Helping fundraise for Haiti

Whirligigs holds fundraiser for Haitian relief
Angela Saieva

Residents of Pugwash, Wallace, Malagash and Tatamagouche came together for a roast beef meal at Whirligigs cafe the evening of Sunday, Jan. 24 in support of Haitian earthquake relief efforts. (Saieva photo)

WALLACE: The horrifying images on TV of displaced children surrounded by crumbled buildings struck a nerve in Catherine Dubè’s heart.
It was early morning on Saturday, Jan. 16 and Dubè was driving into work at her Wallace cafe, Whirligigs. As she listened to the news updates on the radio about the state of Haiti following the devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, she racked her brain over what she could do for the victims of this tragedy.
Upon arrival at the cafe, Dubè spoke with her cook, Fran Hubbard, about the news she had heard. She commented that there must be something she could do to help the Haitians.
“I said to Fran, ‘Maybe we should donate the proceeds from breakfast today,’ but that didn’t sit well with either one of us because that didn’t give anybody an opportunity to contribute,” said Dubè.
Hubbard suggested they hold a fundraiser dinner and offered to prepare the meal without pay. Dubè matched her kindness by donating her time as well as the food.
Sharon McKenna of the Raven Gallery and Frame Shop was at Whirligigs for breakfast that morning. Dubè asked her to draw up a sign on the cafe’s whiteboard to promote the event.
By noon on Saturday, 25 of 30 tickets had been sold. The remaining five were gone by 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
The roast beef dinner was held at Whirligigs on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 24. The cafe was dimly lit with coloured paper lamps hanging from the ceiling and candles on every table. Guests from Pugwash, Wallace, Malagash and Tatatamagouche mingled and were in good spirits.
“Even though it is a sad thing going on in Haiti, the energy in the room was just fabulous,” said Dubè.
Wallace locals Mary and Ron Maron were at Whirligigs having breakfast and overheard Catherine saying she had to do something. The couple bought their tickets right away.
“We were impressed by Catherine and wanted to support her,” said Mary.
The Hutchison family, Graham, Dhyan, and their daughter, Saffron, also wanted to offer their support.
“The event is community-driven and we wanted to support the cause,” said Dhyan. “Plus the money is being doubled by the government, which makes it even more worthwhile.”
Ticket sales for the dinner brought in $600. Further monetary contributions, proceeds from coffee sales during the meal and a silent auction for a print donated by McKenna raised an additional $520. The total sum of $1,120 has been donated to the Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.
While Catherine is pleased by the positive response to her efforts, she hopes that other organizations will follow suit and do their part to send aid to Haiti.
“If all the businesses held one fundraiser, we would be in great shape,” said Dubè. “This is a great first step, but we need to continue to provide support in the future because they are going to need it. They don’t just need medication and water and food, they need to rebuild their world.”