Fund Raising Gala Dinner by FGS South Island
On the 27th of July 2013, the Fund Raising Gala Dinner for the rebuild of the earthquake damaged Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island was held at the Westpac Business and Community Hub. It was organized by FGS South Island New Zealand and Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island New Zealand. In total, 26 local companies and organisations sponsored the event. Abbess Manshin, Christchurch MP Ms Nicky Wagner, Christchurch City Councilor Ms Helen Broughton, New Zealand Police representative Inspector Rakesh Naidoo, founder of Peeto Language School, president of BLIA North Island Dolly Tsai, president of BLIA South Island New Zealand See Shen Lee, BLIA South Island Advisor Mr John Lai and 150 other guests attended the event.
Abbess Manshin said in her speech that she hoped to use this opportunity to bring everyone together and hoped that we can all work together to combat the challenges encountered in the rebuild process. On behalf of FGS New Zealand, Abbess Man Shin presented the Certificate of Appreciation to the major contributor to the Gala Dinner. The president of BLIA North Island New Zealand, Dolly Tsai made a donation of NZ $50,000 to the rebuild fund and urged more people to contribute as well.
MP Ms Nicky Wagner, Councilor Ms Helen Broughton and NZ Police Inspector Rakesh Naidoo were invited to share a few words with the guests. Four short videos clips accompanied by the reports from the secretary of BLIA South Island James Low, the president of BLIA South Island New Zealand See Shen Lee and the president of Young Adult Division Maggie Zhang were shown to the guests that night. Former YAD president Jason, current president Maggie and vice president Kailey shared their stories about how the temple and Youth Adult Division (YAD) impacted on their lives and helped them to grow up to be a better person. The president of BLIA South Island New Zealand Ms See Shen Lee thanked all the volunteers and wished that the temple will be reopened soon to serve the community.
The YAD members received a big applause from the guests when they played the violin and performed the songs “Lighting the lamp” and “Stars and Clouds”. At the end of the event, the YAD members sang the song “Droplet of Gratitude” with hand gestures to thank all the guests. This warm and unforgettable event has brought the people in Christchurch together. Thanks to the big effort from everyone in the organizing committee, the event was a big success.