Warriors For Peace: Yoga For Haiti the practice of yoga in honor of human resilience www.WarriorsForPeace.info
Physikos and Warriors For Peace offer an afternoon of yoga to support relief efforts by local not-for-profit H.O.P.E. for Haiti. See Allison Osborn's letter below. The earthquake in Haiti has created a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions, and yet we see how this event brings people together in a positive way. WFP invites you to join them and the Rochester community in supporting the people of Haiti, the many relief efforts already underway, and the global communityof which we are all a part.
WFP is offering two yoga classes, 1:30-3 pm and 3:30-5 pm suitable for all levels taught by local teachers. There will also be a raffle for goods and services contributed by community businesses.
Come for yoga, or simply to show your support! Donations based on a sliding scale. Suggested minimum donation $20 for first class, $30 for both. We invite you to come and give whatever you can. Donations go 100% to relief efforts in Haiti. For more information contact Allison Osborn at info@warriorsforpeace.info or 585.797.5287. Or visit the website at www.warriorsforpeace.info. Here is Allison's letter to the community, sent out a few days ago:
Hi everyone,
As I'm sure you all know, we have a major humanitarian crisis on our hands. In response, a few of us have gotten together and chosen to quickly mobilize a Warriors for Peace fundraiser for H.O.P.E for Haiti, a volunteer not-for-profit based right here in Rochester whose sole purpose is to help the people of Borgne, Haiti. While the major disaster relief organizations like the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders are working in the larger cities where the numbers are greater, H.O.P.E. for Haiti is rooted in a more rural area. The executive director, Michael Shields, is good friends with a few members of WFP, so for some the cause is quite a personal one. I can send you a recent letter that Michael wrote about his experience of what is happening in Haiti if any of you would like more information. You can also check out day by day updates at the organization's website at www.hopehaiti.org.
The WFP event is going to be SATURDAY, JANUARY 30TH. There will be two classes, the first 1:30-3pm, the second 3:30-5pm. Donations are based on a sliding scale, and we are asking for $20 for the first class and $30 for both. If you feel as though you cannot afford that, please come anyway and give whatever you can! The event will be at Physikos, same location as before: 302 North Goodman Street, above Salena's restaurant in the Village Gate.
Despite the horrific situation that brings us together, I am really excited about this event and what we can do as a community to support those in the world who need it most right now. Granted we are doing something in a week and a half that normally we do in many months, but let's do the best we can and see what shows up!! I'm confident it's going to be incredible. If any of you are interested in helping, there are LOTS of ways to contribute. First and foremost, please come!!!!! And bring people!!!! There is strength in numbers and your presence makes such a huge difference. Other ways you could help might be putting up flyers, if you are a teacher making announcements in your classes, gathering donations from others, making something to be displayed the day of the event, talking up the event or sending the flyer along to others, getting food donations or baking something to share, inviting other people to join the WFP Facebook group, helping during the event, getting in touch with media contacts, or a hundred other ways. All ideas are welcome! We are also going to do a raffle again, but this time due to the time constraints we are going to do a silent auction instead of our previous approach of using tickets. This way we can be as flexible as possible to accept donations as they come. If you are inclined to donate something (anything!) to the auction, or would be willing to solicit donations from other businesses, that would be a wonderful and very appreciated way to help as well. As you can see the options are endless, so please contribute in whatever way inspires YOU!!
If you are interested in helping in any way, or if you have any questions, please contact me. My number is 585.797.5287. You can also contact me if you cannot make the event but would like to make a donation. Or you can donate by visiting our website at www.warriorsforpeace.info and clicking the "donate" button.
Additionally, if you would like to help post flyers please let me know and I will get flyers to you.
It is truly amazing to see the way the global community has responded in the past few days. The silver lining to tragedies as unbelievably horrible as something like this is the way it can bring people together in love. Below is what the wonderful Tisah Leigh wrote for our poster, and what I want to leave you with. I hope to see you all on the 30th.
Love, Allison Through our practice, we will move our bodies, we will listen to our breath, we will open our mind and our hearts. By connecting to ourselves, we will find a deeper connection to others and the world around us. Through the strength of our connection, we will reach out to the victims, to the survivors in Haiti. We come together, as a community, as a kula, to build awareness, to shift consciousness, to move mountains. There is a Haitian proverb, Deye mon gen mon, Beyond each mountain is another mountain. This mountain is great, but our energy is greater. We are choosing to "be the change we wish to see in the world." We are choosing to breathe, to move, and to connect. Please join us in this choice.