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ANSWER Gala to Raise Money for Nepali Staff
(GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.) - The Grand Rapids Symphony exiting conductor, David Lockington to perform at the Answer Nepal benefit event on September 15, 2013 at The Ballroom at City Flats Hotel. Attendees of the benefit will not see him conducting, rather playing the cello
performing along with other GR Symphony members: David Hall, Beth Copean, and Sean Ivory. The Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Choir will perform with the group as well.
Grand Rapids man, Earle Canfield started the organization in 2001 to support disadvantaged children in Nepal through education.These Annual Benefits help cover the administrative costs enabling the student sponsors in America and Canada to simply support the children's education. This makes it affordable to the sponsors and forces the administration to be lean. ANSWER is a nonprofit that Lockington believes in and supports. Lockington is on the board of ANSWER and wanted to be a part of the upcoming benefit concert and live auction.
"We are so honored to have David Lockington perform at our benefit this year," shared Earle Canfield "His passion for the children in Nepal is contagious and having him perform in their honor 10,000 miles away shows his heart towards their need and the world. The event will be a rare and unique opportunity to see him perform on his cello along with other symphony members and the choir."
The benefit sponsored by Mika Myers Beckett & Jones PLC, and United Bank of Michigan will also include a live auction filled with a variety of packages and prizes including: a weekend at a Manhattan apartment, a cottage in Northern Michigan, golf package, local artist pieces and progressive dining.
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, ANSWER is a nonprofit, non-partisan, non-religious organization that works to empower disadvantaged, low caste children in Nepal by introducing them to a higher quality of education. Through individual sponsors for individual, select students,...ANSWER makes it possible for disadvantaged high performing students to attend quality schools and colleges.
Currently, ANSWER supports more than 600 students, and 100 ANSWER students are entering college each year. ANSWER students stay in Nepal to help their people by contributing in professional fields like medicine, nursing, teaching, pharmacy, health science, business, law and commerce.
ANSWER was founded in 2001 by Earle Canfield, a West Michigan resident, who believes education can change their lives by developing them into leaders and directly impacting the physical and social development of one of the poorest countries in the world.
ANSWER's future plans are to hand the organization over to its sister organization in Nepal by 2022, which will be staffed and supported by ANSWER graduates.
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ANSWER Board Reviewing and Reconsidering Student Support
We want to know what you think!
Developments in International Currency Exchange and Continued Academic Successes of our Students has all of us reconsidering our endpoints: developing new leaders for the fledgling republic of Nepal.
The cost of living has been skyrocketing in Nepal--the cost of rice and vegetables tripling in price in recent years as more young rural men emigrate abroad to earn money for their families. This means of course, that other commodities and services must go up, as well, including tuition costs.
Fortunately, the dollar has gained strength against the rupee which means that ANSWER is able to hold school costs at their present levels. College costs however have shot out of the stratosphere as college is Big Business. ANSWER has responded by "packaging" our students in lots and bargain with the colleges, thus getting reduced prices and holding the line there.
Consequently, the average cost passed on to our sponsors will hold at $300 per year for primary and secondary students (grades 1-10) and $500 for College and Professional Students (grades 11-12, 13).
Very few students complete a high school education in Nepal, and only a fraction of those who do graduate can continue on to college. So, despite our students' low economic and social rankings, almost all of them are able to find jobs and have careers in their fields on completion of college. Yet, more and more of our students seem intent on going on to university to complete bachelor and even masters programs.
As ANSWER's mission is to produce a new breed of leaders for the New Nepal (the fledgling republic will hold new elections Nov 19), we feel that we should ask our sponsors to extend for just a few years more a minimum level of support (perhaps $100-$150) per yeart o help them further their education and to transition to financial independence, and to begin to communicate directly with them through email and social media outlets such as facebook, vis-à-vis writing letters and facing deadlines. Hopefully, in this way, a closer and more permanent bond will persist into the future.
If you have thoughts or opinions as it pertains to your child and your financial situation, we would appreciate hearing them. Simply email Earle at jecan314@gmail.com.
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You Are Invited!
WHAT: Answer-Nepal Benefit Concert and Auction in Grand Rapids, Michigan
WHO: David Lockington, David Hall, Beth Copean, Sean Ivory, Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Chorus, Answer-Nepal
WHERE: The Ballroom at City Flats Hotel , 77 Monroe Center,
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
WHEN: Sunday, September 15, 2013
4:00 -7:00 p.m.
WHY: To raise awareness of Answer-Nepal, hear about the success of the program in Nepal and raise money
RSVP: lisa.durham@ymail.com
COST: $55 adults, students $25
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A Fantastic Read about Nepal
by Earle Canfield
Second Suns: Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest
to Restore Sight and Save Lives 
I am not quite through Second Suns (2013 Random House), but I must stop and share this book with all of you. It is written by the same person who wrote Three Cups of Tea (David Oliver Relin). It is about a Nepali doctor, Sanduk, and an American doctor Geoff Tabin, both ophthalmologists, who have been working tirelessly together in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet to rid the region of preventable blindness. They have done thousands upon thousands of cataract surgeries as well as corneal transplants and other procedures restoring vision to those blinded and helpless in very remote regions under very primitive conditions. Nepal's Eye Hospital "Tilganga" in Kathmandu is cutting edge and was founded by Dr. Ruit, a legend in his field. read more...
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Take Home a Treasure or an Adventure!
ANSWER's Silent and Live Auction: Weekend in Manhattan, Golf Package, Cottage Weekend in Northern Michigan, Local Artist Pieces, Catering, Pizza Party, Hotel Packages and MORE!!!
Here are some of the latest additions for our annual benefit. We hope you can join us!
Progressive Dinner at The B.O.B.
Enjoy a progressive 5-course dinner for two at The BOB. Start at The Brewery for a cocktail, move onto to Gilly's for hors'doeurves, first course at Bobarino's, then onto to Judson's Steakhouse for the main course and finish your tasting tour at Crush. But stick around for some dancing and music.
Donated by The B.O.B. 20 Monroe Ave, NW Grand Rapids
http://www.thebob.com/
Value: $400
Night at City Flats Hotel
Spend the evening and night and morning at Grand Rapid's newest and most eco-friendly boutique hotel. Located in the heart of downtown, next to the Ballroom, this LEED Gold Certified is a great base camp to explore Art Prize, museums, and nearly 100 downtown restaurants, bars, clubs and coffee shops. Choose your room from 28 conceptually unique guest rooms.
Donated by City Flats Hotel, 83 Monroe Center St, NW Grand Rapids http://www.cityflatshotel.com/grandrapids/
Value $200
Private Catered Pizza Party
Invite up to 50 friends to your home for an authentic Neapolitan pizza party. Standard Pizza will bring their magnificent, $25,000 custom, copper, portable, wood-fired pizza oven and certified Professional Pizzaiolo chefs to your party and prepare amazing pizzas in the 250 year old tradition of Naples, Italy.
Donated by Standard Pizza Company http://standardpizzaco.com/
Value $1000
Handcrafted Leather Basket
Distinctive handsome basket made of top grade steer hide by Amish leather smiths. Hand stitched, sanded and oiled. This heirloom, heritage basket will last for 150 years.
(Actual basket not pictured)
Donated by ANSWER Board
Value $75
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ANSWER
PO Box 68401
Grand Rapids, MI 49516
616-516-0955
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2013.
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