Dear Friends,

Thank you for supporting LGBTQ compassion in action. In this issue:

  • We Say Goodbye to two RWF Team Members
  • Event: Join Us on Sunday for Origami Palooza in San Francisco
Goodbye to Vicky Avery Mihara and Charlie Purcell
Linda Mihara, Vicky Mihara Avery, and Jeff Cotter at Paper Tree in San Francisco's Japantown.

Vicky Mihara Avery  died on May 27. Vicky, a noted origami artist, first became involved with RWF in 2006 with the first World Tree of Hope — RWF's annual holiday peace project. Vicky was instrumental in lending her technical expertise and in gathering a community of people to fold the thousands of origami peace cranes that decorate the tree. 

Beyond a doubt, our fondest memories of Vicky are her laugh, her wonderful smile and her cool, yet buoyant personality. We always admired her calming, Zen like nature, too. Simply put, Vicky was a wonderful, smart, caring person and we were honored to have known her. 

She is survived by her parents Nobuo and Shizuko Mihara, younger siblings Linda and Roger, husband Matthew Avery, son C.J. Avery. A memorial was held for Vicky on June 29 at the San Francisco Buddhist Church.
Charlie Purcell with Karen Kai and Jeff Cotter at Origami Palooza in 2013.

Charlie Purcell  died on July 21. Charlie began volunteering with RWF in 2013 as our graphic designer. He was creative, dedicated, flexible and he had a great eye for detail. As a humanitarian aid provider, RWF often has to respond quickly to a need, Charlie understood this and could always be counted on to help on short notice. 

In addition to his professionalism, Charlie was a dear friend to our executive director and several other people at RWF. He had a terrifically wry sense of humor and was a compassionate man. Charlie lovingly touched many lives and will be greatly missed. 

He is survived by his parents Lee and Beth Purcell, his brother Dusty and sisters Missy and Katie. A memorial for Charlie is being held on September 6 from 4-9pm at Indian Rocks Beach, Florida.
EVENT: Origami Palooza in SF - Aug. 24 from 12-4pm

Join RWF at San Francisco's Japantown Center Mall this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. where we will be teaching origami and folding the classic crane model for this year's RWF World Tree of Hope.

O rigami Pal ooza will feature origami exhibits, challenges, and opportunities to win prizes. The event is FREE and open to everyone. Special guests include origami experts John Collins and Jeremy Shafer.

The RWF World Tree of Hope is our annual global holiday project promoting peace, love and humanitarianism. The 23 foot Holiday Tree is decorated with thousands of origami cranes and stars that are inscribed with people's wishes and hopes for the future of the world. Wishes are sent in from around the world. Learn more about the tree here.
LGBTQ COMPASSION IN ACTION
RWF volunteers visiting schooling in Guatemala City.

RWF is the world's first and only all-volunteer, LGBTQ- based humanitarian aid organization.  Our mission is to promote peace, unity, and hope by leading the LGBTQ movement in participating in humanitarian relief efforts.  RWF has donated over $4.4 million of life-saving aid.

Bring new hope to our friends and family around the world.  Put your tax-deductible gift to work immediately by donating online  or mail your donation to Rainbow World Fund, 4111 - 18th Street #5, San Francisco, CA 94114.