Past Fundraisers 2011-12

INDIA, Rishikesh, January 2nd, 2012
Krishna Das Charity Concert in Rishikesh
Reknowned artist Krishna Das, famed for his uplifting devotional music, performed in Rishikesh on January 2nd for a crowd of nearly 500 people. Opening for him were the Ma Chetan Jyoti Music Academy children. All proceeds from the concert went to Ganga Prem Hospice.

U.S.A., Iowa, Fairfield, October 26th, 2011
Om Diwali Pumpkin Lanterns in Iowa, USA
Karen Koerber sold Diwali lanterns with Om carved on them in aid of Ganga Prem Hospice in Fairfield, Iowa on the day of Divali

Karen selling the OM pumpkin lanterns at the market

Karen Koerber held an interesting Diwali fundraiser for Ganga Prem Hospice in Fairfield, Iowa on October 26th, 2011. She made Diwali Lanterns of carved pumpkins with the sacred syllable "Om" and sold them at the local Farmer's Market to raise funds for the hospice. Despite the fact that Diwali fell on the coldest day of the year so far, those few people who attended the Market were warm-hearted and donated $75 to Ganga Prem Hospice.

Karen thanks her partner Claude and dear friend Sharona for their loving and selfless assistance!

U.K., London, October 22nd, 2011
Open House in Southeast London, U.K.
Caroline Tautz organised an open house in aid of Ganga Prem Hospice in her home/private yoga studio in New Cross, SE London.

The event was a real community effort. Many of Caroline's yoga students helped with the cooking of a delicious vegetarian lunch which was served at noon. Swami Saradananda gave a talk on her book, The Power of Breath, and a number of taster therapies were available to the public including sacro-cranial, shiatsu and bodywork.

The event was successful and raised just over £1,000 for Ganga Prem Hospice. A big thank you to Caroline Tautz for organising and hosting the fundraiser!

U.K., Surrey, New Malden, October 8th, 2011
Satsang in Honour of World Hospice Day
Gabrielle Steen hosted a satsang in honour of World Hospice Day on October 8th, 2011 at her home in New Malden, South London. There was a silent meditation and prayers for the more than one million people diagnosed with cancer in India each year.

The satsang marked the end of Navaratri, the nine-night celebration in honour of the Divine Mother. Swami Saradananda spoke on the inner meaning of the celebration and how a deeper understanding of it can uplift our yoga practice.

Everyone had a wonderful time and £125 was raised in aid of Ganga Prem Hospice.

U.K., Nottingham, July 14th to September 20th, 2011
Slow Train to India: U.K. to India by Tuk-Tuk
The Slow Train to India expedition in aid of Ganga Prem Hospice and other charities concluded successfully after having traversed 14 countries and 10,000 kilometres over 68 days, all in a three-wheeled auto-rickshaw.

On 20th September, when Sanjay Sharma and his two companions, Anand Mohan Bhardwaj and Sumit Joshi, drove their auto-rickshaw, Flying Rani, into Delhi and sighted the historic India Gate, it meant that they had accomplished a very extraordinary feat. They had set out from Nottingham more than two months ago with the goal of reaching far away India. The expedition received promises from several donors, particularly in Gujarat, that they would donate a handsome amount to the Hospice.

The Indian leg of the Nottingham to Delhi expedition was by far the most successful for the Slow Train to India. Not only did it see Indians offering to donate, it also had local people as well as newspapers and television news channels much interested in knowing more about why somebody had driven an auto-rickshaw all the way from the U.K. At each nightly halt in Indian cities (Mumbai, Surat, Gandhi Nagar, Vapi, Udaipur, Jaipur and then finally Delhi), the team gave interviews to the press about their chosen cause.

One of the three expedition members, Anand Mohan Bhardwaj extensively used his contacts in India to gather support for the Slow Train to India. His wife, Manju, worked tirelessly behind the scenes to raise funds.

At India Gate in Delhi, Sanjay's family members along with Ganga Prem Hospice volunteers were there to welcome the Slow Train team, which then gave interviews to the media about their epic journey.

SPAIN, Barcelona, July 29th, 2011
Soul Ride from Barcelona to London
Soul Rider is a self-empowerment organization which has decided to support Ganga Prem Hospice as one of its charities. At the end of July, they supported us through a long-distance motorcycle ride from Barcelona to London.

On the 29th of July, Rishabh Sharma, the Soul Rider, left on his fundraising journey from Barcelona to London. The sponsored journey was intended to raise awareness about the Soul Rider foundation and its aims, and also to raise funds for its chosen charities. The ride which took three days raised Rs. 30,000 for Ganga Prem Hospice.

Thank you to Rishabh Sharma and the Soul Rider foundation. Efforts like this mean so much to Ganga Prem Hospice and its patients.

U.K., Surrey, New Malden, July 23rd, 2011
Garden Party in New Malden, Surrey
On Saturday, July 23rd, Nataraja-Gabriele Steen and the Westminster School of Yoga arranged a "party" to raise funds for Ganga Prem Hospice. Students, teachers, friends and neighbours celebrated the sunny day with tea, home-baked cakes, and Thai canapés (all donated) in the garden.

April Pierrot and several other therapists donated "taster" treatments, Swami Saradananda gave two talks on "The Power of Breath", and raffle tickets were drawn. Handmade soaps, aromatherapy creams and ayurvedic incense were on sale—as well as a number of other donated items. The children's table was a big hit with the younger attendees. In all, it was a lovely and easeful day that raised just over £1,000 for the charity.

Thank you Gabrielle. Your fundraisers mean a lot to Ganga Prem Hospice and its patients.