Nepal Relief Concert benefits victims of April’s earthquake

By Laura Udelson

The Nepal Relief Concert took place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. last Saturday, Oct. 3, in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. Part of a project to rebuild Nepal after the April earthquake, the event was organized by the Lawrence University Rotaract Club and Rotary Club of Appleton. All proceeds raised will be used to support the construction of a community clinic in the Dholakha district of Nepal.

The concert featured three dance groups from Madison: the Kalaanjali School of Dance & Music, Kanopy Dance Company and Nepali American Friendship Association. Other performers included the Appleton Boychoir, Lawrence University Gamelan Ensemble, Lawrence University Dance Team and various other informal student groups.

Junior Juliana Olsen-Valdez, one of the emcees of the event, wished there would have been more attendees, but thought the event was very successful. “I feel like Lawrence is usually a hub where we show our talents, so it’s cool to see people come and show their talents to Lawrence students and the greater Appleton community,” said Olsen-Valdez.

“I think they did a really awesome job of being really culturally appropriate, and I think that really made the concert as a whole” said Olsen-Valdez.

The concert was part of a project of the Lawrence University Rotaract Club and the Rotary Club of Appleton to support Nepal in its recovery from the devastating earthquake that struck the country in April of 2015. Other than the concert, the groups are raising funds through grants from foundations and crowd sourcing.

The funds raised will go to Possible Health, a nonprofit healthcare organization focusing on rebuilding a community clinic in the Dolakha district, near the epicenter of the earthquake. The goal of the project is to raise $45,000, the total cost of constructing a clinic.

This is an intitiative by junior Bimalsen Rajbhandari, who is from Nepal and founded the Rotaract Club at Lawrence in 2013. Rajbhandari contacted President of Appleton Rotary Club B.S. Sridhar last spring and the groups have worked closely together in the fundraising process.

Rajbhandari said they were careful to select an organization to raise money for. “Possible Health is recognized by so many important organizations as being very accountable, very innovative, and if you look at their website, one of the best things they do—which is highly unusual for any organization—is they publish all their financial accounts online,” said Rajbhandari.