"A tree does not move unless there is wind..." - Afghan Proverb

We are jubilant, though tired, and perhaps this isn't as exhaustive a thank-you list as it should be, but we feel moved to express our gratitude to the many many people who made the past 24 hours so successful:

The Bogani Café - our gracious, warm, and generous hosts literally make this event possible.  Thanks for opening your doors to us and for entrusting us with your beautiful space.

The Sing-A-Thon Committee - a dedicated and passionate group of volunteer choristers put this whole event together: Alexis Hillyard (raffle ticket seller extrodinaire), Erin Lange-Elliott (in charge of performer thank yous), Elise Reneau (in charge of volunteers), Joel Forth (performer liaison), Jennifer McMillan (performer recruiter), Kyla Fisher (volunteer, enthusiast, helper, performer, renaissance sing-a-thon-er), Mandi Ayre (overnight Karaoke goddess), Michael Lowings (overnight supervisor champion), Nathalie Dugo (another renaissance volunteer), Pat Neeland (bringer of SOUND EQUIPMENT, and all-round sound god), Rachel Beach (volunteer thank-yous and all-round amazing supervisor), and Spencer Marsden (technology guru).  I always long for that moment at 8 p.m. Friday when the Sing-A-Thon kicks off and these superbly capable people take the reins effortlessly and cheerfully, leaving me to manage my little spreadsheet tallying donations and enjoying the party atmosphere.  You guys ROCK!

The Volunteers - the choristers came out en masse to help keep the tunes rolling and we love them for it!  Thanks for being professional, enthusiastic African Projects evangelists.  You made us so proud.

The Performers - every single act gave freely of their talents in support of African Projects and it was another amazing line-up this year.  We are so moved at the singer-songwriter community's support of our event and always blown away by the chorister talents revealed during these 24 hours.  Thank you all.

The Helpers - these great people lent a hand wherever needed and include everyone from our Wii donors, to our ever-patient staff and board of directors, to our chorister connection at Long & McQuade who helped with a last-minute keyboard rental, to parents of choristers who went the extra mile to help us out.

The Donors - whoo, were we EVER biting our nails those last 2 hours tonight!!!  We were so blessed to have several big donations carry us over the top in, literally, a matter of minutes.  We look forward to acknowledging each of you in next season's programs, and for those humble souls who declined to share their names, we extend a huge heartfelt thank you.  What an amazing race to the finish, and every little handful of change, every cheque, every raffle ticket purchased, every online donation, took us closer to that last giant step.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  We are so honoured to be the ones to carry your hard-earned dollars across the Atlantic and into the hands of those organizations that need it so desperately.  You have literally changed lives in the past day and a half.