dare_thank_you

Dear CUPE 391 and all your supporters,

I want to take a moment to send you and your supporters a personal heartfelt note of thanks.

First of all, thank you for taking on a Dare for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Your Dare – showing the world the wonder and wildness of Librarians – was amazing! Not only did you do something that was challenging, but you opened the eyes of the world to the true nature of Librarians.

You also did an incredibly important thing. You raised funds that will reach community-based organizations working on the frontlines of the AIDS pandemic in Africa. This is no small feat.

And, to your supporters: we want to thank you for your generosity. Of course we know that many of you signed up specifically to support your friend and loved one. But, in doing so, you’ve also made a deeply meaningful contribution. Your donation is a part of a larger effort, a holistic one, to support groups working determinedly to turn the tide of AIDS in Africa. For this, we thank you.

This was the first year of the A Dare to Remember campaign. You have helped pioneer a whole new way of mobilizing grassroots support in Canada to support grassroots efforts in Africa. We have had over 1,000 individuals take on Dares and over 9,000 individuals support Dares. There is a palpable sense of a movement being built in Canada, of people – individuals, groups of friends, workplaces - who are deeply committed to standing in solidarity with African women, grandmothers, and children orphaned by AIDS. It is truly remarkable.

I’ve attached a letter from Stephen. The success and ingenuity of the Dares delighted him and all of us at the Foundation! We will continue to build on the momentum of the Dare campaign and will be inviting you to join A Dare to Remember again next year. In the mean time, should you be so moved, there are several ways you can continue your important contribution: by donating Aeroplan miles, signing up to receive our Newsletter, becoming a monthly donor, joining a local grandmothers’ group – or signing up to do a new Dare! It’s all just so meaningful. Please do stay in touch.

(CUPE 391: We are sending this thank you note to all your supporters who donated to your dare online. Please feel free to share this message with any donors who may have supported you in other ways.)

With warm regards,
Tamai

Tamai Kobayashi, Dare Support Team

Library Employees Dare to be Cool and Wild, Hot and Sexy (or Just Goofy and Silly)

CUPE 391 Dare and How to Participate
More About The Stephen Lewis Foundation and A Dare to Remember
Questions?

CUPE 391 Dare

At the Union meeting held on September 24, 2009, members endorsed the union’s participation in the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s A Dare to Remember campaign in October.

On October 14, library workers and their family and friends helped raise money to support community-based HIV/AIDS-related projects in Africa by daring to come to work dressed in an unfamiliar way – some were flamboyant, others were just a little different than usual. 

Our Day of Daring on October 14 is now past, but the campaign continues until October 23.  Our goal is to raise $3910 and we are well on the way.  CUPE 391 has set up a Dare Fundraising Page on The Stephen Lewis Foundation website.  Please tell family and friends that Vancouver and Gibsons Public Library Employees took a dare on October 14 and ask them to consider supporting the campaign. 

Donors can be directed to the CUPE 391 Dare Fundraising Page to make a donation by secure online credit card payment.  Alternatively, download these donation cards (PDF) and use them to collect funds which can then be sent to Janet Tomkins (Central Library, Level 6) who forward offline donations to the Foundation.  Tax receipts will be issued in all cases.

More About The Stephen Lewis Foundation and A Dare to Remember

CUPE 391 Vancouver and Gibsons Library Employees are taking on this dare, with Management support, as part of an October campaign by The Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Noted Canadian politician, diplomat and humanitarian Stephen Lewis was the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from June 2001 until the end of 2006.  During that time he established The Stephen Lewis Foundation to support community-based HIV/AIDS-related initiatives in Africa.  The Foundation currently funds projects in 15 African countries, focusing on work with women, orphans, grandmothers caring for orphaned children, and associations of people living with HIV/AIDS.

In October 2009, the Foundation is daring Canadians to join them and thousands of other Canadians to do something extraordinary for Africa.  The nationwide A Dare to Remember campaign challenges Canadians to choose a dare and ask others to sponsor it.  Dares can be funny, sporty, healthy, bold, kind or . . . well, the possibilities are limitless.  Some Canadians will dare to bungee jump.  Others will dare to give up television for a month.  Many will dare to host a dinner party.  Some will dare to learn a new sport or skill.  On October 14, CUPE 391 Vancouver and Gibsons Public Library Employees dared to be cool and wild, hot and sexy (or just goofy and silly)!

Questions?

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Janet Tomkins () or Peter De Groot ().