Canadians turn Christmas' ball into charity event
JAKARTA (JP): It's almost Christmas, the most festive time of the year. It's time to have fun, but also to serve the needy.
Responding to the ongoing crisis, the Canadian-Indonesian business community is turning its annual Christmas social events into charity fund raisers.
Director of the Indonesia Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) Doug Tingey said that the net proceeds from this year's Maple Leaf Ball, its 20th anniversary, would be used to help Indonesians who have suffered most because of the crisis.
"Clearly this year, all sections of society are going through a radical transformation.
Why should the ways expats amuse themselves be any different? That's why we're calling on all expat business and social organizations to use their Christmas social events to raise money for our neighbors here in Indonesia," Tingey said.
Anyone can attend the ball, which is scheduled to be held at the Hotel Regent's ballroom on Saturday, Dec. 5. It includes formal dinner and dancing and costs Rp 600,000 (US$80) per person, or Rp 6 million for a table of 10.
Tingey said the ball starts at 7 p.m. when the Canadian ambassador will toss the first snowball, followed by dinner at 8 p.m. and dancing until dawn.
This year's event, which is called Pretty Dingin, Eh? (Pretty Cold, Eh?), will have a theme of a Canadian winter in Jakarta.
Those who take part in the event will be entertained with music by The Yeah-Yeah Boys and Jakarta Funky, while a DJ will play nonstop music for dancing.
According Michelle Villeneuve, chairwoman of the Canadian Women's Association's social welfare committee, the money will be used to support a number of programs, but especially those that help poor children stay healthy and in school, as well as helping those who are sick.
She said that it was hard to imagine how difficult life had become for some people here and how much harder it was to obtain basic needs such as food and education.
"And one of our biggest worries is that recent events, as troubling as they are, will overshadow the day-to-day needs our neighbors have," Villeneuve said. "Reformation starts with a full belly."
She said that the funds would be used to support organizations selected based on their activities and efficiency at using outside contributions.
The donations will be monitored by CWA, and all groups sponsored will be held accountable for the money they receive.
For further information, call Michelle Villeneuve 021 564 1519, or email Gary MacDonald at mgary@ibm.net. (ste)