Dear Best Friend Members and Supporters,

Our gala fundraising benefit evening, Burma in the Spotlight, is now only five days away! All of our staff and volunteers are working madly in these final few days to ensure all of the wonderful pieces are in place. We are confident that this will be an amazing evening to remember, all in support of a great cause: The Best Friend Library in Chiang Mai, our new library and Green Training Program in Shan State, and our 'Compassionate Care' projects supporting the medical needs of refugees and migrants from Burma who have experienced extraordinary difficulties, including Chaa Nay Choo and Sai Khong Naitun.

An event of this magnitude (the most ambitious event we've yet attempted) has so many details. We'd like to share some of them with you now to increase anticipation for those of you already confirmed to attend, and to convince those of you who haven't yet purchased your tickets that this is an event you do not want to miss.

Before we begin with the exciting details, we'd like to mention that ticket sales have been going quite well. There will be 350 seats total for the event, to be held at Chiang Mai's Imperial Mae Ping Hotel this Saturday 1 June from 5:30–11 p.m., and we are nearly 80% sold out! Tickets are 850 baht, and we still have some tickets remaining, including reserved tables of 10 that we are offering at a special price for our library members. However, we can't guarantee that there will be any tickets for sale on the evening of the event. To avoid disappointment, we suggest that you stop by The Best Friend Library or email chiangmai@thebestfriend.org to reserve your seats as soon as possible!

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

We are very pleased to announce that our Keynote Speaker for 'Burma in the Spotlight' will be Tin Tin Nyo, General Secretary of Women's League of Burma!

Tin Tin Nyo has had a lengthy and distinguished career advocating for the rights of women and sustainable peace and stability in Burma. She served as Burmese Women's Union's joint general secretary from 2005-2007, and was elected as General Secretary of BWU in 2007, serving until 2011. Later that year, she was elected to serve as the General Secretary of WLB and was re-elected at the most recent session of the WLB Congress in 2013.

At our event on 1 June, Tin Tin Nyo will provide a brief overview of WLB and an outline of its projects. She will also discuss current pressing issues affecting Burma. The Best Friend is very honored to be able to welcome Tin Tin Nyo and other friends from Women's League of Burma to 'Burma in the Spotlight'!

PERFORMANCES and PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

In addition to our main featured performer Dang Fantastic, one of Thailand's best-loved musicians, we will be very fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy some traditional cultural performances arranged by several Burma-related organizations. These include:

• Schools of Hope, Chiang Dao
• Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN)
• Kachin Women's Association of Thailand (KWAT)
• Poon Yaing Migrant Worker Association

In addition, we will also have a special area in the foyer of the hotel dedicated for sharing exposure with some of our partner organizations. Here is the complete list of organizations that will be represented with their own information/fundraising tables:

Free Burma Rangers, Documentary Arts Asia, Chimmuwa Karen Women's Co-operative (Mae Sot), Borderline Collective (Mae Sot), Kids Ark Foundation, KWAT, SWAN, Women's League of Burma, Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia (BABSEA), Thai Freedom House, and Partners Relief & Development.

We are so happy to have the support of all the above organizations as part of our strong network! Make sure you visit the table of each organization to get more information, speak with the staff, and support their important work.

BURMESE BUFFET DINNER

The Executive Chef of the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel and his staff are really going above-and-beyond the call of duty to provide all event guests with a wonderful buffet of Burmese delights! The menu will include no fewer than eight different salads and starters (including favorites like Pickled Ginger Salad, Prawn Salad, and Burmese Samosas), ten curries and warm dishes (don't miss the Mohinga, Neua Lung (Shan meatballs), Pork Curry, or Mutton Masala), and six dessert offerings (highlights are Shwe Gyi Mont (Burmese Semolina Cake) and Mango Cake). 'No one will go home hungry' is an understatement. What are you most excited to try?

LUCKY DRAW PRIZES

We understand that an 850 baht ticket price is not insignificant to anyone, so we decided that we will not ask event attendees to purchase additional lucky draw tickets. Your event ticket will already have your lucky draw number, and there will be no additional tickets to purchase. Everyone will have an equal chance to win one of the great prizes we have been so fortunate to have donated by local businesses.

We have generous meal vouchers from some of Chiang Mai's top restaurants (including Le Coq d'Or, The Duke's, Beccofino, Casa Antonio, and many others), some lovely framed photographs and artworks, free nights at top hotels and resorts (Chiang Dao Nest, Chai Lai Orchid Nature Bungalows, and more), vouchers for both Flight of the Gibbon and Segway Gibbon, and much more. Perhaps the grandest prize of all is roundtrip airfare from Chiang Mai to Bangkok for two on Bangkok Airways, with two nights on the Executive Floor of the Amari Bangkok Watergate Hotel! With so many prizes to give away, every attendee has an excellent chance of going home with something special.

SILENT ART AUCTION

From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. we will be conducting a silent art auction, with all proceeds benefitting The Best Friend's projects in Chiang Mai and Shan State. Jacquelyn Suter, a longtime collector of art from Burma, has kindly donated several stunning watercolors and acrylics by Burmese artists (see attached for a few preview images). We also have two stunning pieces from talented Arakanese artist Myat Thein Zaw, and two amazing photographic prints from Ryan Libre.

In addition, the auction is where you can pick up some very valuable deluxe hotel and resort stays for a bargain price! Opening bids will be a fraction of the actual value of the items on offer, so make sure to arrive early to get your bids in!

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In addition to all of the above, you can trust that we have many surprises in store for you. You'll just have to attend 'Burma in the Spotlight' yourself to discover everything we have planned to delight you! Check out the Facebook Event page to share in the excitement, as well as the excellent article, A Spotlight on Burma? Here's Why! published by CityNews reporter Anna Brooks last week.

For those of you unable to attend the event but still wishing to support The Best Friend at this time, we'd like to suggest that you check out our current online Indiegogo Campaign. There are 35 days remaining for this campaign, and many great "perks" that you can get by donating. Please help to build momentum and spread the word by sharing the campaign link: www.indiegogo.com/projects/burma-library.

Thank you all for your generous support, and hope to see everyone at Burma in the Spotlight this Saturday!!

P.S. In case you are concerned that with all of the preparations for our gala fundraising event, The Best Friend has shifted its focus from our regular Burma-related community events, you'll be pleased to know that we have several other events coming up in Chiang Mai.

"Borderline: Expression from the Thai-Burma Border" is the title of a group exhibition of artwork by Burmese artists in exile that will be co-presented by The Best Friend Library and Borderline Collective. The exhibit will run from 14–27 June at Chiang Mai's Sangdee Gallery. In addition, we are also planning a forum on cyber security in Burma to be held in late June at Chiang Mai University. Stay tuned for more details!

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Garrett Kostin
The Best Friend Library – Chiang Mai
www.thebestfriend.org • www.facebook.com/BurmaLibrary