Rats!
We are very saddened to share that we are cancelling our fundraising Dinner and Auction in April.
In this Lunar Year of the Metal Rat, with Coronavirus concerns growing, it seems that the stars are aligning to suggest caution in the coming together of large groups of people, even in support of excellent organizations such as the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation!
Still, we anticipate auspicious events this year- the 135th Anniversary Year of the tragic expulsion of the Chinese community from Tacoma in 1885:
- Saturday, November 21st: Symphony Tacoma will premiere a major new composition by Tacoma composer Gregory Youtz: Scenes from Tacoma Method– symphonic excerpts of his opera-in-progress based on historical records of the expulsion, performed by the symphony, four vocal soloists and the Symphony Tacoma Choir.
With the City of Tacoma having funded last year the architectural plans for the next building at the Chinese Reconciliation Park- the Multicultural Pavilion, and the soon-to-be-released publication of our new edition of Straw Hats, Sandals and Steel: The Chinese in Washington State by Loraine Hildebrandt, we are poised for a big year!
Even without our dinner auction, however, our organizational costs remain the same, as do the costs of our upcoming cultural events. Thus we are reaching out to you, our loyal supporters, to help us continue our activities even in the absence of our annual Dinner and Auction. If you were planning to attend the April dinner, we invite you to contribute an amount you might have spent at our website https://www.tacomachinesepark.org/membership-donations/
We will soon be sharing with you additional ways that your organization or business can support CRPF- donating the cost of a table full of dinner auction attendees; choosing a donation amount that places your business name and logo on our website, outreach mailings, and newspaper advertisements; online auction items that you can bid on, future programming that you can purchase tickets to, and so much more. Please visit crpftacoma.org to learn more!
In this uncertain Year of the Rat, we all must remain quick-witted, resourceful and smart, be imaginative and take advantage of opportunities! Since Rats are diligent and thrifty, we can also make the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation wealthy and prosperous this year with our donations to the mission of creating in Tacoma a harmonious present based upon an acknowledgement of the tragedies of the past.
Stay tuned for more information on how you can help support CRPF in this Year of the Metal Rat, helping us to meet our budget goals and supporting our exciting 2020 events!
With warm regards and best wishes,
Theresa Pan Hosley
CRPF President