Mayor Tom Bates, UC Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, and Persian Center host Hurricane Relief Fundraiser

BERKELEY, CA - Mayor Tom Bates, UC Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, and Persian Center present a dinner and auction fundraising benefit for Hurricane Katrina relief on Sunday, September 25, 2005, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Hs. Lordships Restaurant on the Berkeley marina. The program will include accounts of displaced families from the Gulf Coast, music by the Aux Cajunals, dance performances by Niosha Nafei Dance Academy, a catered buffet dinner, and a live auction. A minimum donation of $100 per person is requested, and all the proceeds will go directly to one of three targeted charities providing assistance to the storm-ravaged areas: Relief International, Berkeley Rotary Endowment Fund, and American Red Cross.

Corporate sponsors are particularly encouraged to participate in this community effort: Event co Sponsorship is $5,000, Platinum Sponsorship is $1,500, Gold Sponsorship $1,000, and Silver Sponsorship $500. To sponsor the event, donate auction items, or volunteer for this effort, please contact us by September 22nd at Sept25Fundraiser@yahoo.com or 510-848-0264.

For the first time, the City, the University of California, and local businesses have joined forces, to raise money to help ease the shocking level of suffering. The event is sponsored by Berkeley Rotary Club, Downtown Berkeley Association, Iranian-American Chamber of Commerce-San Francisco, Society of Iranian Professionals, and Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats. Local developer Soheyl Modarressi, who with Hs. Lordships restaurant is underwriting all the expenses, says he was inspired by a poem by the 14th century Persian poet Saadi that adorns the United Nations building in New York:

The City of Berkeley has established a Resource Center dedicated to assist hurricane evacuees arriving in this area, and the Berkeley Rotary Club has established a tax-deductible emergency fund to support these families while they process their Red Cross and FEMA claims. "We have witnessed Hurricane Katrina's fury and despaired as it battered America's Gulf Coast, destroying lives and uprooting tens of thousands of families. In an effort to join hands and help our fellow Americans, we are coming together as a community to show our support," said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, who is not only a host, but, with his wife, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, is also an event sponsor.

Relief International (RI, www.ri.org), a leading Los Angeles-based humanitarian non-profit agency, has set up operations in Baton Rouge to provide assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina; 95% of private contributions to RI benefit the survivors through direct aid to victims.

The Persian Center (http://www.persiancenter.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the sense of identity and integrity of all Iranians and Iranian descendants, and to engage individuals interested in Persian community and culture, by encouraging social, cultural, educational, and recreational activities that foster peace and understanding.