[:en]Planning an event for a few thousand people isn’t easy. You would not believe the blood, sweat, and tears that go into it. But despite all the hard work, the Chengdu International Women’s Club’s Holiday Bazaar—say that three times fast!—is one of the best things there is in the ‘Du. Held on November 14th, at Chengdu International School, the 10th annual Bazaar didn’t disappoint with another year of success.
This year, over 270,000 RMB was raised for the four beneficiary charities: Hopeful Hearts, Heifer International, Chengdu Aixin, and the Chen Guang School Project. Each of these groups is staffed by passionate individuals who have seen a need and have made the conscious decision to work hard to improve the lives of disadvantaged groups in Sichuan. Living in the city and without fluency in Chinese, most of us would never get the chance to do more than rub shoulders on a bus or train with some of the people these charities are serving, but through the Bazaar, we have the honor of having a real positive impact on our adopted home of Sichuan.
Holiday Bazaar is one of the few events in Chengdu that serves both the local and international community. It was gratifying to see such a good turnout on a damp, overcast day, with even more people in attendance than last year. It was heartwarming to see such a diverse group of people come together to enjoy good food, good music, games, shopping, the exciting auction and raffle. All in all, those who came stayed longer and were incredibly generous with their spending.
Sponsorship is another key factor in this year’s success. We had an elite group of community leaders who used their time, resources, and in some cases cold hard cash to pull off such a big event. The Beer Nests in conjunction with MORE Magazine did everything they could to help advertise the event, while the Temple House generously donated vouchers worth more than the Bazaar has ever seen before. CDIS was a gracious host for the third year in a row and provided an all-star operations team to handle everything from power to security to housekeeping and then some. Those who assisted with personnel to help out as needed were ANZ, Global Doctor, GreatChina International Education, Rainbow Concept, Starbucks, The Temple House, and UrTurn Events. Those who lent or donated resources were Adventure Access, Allied Pickfords, IQ Air, QSI, and Santa Fe Relocations. Those who dug deep and provided cash, either as a lump sum donation, or to cover Bazaar costs, were Adventure Access, Chevron, ELI Holdings, the German Consulate, Proton, Roots & Shoots, and the Shangri-La Hotel. Those who donated large amounts of goods and vouchers to the Silent Auction and Raffle were Ascott, Grand Hyatt, Hilton, Mandarin House, Natooke, Panda Housekeeping, Rainbow Concept, Shangri-la, and Six Senses. And finally, there were a number of private donations as well.
But the greatest thing about the Bazaar is that it was planned, managed, and executed by a group of ordinary people. The Bazaar Committee was made up of moms and a few dads from various corners of the globe, who took time out of their work and family lives to do good and have fun. If you were there, you will have seen them in their orange vests, putting in at least eight hours on the day of the Bazaar, not to mention all the days before the Bazaar, but everyone was having a good time. CIWC would love to have more like-minded people involved for next year and beyond, so if you missed out this year, don’t hesitate to contact chengduiwc@gmail.com to find out about year-round events and activities.
See you next year!
By Diane Sonam[:]
