. If your congregation will not be participating but you'd still like to donate, please contact Patrick Stewart (CLWR We Care program coordinator) at patrick@clwr.mb.ca or 1.800.661.2597 (locally at 204.694.5602) and we'll see that other arrangements are made.

I'm taking the lead in collecting and shipping sweater donations in my Lutheran congregation/community. What do I need to do?

Set a deadline for sweater drop-offs. This should be no later than October 27, to give you time to box and label them for shipping. All boxes must be labelled and in transit to the CLWR Winnipeg warehouse by October 31. If you can send them earlier that would be really helpful for our warehouse staff and volunteers! That will save them from receiving everything all at once.

Shipping labels can be downloaded here.

How do I ship the boxes to you?

If you're in the Winnipeg area, you can drop off your sweaters at the warehouse, located at 549 King Edward Street, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0N9. See a Google map byclicking here. The warehouse is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can give us a call ahead of time to let us know you're coming, especially if you will be bringing a lot of sweaters (204.694.5602).

If you're outside of the Winnipeg area:

If you are already familiar with shipping to CLWR, you can go ahead and ship those sweaters - but please check ahead with Patrick (patrick@clwr.mb.ca or 1.800.661.2597) and/or the shipping partner you use if you will be bringing them more boxes than usual. We don't want to overwhelm them!

If you haven't ever shipped to CLWR before, you should contact Patrick before you drop off your boxes at Home Hardware or another one of our shipping partners.* Patrick can connect you with the appropriate outlet.

*(FYI - Home Hardware stores and some of our transport partners in specific regionsgenerously offer free shipping to supporters who are donating items to our We Care program, provided the donations are boxed and labelled (see above).)

I’m not connected to a Lutheran congregation but I would like to lend a hand. What do I need to do?

Contact Patrick at patrick@clwr.mb.ca or 1.800.661.2597 and he will advise you. If you are in Winnipeg, you are welcome to drop off boxed sweaters at our warehouse (see above).

Are you going to continue to receive sweater donations after October 31?

Unfortunately, no. We normally don’t ship bulk clothing due to regulations many countries have for shipping clothing.

Spreading the word

We encourage everyone to engage their local community to help us reach this goal by issuing a local media release and talking to neighbouring churches.

We've prepared a media release, poster and bulletin blurb that you are welcome to use in spreading the word. They can be downloaded here:

Media release / Bulletin blurb / Poster

The significance of this humanitarian catastrophe cannot be overstated. Through the past year CLWR has lent its support with a material aid shipment and by gathering financial donations. For decades the generosity of Canadian Lutherans has made a real difference in times of crisis. Today your help is needed again to provide warmth and dignity for those that have survived unspeakable hardships. Together we will make a difference.

Sex trade victims struggle to reintegrate - Features - Al Jazeera English

Sex trade victims struggle to reintegrate - Features - Al Jazeera English

Please click on this to read it.  This also happens in Canada as well.