‘Fashions at the Cove’ Raises $2,721.47 for Visions Summer Leadership Camps

The 1^st Annual ‘Fashions at the Cove’ Charity Fashion Show to benefit Visions was held on Thursday, April 17^th at the La Jolla Cove Suites in beautiful Downtown La Jolla. Over 120 guests attended the event, which raised $2,721.47 for the annual Visions Summer Leadership Camps in Sri Lanka and Kenya. With the help of many volunteers, including 15 gorgeous models, a DJ, an MC, a few former Visions summer volunteers, and several others, the event went incredibly well. The setting and weather could not have been more perfect either.

The event was planned by Trent Holland, a graduating senior at UC San Diego who is volunteering in Kenya this summer, and Visions Co-Director Greg Buie. Special thanks are due to the La Jolla Cove Suites for generously donating the incredible venue with picturesque views of the ocean and beaches, professional photographer Anouk Vashe for her beautiful photos at no charge to Visions, Chillers Clothing, LF La Jolla, Dreamgirls Boutique, all the models and volunteers, and all who came to the event and/or donated to the cause. We are extremely grateful for your
support!

Upcoming Visions Events--Get Involved!

There are several new Visions events coming up soon. Learn about our efforts--get involved--support important initiatives to help give opportunities to underprivileged youth. We need your help! For more information on any of the events listed below or to RSVP, please email gtbuie@gmail.com. Thank you!

'Fashions at the Cove' Charity Fashion Show
Thursday, April 17th
5:00-7:00pm
La Jolla Cove Suites rooftop, La Jolla, CA
Tickets: $15-students; $25-Community
**Tickets are still available!**

Social Fundraiser
Friday, May 23rd
5:30-8:30pm
New York City, NY

Sri Lanka Young Professionals Conference:
Education & Development in Sri Lanka
Sunday, May 25th
9:00am-3:00pm
Columbia University, New York City, NY

'Going Global in an IT World':
Workshop for 2 proposed IT Institutes in Sri Lanka
Saturday, June 21st
9:00am-5:00pm
Moore Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
**We are looking for speakers and participants who are
knowledgeable in the realm of IT & computers**

'Fashions at the Cove' Charity Fashion Show: Fashion, Fun, Philanthropy!

Come support Visions and efforts to help uplift disadvantaged youth and communities in Sri Lanka & Kenya, by attending 'Fashions at the Cove', a Charity Fashion Show to be held on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 from 5:00-7:00pm on the rooftop of the La Jolla Cove Suites Hotel in La Jolla. Come enjoy the fashion, music, food, presentations, and beautiful panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and La Jolla beaches during sunset, while raising money for a good cause!

You are officially invited to attend this event, and we encourage you to bring as many family or friends as you like. Tickets will be $15.00 for students and $25.00 for all other community members.

As you may or may not know, one key element of Visions is the Visions Leadership Camp, a number of which take place annually during the summer time. The funds of this charity fashion show will go towards funding this summer's camps—1 large one in Sri Lanka and 2 smaller ones in Kenya. In total, we will be directly training approximately 220 youth and 20 teachers across both countries.

If you are unable to attend but would still like to donate, you are most welcome to do so. Donations to Visions are tax-deductible [Tax ID code #95-3504080]. Please make checks out to "Operation USA" (Visions' fiscal sponsor) with "Visions" written on the subject line at the bottom left, and mail them to: 1861 Chalcedony St. #C, San Diego, CA, 92109. All donations are very much appreciated!

If you have any questions or would like to purchase/sell any tickets, just let us know. We can get those out to you ASAP. Email gtbuie@gmail.com or fashionsatthecove@gmail.com.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Map to La Jolla Cove Suites: click here

*Parking is not available at the hotel; please park at the La Jolla Financial Building (click here for a map) or find public parking on the streets or at a nearby lot.

*Confirmed Participating Designers/Boutiques:
Naomi Hwang & Jeremiah (Otis College)
Dreamgirls Boutique in Ocean Beach (shopdreamgirls.com)
LF Stores in La Jolla (LFstores.com)
Eric, Chillers Clothing (www.chillersclothing.com)

Apply Now! Visions 2008 Summer Leadership Camps!

Dear all prospective Visions volunteers,

Thank you all for expressing interest in Visions and in bettering the lives of disadvantaged young people in Sri Lanka and Kenya! We thrive on passionate and ambitious volunteers who want to make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of children who have faced hardship and adversity. After months of planning and preparation, we would formally like to invite you to apply to volunteer with our Visions Leadership Camps this summer in Sri Lanka and Kenya.

Please send us an email and we will be happy to send you the following documents that explain our organization, the summer camps, and the application process:

1. A letter of introduction about the Visions organization and the summer leadership camps for 2008.
2. A general explanation of the Visions summer camps, curriculum, daily schedules, and overall plan, which gives more insight into exactly what you will be doing by volunteering with Visions.
3. The Visions Application & Release for prospective volunteers, which should be filled out and returned to us along with a $35 application fee.
4. An update on the Visions summer 2008 camps in both Sri Lanka and Kenya, which contains pertinent information about planning and applying for the Visions camps. Please read this, as it covers very important information about the tentative nature of the scheduled dates and camp locations.

If you would like to request a printed copy of these introduction and application materials, we will be happy to mail you a copy if you provide us with your mailing address. Otherwise, please print and read over the attached information in full, and send your application back to us as soon as you are ready. If you have any questions or concerns, please email or call us, and we will be happy to help. We look forward to hearing from you!

All the best,

~The Visions Team

Greg Buie
Visions Co-Director
gtbuie@gmail.com
714.315.0518

www.visionsforthefuture.org

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."--Gandhi

Kalagam Visions Learning Centre (KVLC)--We Need Your Help!!

Introducing the Kalagam Visions Learning Centre (Colombo)...

Working in partnership with Saiva Mangaiyar Kalagam, a Sri Lanka-based nonprofit, construction and development of the KVLC will begin in early 2008. This multistoried learning center will house a Visions office, ample space for student groups and activities (including aesthetics) from the adjacent school (Saiva Mangaiyar Vidyalayam), halls for special trainings and English, a computer lab, a multimedia room, and a Montessori nursery. Over 400 refugee children from the Northeast will benefit from this project, as well as countless other disadvantaged and deserving youth and teachers!

Financial Estimates for the KVLC

Land: US $400,000
*12 perches of land in Colombo already donated by Saiva Mangaiyar Kalagam as their initial contribution
*Location: 22 Rudra Mawatha, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka

Building: US $320,000
*Cost is approx. US $80,000 per floor x 4 floors (Phase 1)
*Visions/Operation USA donated the first 2 floors of the building with US $160,000
*Private donations have so far amounted to US $10,000

Total Estimated Cost: US $720,000

Donations Received to-date: US $570,000

Amount Still Needed: US $150,000

We need your help—please donate to this important project today! Please send donations to either one of the following:

Hindu Women’s Society
23, Rudra Mawatha
Colombo 06
Sri Lanka

**Please make checks payable to: 'Hindu Women's Society'

Visions
1621 Barry Ave. #PH1
Los Angeles, CA 90025
U.S.A.

**Please make your tax-exempt donation (in USA) by sending a check payable to ‘Operation USA’ [Tax ID#95-3504080], specifying ‘Visions—KVLC’ on the subject line.

"Lighting the Way" Event in Pasadena was a success!

This past Saturday, January 26th in Pasadena, California, Visions held an event to share exciting news about the Kalagam Visions Learning Centre and the growth of our organization in general. "Lighting the Way", the theme of this event, was inspired by the work of Saiva Mangaiyar Kalagam (SMK), a nonprofit women's society in Sri Lanka. SMK is committed to bettering the lives of young people in Sri Lanka through education, including culture and language, and general student support. The main focus of SMK is their all girls school located in Colombo, which has recently absorbed more than 400 internally displaced children.

Mrs. Sivanandini Duraiswamy, President of the organization, traveled from Sri Lanka for this inauguration event to establish a partnership between Visions (visionsforthefuture.org), Operation USA (opusa.org), and Saiva Mangaiyar Kalagam(mangaiyarkalagam.org). These three organizations will be working closely to develop the Kalagam Visions Learning Centre in Colombo. This new learning centre will house a nursery, Visions office, computer lab, multimedia room, large hall for special events and training sessions, and rooms for students activities and music/dance. It is an exciting project that will benefit disadvantaged Tamil youth in Colombo, many of whom have fled the Northeast or will be brought to Colombo, for years to come.

We thank those of you who came to learn more about Visions' continued efforts to provide education, entrepreneurship, and empowerment to disadvantaged youth! If you would like to donate to the Kalagam Visions Learning Centre fund, please send checks (made out to 'Operation USA' with 'Visions--Learning Centre' written on the subject line) to:

Visions
1621 Barry Ave. #PH1
Los Angeles, CA 90025

"All good things we build end up building us."--Jim Rohn

Visions Camps in Sri Lanka, December 2007

A 5-day Visions student leadership training camp was held in Colombo from December 3-7, 2007 at Saiva Mangaiyar Vidyalayam (Hindu Ladies College). The students established an SLC (Student Leadership Committee) and are eagerly planning events already. They will also be involved in the implementation of the Visions Learning Center project during this next crucial year of development.


The first ever (!) Visions teacher training camp was held in Colombo from December 8-9, 2007, also at Saiva Mangaiyar Vidyalayam (Hindu Ladies College). The teachers were very pleased and grateful; it was also a great opportunity for Visions to begin to develop its teacher training programs. Lessons were held in how to teach leadership, human rights, and citizenship, as well as how to foster personal character development within all students. Special sessions in creative approaches to teaching and Visions Learning Center support were also conducted. We hope to engage the teachers at this school more in the near future and branch out to many more teachers throughout the island.


To view the complete album from these latest Visions camps, please click on the following link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2201153&l=24999&id=3309175

Clarification about Summer Trip Dates & Expenses

Here is a more detailed description of the trip dates and activities for the Sri Lanka and Kenya trips:

SRI LANKA:

Activity	Dates	Location
Training & Orientation	July 29-30, 2008	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Leadership Camp 1	August 1-9, 2008	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Day of Rest & Exploration	August 10, 2008	Around Colombo, Sri Lanka
Retreat	August 11-13, 2008	Kandy, Sri Lanka

KENYA:

Activity	Dates	Location
Training & Orientation	August 14-16, 2008	Nairobi, Kenya
Transit to Campsite	August 10, 2008	Near Nairobi, Kenya
Leadership Camp 2	August 18-23, 2008	Kenya
Day of Rest & Exploration	August 24, 2008	Kenya
Leadership Camp 3	August 25-30, 2008	Kenya
Day of Rest & Exploration	August 31, 2008	Kenya
Retreat	September 1-3, 2008	Masai Mara, Kenya

There is also a correction about pricing. I forgot to take account of certain expenses and need to update the projected cost of the trip. The new figure I am working with is $1295 per person (exclusive of airfare) for Sri Lanka and $1395 per person (exclusive of airfare) for Kenya. This amount will cover you for the entire 2.5 weeks in Sri Lanka OR the entire 3 weeks in Kenya. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. Email me with any questions or concerns you may have (gtbuie@gmail.com).

Visions Holiday Wishlist

The new Visions Amazon Wishlist is now up for any and all who wish to donate to Visions during this holiday season. Please help Visions by giving the gift of education to disadavantaged youth in Sri Lanka & Kenya during this season of giving. All the supplies we need for our upcoming teacher and student training camps in both countries are available for purchase on the Amazon Wishlist. Help ensurethat these needy children receive a quality education by contributing to the Visions organization and visiting our Visions wishlist:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html/ref=wlem-si-html_viewall/104-5430587-2367964?id=3S7WEXZB1KQOS

We thank you in advance for your generosity and compassion!

Sincerely,

Greg & Meera, Visions Co-Directors

Mother Teresa Speaks on Poverty & Giving

Let us all learn a lesson about giving from 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Winner & humanitarian leader Mother Teresa, who during her lifetime gave herself entirely to the cause of alleviating the suffering and despair of countless persons in India and providing a source of inspiration to persons worldwide. Mother Teresa's Home for the Dying in Calcutta, India offered a place of final respite for the homeless, sick, elderly, and neglected persons that she and her colleagues literally rescued from the streets. She provides an example of true moral leadership and self-sacrifice in the name of chairty and compassion. We cannot stand idly by as so many in this world suffer; we can no longer pretend to be ignorant about what is going on in the world today; the time for us ALL to make a difference is NOW.