Appeal from the Community Services Center - Telephone System Blow-out

The Community Services Center in Taipei offers a wide range of necessary services to the expat community, including an emergency counselling service.  The recent disaster with their telephone system has thrown them right out, and they are reaching out to the community they service for support.  Please, spare a dollar or two to help them get over this hurdle.

The Center’s phone lines and switchboard burnt out in a power surge recently.  We have to replace the whole system.  As you can imagine this is a very unexpected and considerable expense for a non-profit and we really need your help.
 Our phones are hanging on by a thread. We can still receive calls but we cannot, for instance, use any touch tone systems when dialing out.  This means our counselors and staff are unable to call hospitals and other emergency referrals.  Emergency referral is something we often need to do.  I cannot overstate the difficulty of running the Center with an inoperable phone system.
 So this December 18th The Center Running Team – who last year ran to support the now one-year-old Hsinchu Counseling office - will also be dedicating this year’s  run to raising funds for a new phone system for Taipei office.
 So if you support The Center and the efforts of the 16 people who will be running a total of over 330kms for the Center (that is like running from Taipei to Kaohsiung!) please help in any of three ways:
 1)      Going to www.gofundme.com/TheCenterTaipei and giving a lot or a little; everything will help.  You can use a paypal account or Credit Cards and donate online.  500, 1000, 10,000; every little bit will help.
 2)      Dropping in at The Center and make a donation in person.  Ask for Grace.
 3)      Participating in our pool.  This is for those who want to get more involved in the runners and the times they might finish their runs.  Choose the right time a runner will finish and win prizes including bottles of wine, cool coffee mugs and a host of other items.  Come in to the Center to sign up.
 Our phone system is a lifeline for the whole international community.  We need that lifeline to be working properly and reliably. And that is why I am turning to you, the community, for help at this time.
 This one is urgent…please help.
 Steve

No. 25, Lane 290 Zhong Shan North Rd., Sec. 6
Taipei 11161
Taiwan

http://www.communitycenter.org.tw/index.php?q=civicrm/mailing/optout&reset=1&jid=457&qid=63911&h=2d8d2741b41da500