The Om Charity – Fund Raising Week in Europe
Phurbu T. Namgyal
Thursday, April 4th 2013
Right after my full time job, around 5:30 PM; I left to the Airport to catch the 7:30 PM Flight to Switzerland to kick off the European fund raising concerts for my Charity. (The Om Charity). To many of my friends, it is a vacation. But for me, it’s my social work to serve and help my own people, who are POOR and SICK in exile and beyond.
Saturday, April 6th 2013
As always the concert in Switzerland went very well. For your information, this concert was organized by the “Tibetan Cultural Association”. I was invited to take part in it. I am very thankful for the organizer for this event and for inviting me. I wish you success and all the best in your future projects to benefit Tibetans everywhere.
From the beginning of the concert, I had told my fans and audience that I will be donating $ 500 dollars from my performance fee to a Tibetan guy from ladakh who will be receiving a kidney transplant from his own mother. Along with my own contribution to this project, I have asked the fans and audience in the Switzerland concert to donate, so I can send it to his mother in India. At the end of the concert, my fans have donated little over $600 dollars to my charity. From this amount, I am donating another $ 500 to Nyima Tsering la’s kidney transplant as well. So “The Om Charity” will be sending a total of $1000 to Nyima Tsering La’s mother this week. I will post the receipt online as soon as I receive it from them.
The remaining funds will be used to pay for the money transfer fee, and to pay for monthly medication fees for my other patients I am looking after on an annual basis.
Sunday, April 7th 2013
This is the concert day in Antwerp, Belgium, being hosted by the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress. We had only about 3 hours of sleep from the previous night’s concert in Switzerland. Woke up around 6 AM and started our road trip to Antwerp, Belgium for the concert to raise funds for the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, and to The Om Charity.
I’d like to Thank Tenzin Gyapo (Michael), Tenzin Thokmey , Tenzin Silon, and Tsering Kalden for their time and contribution to take part in this musical fund raising event in Belgium. This event would not have been possible without their generous contribution of time, and talent. This is how you contribute your talent to your people and I admire and respect it very much.
We had decided to rent a car from Switzerland and drive down to Belgium, in order to save train tickets for 5 artists. Very special thanks to Lhanze la (my sister in law) for getting us a rental car with her discount card at a great rate. It helped save a good amount of money for my charity.
The concert in Belgium went very well. I am so thankful for all the Tibetans who had attended the fund raiser event that evening. I know it was a Sunday night and not the best day to gather. But due to my 1 week time off from my full time job, I had to squeeze all the fundraisers in that 1 week. So I am extremely thankful for the RTYC and the Tibetans in Belgium for coming out and supporting my charity and your local RTYC.
After the artist transportation, gas charges, hall and sound rental charges, we managed to raise around 880 Euros for the two organizers. I am especially thankful for the understanding and generosity shown by the RTYC Antwerp, for awarding Om Charity, the full 880 Euro from the event. They did not keep even a single penny. They appreciated my goals for this project, and our hard work to raise funds for Poor and Sick Tibetans everywhere. Thank You again to the RTYC Antwerp board members.
Monday, April 8th 2013
We had to get up early again, to return the rental car back to the company by 5 PM, so we don’t incur any extra charges to the charity. J Quite a hassle. So we all woke up around 6 AM again and hit the road back to Switzerland. We managed to reach there in time and returned the car.
Tuesday, April 9th 2013
God told me to rest 🙂
Wednesday, April 10th 2013
I had to go and visit a friend and his family in Germany. I had a great rest there and did a musical session in his studio as well. I enjoyed the trip and the stay very much.
Thursday, April 11th 2013
Ready to head back to Switzerland. We had a change of plan and we were in Munich Train Station, where we met up with my cousin sister. It was a great unplanned meeting for 1 hour. Then in a train back to Switzerland. Reached Zurich quite late that night. Finished packing quickly and head to bed, because next day I’ll be flying to London for the Friday night concert there.
Friday, April 12th 2013
I caught a flight to London around Noon. And after reaching there, we went to the residence of Tenzin Samphel la, who is the president of the Tibetan Community in Britain. I had a brief rest and head to the hall around 5 PM to get the sound ready for the Friday Night concert.
I am shocked at the number of Tibetans who came out to support their community and my charity. I am extremely thankful for their time, contribution, and their support to my project. We had a great turn around, despite the London rain. J Nothing could have stopped the local Tibetans from coming out to support their community and my charity that is taking care of the Poor and Sick Tibetans in exile and beyond.
The concert went well, and I am very pleased by the performances of the local artists and esp. those kids reading poetry and playing dramnyen (Tibetan lute). It was great. Overall, The Om Charity raised around 1200 Pounds from the event. I am again thankful for the understanding and generosity of the Tibetan Community in Britain to award us the 75% of the proceeds. I wish others can see and hear these kind gestures, and do the same to support one another. After all, this is what UNITY is all about. Standing up and doing the right thing for one another within our community, esp when it comes to helping the POOR and SICK of our communities in exile and beyond.
Saturday, April 13th 2013
I flew back to Switzerland and had a final dinner with family there. I packed up late night for the next day’s flight back to the U.S.
Sunday, April 14th 2013
I arrived early morning at the Zurich airport to catch the flight back home to the U.S. After about 12 hours, I reached home around 5 PM.
Monday, April 15th 2013
I reported back to work. This is my other life, just like everybody else. 9 to 5 🙂
Special Thanks to those who made my charity’s fund raising events in Europe a huge success:
- Tibetan Cultural Association – Switzerland
- Regional Tibetan Youth Congress – Antwerp, Belgium
- Tenzin Ganden for making the Belgium event possible
- Tenzin Yangkyi (Antwerp) for letting us stay at your home and for the warm hospitality
- Tenzin Gyalpo (Michael), Tsering Kalden, Tenzin Thokmey, Tenzin Silon for your monetary and musical contribution to The Om Charity.
- Tibetan Community in Britain – For a great event and support
- To each and every donors: Your contributions will go directly to the medical needs of the Poor and Sick Tibetans I am supporting and will continue to support for as long as I can.
- To all those whom I have forgotten to mention: I sincerely thank each one of you for your support and contribution. It means a lot to me, to be able to help other Tibetans in difficult times.