Rachel
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Posts by Rachel
VANCOUVER WEEKEND OF ACTION BENEFIT TO @FREETHEHIKERS
Aug 1st
The Free the Hikers Benefit Concert in Vancouver was a success last night. Jackie, Kate and I invited over 200 people by evite and were a little worried that folks would not be able to make it since this is a long weekend in Canada and most people we know had plans to get out of town. It worked out perfectly though and Jackie’s back yard was filled with families. Jackie had her garden decorated with banners, flags and lanterns. People set up blankets on the lawn and relaxed in the warm summer evening. For two hours, Kate shared the kid’s songs she has written over the past two months. We sang and the kids danced and we thought about Josh, Shane and Sarah writing songs and singing them in Evin. We made lemonade and served a mountain of “prison pie” cookies baked by Tara, Mum, Kate, Jackie and me.
The crowd was a real mix of people and many were hearing about Josh, Shane and Sarah for the first time. Lots of the kids asked why Josh, Sarah and Shane were in jail. It was actually a hard question to answer in terms the 7 year old set could understand. However, they got the message that the detention of the hikers is a serious injustice and were suitably outraged.
It was a busy night. We had an information booth with pictures of the Hikers and the their story, we wrote collective letters to Larijani and Ahmadinejad , we handed out 80 white ribbons with the FTH website address, we made a card for Josh, Shane and Sarah, we created a photo montage of everyone holding messages the kids had written to Iran and the Hikers, we got a bunch more signatures for the petition, we gave everyone stacks of flyers to give to their friends, we raised $820 dollars (Canadian funds) by donations, we sold some of Sarah Taylor’s lovely Free the Hikers necklaces, we sang, the kids danced long into the night, we ate the cookies, and we drank the lemonade.
Our hearts were with Josh, Shane and Sarah. Please let them come home soon.
In solidarity,
Rachel, Jackie, & Kate
CHECKOUT ALL THE PICTURES AT PICASA:
