Operation Ecuador!
The jay/day celebrations are in full swing! Here's one from ad recruiter extraordinaire, Bonnie Lunt ... (the copy is provided by the ever-exuberant Neilan Tyree)
Jay Day Inspires Incredible International Project: Operation Ecuador!Greetings fellow Jay Day-ers! I imagine many of you, like me, have June 21 cemented in your head, but might not have figured out what you’re actually going to do to continue the spirit of Jay Day this year. Well, wonder no more! I was delighted to learn what our pal Bonnie Lunt has come up with this year because part of my plan now is to help her latest mission. Characteristically, she’s set the bar pretty darn high for all of us and is headed to Ecuador (!) with 20 people (!) in tow – many of them advertising folk including TBWA Chiat Day alumni, the inimitable Nancy Hill (now at BBDO in NY). They’re on an incredible mission.
Bonnie’s Jay Day project this year is (get this!) to help build a community center that includes a medical clinic/school for the village of Azama in Ecuador that she adopted at the end of last year. (Hoo boy! No lounging around in a hammock for her.)
Joining Bonnie and Nancy are Doremus’ Carl Anderson and son Greg as well as longtime charitable partner Steve Konow and family (lending their support now just as they have to many of her past projects such as the founding of Miami Ad School, etc.). And rounding out the group are Michelle Tenzyk (a Mary Maroun hire and friend of Bonnie’s at Y&R), Amanda L'Esperence from Deutsch, and 12 of Bonnie’s friends from Pawling, NY (her country pad) and Florida.
When I quizzed Bonnie about this and asked how she conjured it up, she replied that “Jane [Newman] is inspirational and has been so encouraging. And Jay taught me to go forward. So I'm going forward.”
I’ll say. Fortunately, they’ve had all kinds of donations and I cracked up yesterday when she emailed that “Dr. Dan bought me a brand new electrocardiogram machine for the clinic! I'm thrilled!” But they could definitely use additional support. So the good news is we can help, too! Even if we don’t get to go along for the Ecuadorian Adventure. Darn it!
Personally, I was very proud of the way many of us got involved this past Spring with Jane’s efforts to build out the school in Kenya and feel quite international now that I’m helping (in a tiny way) with building a clinic in Ecuador! Importantly, she’s planning another trip to Ecuador in late August or early September so feel free to contact her directly if you want to be part of that trip!
Her charitable organization is People Helping People. Please contact Bonnie’s office in New York (contact information is below) and her major domo Kathleen will be able to answer questions, receive donations, put you in touch with Bonnie, etc. They have the money to build the building, but then will have to fill it with desks, library books, shelves, medical equipment, examination tables, meds, and so on.
In closing, I’m still going to create a special way to celebrate Jay Day here in New Orleans and hope you’ll all find your own ways to do the same wherever you are. But I certainly thought Bonnie’s project would be of interest to many of you and I encourage everyone to think about supporting yet another terrific Jay-inspired project! And who knows, maybe I’ll see some of you in Ecuador one day!
Finally, thanks to Stevan for keeping the site alive and well...plus always entertaining and informative, to boot! What could be better than that?!?
Best wishes and Happy Jay Day to all of you!
Neilan Tyree
ntyree@acebizdev.com
Bonnie Lunt Contact Info
Office Address:
People Helping People
% Bonnie Lunt Management
51 E. 25th St.
New York, NY 10010
Office Phone: 212.545.0363
Email: kathleen@bonnielunt.com