CHRISTMAS IN WULAI

This annual festival bring cultural exchange, international goodwill and heartwarming smiles to this indigenous community.

A compilation of festive video clips from the event.

Since 2010, the ATAYAL organization has supported a cultural exchange activity that brings the Spirit of Christmas to the children of Wulai every year. The event is enjoyed by locals and tourists who visit Wulai. The 2017 event was held on Saturday, December 23 from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm in front of the Wulai Atayal Museum. The event was blessed by the best weather we ever had so far, being sunny with blue skies. There were gifts donated to the Fushan Church, volunteers, music, rapping, and sign language performances. And, of course, Santa thrilled the children and passersby. Small donations were accepted and went to support charitable causes in Wulai. This annual exchange of goodwill is the brainchild of our international director, Gary Smoke, and the event is a way to give back to the people of the indigenous village of Wulai, the hometown of the mother of Tony Coolidge, ATAYAL's founder.

Online Donations

The transaction on your financial statement will reflect "ATAYAL, Inc." as the recipient of your donation. 100% of your donation will be provided to support ATAYAL projects, and a tax-deductible receipt will be provided to you from ATAYAL via e-mail. It will be sent to the e-mail address provided in your PayPal account or during your debit/credit card transaction on the PayPal system.

Poster

The Spirit of Giving Continues To Grow

The previous Christmas events in Wulai have been memorable, with volunteers from Taiwan and other nations gathering to share holiday cheer. In 2013, we shared Christmas with the Maori participants of the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program. Since 2010, we have worked with local churches to reach the children, and various sponsors have donated gifts and services to make the events special for everyone involved. Musicians have generously given their time to make the experience lively. In 2016, we had an Indigenous Fashion Show and a Secret Santa gift program. In 2017, we had more volunteers in attendance than ever.

Donated funds go to support the following charitable causes in Wulai:

Publish a book in the Atayal language in cooperation with an elder from the Atayal tribe.
Assist in sending some indigenous paddlers and artisans to the Pacific Northwest (Washington State) to attend the Native American Canoe Journey in the Summer of 2018.
Start our 7-subject English study program. Subjects include: music, art, videography, photography, computers, sports and English language classes. All of which will be provided with the help of teams of volunteers. You may join in, as each subject will require a team of at least 6 people in order to avoid overburdening our volunteers. With a team, your obligation would be once every 6 weeks.
Cover the costs of our show (tent, transportation, tree, lights and such)

Photo Gallery

Click on the link below to view more photos from our previous event. Credit: Photos Provided by Tony Coolidge.

Click Here For More 2017 Event Photos on Google photos (by Tony Coolidge)

Click Here For More 2017 Event Photos on Facebook (by Russ McClay)

Click Here For More 2017 Event Photos on Google Drive (by Phoenix Boling)

2017 Sponsors

We believe in supporting those who support our efforts. When you have a choice, please choose to do business with our generous sponsors. The 2017 sponsors included:

Babi Corp - Provided many bags of delicious Pepperidge Farms cookies
14F-1, No. 30, Pei-Ping E. Rd.
Taipei City, Taiwan
Telephone: +886-2-2391-8666

2017 Partners

Our event is made richer by partners who provide the time, efforts and resources to contribute to Christmas in Wulai in some meaningful way. The 2017 sponsors included:

Wulai Atayal Museum (烏來泰雅民族博物館) - This year's Christmas in Wulai event was hosted in front of the Wulai Atayal Museum with their help. Thank you Miss Zhang for making the arrangements. Thank you, William Ling, for arranging the tent rental.

Impact of Our Events

Receiving gifts and sharing memorable holiday experiences with people are worthwhile. However, I believe the best benefit that comes from our investment of time and effort is that the indigenous youth of the village of Wulai have the opportunity to interact positively with people outside their community. They have the opportunity to learn from people from other countries and share their own culture, in what can be described as a holiday cultural exchange. We hope these experiences inspire the local children to realize that they are not alone in the world, and to strive to reach out as proud representatives of their tribe.

Organization Info for Donors

ATAYAL is a Florida-based charitable organization based in Fern Park, Florida. The organization also has a branch office in Pflugerville, Texas. If you have any questions about donating to ATAYAL, please contact us.

ATAYAL is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization, and up to 100% of your donation may be tax-deductible. Please consult your accountant.

A copy of the official registration (#CH37019) and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free 1-800-435-7352 within the State of Florida. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the State. This organization receives 100% of all contributions.

Click here to see official 2018 registration (#CH37019) with the State of Florida

"A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE."

For any questions regarding the registration statement, you can contact the State of Florida Division of Consumer Services at:

1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352)
www.FloridaConsumerHelp.com

Building bridges for cultural exchange