PAINT AND PALETTE TO DONATE TO TSUNAMI VICTIMS

We have all been appalled at the devastation and loss of life in Southeast Asia caused by the recent Tsunami.  With the current death toll well over the mid 100 thousands and still climbing and the refugees in the millions everyone wants to help.  Many, I am sure are helping individually and that is to be applauded.

Even though Paint and Palette is a new company, I have decided that we need to offer our customers the opportunity to help through their orders to aid the victims of this unprecedented natural disaster.  Therefore, during 2005, Paint and Palette will donate $1.00 to aid Tsunami victims for every order received.

The nations of the world, The United Nations and the International Red Cross have mounted unprecedented efforts to respond to the immediate need and donations are pouring in to those organizations.  Therefore, I have chosen two organizations to receive the donations to Paint and Palette because of their long histories in responding to disaster situations and long term development needs.  Each organization will receive 1/2 of the donations generated through Paint and Palette. I am well acquainted with both these organizations and their work  through my 11 years as a pastor in New England.  They are:

Church World Service - Founded in 1946, Church World Service is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations in the United States. Working in partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 80 countries, CWS works worldwide to meet human needs and foster self-reliance for all whose way is hard.  Their administrative costs are only 17.9 cents of every dollar given, one of the best around.  With many representatives in the field worldwide CWS is able to respond quickly to any disaster and stays on to work in long-term development as well.  By December 29th, CWS had already dispatched over $900,000 in emergency aid in the form of tents to the refugees in Sumatra alone. 

Heifer Project International - Founded on the principal that "If you give a person a fish, they will eat for a day, but if you teach him/her to fish they will eat for a lifetime," HPI has been providing the gift of life around the world for over 60 years.  Literally begun by a Midwest farmer, Dan West, and a cow, HPI provides recipients with the initial animals to provide a lifetime of income and food.  Recipients pass on the gift by giving the first born animal to another recipient and so the chain grows.  From the initial shipment of 17 cows in 1944, this program has grown to provide a whole variety of agricultural "livestock" from as small as bees to cows, donkeys, pigs, chickens, llamas and others to recipients around the world.  This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on. As a result, millions of families in 115 countries are experiencing better health, more income and the joy of helping others.

While responding to a disaster requires that immediate needs for housing, clothing, food and medicine must be met, it is equally important that ongoing developmental help be a part of the overall approach as well.  Through the gifts that will be made through you by Paint and Palette, we will help to meet both those goals. 

I hope that you will join me in this undertaking and that we can make a significant contribution together from the watercolor artists to the victims of this devastating disaster.

Brian Roberge

President

Paint and Palette, Inc.