We had such a great time Friday night at our kickoff Holiday Party and Fundraiser! Friends, new and old, and family all joined us at Roq La Rue to celebrate with wine and music.  We presented our plan and everybody donated generously to help us make it to Mongolia.  Not only did we raise funds to get started, but we’ve acquired reserve fuel tanks (jerry cans), a tent, sleeping bag and a donation of environmentally friendly soap!

We can’t thank everybody enough for their generous support.  These donations, both financial and in kind goods, along with all the enthusiasm and energy in the room touched us personally and provided us with a boost of confidence to continue working hard to make this endeavor a reality.

With the help of The Snow Leopard Trust, as well as items donated by the local Mongolian community, we held a silent auction which proved very popular. Crafts handmade throughout Central Asian republics from Mongolia to Kazakhstan were auctioned off with proceeds benefiting not just us, but also going to The Snow Leopard Trust which is protecting the endangered snow leopard in that region.

We were especially excited to present the Mercy Corps story and talk about them at our fund raising table because a few people from their local office came down after their own holiday party and joined us for the night. Donations for Mercy Corps have continued to pour in through our FirstGiving page after the event!

The Morin Khuur performances by Urtaa and his student Robert were a highlight of the evening.  They played both traditional Mongolian music and contemporary pieces that everybody was more familiar with.

This first event was a huge success by any measure.  We had so much fun and can’t wait for our next event.  With everybody’s help we are well on our way to Mongolia! Check out more photos of the event at Flickr.

See you at our next event!

– Team Baatar Hero