CHICAGO: A fundraiser and relief drive for earthquake victims in Nepal was sponsored by Secretary of State Jesse White and co-hosted by Asian-American Advisory Council and the Chicagoland Nepali Friendship Society here at Jesse White Community Center, May 30.
A total of $88,953.29 was raised. ABC7 News reporter Eric Horng served as master of ceremonies. Nepal’s ambassador to U.S. Arjun Karki had come specially to deliver the keynote address.
Global Children Foundation donated $27,550 toward reopening schools and $10,000 to the Education Foundation of Nepal. Almost $20,000 came through PayPal and the cash update from the organizing committee amounted to well over $31,000. Many others present also donated, including Miss Illinois Marisa Buchheit, who sang the U.S. national anthem.
Karki thanked the gathering for supporting his country as it begins the long recovery from last month’s devastating earthquake that killed more than 8,000: “The hundreds of tremors since the earthquake have been terrorizing the people. I was in Nepal at the time and felt the kind of terror that all of us had to go through…you can feel the sympathy and the solidarity more in the smaller amount than in the big amount.”
“When one segment of society is hurting, all of us hurt. We all hurt. If you have, share with others. They have to rebuild infrastructure and schools in Nepal,” said Jesse White. Participants came from all over Chicagoland. Pakistani community leader Hameed Ullah Khan attended, as did Asian-American leaders Amy Moy, Ann Liang, Asayo Horibe, Aziza Gillani, Bala Ghimire, Sadruddin Noorani, Kanti Patel, Sam Ma and others.
Consul General of Nepal in Chicago Marvin Brustin thanked everyone in his closing remarks.
Syed Khalil Ullah
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