Celebrity Tributes for Philippine Typhoon Haiyan Victims Fundraiser is Rollin’ on the Numbers… to $100,000 dollars

(We are still updating this page with more info, more pictures and video)

We would like to thank everyone who supported Celebrity Tributes for Philippine Typhoon Haiyan Victims for making it such a special and successful sold out event. Thank you to everyone who attended and all the sponsors, donors, supporters, volunteers & performers. With less than a week of preparation, we are so happy of the outcome and the support our event received from absolutely everyone, from all walks of life, especially the Indo-Canadian and Filipino Community. The sold out event had 900 seats filled with over hundreds left standing where they could find space.

Watch highlights of the event.

Tribute performers Bobby Bruce as Nearly Neil, ABRA Cadabra, Darren Lee as Elvis, and Luisa Marshall’s Tina Turner Tribute along with her Luisa Marshall Band and her dancers absolutely rocked the event. We were also so inspired to have so many dignitaries attend our event and show their support. Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State for Seniors and MP for Richmond), Hon. Linda Reid (Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of BC, MLA for Richmond East), MP Jinny Simms (Newton North Delta), MP Jasbir Sandhu (Surrey North), MLA Sue Hammell (Surrey Green Timbers), MLA Harry Bains (Surrey Newton), MLA Mable Elmore (Vancouver Kensington), and Consul Anton Mandap of Philippine Consulate General Vancouver.

Sukhi Bath from Sukhi Bath Motors in Surrey has declared the fundraiser at the Grand Taj Banquet Hall put on by the Friends of the Filipino Typhoon victims on November 14, 2013 will make at least $100,000.00 once finalized.

The morning after the fundraiser, the event’s core group of organizers which was Simply the Best – The Luisa Marshall Show, SPIDS, Sukhi Bath Motors & VIP Entertainment, counted the money as it stood at the end of the night tallying $82,122.84 raised so far from the event. Sukhi Bath produced an oversized temporary display check for $100,000.00 and reported to the media that he expects the total to at least reach this amount once he gets the final donations from within his community. “I will go back to my community, I’m very confident that I will get it, any chance I don’t get it I will put it in from my own pocket” stated Sukhi Bath.

The Canadian government will match the $100,000 amount raised so this event and fundraising effort would in the end bring in $200,000.00 for the Canadian Red Cross to give to the Philippine Red Cross for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (aka Haiyan). As of today, over 3,500 are confirmed dead and almost 12,500 injured and over 1000 still missing.

Thank you to everyone who supported Celebrity Tributes for Philippine Typhoon Haiyan Victims.

The Canadian Red Cross Office

IT’S OFFICIAL!!! We visited the Canadian Red Cross office on November 19th, 2013 to bring the final total from The Friends of Philippine Typhoon Victims fundraising concert Celebrity Tributes on November 14th, 2013. Christopher Libby, the Regional Manager of the Red Cross reported that this donation of $100,000.00 is the largest donation to date to the Red Cross for this cause.

“This donation is the largest donation we’ve received to date in response to Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). And it is with great joy that we accept the money and we’ll pass it on to the Philippine Red Cross as soon as possible. Thank you.” – Christopher Libby, Regional Manager, Canadian Red Cross. The Federal and BC government will both match the funds raised which will make the total $300,000.00.

After the presentation of $100,000.00, CRC’s Jennifer Wong together with Narima dela Cruz, Marissa Perez and Sukhi Bath’s staff Gursh and Aman counted the donation again. The total amount raised during the event was $87,112.34. Sukhi Bath topped it with $12,947.16 to make it $100,059.50.

Christopher made it very clear how their system works. This money will be sent as soon as possible directly to the Philippine Red Cross which will be used specifically for the members on the ground in the hard hit areas. No other government official or group gets in the way of these funds. The Philippine Red Cross was the first group in the Philippines to reach the affected areas. They were also responsible for evacuating half a million people before typhoon Haiyan hits the southern region.

For total transparency, it is the Red Cross policy that we will be receiving a detailed report in the near future to show exactly where this donation was used.

Watch Behind the Scenes of Simply the Best – The Luisa Marshall Show at the Canadian Red Cross donate $100,000 for the Canadian Red Cross along with co-organizers and Friends of the Filipino Typhoon Haiyan Victims

We urge everybody to use the Canadian Red Cross as a vessel of your support to reach the Filipino typhoon victims. Any donation you send before December 8, the Federal and BC provincial government will match it. To donate to the Canadian Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan Fund online visit their website or Click Here.

Once again, our sincere heartfelt thanks to all who donated, supported, volunteered and participated in the biggest fundraising event to date, Celebrity Tributes for the Philippine Typhoon Victims.

And lastly, our deepest appreciation to Sukhi Bath of Sukhi Bath Motors (in behalf of the Indo Canadian Community), VIP International Entertainment, SPIDS Surrey Philippine Independence Day Society for spearheading this event with us. This sold out fundraising event attracted many different ethnicities, various local organizations, societies, businesses and national media groups that came together to help us. Thank you so much!

We promised transparency so we will post the records of the funds as soon as possible. Please visit our website for updates.

From Luisa

WOW! This is really overwhelming! We didn’t expect the huge turnout of supporters last night. Love, compassion, well wishes, applause coming from all different directions are the key ingredients to a great evening of presentations, speeches and entertainment while paying tribute to the victims of typhoon Haiyan.

The jampacked Grand Taj Banquet Hall was full of vibrant and happy people from the BC Cultural Bhangra to the last song of the night Tina Turner’s Proud Mary. Heartwarming Filipino patriotic songs performed by Naomi Chan (Bayan Ko) and Sarah Cantuba (Magka-Isa) have moved the crowd of various ethnicities. Special participation of Pork N Bean and Star Bernardo’s Cher impersonation. The well received tribute acts of my friends Bobby Bruce as Nearly Neil, Darren Lee as Elvis, ABRA Cadabra to my Tina Turner Tribute Band reverberated throughout the hall with excitement. That was a one kind of a tribute show!

To all the people who came and supported this event, to the people who volunteered and donated their services, to the donors and sponsors, to my co-organizers, to the Indo-Canadian community and, most of all, to the kind spirited tireless volunteers: Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! I am so overwhelmed and humbled by your generosity & genuine compassion. I will never forget it!

Thank you to my crew. Right now I feel like I have the best and most talented team that anyone could ever ask for. I want to acknowledge the crew I had last night for donating their time and talent to this cause: My Luisa Marshall Band, Naomi Chan & Zenia Marshall on Background Vocals, Jojo Palermo on Keyboards, Marlowe Meta on Bass Guitar, Kim Mendez on Guitar, Steve Marshall on Drums and my dancers Allison Riley & Leandro Mendez. I feel so blessed to have you guys and I thank you so very much for being there with me and standing alongside me to help raise funds for the victims of the Philippine Typhoon Haiyan. Thank you guys so much!

(Picture of Tina Turner Tribute Crew to come…waiting for EMSager Photography)

Unsung Heroes of the Night

We would like to extend a BIG THANK YOU to Susan, Nancy, Christina & Amanda Tuyen! The 4 sisters came and paid their tickets to support the event and enjoy the performances only to give up their time to volunteer, set up and organize our Silent Auction. They worked tirelessly from even before the doors opened until the end. If not for them, we would not have been able to properly auction off any of the thousand dollars worth of items donated to our fundraiser. Thank you girls SO much! Kimi says she has the best and most generous friends in the world.

Thanks

Thanks to the all the Tribute Performers: Bobby Bruce as Nearly Neil (Neil Diamond Tribute), ABRA Cadabra with Jonas Falle, Jeanette O’Keefe, Ryan Langevin, Kylee Epp & Toshi Takahashi (ABBA Tribute), Darren Lee as Elvis Presley, Luisa Marshall’s Band & Dancers with Jojo Palermo on keyboards, Marlowe Mata on bass, Kimi Mendez on guitar, Naomi Chan & Zenia Marshall on vocals, and dancers Leandro Mendez & Allison Riley.

Thank you to our special guest performers: Naomi Chan, Sarah Cantuba, Winnie Chan (aka Star Bernardo), Papa Bear & Jojo Alpuerto’s “Pork n Bean.”

Thanks to our awesome volunteers: SPIDS (Surrey Philippine Independence Day Society) members, Silent Auction Volunteers Susan Tuyen, Nancy Tuyen, Amanda Tuyen and Christina Tuyen.

Thank you to Daddy Cools Entertainment who supplied the sound & lighting with super roadie Laird Salton and Jeremy Chiu of KLAR AV who supplied the sound system.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

We want to acknowledge the following sponsors.

– Corporate Sponsor The Sandman Hotel Group & The Sutton Place Hotels for being a Platinum Sponsor and donating many items to our Silent Auction while also having members of their company attending our event. Thank you to Sheryll Gomez for getting in touch with us.

– Re Leaf Water, Vancouver Water Enterprises who donated a pallet of their company’s water for our event for everyone, for being a Bronze Sponsor while also attending our event. Thank you to Ed Galick for getting in touch with us and for coming out to support our event. Ed came up on stage and rallied everyone there to donate all their coins and place them in the water pitchers at their tables. He told everyone that he would match the amount that they donated. Thank you so much Ed, you are simply amazing!

– Mamta Foundation of Canada for being a Gold Sponsor.

– Former Surrey-Tynehead MLA Dave S. Hayer and Surrey-Green Timbers MLA Sue Hammell for being Bronze Sponsors.

The Little Things that Count

Thank you to Bebet, Angie and Christelle Mendez who were forced to come late to the event because they volunteered their services and agreed to our last minute request to pick up food for the artists, crew and volunteers donated by Cabalen Sweets. Christelle was also able to raise over $100 with her work colleagues at the Yellow Pages Group’s MCA Department.

A BIG THANK YOU to Laird Salton. Luisa Marshall had been so busy helping organize the event and attending to so many interviews that she forgot her Tina Turner wig at home in Vancouver! Laird came to the rescue and made the 1 hour and a half trek from the Grand Taj in Surrey and back to save the performance. Thanks Laird!

Photos

Thank you to EMSager Photography, Leandro Mendez and Duy Nguyen Photography for the photos!

 

Celebrity Tributes for Philippine Typhoon Haiyan Victims Funds Spreadsheet

Here at Luisa Marshall’s website, Luisa and her team believe in transparency. Luisa is vigilant with her fundraising efforts and we make sure the money that you give goes to the right place.

Download (PDF, 2.6MB)