| South Shore For Haiti - a benefit for Oxfam's Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund held at the Mahone Bay Centre on January 16 and sponsored by Pollination Project - was a smashing success! Over 300 hundred people turned out for an evening of music, food, crafts and information in aid and honour of the beleaguered people of Haiti. Dozens of volunteers came out with pots overflowing with chili and chowder, jugs of cider and trays of bread and sweets. We had two stages going full-time with over 15 wonderful musical acts playing all evening. The crafts tables were occupied by the children making all manner of artistic creations, some for sale and some to be sent to the children of Haiti. The event raised more money than had ever before been raised for any single cause in the local community. It exceeded all expectations in this regard. Oxfam was represented by Pat Kipping and her crew of volunteers. Pat addressed the gathering, offering some background on the work that Oxfam is doing on the ground in Haiti and elsewhere in the world. Camelia masterfully and lovingly organized the event and MC'd the evening and the community responded as we hoped and knew it would. The cause, of course, was that of the people of Haiti; but, in a real sense, it was the cause of local community building. While we know that every dollar raised can and will make a difference, we also know that the reconstruction effort required to meaningfully improve the lot of Haitian society and the sort of structural change necessary to result in social justice and a decent quality of life for the Haitian people will require substantially more than (and different) than what we (and all the other well-meaning and caring communities around the globe) could raise by way of charitable contributions. On the other hand, our own community was also a major beneficiary of the initiative. In coming together as we did, we reminded ourselves of our membership in the larger community called |
