Our Fundraising Events
Tolue Launch: Halleh & Zhila's Sky Dive on 26th April 2015
UPDATE :
THEY DID IT !!!
Here's what our two intrepid skydivers had to say :
It was a cold and cloudy day but the skydive was still going to go ahead on that Sunday in April, despite the questionable weather conditions. We arrived at the airfield feeling apprehensive and anxious ....but soon, close friends and family arrived to encourage and spur us on....which helped....no, in fact it was essential, as it meant that we really had to do this, and we couldn't exactly head back home now!
As we flew up in the plane into the sky, the camera-men and pro-divers kept chatting with us which helped ease our nerves - until one of the camera-men turned round and opened his hand uttering the words: 'five minutes' - to the jump! Nerves came racing back at this point. Soon after, a pro diver simply jumped off the plane ahead of us!! That was it! That was when Halleh became aware that now her legs were dangling off the edge of the plane ...and with a nod (from the pro diver she was attached to) to the cameraman we hurled ourselves off the plane into the clouds to the sounds of SCREAMS a-plenty! Zhila was taking on the surreal experience in a much calmer way.....but here we were.....10,000 feet in the skies over Swindon....and actually falling from a PLANE!! Once the parachutes had opened up and we came out of the clouds, the experience changed into a satisfying one with us just taking in the landscape unfolding beneath us and feeling like birds floating in the skies. Until we spotted our supporters waving and calling our names, and then the smooth landings completed an alien, albeit one of the most exciting experiences of our lives....This was an occasion where we realised a personal challenge, in great company of dear friends and family.....but most importantly in the name of a new beginning - that of the launch of a meaningful and worthy cause - TOLUE!
Thank you to all who have supported us, encouraged us, and donated .....we have been able to do so much with the funds raised so far already and we want to share with you exactly how YOU have helped (please click on the 'donations ' button to view details of individual patients who have already been helped).
With love and much gratitude
Halleh & Zhila x x x
PS. Here's the link to our video on YouTube : Click Here !
Tolue's Autumn Dinner & Dance 14th November 2015
WOW .... What a night !!!
Tolue’s first Dinner & Dance on the 14th November 2015 proved to be a huge success. This very special evening took place in the luxury surroundings of the Oakley Court Hotel in Windsor.
Our guests enjoyed their 4 course meal, music and dancing until 1 am. The full programme of events comprised welcome reception to live music, a charity auction, a fundraising game, and the purchase of some luxury gifts and hampers.
A close-knit circle of friends worked extremely hard to make our ‘gold’ themed event happen that evening. It was through their generosity not only in donating gifts, but also in giving their time and supplying or making all the beautifully thought-through decorations and gifts, showing how the qualities of hard work, dedication and the deep bonds of friendship can enable a fledgling charity to come to mean something to so many. It is with immense thanks and gratitude for all the help, to all those who attended, and all the words of wisdom, kindness and support that we heard on the night of the 14th November and since, that we now are able to report the following regarding how the funds raised are being used:
Tolue’s first Dinner & Dance raised £5,700. Just over half this sum was sent to Iran straight away. Together with the hospital social workers, we have identified 8 young people, with ages ranging from 18 months to 26 years. Some of these patients have been attending treatment for some time, but others have recently been diagnosed with cancer and admitted for treatment. The common ground for all these patients is that they are all very needy. They and their families are struggling with finding the means to support their treatment. There are currently enough funds to support them for the next 3 months. Following that time, more funds will be taken to Iran in March 2016 and a plan will be devised for that sum to be distributed during the next few months thereafter.
The success of the evening, and the subsequent channels by which the funds have been distributed in such a ‘visible’ way, has meant that Tolue has a renewed confidence that all this is possible – our intention is now to organise the next big event for 2016 – so please do look out for an update of details on the website and an email coming your way soon!
We felt that the ‘gold’ theme represented much of what we felt the evening was about – not only is gold precious, and its analogy of time spent with friends and family is necessary – and always precious; but also because gold represents rays of sunshine which shine into people’s lives, giving hope of recovery by all its new dawns.
Thank you to all who shared in our evening of fun for an immensely worthy cause – YOU ARE GOLD!
Art Gala Charity Event on 8th & 9th April 2016 in Tehran, Iran.
Our First Charity Event in Iran.
During a recent trip to Iran, we met with hospital personnel, who presented us with a recognition award for Tolue's efforts in providing financial help to needy cancer patients in Iran.
Following this meeting, it was only right that we would host the Tolue launch in Iran, almost exactly a year after our skydive launch in the UK.
Fine Art and delicate Persian crafts were the theme of this launch event in Tehran.
The backdrop was some striking contemporary oil and watercolour paintings by acclaimed artists Mehrdad Qavami and Siavash Mazloumipour. Also the chance to see more of the breadth of Mazloumipour's work - his painting of the bazaar already having been seen and sold at auction, at last November's Dinner & Dance.
Some jewellery and craftsmanship were also showcased.
Some of Tolue ' s patients were able to join us, as well as a filming crew organised by the hospital; both made the event surpass our expectations as we celebrated the start of something special, Tolue-Iran, on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th April 2016, in 'just the right company'.
This event raised nearly 2 million Tomans, which, as with all funds raised will go towards helping needy cancer patients in Iran. But more importantly than the funds raised, this event raised much needed awareness and interest in Tolue and our work, and provided a precursor to hopefully many more fundraising events.
Thank you to all who participated, and a very special thanks to the patients, their families, and to the hospital filming crew who attended and supported us, making it a most memorable occasion.
Pedrom Meskini's Sponsored Hair Shave
14th May 2016
Step into the limelight please, Pedrom Meskini, a 16 year old, GCSE student, and the son of good friends of ours.
Pedrom approached us in April of this year, to say that he would like to shave his hair off, in front of his classmates and his friends in order to raise funds for Tolue. This was entirely his idea. We were obviously initially surprised, but then delighted to hear that this thoughtful young man wanted to do this.
So on Saturday 14th May 2016, we were invited to Pedrom’s family home, in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, and watched as his friends arrived one by one to support – and take part – in this sponsored hair shave (photos attached). Pedrom's contemporaries were delighted to take it in turn to clip, and snip and shear his locks off until a more streamlined version emerged some 45 minutes later!
Pedrom's beaming smile, along with those of his friends and family made for a most fun and entertaining of Saturday afternoons, and his idea proved a huge success as he raised a staggering £1,320 in aid of young cancer patients in Iran who cannot afford cancer treatment. The full amount of Pedrom's fundraising effort was sent to Iran and is already being used to help young hospital cancer patients who are benefiting.
It's heart-warming to come across a teenage personality that combines determination and purpose with a strong sense of fun and generosity, and in Pedrom we find all those attributes. Our cause is the greater for his efforts and we wish to convey our huge thanks to Pedrom and his family for making this a memorable, effective and fun fundraising event for Tolue.
Tolue's Autumn Dinner & Dance
17th September 2016
Tolue’s 2nd annual Dinner & Dance took place at the Guildford Harbour Hotel ,on Saturday, 17 September 2016.
Dear Friends
We are writing to say a huge thanks to each and every one of you who supported us, and helped us make the second Tolue Dinner & Dance even better than the first! What a great evening!
We know that everyone is interested to know how we did and what funds were raised, so below is a brief summary:
Total Net Funds Raised: £11,450
of which:
£6,400 came from the Auction
£4,100 came from Ticket sales, Heads & Tails, Secret Envelopes
£950 came from Direct Donations
Most of the gifts, flowers and other room decoration items, as well as the auction items were donated by the organisers and friends, some of whom also worked tirelessly, giving up their free time to make it an occasion that we hope, like us, you will all remember for a long time.
We are extremely grateful for all the help, the generosity, and the kind words from all of you whatever role you played this year. It was great to welcome some new faces to the event as well as seeing many of our old friends who continue to support us in this way.
We are delighted with the amount raised, as the figure shown represents TWICE the amount of funds raised compared with last year. Long may we all continue to party in this way, as well as raise the much needed funds, for a cause that feels very right and worthy; and one that is directly helping patients that so need and look forward to receiving this kind of assistance to help ease the financial burdens of their treatment.
Our plan is to start to distribute these funds straight away; we feel that the best way to do this is to increase the amount given to each patient by a small amount, and, in addition, to increase the number of patients we help to 10 (previously 8). We will be discussing and taking the views of the hospital social workers to help us decide who the most needy extra patients are. The funds that we raised on the 17th September should enable us to carry on this work for 9 consecutive months so that we are helping these 10 patients on an ongoing and monthly basis.
Once we have done this, we will be reporting back through our website. Please keep checking our website, as all of our communication is carried out through that and by email.
Please note that between now and the next big event, if anyone would like to hold a small event of their own …. with or without our help, please do let us know - we would love to discuss them with you more. Or you may wish to make a donation, which, however small, will help carry on the momentum of this work.
Thank you all again – VERY VERY MUCH. FOR EVERYTHING. Whether you helped organise, whether you donated something and/or your time, whether you encouraged your friends to come along, or whether you just decided to get on the dance floor and show us your enjoyment of the evening! Thank you to you all, and THANK YOU for all the kind words, which help drive us and to carry on!
With very best wishes
Halleh Sheibeh
Behnam Tahouri
On behalf of Team Tolue
Tolue's 2017 Autumn Dinner & Dance
4th November 2017
Another incredible event ! Thank you !
Dear Friends
We are writing with a heartfelt thank you for your participation, support and generosity in making the recent Tolue Masquerade Dinner & Dance such a tremendous success. We have had a lot of positive feedback about the evening, for which, thanks too. We felt that the event sparkled with people's energy and enthusiasm (and masks!)
We are delighted and humbled to announce that in total, the evening itself raised a net figure of £21,036 , which came from the proceeds of the Auction Lots, Tickets, Prizes, the Heads & Tails game, Raffle and Donation Box. When you take into account that this amount also excludes the funds raised earlier this year, by Team Damavand and The Bike Trek Team, we hope you will all agree that this was a staggering achievement.
We are happy to relay to you that we are putting these proceeds to immediate use by providing needy cancer patients in Iran with the medical care and support that they so badly need, and that this will continue on a monthly basis over the coming year.
Each year we see many friends from previous events, but also some new faces who encourage us to carry on and reinforce our determination for the great work that Tolue does. For this we thank you all.
For those of you who were unable to join us this year, we missed you. Some of you have mentioned that even though you were unable to attend, that you would like to make a donation. This can be done in the usual way, via a bank transfer to the Tolue bank account:
Account Name: Tolue
Account Number: 12707635
Sort Code: 60-09-21
Please use reference 'donation'
From time to time, others of you ask us how to make a one-off, or continual donations. Please note that you can do this anytime you wish by simply making a bank transfer to the above account and/or writing to us at toluecharity@gmail.com.
In the early part of next year, we will be working on planning future events for Tolue. However, as you saw at the Masquerade Dinner & Dance, individuals come forward and propose to take part in challenges of their own. We wish to encourage these and hope that more and more of these can happen with or without Tolue's involvement. You may also wish to hold a small event of your own - a dinner party, or a coffee morning. All these activities help us keep the momentum of the work that we do in between times of the major events that are held, and we truly appreciate these efforts .
Thank you to each and every one of you once again....and we wish you all a healthy, happy, peaceful and prosperous 2018.
With very best wishes
Halleh Sheibeh
Behnam Tahouri
On behalf of Team Tolue
