Camp Raj Yog Fundraiser – Success!

What I love most about 3ho events is the way we get things done. A big part of this effectiveness is seva. The fundraiser last night for Camp Raj Yog was no exception, run for the most part by the humility and grace of sevadars From this perspective, I could see and feel the sevadars not only taking care of the event, but taking care of each other. There were sevadars serving fellow sevadars food, bringing water and giving shoulder massages. This depth of service made my cup overflow which allowed me to do my job better. (A big thanks to everyone for helping out! Also, a big hand for Sarbjeet Kaur for organizing us!)

Coming together and merging as one sangat was new for the Kitsilano and Surrey sangats. This was the first time we were uniting our energies for a single cause that does and will continue to benefit us all. We began by meditating together and eating some appies and then enjoying the voices that represent our community, Baltej, Guru Raj Kaur and Hari Singh as they guided us through the history and future we are creating as a community. The dreams for the land that they shared were so inspiring, how could everyone not give a little!The fact that everyone from little kids, to adults gave was what opened my heart. The true sense of community is what we can envision and manifest together and in this case, when we all give a little, we can make anything happen. A beautiful example was Ranjit, one of the Camp Raj Yog Council, who shared how a couple of phone calls, and very little explanation to his family, helped him collect enough donations to surpass his personal goal of donating 5000 dollars in under five days! All night the pledges were passed up to the front. It was truly sweet to see one of the sisters of our sangat donate back to the camp the money she won (over 500$) in the 50/50 draw! I’ll let you know just how much we raised overall, but obviously, people were not shy with their generosity.

The voices of Ong Kar (Baltej’s daughter), Mirabai and Snatam with Guru Ganesha and the peace band, kept the room alive in the vibration of the Guru from start to finish. The highlight of the evening for most, judging from the silence that prevailed over the audience, was Snatam Kaur’s beautiful voice. There were many there who had never heard her voice, and had definitely never seen our angel sing in person (let alone 15 feet from the stage). The intimate setting was perfect for the performance. The group humbly donated their entire concert and set up as well as the 100% of the proceeds from their cd’s. Our community stretches far!

For those who missed out this time, hopefully we will be able to make the fundraiser an annual event so that we can continue to make the dreams of our community come true – A kitchen, running water, Youth Camps, Weekend Retreats, even an outdoor arena for sacred music concerts with Snatam Kaur (or Nirinjan!). Photos will soon be found on our Flickr account, and for now, the slideshow.