On Saturday, May 14 starting at 8pm, another edition of "To Laos with Love" will be presented. Unlike the first presentation, this one will be held outdoors on the spacious patio of Java Jive, a small neighbourhood cafe at the corner of Church and Isabella Streets in downtown Toronto. This cafe has been instrumental in raising awareness for Laos and the hill tribes and has been a proud supporter of my Loonies for Laos project, which I initiated there in mid-December 2010. On April 25, 2011, this project secured its fourth water filter donation.
In addition to being held outdoors this time around, special guests Steve Rutledge and Mike Yap, founders of Adopt a Village in Laos, will not only be attending this presentation, but also presenting.
In addition to being held outdoors this time around, special guests Steve Rutledge and Mike Yap, founders of Adopt a Village in Laos, will not only be attending this presentation, but also presenting.
While the first presentation had a modest attendance (about 25 people), the people who did attend found the experience engaging and educational. In addition, three water filter donations were realized that evening. I am hoping that the event in May will be better, not only in terms of attendance but also in attracting media attention. For the most part, the biggest challenge has been raising awareness of this humanitarian cause through the mainstream media. Sadly, the media has either expressed indifference to or simply ignored my requests. Only FAB, which published a brief article at the beginning of March, and SNAP, which will publish a 1/4 page article plus a calendar listing for the May event in their May edition, expressed interest in helping spread the word.
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