13-21 Sept: Are you passionate about the performing arts and would like to use your skills to help street children in Kolkata?

Now’s your chance with The Hope Foundation’s Performance with a Difference Programme! This week long visit to Kolkata promises participants the experience of a life time as you will get the unique opportunity to bring the benefits of drama and the performing arts to the children in HOPE’s Protection Homes.

Participants on HOPE’s Performance with a Difference programme will work directly with the children in HOPE’s protection homes to teach new skills, build confidence and above all have lots of fun!

This programme is ideal and open to all with an interest in drama and the performing arts, particularly those who have worked/would like to work with children/teenagers in the past or have experience teaching drama.

You will also visit HOPE’s project working with street children and their families in Kolkata (Calcutta). All profits go to HOPE’s projects working with street children in Kolkata.

For more information contact Jayann on 01-8716930 or email Jayann@hopefoundation.ie

Download an Information Pack & Registration Form here

27th October – 6th November 2013.

Would you like to travel to India? Enjoy Yoga in India and bring its benefits to street children.

Our vision for this Yoga trip is to bring together people whose collective energy will bring healing, growth and inspiration to one another and to the children and carers you meet in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Your FAQs are answered below!

The experience will include inspirational yoga with experienced teacher Mella in the mornings and evenings, yoga, breathing, meditation and healing. There will be visits to an Ashram, an Ayurvedic Village and Mother Teresa’s Tomb, an opportunity to soak up the culture of India.

You will also visit some of HOPE’s projects and bring Yoga to both children and Carers, helping to enrich their lives. These children need huge support to overcome the harsh experiences and trauma of their early lives.

We invite you to join us on this journey. Just 10 days from the 27 Oct — 6 Nov 2013 – Would you like to take part?

For more details, call Susan on 021-429 2990 or Email: susan@hopefoundation.ie

Yoga Pack & Application Form 2013

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

Who can go on the trip?
Our trip is open to all and everyone interested in participating.

Do I have to be a Yoga Teacher or Therapist?
No. We value every member of the group and recognise that each person has a gift in connecting with the children & staff in unique ways. A willingness to participate is all that is required.

Will I feel overwhelmed by what I see?
Kolkata is unlike any other city and there will no doubt be elements of the trip that you are likely to have never experienced: However you will be fully
supported by the staff and trip organisers to ensure you ALWAYS feel safe, supported and at ease. There is always someone available to you at anytime throughout the trip and beyond.

I have never practised Yoga before/ or feel I am a beginner, does this matter?
No. Mella Murphy has 40 years of experience as a yoga teacher, assisted by Sarah and Gillian, you will be guided and supported in your Yoga practice at a level that is right for you!

I don’t feel I could teach the children Yoga with my limited knowledge?
As we have all discovered from our previous yoga trips, the children teach us all more than we could ever teach them! It is their uninterrupted ability to be present and open that helps remind us to do the same. Our Yoga is viewed
purely as a gift to be shared, and is a fun avenue to connect and bring peace to the children and ourselves. The emphasis is really on sharing time and energy with the children and carers.

What % of the funds I raise will go to the project?
Each Participant is asked to fundraise €3,500. Less than half of this money will go towards your travel expenses i.e. flights, accommodation, food etc. The rest will go directly to The Hope Foundation’s projects with the street children
of Kolkata.

Do I need to get Vaccinations?
Yes.

Will I need a visa?
Yes. You will be required to make your own visa application. Application details will be provided by HOPE.

How will I raise €3,500?
We ask that you raise a minimum of €3,500/£3,000, this may feel daunting, however once you begin to think in terms of generating fundraising opportunities there are no end of possibilities!!!

In Sarah’s experience she committed to making the trip 8 weeks before departure and was truly amazed by the manifestation and generosity that quiet simply appeared following that commitment!! This will happen for you!!

I am not able to make the trip this time but I want to help?
There are several ways in which you can help this trip, by holding your own fundraising event, coffee morning/table quiz or raffle. In addition throughout the year ahead there is Yoga/Meditation and Healing Workshops being held at
Essence Yoga Studio in Dungarvan by wonderful teachers, with all proceeds going to this project. www.essenceyogastudio.ie

Message from Gillian, Sarah & Mella, Yoga for HOPE Leaders 

“In addition to bringing vital funds to The Hope foundation’s many projects, the added benefits of this trip is your commitment to your own empowering practice over the 10 days. Giving yourself the opportunity to focus within,
identify and release blockages and invite healing on every level, raising our vibration individually and as a group. This has a tremendous healing impact on all of the children and carers we will come to work alongside. Making this a
truly magnificent gift of sharing for all of us.

We will begin each morning with Mella’s Inspirational Yoga Practice, after which we will have an opportunity to move freely into practicing additional aspects of fun filled yoga which we will later be bringing to the children within
the projects funded by The Hope Foundation.

Gillian will be instrumental in guiding us through spiritual healing and energy work, helping us all to break through our own limitations/blockages and patterns that no longer serve us, releasing us into a completely uplifted state of being.

We will also have scheduled Meditation practice, evening yoga session, Pranayama, Chanting & Voice work and an optional opportunity to explore mandala’s and dance as forms of expression.

We will be staying in a hotel, within which we have a dedicated room for practice. Whilst in India we will be able to soak up the sights, sounds, smells and textures of this incredible vibrant city. There will be time for visits to sites such as Mother Teresa’s Tomb and an Indian Ashram. As well as free time to perhaps take a shopping trip, avail of Ayurvedic treatments or visit other sites such as the Victoria Memorial/Temples.

It is our total understanding from previous yoga trips to India that it is very much the group of people that come together who provides a wealth of resources, presence and open hearted sharing which facilitates the growth in all of us!

It is therefore our wish to invite you to bring your therapy/ style of teaching/dance / healing/ artistic talent/ voice/song to us, where you will have an opportunity to volunteer to share your gifts with the group should you wish to.

We will also be spending time with the Children’s Primary Carers during our trip. Bringing support and nurturing to them, supporting them in their continued dedicated commitment to the Children and Projects. Therefore if you are a therapist/healer your gifts could be greatly received and continue to have an impact well after our 10 day trip is over.

During two of our previous yoga trips to India a common passage gathered us and resonated throughout the trip, so we leave you with these inspirational words of Marianne Williamson as our gift of inspiration to you today”…

Namaste

Mella, Gillian & Sarah

“If any or all of this trip inspires or delights you, if you are curious, even feel daunted by the way it resonates with you or would like to talk with us further about the trip, please feel free to call us.”

Sarah 086 0400480              Mella 087 9771116                         Gillian 087 4103413               Susan 021 4292990

Attention all spinners! Prozone, bases in Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick are holding their very own CHARITY SPINATHON on June 28th in aid of The Hope Foundation. A charity spinathon is a great away to improve your fitness and raise much needed funds that will go a long way to support HOPE’s many projects with the street and slum children in Kolkata. The spinathon kicks off at on Friday evening between 6pm and 8pm and will include DJ, free refreshments and a raffle for all participants. Admission to the event is €20. Prozone is encouraging all participants to book their place in advance, and anyone interested should contact (086) 9174047 or t.stuart@campus.ie.

Alison Reidy, from Shannon in Co. Clare, plans to complete 10 triathlons in 10 days this June, in a bid to raise money for street and slum children in Kolkata, India.

Alison will attempt to complete a sprint triathlon, comprising of a 750m swim, a 20km cycle, and a 5km run, every day for nine days starting Thursday June 20^th.

These triathlons will take place from the Shannon Swimming and Leisure Centre in Co. Clare. The final triathlon, on day 10, will be double the distance (1500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) and will start from in Kilkee, Co Clare.  With this race aptly named ‘Hell of the West’, it is sure to test her fitness to the maximum.

For the duration of the 10 days there will be at least one fellow triathlete accompanying Alison, and for the grand finale she will be competing alongside hundreds of others.

Speaking about why she took on such a big challenge Alison says, “I take part in a lot of triathlons and races throughout the year so doing just one event wasn’t much of a challenge for me. As someone who keeps fairly fit all the time, I felt I had to do something out of the ordinary and I wanted to do something that made me feel like I really earned the money I’d raised.”

Alison will be travelling over to Kolkata this October to help paint some HOPE’s children’s crèches and protection homes, as well as seeing first hand where all her fundraising money is being spent.

To sponsor Alison you can log on to www.mycharity.ie/events/alisonreidy10tris10days.

Join HOPE for ‘The ITRA’s’ – Tag Rugby’s answer to the Oscars and raise lots of funds for street children in Calcutta.

Calling all UCD Tag Rugby Players-  Join HOPE for the first ever ‘ Irish Tag Rugby awards’ taking place in O Shea’s Lounge, Clonskeagh, June 27^th at 9.00pm and help raise lots of funds for street children in Calcutta. This event is in association with the Irish Tag Rugby Association and promises to be a fun filled night with lots of awards to be won!

This is your opportunity to cast your vote and crown your Tag Rugby winners of the year.

So who is the Diva of the team or has the moves like Jagger?  Only you can decide!

Simply fill in your nominations below and join us in O Shea’s Lounge on Thursday 27^th of June at 9pm after the summer league fixtures where your winners will be announced.

Finger food and fantastic raffle prizes also  on offer!

Tickets/Entry Fee €7

All funds on the night will go directly towards The Hope Foundation’s 64 projects working directly with street and slum children in Calcutta. For more information and tickets contact Jayann in our Dublin Office on jayann@hopefoundation.ie or 01-8716930

Dermot O Mahoney, HOPE’s chairman of the board, is to be awarded an honorary doctorate of Law in UCC early next month.

Dermot has been active in the Irish business, educational and voluntary sectors for over 50 years and has been the Chairman of The Hope Foundation for the last 4 years.

He recently returned from a trip to Calcutta to see all of our projects firsthand, an opportunity he says let him witness the great work being done by HOPE but also the continuing great need for HOPE’s services.

The ceremony will take place in UCC on June 7^th, where Dermot will be conferred a degree of Doctor of Laws alongside three other Irish men including Fergal Keane, Graham Norton and Donald W. Molloy.

HOPE would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on being awarded this prestigious Doctorate, and thank him for all he has done for The Hope Foundation over the past 4 years.

The Bhakti Fest of Hope is a family festival that will bring a kaleidoscope of colour with an eclectic mix of Indian and Irish sounds to the Leitrim and North Roscommon area on Saturday 29th June at a fantastic open air venue on the banks of the river Shannon at Beirne’s of BattleBridge.

The fun day and night will boast craft stalls, art, kids activities, Bollywood dancing, live music, fire dancers, Indian cinema, delicious food, full bar, camping, Bhangra DJ, chill out tent, a bouncy castle, marquees and a wonderful food demonstration by award winning chef, Shamzuri Hanifa, of the Cottage Restaurant, Jamestown.

Tickets are a €20 donation and accompanied children go FREE! Tickets can be purchased in Carrick-on-Shannon at Vittos Italian Restaurant (Bridge street), Leitrim Physiotherapy Centre (Leitrim Rd), The Larder (Market Yard) and the Makeover Studio (Bridge street) and also on the day at the ticket desk.

If you have any questions please log on to the event website or do not hesitate in contacting the organisers: Tara 086 152 68 33, John 086 812 75 36 or Margaret 087 065 7864.

All funds raised will be going to The Hope Foundation’s projects in Kolkata.