Hand Painted Tees for Auction

Dear readers,

You must have heard or read about our very first fundraising dinner. For those who were unable to make it to the dinner, here are a few things from the night you can still purchase to give support to the Sanctuary and the animals. Over the next few posts, we will be showcasing some of our limited edition merchandise that you are still able to get your hands on!

For today, we have some special hand painted tee shirts which are still available. They are hand painted by local artist Elton Goh Kheng Yew. For a write up on the artist, please scroll down to the bottom of this post and read up on him!

Each tee shirt comes with a certificate. Each tee shirt is a work of art that can be washed and worn. The minimum bid per tee is $50 and samples are shown below. The description of the shirt is below the picture. For buyers in Singapore, please remember to include $5 for postage. International buyers please email for postage prices.

To make a purchase, please email us at info@noahsarkcares.com with the subject "Purchase: Noah's Ark Hand-Painted T-shirts".

The numbers may not be in order as the t-shirts are removed from this post once they have been sold.

3) Chin Chin, FS (Female tee, Small size)

4) Basset Hound 1, (Female tee, Small size)

5) Saluki, (Female tee, Small size)

6) Basset Hound, (Female tee, Small size)

7) Afghan Hound, (Male tee, Medium size)

10) Shihzu, (Male tee, Medium size)

About the Artist



Artist: Goh Kheng Yew (Xin Hui, Lu Tang, Jinananda)
Date of Birth: 26 February 1967
Nationality: Singaporean

Professional Background:
A graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Full-time artist specializing in Chinese paintings, calligraphy and Buddhist paintings

Have held exhibitions of his works since 1988, including:

1988 – Reflections
1995 – Blissful Realm at Empress Place Museum
2000 – The Sacred Bloom at S’pore Chinese Chamber of Commerc & Industry
2002 – Perfumed Garden at La Juneusse Art Gallery
2004 – Luminosity at Alliance Francaise
2007 – Chinoiserie Bloom at Star Cap Art Gallery

**We at Noah's Ark are very grateful for Mr Goh's kindness and generousity in donating the hand-painted shirts for our fund-raising auction. On behalf of the animals, thank you very much Mr Goh!

Noah’s Ark Maiden Fundraising Dinner

For the first time in its history, since Noah’s Ark Lodge began its work in 1995 at Jalan Kayu and had to move to Johore in June 2000, Noah’s Ark CARES organised its first fundraising dinner on Friday, 17 July 2009. Such an exercise was long overdue, as the fundraising dinner, like the Ark itself represented many things.



It was a tribute to Raymund, who after 18 years of service at the Singapore Airlines, took his life and savings to build an Ark so that all through these years, he has been able to save lives, mend broken hearts and give hope to both animal and human. It was also a gathering of old friends with big hearts, of the supporters who had so steadfastly and quietly given their continued love and support to Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary. It was about the people who had heard the animals’ cries for help , people who felt too the pain, suffering and loneliness an animal had experienced and wanted to provide some solace to the wounded characters. In return, they witnessed the joy that only the bond an animal and human is able to form with each other. Similarly, the dinner was an occasion to gather of friends; volunteers and co-workers, people who had all been brought together by their compassion for their companion animals.

Many of the volunteers had taken the day off to prepare for the big event. As with so many countless Noah's Ark events, they worked unceasingly and without complaints through two weeks’ of long nights to arrange everything so as to ensure that nothing would go wrong. The lovely dinner was prepared by the Chef of Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, who believed in the work Noah’s Ark does, houses a dog at the Ark.

The dinner took place at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. The location was central, easy to find and the dinner hall was cosy enough for people to locate. Armed with golden hearts and harnessing their fame and popularity, local celebrities: Vernon Cornelius of The Quest, Larry Lai of Redifusion fame, and Koh Joo Kim, ex-radio DJ of 93.8 LIVE (The Living Room) volunteered both their time and efforts to help raise funds for the animals at the Sanctuary.



There were tee-shirts painted by local artist Elton Goh Kheng Yew and photographs taken by longtime volunteer Nicholas Lee of Furry Photos and Jean Qingwen Loo of Logue a documentary photographer. All these items were up for silent auction. Opening bids were at $50 for the hand painted tee shirts and $30 for the blown-up photos. In addition, there was also a watercolour painting by 10 year old, Cateline and Laura Fay.


The evening started off informally and almost subdued with people wandering around, happily greeting old friends and checking up on the auction items. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. It was obvious that many people there knew each other from “ some time back”. For many, it was time to renew ties with familiar faces of long-time supporters as well as catch up with new friends all of whom have given and continue to give generously to support Noah’s Ark.


There were performances by the band, The Quest as well as and a lovely performance by the choir from Temasek Polytechnic. Larry was the forever enthusiastic Master of Ceremony for the night. He took everything in his stride, with the raffle ticketing and the silent auction that went mobile and garnered astonishing results!



There was the video on Noah’s Ark that Joo Kim had done a voice-over for. Titled ‘The Living Ark’, it was launched at the dinner. Vernon and his band got the party going with his lively songs from the 60s by Cliff Richard. Very soon, some of the guests decided to “join the act”. It was evident that the guests were having fun as more and more people got up to dance. Our special thanks goes too to Vernon and his band (they kindly provided this service pro-bono) for making sure that the party was a success.

Lynda, Fiona and Nicholas designed and managed to print within a week, a mini coffee table book as a special tribute and surprise for Raymund. We would like to highlight that a few copies of this book are still available at $80. Watch this space, details on how to purchase it will be up soon.



Sadly, the evening of fun drew to a close and many of the guests decided to call it a night. Despite that, many still lingered at the ball room eager to catch up with old friends and as well as make new acquaintances. Many waited patiently to catch up with the man of the night, Raymund, in order to personally give him good news – as they pledged their continued support.



Looking back, it was a great night. It was awesome to see all the old friends and new supporters. Time after time, the generosity of the friends and supporters of Noah’s Ark bring a lump to my throat. Without their support and love, the work we do with the animals would not be possible. For the last 14 years since 1995, every time we needed help, we have never failed to find assistance. Because of these supporters and friends, there is still hope, for every single animal at Noah’s Ark, as well as the many nameless animals out there that needs our help.

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! We may not able to mention you by name and many of you don’t even want your names mentioned! But you know who you are, your names are written in the Book of Love and in the hearts of the animals you don’t even know about. Every animal you see in Noah’s Ark, every cat, dog, horse, rabbit and monkey are there, because of you, they are happy, fed, sheltered and cared for. They live lives filled with love and dignity because of you. The alternative is unthinkable.

Blessings!

And now for my personal tribute to Raymund cos I did not get a chance to be part of the book project.

To Raymund,

Until I discovered Noah’s Ark in 2003, and met you, I never knew angels could be grouchy. Over the years, I have made many countless trips to Noah’s Ark. Every time I step out to leave, I would take a moment to give thanks, that someone like you live on earth with us. We all love animals, giving time, energy and money to their cause. But I cannot say, at any point in time, I am willing to give my life for them as you have done. For a calling, a vision, a dream… for love.

To me you have not created just a Sanctuary for the animals, it is for us humans too. To me, the Ark is my Sanctuary and also my sanity. Our lives would have been so much poorer if you didn’t do what you did. You spoke for the animals and gave us a chance to redeem ourselves for the pain and suffering we have caused. What if you had decided not to listen to your heart? I cannot imagine the consequences.

Thank you is not enough. I wish you health, strength and love always enough to do what you do.

**Story contributed by Alicia Wong

Special thanks to Thomas of Sound Image for taking the time to help film and put the video together. His contribution is greatly appreciated.

Can you help foster a dog please?

This is how Mdm Goh's story goes.

Initially, these dogs were living with a mentally unsound man. We are unsure how he acquired these dogs but he had these four in his home. The dog’s rescuer, Mdm Goh, has recounted that she has witnessed him kicking them before and demonstrating other forms of abuse. He has since been admitted into the Institute of Mental Health.

A few days ago, Mdm Goh called Noah’s Ark and mentioned she has heard he has been discharged, but she was not at all keen to return the dogs to him as the safety of the dogs was in question. Having no heart to see them being put down, she heard about their plight and took them into her care. Mdm Goh is an extremely kind lady and has one dog and cats of her own, not to mention she also feeds strays outside. After the initial rescue, Mdm Goh managed to bring them to the vet and get them treated by raising her own funds. Currently her funds are running low, and eventually she approached NA for help to rehome these dogs.

The four dogs are:

Terrier Cross - Male, not yet paper trained. Tends to mark at home. Needs a firm hand with lots of patience. An extremely cute and lively young boy.

Blind mongrel - Seems rather old, we are unsure of his age. He generally spends his days sleeping. Perhaps his inability to see prevents him from moving about too. He does nothing but sits in one corner the whole day without moving, except for relieving himself.

Female American Cocker Spaniel - Looks to be about 8 to 10 yrs old. The abuse and lack of love and care could make her look older than she really is. She has dry eyes and very weak hind legs. Is only able to do slow, short walks. She is constantly wheezing and needs to be on daily medication for her heart problem as she suffered a heart attack before. Spends her day sleeping and is very affectionte.

Blind poodle – We are not sure how old she is but she looks to be quite young, about 3 or 4. Possibly blind since birth. Extremely scared, constantly bumping into things and crying. She stops when you cuddle and reassure her. We believe that with tender loving care and patience, she can be trained and to feel a sense of security.

All of them are very sweet and having been abused, are extremely insecure and scared. The blind dogs are the worst off as they can neither see nor move about. We hope people can come forward to help foster these dogs and hopefully also help paper train them to give them a better chance of being adopted.

If you can help in any way, please drop us an email @ info@noahsarkcares.com On behalf of Mdm Goh, we are in need of assistance as HDB has already issued her a warning to remove the animals asap.

Thank you for reading this blog post.

Local Celebrities Help the Animals at Noah's Ark

Local celebrities have gathered together to help raise funds for Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary.

Event: Noah’s Ark Fund Raising Dinner
Date: Friday, 17 July 2009
Time: 7pm to 10pm
Venue: Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
Waterfront Ballroom, Level 2
392 Havelock Road S(169663)

Local celebrities, Vernon Cornelius of the Quest, Larry Lai of Rediffusion Glory and Koh Joo Kim, ex-radio DJ of 93.8 LIVE (The Living Room) are getting together this Friday for Noah’s Ark maiden fund raising dinner. Armed with hearts of gold, these stars have kindly volunteered their time to heighten awareness of the plight of the many abandoned companion animals that call Noah’s Ark home.

Vernon Cornelius will be entertaining the guests with his band for the entire evening. Whilst Larry Lai has kindly agreed to be the Master of Ceremony for the night. Last, but not least, Koh Joo Kim has done a voice-over for a video of the sanctuary – the video titled The Living Ark will be launched at the dinner.

Animals, not unlike their human counterparts, have also been hard hit by the recession. Unfortunately, they have no government safety net to ensure that they will not suffer too much from the downturn. Sadly, many face uncertain futures as to when their next meal is if not certain abandonment by their unfeeling owners. For some of the luckier ones, they have “granted” a reprieve at Noah’s Ark.

Presently, Noah’s Ark is home to more than 800 dogs, 450 cats, 21 rabbits, 4 guinea pigs, 4 ex-race horses, 1 pony, 4 civet cats and 2 macaques. Every animal that calls Noah’s Ark home has been rescued from abuse, neglect if not abandonment. Behind every bark or meow is a story waiting to be heard.

Just in Singapore itself, more than 10,000 animals are abandoned every year. The suffering of the animal that has been abandoned by its owners remains largely unknown to the public. Yet, the responsibility for caring for these abandoned animals continues to multiply manifold.

The Singapore arm of Noah’s Ark CARES, focuses on the rescue of abused animals and local sterilization programmes of companion animals. Noah’s Ark CARES has been very supportive of individual animal feeders in their efforts to have their animals in their care sterilized. As Noah’s Ark CARES strongly believes that active sterilization is the most humane way to control the stray population in Singapore. We at Noah’s Ark CARES are most grateful of our panel of dedicated veterinarians who support this programme by quoting attractive rates for its continued success.

Similarly, special mention should be made for the many dedicated volunteers who have often personally settled the medical costs of the many rescued animals.

Last but not least, we are mindful that the continued existence of Noah’s Ark is due to the belief and support of such like-minded people who feel that companion animals have a right to life filled with love and tender care. Without such commitment, our animals at Noah’s Ark would have no future.

The success of our maiden fund raising dinner bears testimony to this belief.

Event Review: BENEFUL, 14 June Sunday

The sun was beating down on us mercilessly as we arrived at 9 am to prepare our booth, fortunately the sweltering heat died down half an hour later and we were spared the heat for the rest of the day. Around us, all the usual faces from the local welfare organizations were present, such as ALL, ASD, SPCA and Madam Wong’s shelter. As we were all working towards the same goal - to raise funds for the animals, everyone seemed to enjoy one another’s company.

Fort Canning (Canine) Park

Soon enough, groups of people, together with their beloved dogs started streaming in, handfuls at a time. It was such a thrill seeing such an eclectic range of dogs occupying the vicinity, from common breeds such as Retrievers to the more exotic and rare, like the Afghan Hound. Frisbees were being thrown about and dogs were seen racing one another across the field, creating the perfect doggy day out. The fun for dogs however, did not stop there, for there were competitions being held for them. Great prizes were given to the fastest eating dog, most obedient and to the dog that could do the most tricks.

This big dog looks intimidating...

Hot Day + too much fur = Long tongue

Can I go play now please?

*sniff* - are you real!?

Nearby, across the lush green space, many owners rolled out their picnic mats which were provided by Beneful and their oh-so-casual dining took place. The atmosphere was absolutely wonderful, seeing dogs, families and couples engaging with one another and everyone was clearly having a lot of fun.

Every now and then, people would stop by our booth for a chat and to check out our merchandise and T-shirts with new designs. It was a good opportunity for us to interact with fellow pet owners and to enlighten them on Noah’s Ark’s mission and works. It was heartening seeing loyal customers from past events returning to support our cause and it was extremely encouraging when members of the public willingly signed themselves up as volunteers.

Launch of our new cotton Shaggy tshirts! Get yours today! Email us @ info@noahsarkcares.com to place an order.


Our humble tent

Events such as Bark in the Park provide tons of fun and enjoyment for everyone. Not to mention, the human-animal bonding which it promotes and this encourages responsible pet ownership. I’d like to thank Noah’s Ark for giving me the opportunity to volunteer and I must say I’ve learnt more about myself and about others through this experience.

Our hardworking volunteers

We at Noah’s Ark, would also like to thank Purina for their contribution and sponsorship towards the event “Beneful Bark in the Park”. The dogs at our shelter will certainly be pleased; I can already see them grinning from ear to ear!


Thank you BENEFUL, for allowing Noah's Ark to participate in this event!

** Story contributed by: Jo Ann and Ruth Lim,

Photographs by: Fiona

Fund Raising Dinner, Friday 17th July

Dear Friends of Noah’s Ark,

On behalf of Noah’s Ark CARES, we would like to invite you to support us in our maiden Fund Raising Dinner on Friday, 17 July ’09.

All funds raised from this event will help defray part of the running costs of Noah’s Ark Sanctuary – that currently houses our 800 dogs, 500 cats, 5 horses and many other small animals in Johore. Part of the funds raised will also be allocated to our on-going sterilization projects in Singapore namely Project Industrial Dogs and Project Catsnip.

Since the launch of Noah’s Ark CARES in June 2005, we have sterilized close to 500 stray dogs and cats gathered in the Industrial Estates as well as housing estates. Do seriously consider supporting this worthy cause by buying either seats or a table at this dinner. We look forward to seeing you at this event, your presence will be much appreciated by both our animal "recipients”.


Details of the Fund Raising Dinner are as follows:

Venue:
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
Waterfront Ballroom, Level 2
392 Havelock Road
Singapore 169663

Date: Friday, 17 July 2009

Time: 7pm – 10pm

NOAH’S ARK FUND RAISING DINNER MENU

Starters
Yellow fin tuna with radish, roasted red bell peppers and white anchovies
*******
Seared scallop, baby beetroot, truffle vinaigrette
*******
Scampi ravioli, pea puree, truffle jus
*******
Main Course
Snapper, onion broth, enoki mushroom
or
Wagyu beef cheek, soft polenta, pearl onion, king oyster mushroom
(please indicate your main course in the reservation form)
*******
Dessert
White wine and vanilla poached pear, Italian meringue

A table of 10 will cost $1,500/-, or $150/- per seat. To make your reservations, kindly email the number of seats/table you require to info@noahsarkcares.com or fill in the form below and mail it back to us.




Please do pen down this date - it will be a memorable evening you would not want to miss!! Thank you and looking forward to seeing you at our Fund Raising Dinner.
Yours sincerely,
Lynda Goh
Noah’s Ark CARES

Listen to Noah's Ark on FM938

Dear Friends,

We are just slightly more than a week away from our very 1st fund raising dinner. We have had overwhelming response and we're deeply touched by your support and generosity.

Many friends have come forward to buy tickets for the dinner and some friends have helped forward our fund raising dinner email to fellow animal lovers.

We are fortunate to have FM938 show an interest in our event and to show their support for Noah's Ark and our four-legged pals, they have interviewed Ms Chew, with regards to the event and about Noah's Ark.

Do tune in to the radio if you can!

Broadcasting on FM938 on
Wednesday (July 8) - 2.20pm and 9.40pm
Repeat on Saturday (July 11) - 8.20pm

The animals at Noah's Ark thank you for your kind support.

Best wishes

Mr Zeus, Mongrel

Gambolling Gambit

Our toy poodle, Coco, passed away last August after 11 years with us. This left us with Bandit our 11 year old JRT whom we adopted some 6 years back. So we thought about adopting another dog. We figured Bandit would enjoy the company as well. So we put the word out.

When Noah’s Ark Cares told us they had a young sweet male JRT for adoption, we were thrilled & excited to meet him. He had been abandoned by his previous owner.

Checking female dogs out on the internet!

And so D-Day came when we took Bandit down to meet Russell (as he was called then) in neutral territory. Russell is much smaller compared to Bandit who is short-legged, long bodied, broad chested & a tough cookie…very muscular (seriously ! he is not fat. Fat dogs cannot jump as high as he can).

Bandit & Gambit
The first meeting was good, no aggressiveness which signalled that we could move on to the next step, taking them both up to the apartment. The nimble dance of rear-end sniffing & circling ensued. I was a little nervous as I was afraid that Bandit would turn on the smaller dog. Fortunately, just little growls from Bandit when Russell became too enthusiastic.

Gambit & Bandit

And so we decided to keep Russell for a few days. By the first day we were already charmed by his sweet nature & my two teenaged children were already tossing names around. But we had to be practical & ensure that the two dogs would get along before we made the decision. Bandit had to remain Da Top Dawg…he gets petted & loved first so that he will not feel usurped.


MINE! NO! ITS MINE! Featuring our stars on the Left: Bandit, Right: Gambit

Poor Russell was very anxious when he was left with us & he quickly latched on to me. His anxiety resulted in major backend reaction. This little dog could fart like there was no tomorrow ! He gave off silencers…the worst kind ! Bottle this & we could smoke out Mas Selamat & Osama in no time.

Despite the smelly emissions, we were won over. He was named Gambit, in honour of an X-men character. If I had my way, he would have been named Kentot. And thus Gambit came to live with us.

As his confidence grew, Gambit’s playfulness emerged. And being much younger than Bandit, loves to play, gambolling all over. Tug o war with a towel is his favourite game which he plays with us humans.

Tug of war with the towel!

He tries to coax Bandit to play but his lordship won’t. There’s this hop-bump with nose-hop-yip from Gambit onto any part of Bandit’s body. Bandit bestows on him the most disdainful look & walks away. Gambit is undeterred…tries again. And so his lordship gets annoyed. He growls softly & when Gambit doesn’t give up, growls louder accompanied by short barks & when Gambit really pushes it, Bandit snaps, literally. His snaps don’t connect & you will see Gambit give this huge bunny hop away. But he comes back for more & we just shake our heads & roll our eyes at his foolhardiness.

Sharing is caring...

Hubby says it is payback time for Bandit because he used to annoy Coco by trying to get her to play & she being a hoity-toity French Princess (in her mind), would growl, snap & daintily show him her flufty behind. And like Gambit, he would still not give up. We wonder if Bandit experiences déjà vu in moments like these ?

Gambit is not only sweet natured but very bright. He learnt where to pee & poop rather quickly & also knows basic commands. Despite his small stature his bark is rough & gruff. We laugh at it. It is not loud, just hoarse. Like Rod Stewart with a sore throat.

Gambit in his down-stay mode

He likes to sit on our son or daughter’s lap while either one of them is on the laptop (he’s the lapdog) & gets his paws on the keyboard. Our daughter has one-sided conversations with him which goes like this.....eh don't close my conversation (her msn chats).....eh why you highlight the text.....I cannot see the screen, can you sit quietly & read.....don't you dare fart on my lap....are you sleeping ? do you dream ?

Lap Dog!

Bandit on the other hand, is too big for a lap cuddle (his butt will hang over) but he lays his head down on any part of your body that he fancies & uses his nose to push your hand to demand his petting fix. He shoves Gambit out of the way deliberately though he pretends like “ooops didn’t see you small fart”.


Welcoming us home everyday without fail..

Bandit & Gambit now sometimes share the same bedding though they each have their own, rump to rump, not quite nose to nose yet. They share the same toys & eat together. They are becoming accustomed to one another; Bandit being more tolerant so long as Gambit is less annoying. They won’t be BFF yet but it is looking good.

As he gains more confidence, Gambit’s malodorous silencers lessen. Or maybe it’s the food…we don’t really know. We still get the occasional whiff. And the next time we have visitors over for dinner, we can say it’s the dog. And it really won’t be an excuse.

Many kisses to my newfound family!

Please don't forget to check out the 2 videos below. We're so lucky to have him (:

Gambit came trained!



Some fun doggy time with Bandit and Gambit!

**Article, pictures & videos kindly contributed by Mrs Jen-Wee Almodiel