January 5th, 2005
Dearest all,
An excerpt from a letter out of Sri Lanka this morning. “The real problem is not food, clothing or medical attention. It is the large number of children who have lost their parents and relatives and have no proper housing.”
I am asking for your help. In less than two weeks a friend and I (Miriam "Lilly" Vranova) will be heading to Southeast Asia to help coordinate the construction of a building to house the children displaced by the tsunami. Our wish is to pair these children with a grieving parent in the hope, healing can begin. Miriam and I will be staying with members of my spiritual family outside of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
I am certain all of you have already reached into your pockets in aid of the victims affected by this disaster. However, I am calling upon you to dig deeper. I cannot do this alone. The ‘Q’ Fund has proven to not only to get the job done, but ensures that every bit of the funds gained go directly in support of the target project.
If you would be so kind as to make your tax deductible donation on The ‘Q’ Fund website. ( www.qfund4aids.org); all money from today until the building is complete in Southeast Asia will go directly towards Tsunami relief. Simply click on “ How you can help”. Or go to you local Bank of America and deposit directly into The ‘Q’ Fund account: 002107127284. Again, we are a registered 501(C)(3) tax exempt nonprofit (Tax ID: 93.1323840) and your contribution is tax deductible.
Watching the news last night there was a program about how our children were reacting to this tragedy. Many were scared and confused. I say give them a tool that allows each to know they can be a part of the solution. All of you with children help them transfer their pain and worry caused by this disaster by allowing them to be proactive. Even a $10.00 donation will let them know they have done something to help.
For those of you worried about my safety, please know the work I do in Africa carries far more risks. Nevertheless, I have taken all necessary precautions.
I will be away until Feb. please do not send email unless absolutely necessary. Katrina Thielman will be handling my mail and my husband Kevin will be in constant contact with me.
My vision as the founder of The ‘Q’ Fund is to bridge the outpouring of compassion and aid by all the people of the world who have come together to help with this tragedy; let hearts stay open while also remembering the innocent children orphaned by AIDS in Africa.
Blessings and heartfelt thanks,
Chellie Kew
Founder The ‘Q’ Fund
Health, social workers head to Asia to assist with Tsunami relief effort
Peninsula Extra
San Jose Mercury News
Thursday, January 6, 2005
Moved by the devastation caused by the tsunami, a number of Bay Area residents, physicians, nurses and social workers are preparing to go to Southeast Asia to help with disaster relief operations.
Chellie Kew, who runs The ‘Q’ Fund, a non-profit group for children orphaned by AIDS in Africa, is going in two weeks to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, areas hardest hit by the earthquake-triggered tsunami.
Kew, 50, of Palo Alto, said she will duplicate a system she established in Africa: She pairs AIDS orphans with grandmothers or schoolteachers, and provides assistance to surrogate guardians.
"When I first heard the news my gut reaction was, 'How can I get over there and do something?'" she said. Kew, who self-published a book of her photographs of AIDS orphans in Africa, will be joined by a friend, Miriam "Lilly" Vranova, an actress and teacher at San Francisco City college.
At Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California and in the Bay Area, several hundred doctors and nurses, many of them with experience in disaster relief operations who speak Tamil, Thai and Indonesian are waiting to be dispatched by Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres.
- Jessie Mangaliman
