Mr. John Corr 221 Villa Crest Dr. State College, Pa. 16801 United States of America
Dear Sir,
You may not know who I am. I am a teacher on Hikkaduwa Sri Sumangala College in Sri Lanka. You may sometimes be able to get more information about me from your friends who live in Hikkaduwa area in Sri Lanka.
I lost my home in the tsunami disaster December 26th 2004. All my belongings including furniture, clothes, books and all other house hold items where either wholly and partially damaged, or disappeared altogether. My house was damaged previously in a road accident in 1998. (My house is situated by the side of the road.) I took loans from the bank to reconstruct my house. The same house is now destroyed by the tsunami. Now I am finding it impossible to build my house as I am already indebted.
As a teacher I get only a paltry sum. I am 59 years old and I am expected to retire from service at the end of this year. My children are students and my only source for living is my salary. My mother now 75 years old and she is paralyze patient.
I am facing these obstacles to reconstruct my house. I shall be extreamly grateful to you if you could kindly assist me to reconstruct my house.
May God Bless You Yours faithfully R.C. Somatilake
I Janath kumara of Thiranagama Live near to Asoka’s house.I have three children& wife. One of my uncles (75 years old) live with me.on 26 th December my house has been distoyed. I will send you the picture new house building but yet it is not finished. Most big problem is building the roof. Then slowly we can do other work.if you help me to build the roof we will be glad. thousand and thousand times I will be thanks full. As you came Asoka’s Home I think you saw my house.
Also I have to mention that house was build up to this level from lot of help from others. As a fisherment I have not enough income. All my three children goes to school. after tsunami I’m doing labour work. it is not enough to maintain the house.now it is not possible to fishing now.
Will send you Roof astimate is with this letter. As I mentioned in the above will send you the picture by post.
We all wish you all the best.doing extremely necessary help to rebuild our life is unforgettable.after big desaster I herd from Asoka you have help lot of people.every work you have done to our people to rebuild is unforgettable & we would be thankfull to you. Asoka help to the socity.he is a good neghbour.
John a Corr 221 Villa crest road State college, PA 16801 U.S.A
Dear sir
Thank you very much for the helping hand you gave to me. We are glad to say that we have complete the roof from the money you have send to us. Any way it was a great help you have done to us. I will send a picture from my complete roof. we never thought that we could build up our life after tsunami but you gave us our life back by helping us in several ways. we really glad would like to say lot of thanks to you.
Mr. Asoka gave all the money 1000$ as you told Asoka have done every thing.
Dear Sir Thank you very much for the Help you have done to us. I would like to say lot of thanks for the money you have send to me.now we are preparing block bricks with cement.we took cement from the money you have send us.I would send you a picture from the bricks that I have made with the cement.thanks a lot again & again.
Mr. Asoka gave me the money you have send 300$
He have done every thing as you told him. Thank you !
The wine tasting fundraiser organized by Tsunami Relief- Rebuild Sri Lanka and hosted by the good folks at the Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport, Pa. on July 26th successfully raised over $700. The vendors who attended and donated wines, microbrews and coffee are listed below, whose support of this event was invaluable and greatly appreciated. Newspaper coverage of the event was by the Williamsport Sun-Gazette’s reporter David Thompson. The Sun-Gazette’s article is posted below. Many thanks also to mural artist Mike Pilato for his help setting up and conducting the fun evening. Mike took time from his busy schedule and has been a valuable friend to TR-RSL. All funds raised will go directly to ongoing TR-RSL projects. Future fundraising events are being planned in conjunction with the generous owners of the Bullfrog, the Koch family.
List of Vendors:
John Corr - Southern Wines of Pa
John Kolln – Southern Wines and Spirits of Pa – Liberty Division
Wine, Beer and Coffee tasting with music and hors d'oeuvres
July 26, 2005, 6:00 to 8:00pm
Bullfrog Brewery - 229 W. Fourth St. Williamsport, Pa.
Eight different wineries and wine importers will join with the Bullfrog and other regional micro-brewers in a gala tasting of their products. Also offered will be exotic coffees.
Benefit for the relief effort in southwestern Sri Lanka devastated by the tsunami on December 26. Slide show of current relief efforts by local volunteer John Corr recently returned from Sri Lanka.
All proceeds dedicated to "Tsunami Relief - Rebuild SriLanka" - a non-profit foundation
On April 17th, 2005 while performing Tsunami relief work in the ravaged southwestern coastal area of Sri Lanka, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Asoka Jayasena in Boosa, Sri Lanka. Dr. Jayasena had recently donated his boyhood home to the local community. The local school was destroyed in the Tsunami disaster. Dr. Jayasena and other volunteer philanthropists have set up a primary school, daycare center and community medical clinic in the home. Their website is www.pinfoundation.org. Upon my return to the U.S. and setting up TR-RSL, it was foremost on my mind to aid this noble project.
Now after months of fundraising efforts, TR-RSL is able to do so. All aid is possible through the generous support of all those who have donated to TR-RSL. Below is a letter to TR-RSL from Dr. Jayasena.
Thank You from the Child & Youth Development Centre
Registered Charity
July 19, 2005
Mr John Corr
"Tsunami Relief - Rebuild Sri Lanka,USA"
Dear John,
Financial assistance to PIN Foundation
I greatly appreciate the financial assistance from "Tsunami Relief - Rebuild Sri Lanka to PIN foundation. The money will be used to pay staff salaries of the Child and Youth Development Centre in Boossa.0094 11 2368952, 0094 11 2552606Mobile: 0094 777 300 258Fax: 0094 11 2368952
Fundraiser at Zola Bistro on June 5th a great success!
Tsunami Relief-Rebuild Sri Lanka was able to raise $3,550 at the wine-tasting benefit at Zola Bistro on Sunday, June 5th. Many thanks to the 70+ people who took time to come out from 4:00 to 6:00p.m. for this worthwhile event. Those attending were treated to an international assortment of fine wines and sampled the exotic South Asian cuisine of Chef Paul Kendeffy. Kudos to Dave Fonash and his polished staff for perfectly executing the event. Our gratitude to Dave and Paul for their friendship and generosity.
The wines offered were quite varied from the local favorites of Mt. Nittany Winery to the global selections of Murray Ross of Schiffrin LTD, Peter Menan of Diageo, Justin Vannucchi of Capital Wines, John Kolln and John Corr of Southern Wines and Robert Denby of Fess Parker Winery. Some of the vendors travelled to the event from the Philadelphia area and all of their support is greatly appreciated.
A slide show was presented by John Corr, recently returned from volunteer tsunami recovery work in Sri Lanka. The presentation depicted the need and urgency of the ongoing rebuilding work now going on in that country. Projects in need of funding were detailed. One hundred percent of all funds raised will go directly to these projects.
Again, many thanks to all for their good spirit and generosity.
Lalitha Pradeep’s face registered depression and despair masked with a thin smile as she emerged from her ramshackle shelter. Her family had pieced together sections of scavenged metal corrugated roofing, that baked in the hot tropical sun, one meter from a busy coastal highway.Her once comfortable masonry home, complete with terra cotta roof, electricity, running water and tiled floors and kitchen, was completely gone except for the foundation.And here she came from that miserable hotbox with an offering of tea for the eclectic crew of international volunteers working in her village of Kahawa.It was my first day in Sri Lanka, and I’ll never forget that image.
After much lobbying in their behalf and a few days work, we erected a temporary wooden shelter on the foundation of her destroyed home, one of many that we would build in the coming weeks.When I left Sri Lanka two weeks later, she and her husband Janaka were radiant with smiles and wishes for a safe journey.It was worth a trip halfway around the world to see their spirits raised.That was the mission: to aid the recovery in that Tsunami crushed nation.
The road from the airport in the capital of Colombo to the southwestern coastal village of Peraliya (just south of Kahawa) grew progressively worse as we penetrated south, with the sight of that devastated village a surreal shock.Almost 3,000 people had perished there with 90% percent of the homes destroyed and 450 families rendered homeless.It was here that the “Queen of the Sea” passenger train was swept from the rails, with the loss of 1500 souls, in one of the worst train disasters in history.
And Peraliya was just one of hundreds of coastal villages, towns and cities in Sri Lanka dealt such a backhanded blow from Mother Nature.The remote east coast of the nation was hit harder and recovering even more slowly than much of the southwest.An idyllic, coastline society of wonderful people had been ravaged in mere minutes.
The homeless refugees have progressed from huddling under tarps, waiting for water and food, to living in tent camps.Quick action had averted epidemics but with monsoonseason arriving, the rush is on to build thousands of temporary shelters.Infrastructure projects are slowly progressing with the rebuilding of schools, medical clinics and essential businesses.Much promised funding is agonizingly slow and there is so much more to do.The list of projects, both large and small is endless and recovery will go on for years.
Here in central Pennsylvania we can contribute to the ongoing Tsunami recovery effort.A wine-tasting fundraiser will be generously hosted byZola Bistro on Sunday June 5th at 4:00pm.An international assortment of fine wines will be offered along with South Asian hors d’oeuvres.A power-point slide show of Tsunami recovery efforts will be presented by State College resident John Corr, recently returned from volunteer construction work in Sri Lanka.All funds raised will go to a local non-profit foundation:
Tsunami Relief-RebuildSri Lanka and be used for projects in the Peraliya area.
Fundraiser at Zola Bistro on June 5th a great success!