Mission to give and lives save lives

It was an evening of entertainment for a noble cause. It was an initiative for Sri Lankans by Sri Lankans, and so it was not a surprise when likeminded citizens came together one evening in support of the magnanimity of a registered charity dedicated solely to saving lives. Saturday 12 August 2023 marked yet another impressive project fronted by the Heart To Heart Trust Fund, a sing-along led by Rajiv Sebastian and his band to a house full of guests. The fundraiser marked many milestones for a charity that has given Sri Lankans a second chance in life.

The sing-along organised to raise money for the Heart To Heart Trust Fund brought together over 300 people, who spurred by a sense of duty supported the endeavour wholeheartedly. There was great camaraderie. Audience participation was remarkable, eager and animated, creating an evening of fond memories. Guests danced the night away to baila from Ginger, Saman de Silva, Priyankara Perera and Priyal Amarasinghe.

Great acts of kindness was evident that evening when people readily gathered to help the Trust Find raise money to reach out to more Sri Lankans in need of financial assistance for heart related surgeries and procedures. After all, as those present echoed, there is no greater joy than in giving to save another human being and that anyone of them could be the person in need of a second chance in life. The fragility of life as well as its beauty combined that day to bring people for one cause – to give to save lives.

Shanti Fernando handing over a cheque to one of the beneficiary

The evening made more meaning as mentor and mentee, the founders of the Heart To Heart Trust Fund, cardiologists Dr. Ruwan Ekanayake and Dr. Rajitha Silva graced the occasion as members of the audience mingled with them, expressing their appreciation of a great initiative that has grown stronger with the support of a Board of Trustees and volunteers who work tirelessly to grow the initiative to help every Sri Lankan languishing in agony unable to fund critical treatment to lead normal lives again. The role played by these two doctors got much spotlight including the untiring efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers who have made it their life’s mission to help carry out the tasks of the Trust Fund.

The sing-Along also marked many firsts. The organisers launched the “Hadata Hadak” song sung by Deepika Priyadharshini, and written by Buddhadasa Galappatty to the music of Mahinda P W Bandara. The commercial and intellectual property rights to the sound track was handed over to the Heart To Heart Trust Fund that evening. The official website of the Trust Fund was also launched, an important step in enabling the public to make donations online. For the first time anyone seeking information about the Trust Fund could easily navigate the website to obtain a comprehensive understanding into its work.

The sing-along evening came to fruition thanks to the commitment of many volunteers whose behind-the-scenes work unveiled a great evening of fellowship over food and entertainment, and fund raising. Programmes of this nature are vital to generate visibility to the important work being carried out by the Trust Fund and hence, it was a great opportunity to create awareness among Sri Lankans and donors everywhere and thereby encourage people to support the Fund financially.

The objectives of organising the musical evening were fulfilled as it generated generous contributions and pledges of support by individuals and businesses. The Trust Fund collected 2.5 million rupees from ticket and raffle sales and sponsorships. In addition, several donations were received. The Lion Lady Nilanthi Fernando, a member of Lions Club of Colombo Strafford 306 C1 donated one million rupees, Lion Samith from Lions Club of Colombo Centennial project donated fifty thousand rupees while there were individual donations as well.

Organising the sing-Along cum fundraiser had its challenges. When the organisers were grappling with finding money to begin preparing for the much anticipated event, Harshini Wickramaratne from the USA sponsored the band with a donation of two hundred thousand rupees while Kalhari Perera and her friends from Canada gave hundred and seventy-five thousand rupees, gracious acts that helped lay the foundation to the big day. Thereafter, corporate and individual donors joined the Trust Fund’s journey through donations and overwhelming participation.

One of the greatest achievements of the sing-along was in securing the commitment of the Managing Director of Enchanteur, who pledged to carry the Trust Fund sticker on his products and donate 100,000 rupees per month on a rruquarterly basis starting from September 2023. This initiative is a great victory for the Trust Fund as Nissanka’s pledge to carry the sticker on the products will be a great opportunity at creating awareness and securing more public support for the initiative in the future.

The Board of Trustees and volunteers of the Heart To Heart Trust Fund are grateful to Dr. Ruwan Ekanayake and Dr. Rajitha Silva for supporting their work and thank the public for uniting for a worthy cause. The Trust Fund’s slogan in Sinhala is “Abhaydanaya”, which means to give life and towards that end, everyone involved in its work pulled together to make the sing-along a memorable and fruitful evening of fellowship.