Our own events and development coordinator Clarke Reeves ran two marathons in support of Seeds of Peace! In April, he ran his very first marathon and raised enough money to sponsor three Campers. On November 19, he ran the Philadelphia Marathon and hopes to send two more young leaders to Camp in 2018.
Ten Egyptian Seeds held a car wash fundraiser on August 18 and 19 at the Heliopolis Sporting Club in Cairo. This is the eighth year that Egyptian Seeds have hosted such a fundraiser, the proceeds of which are split between charity and Seeds of Peace programming in Egypt.
“The car wash fundraiser is more than an opportunity to raise funds for programming and charity,” said Laila, one of the Seeds who organized the two-day event. “It is also a chance for Seeds to connect and form friendships and integrate the newest Seeds into the Egyptian Seeds community.”
Dishoom, a wonderful London restaurant, has raised almost £10,000 for Seeds of Peace this year. Every person that visited their cafes on the day of Raksha Bandhan was offered a rakhi—a white thread—as a symbol of peace, and invited to tie it on someone of a different faith, nationality or culture, as a vow of solidarity and protection. For each rakhi, Dishoom donated £1. And in October, Dishoom hosted a Diwali celebration in support of Seeds of Peace, featuring dancing, henna, music, food, and more. Dishoom believes that food is a way of breaking down barriers; we agree wholeheartedly and are grateful for their continued support.
Tim Harrington and Vinegar Hill Music Theatre hosted a terrific fundraiser in Kennebunkport, Maine, with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinkski and a performance by Scarborough. Israeli Seed Inbal shared her reflections on her first year as a camper from Israel, meeting “the other side” for the first time. Maine Seed Abukar discussed how his experiences at Camp shaped his work at a journalist. Sponsors Darcie Bundy and Ken Cohen, Barbara and Howard Goldenfarb, The Leonard & Judy Lauder Fund, Doris and Eliot Minsker, and the Jills helped make the evening a smashing success.
And many of our Seeds and other friends are setting up their own fundraisers through Crowdrise and Facebook in support of Seeds of Peace!