Washington National Cathedral and New York jewelry designer Cynthia Gale are teaming up to turn profits into donations for the hundreds of thousands ravaged by the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia.
Proceeds from the sale of the Family of Faiths bracelet, which was designed especially for Washington National Cathedral by Cynthia Gale, will go to bring clean drinking water to the people in the ravaged Aceh province on the island of Sumatra. "This is the most direct way I know for people to make a real difference and help save lives by preventing the spread of disease," Gale said.
Washington National Cathedral will contribute its royalties from sales of the Family of Faiths bracelet to the Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) South Asia Relief Fund [www.er-d.org ]. ERD provides emergency relief in times of disaster, rebuilds devastated communities, and offers long-term program development solutions to fight poverty. The Fund was able to respond within hours, providing emergency assistance to affected communities in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Making this effort unique and special is the fact that the Family of Faiths bracelet was handcrafted by the very people who are now devastated. The bracelet is crafted of sterling silver utilizing an ancient technique known as repoussé. Gale sourced the one factory in Java that still utilizes this dying art and employed it for a large portion of her collection. Gale decided immediately that the best way for her to help aid the relief effort was to give 100 percent of the proceeds directly to the people who crafted the bracelets, and to the country she calls her second home. Gale will turn her profits into "liquid assets" for the survivors by funding H2O Bali [www.h2obali.com ], a company assisting with the water purification effort in Indonesia. "The survivors are thirsty now and there is virtually no safe water for them to drink," said Gale. "We are raising money to help fly 10,000 liters of bottled water to Aceh, the area hardest hit by the tsunami."
Available at the Cathedral Museum Store, the Family of Faiths bracelet was created to celebrate the diversity of America's faith traditions and our cherished freedom of religious expression. The Family of Faiths bracelet features seven charms representing the world's major religions. Christianity is represented by the Jerusalem Cross and the Byzantine Cross of the Eastern Orthodox Church; Taoism and Confucianism are represented by the Yin and Yang; Judaism by the Star of David; Hinduism by the sacred symbol, Ohm; Buddhism by the Dharma Chakra or "Wheel of Teaching," and the Crescent and Star, emblem of Islamic identity.
For information on how you can purchase the Family of Faiths bracelet please visit: www.shop.cathedral.org. For information on Cynthia Gale, please visit: www.geoartnyc.com.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional information about the Museum Store of Washington National Cathedral please contact Kevin Higgins at 202.537.2188 or khiggins@cathedral.org.]
