Announcing the 2013 Feast of Lights Fundraiser! Partners In Health!

[Tree]

What is the Feast of Lights?
Annually TarValon.Net, Inc. holds a fundraiser for an internationally focused not-for-profit organization. This fundraiser is known as the Feast of Lights. Unlike our other feasts and festivals- including previous Feast of Lights- this is not a festival where we open up the Faire Grounds and host games and competitions. This is an opportunity for our community to act collectively as Servants of All by donating to an organization doing work we admire. In the past we have raised funds for organizations like Heifer International, Doctors Without Borders, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

This year, we will be supporting Partners In Health, a globally active organization that matches the interests of our community and that holds the belief that heath, is a human right.

Who is Partners In Health?
Partners In Health has two overarching goals:

1. To bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them, and
2. To serve as an antidote to despair.

Their mission, as they put is, is both medical and moral. It is based on solidarity rather than charity alone.

• Partners in Health is actively trying to eliminated the 10 million annually who die from treatable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, childbirth and malnutrition.
• Partners In Health has been active for over 20 years and began with Dr. Paul Farmer working in the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, Haiti.
• They are now active not only in Haiti, but also Burundi, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Peru, Russia, and Rwanda.

Partners In Health works to establish long-term relationships with communities through the establishment of hospitals and other localized health care facilities in an effort to increase overall global health

• Partners In Health operates under a unique model by establishing hospitals and training and employing as many local community members as possible.
• Partners In Health may establish the hospital- but when they leave, the hospital and medical facilities remain open offering quality medical care (and vaccinations!) to the community they were founded in. This is the true genius of Partners In Health, like teaching a man to fish, holding that while health care is a human right, aid organizations cannot create a vacuum when they leave.

Also less than three percent (3%) of the funds they raise are used for administrative costs and over ninety percent (90%) go directly to their global health initiatives, hospitals on the ground working to prevent unnecessary deaths, and operations working to feed the hungry and shelter the poor in the same communities.

Please watch this short video from Partners in Health co-founder Paul Farmer discussing health, poverty, health, preventable deaths, treatable diseases, and human rights.

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Goal: TarValon.Net, Inc. has set the goal this year for our Feast of Lights campaign to raise $1,500 for Partners in Health. I know that we can do this, because I know that we are an orgainization comprised of some of the most caring, giving, and downright awesome people in the world!

Dates: November 15, 2013 - December 8, 2013.
If you are unable to donate at this time, but still wish to donate- please do not hesitate.

How to Donate?
Step 1:
Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and can be sent in directly to Partners in Health through the TarValon.Net, Inc. Fundraising Page located:

->HERE<-​

-or-
You can also donate by mail with a cheque made out to Partners In Health. Please include "TarValon.Net, Inc." in the memo line.
Mail cheques to:
Partners In Health
P.O. Box 845578
Boston, MA. 02284-5578
USA

Step 2:
Please also send an email to me at Outreach@TarValon.Net saying your name and that you were able to donate as well as the amount. This way I can track who donated and put you into a drawing for one of our fabulous prizes!
Wait- did I mention there were prizes?

Prizes?
That’s right folks, we have some fabulous prizes to offer in support of this wonderful cause. For every donation made to Partners In Health, through the TarValon.Net, Inc. fundraising page linked above, you will be entered into a drawing to be held on December 10[SUP]th[/SUP] using a random number generator.

• One (1) lucky winner will receive a t-shirt courtesy of our friends over at Ta’veren Tee’s in any size they choose, XS-XXL! We’ll ship it to you to enjoy by the New Year!
• Two (2) additional lucky winners will receive a customized holiday avatar made by our own Arie Davion! She may even make you a custom avatar that you can use year-round as your new face here on TarValon.Net!
  • To see the range and variety that Arie can offer in your customized avatar, please check these examples out!

Don't Forget:
Even if you are unable to donate, helping spread the word that Feast of Lights is going on is a great way to support this fundraiser- and a fantastic way to dress up your signature!

Some Feast of Lights signatures for you to use:

Some Feast of Lights badges for your signatures to use:

Lastly, watch out here throughout the event as myself and the Community Outreach Staff bring you some trivia and scavenger-hunt type challenges to test your Partners In Health knowledge and google-fu! Fun questions are designed to teach everyone a little more about this wonderful organization and ensure this event is fun for all!

Thank you all for your generosity during this season of giving.

 

[Ariadne Davion]

:joy

 

[Xander Silverstar]

This is excellent. I really like Partners in health because normally when other organizations go into an area to help they provide a band-aid cure. So Doctors without borders will go and provide vaccinations or medical treatment - but they don't really address the structural issues which cause issues to be so big. So when they leave the structural issues like the lack of ability to use modern medicine is still present. Partners In Health seeks to provide a more lasting solution by teaching people rather than just providing them with temporary help. I really like them as a charity.

 

[Alora Sionn]

Yay!! This is awesome! Please let me know if there is anything I can do in addition to donating to help us raise our goal, please put my energy to good use

 

[Tree]

Spreading the word amongst our community is the number one thing Alora! A lot of our members don't venture into Site Announcements as ofter as they should- so helping spread the word- making our fabulous signatures and sig-badges go viral is always super appreciated!

 

[Alora Sionn]

*salutes* Will do! *grabs a bunch of flyers and flies out the door*

 

[Kassidy Rose ni DaiShan t' al'Kalin]

Are they in the States as well?

 

[Taika Vinh]

Good choice!

 

[Calypsa al'Nicolai]

I love this! :joy

 

[Raevyn Tsornin]

I ha not heard of them. They sound really wonderful!

 

[Tree]

To answer your question Kassidy, they do some work in rural impoverished areas in the states- though the maintain a more international focus and the bulk of there work is elsewhere in places where basic vaccinations are not so run of the mill and easily available. Also they are headquartered in Boston, Mass.

Also, within the first 24 hours and we are off to a fantastic start!

 

[Kassidy Rose ni DaiShan t' al'Kalin]

Thanks for the info . I just wanted to budget this in along with my other donation somewhere else .

 

[Jeffan Caliarthan]

Donated. <3

 

[Tree]

We are off to such a great start! Thank you to all those who have donated so far- and don't forget folks to put the cool "I donated" badge in your signature to help spread the word!

 

[Miridyth Al'Landerin]

They sound like an awesome charity...hope we meet the goal!! :joy

 

[Ariadne Davion]

Aww, we can do better than just 6 Donors. <3

 

[Megana Vallentin]

Is there a PayPal option? I can do PayPal, but not credit card or check.

 

[Tree]

Megana, there is not currently a paypal option, but let me double check and see if there is anything that we can do!

 

[Megana Vallentin]

I don't have a lot to give anyway, but I'll contribute my bit if I can without causing too much trouble.

 

[Taika Vinh]

I tried to donate with the credit card option via our donation page, but it didn't seem to work. (I've trible checked my card data etc, and it should all be correct and work normally). It looked like they should also accept non-US credit cards (at least they had all the country options etc.) so I've no idea what went wrong...