Wednesday, November 19, 2014 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Gordon Biersch, 900 F. St. NW, Washington DC
Sixteen years ago, we went to West Africa on a congressional fact finding trip to review the status of refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia in Guinea and Cote D'Ivoire. When we read about the path that the current Ebola outbreak took in that region, we were stunned to learn that our trip tracked the virus's path.
We all got together and decided to host a fundraiser for Ebola relief. Time is of the essence, and money is desperately needed. Recent studies indicate that if we don't act decisively soon, up to 12 percent of the Monrovia, Liberia, population will be infected. The head of the World Bank warned recently that without greater intervention in West Africa, the epidemic could spread throughout the globe.
In the time since our 1998 trip, all of us have moved on. One of us now runs a major refugee and immigrant resettlement organization. Another is a nominee for an ambassadorial post. Another is a grad student. Several of us work for companies or law firms now. And one of us is retired.
But not a one of us has forgotten the amazing people we met on that trip. Or the experiences we had and the sights we saw. This fundraiser is an effort to give back to the people in West Africa in their time of need and to help the United States respond to the outbreak here.
Please give what you can. All funds raised will go to Doctors Without Borders and the CDC Foundation. All donations will be tax deductible.
- Fifteen hours intensive care treatment: $15,000
- Round trip flights to West Africa: $10,000
- Five hours intensive care treatment: $5,000
- Four beds in new treatment facilities in West Africa: $2,500
- Hazmat suits: $1,000
- First responder protective equipment: $500
- Diagnostic test: $250
- Surgical gowns, gloves, shoe covers: $100
Cassandra Butts, Claudia Hrvatin, Dot Ivey, Kay Bellor, Mark Hetfield, Stephanie Peters, Victoria Bassetti