By Elihu Baver | Board Chair Sosua75 & Director of "EC 2020 Vision"
Greetings Friends and Project Supporters,
Although we are now in the dead of winter before we know it the summer months will be fast be upon us!
This is my first 2020 project report on the progress I’ve been making towards rescheduling the Évian III Student Educational Leadership Conference event for this upcoming summer which in 2019 regrettably necessitated cancellation based upon insufficient funding.
Let me begin by thanking ALL of you for being the core of support I have received over the past 2 years for this initiative. Without your critical financial assistance neither of the successful 2018 “Revisiting Evian” events would have taken place.
Together we made history reconvening the 80th Anniversary of a pivotal, yet little known, pre WWII Conference which was a major precipitating factor to the Holocaust. And on November 9th we dedicated a WWII Commemorative bronze Plaque in the original Hotel Royal chamber in Évian France where the Conference was convened back in 1938.
The Conference was so “little known” in fact that back in late 2016 when I first visited the Hotel Royal in Evian, none of the on-site staff had any knowledge that the Conference even took place there. Thanks to the assistance of one man, the Hotel guest manager who was working on site that day who took a personal interest in my passion, he gave me the opportunity to demonstrate via the front concierge computer of the Conference’s existence. Without his giving me the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to provide historical evidence the conception and execution of the 2018 events would never have occurred. Over the course of the past 3 years this gentleman has risen in the ranks of Danone Corporation and now is the #2 man managing the complete Évian Resort facility, which is wonderful and key to the continuing success of this program. He and I are very close friends.
To better understand the genesis of why I chose to conduct this follow on event, it was based on one of the 2018 “80th Anniversary” Conference keynote speakers who when asked to bring, in addition to their set presentations, substantive suggestions on ways to enhance the program in future years suggested making the next event attendees be centered around students to “educate the next generation” of world leaders.
To the high credit of the globally distinguished designated key note speakers who willingly accepted my invitation to present last year, all of them did so refusing to accept a customary honorarium or financial compensation of any kind to attend and contribute to this program.
Here’s videotaped messages from 3 of the international diplomats, Ambassadors from France, the EU, and the Dominican Republic, who were unable to personally attend however still felt compelled to convey their thoughts and express their wholehearted support for the intents and strong merits of this program.
European Commission Katharina Von Schnurbein
US Ambassador to France Jamie McCourt
US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Robin Bernstein
Despite having the entire event completely organized and ready to go (including the total dollar amount raised showing) and receiving the endorsement and financial sponsorship from 34 separate Corporate and individual sponsorships, I still fell far short of the funding required to proceed with the program.
Please consider helping me, in any increment, make this urgently relevant Conference a reality. Seeing the continuing global spate of anti-Semitic incidents and overall acts of intolerance, this year 2020 really is an ideal time to convene this conference.
If you are not in a position to offer your financial support please take a moment to pass this appeal along to others who would find merit in its mission and objectives.
Acting as further validation of this initiative, now stemming across 3 years, I recently received the GlobalGiving “Staff Favorite” award selected among hundreds of qualified and fully vetted projects.
With Gratitude and Sincerely,
Elihu Baver
Director of Évian “Vision 2020” Student Educational Leadership Conference
603-502-7711
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