Community comes together to remember tsunami
victims
All faiths gather
with CSI’s Sri Lankan Students Association to strengthen mutual bond
of compassion
Staten Island Advance - February 13, 2005
With a theme of uniting humanity, College of Staten
Island and students along with Islanders of all faiths sang, prayed
and remembered victims of the tsunami tragedy with a candlelight
vigil.
Sponsored by the Sri Lankan Students Association at the college,
more than 150 people, including public officials and religious
leaders attended the ceremony at the Willowbrook campus last night.
Religious leaders from five different faiths expounded on the theme
of uniting humanity in their speeches.
“‘Vasudiva kutumbakam,’ The world is one big family,” said Rajiv S.
Gowda, a member of the Community Education Council and of the
college’s Presidents Advisory Council, quoting Hindu scripture.
“The limits of religion, race and culture should never be an
obstacle to universal brotherhood,” said the Rev. Henry Silva,
chairman of the New Sinhala Bible Revision Committee and Ceylon
Bible Society.
To date the borough has raised $400,000 for tsunami relief. The
Island “has been brought together as a family” by the effort to help
those in need, said State Assemblymen Michael Cusick (D-Mid Island).
Joining him in thanking Staten Islanders for their generosity was
John Lavelle (DNorth Shore).
Bill Doyle who lost a son in the World Trade Center attacks on Sept.
11 — has helped the World Trade Center United Family Group, of which
he is a member, raise more than $140,000. The money was donated by
9/11 families, who themselves received aid from the American Sri
Lanka Buddhist Vihara on Staten Island in 2001.
‘MUTUAL BOND’
“We share a mutual bond of compassion to strengthen the good in this
world,” said Doyle, adding that the organization is planning to send
a delegation on a good will tour to Sri Lanka at the end of May.
After the speeches, participants convened at the campus fountain
outside of the Center for the Arts, where a circle of candles,
flowers, and flags from the countries affected by the tsunami were
displayed.
Since the tsunami occurred, the Sri Lankan Students Association have
been participating in relief efforts.
“The students have held media briefings, collected clothes and other
donations, and have raised funds for the proposed ‘United Children’s
Village,”’ said Lalith Rajakaruna, a professor of civil engineering
and faculty advisor to the association.
The village, to be built 10 miles outside of Colombo, Sri Lanka, is
anticipated to house 100 orphaned children, and mothers who lost
their children in the disaster.
“Most of our work has gone into the fund-raising campaign,” said G.
Ainila Goonawardena, president of the association. “We set up at the
ferry terminal and at Grand Central Station and collected $10,000 in
one day.”
In addition to these funds, the Vihara Temple, which has 20,000
members nationwide, has raised nearly $250,000 for the village, an
estimated third of the expected cost.
The college, which has 13/ students enrolled from affected
countries, has also organized a Tsunami Disaster Relief Committee.
The funds will be channeled to UNICEF and the American Red Cross.
“A benefit concert will he held in March,” said Carol Jackson, vice
president of Student Affairs. “Our counseling center has offered
emotional support for those who lost family and friends.”
By Tevah Platt
Reprinted here with permission from the
|
|
