At our 3rd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Evening, on Sunday, March 25th, 2018, we celebrated and acknowledged Grandmaster JinBodhi, the Bodhi Meditation Vancouver Centre, and our tireless volunteers, and everyone who has walked through our doors. The theme was a Masquerade Party – how appropriate given the transformation that happens when one practices Bodhi Meditation. The masks we wear to hide our depression, our pain, our suffering, are lifted after practicing The Meditation of Greater Illumination to reveal joy and inner peace.
More than 300 guests enjoyed a Mardi Gras Reception, complete with mocktails, appetizers, and activities which included a photo booth, henna, and mask making. During a feast of Chinese, Indian, and Mexican food, our entertainment began. Magician Will Stelfox performed magic – more transformation!, a choir of volunteers welcomed everyone, and laughs were given to a skit and a troupe of men (with one woman) dressed in tutus performing The Swan Dance. Several volunteers read a Poem of Gratitude. And we acknowledged our sponsors and donors who made it possible to hold the event. Thank you! (We received a total of 36 door prizes.) Grandmaster JinBodhi offered three exquisite scarves, which he had designed, for a prize draw. Lucky were the three guests who received them (one of them had a birthday that day!)
We acknowledged our volunteers for their work in 2017. At Bodhi Meditation our volunteers are invaluable. They take on many tasks, from cleaning the center to inserting flyers in magazines, greeting people for classes and retreats to setting up cushions. Many offer their skills to help us help more people. For that we are so grateful. They were gifted with a limited edition charcoal-coloured bag designed by Master JinBodhi. The applause was overwhelming for all our outstanding volunteers. (60 of them volunteered at this event!)
If you missed the fun at our Appreciation Evening this year, we’ll do something equally entertaining next year.
