Post #708802 by Tangaroa-Ru on Thu, Feb 20, 2014 3:08 AM

To have all the hard work we did end with the new owner changing his mind at the last minute was a slap in the face to all of us. Right now, Hidden Los Angeles is figuring out what to do about the funds that were raised, as this is a unique situation to them, even with all their experience doing good deeds like this. My personal feeling is that the funds should be kept in a secure place for a certain amount of time, because I just have a feeling this might not be over yet. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the Bahooka owner suddenly changes his mind once again. And IF that happens, the funds and amazing offers of help that Lynn (Hidden L.A.) was able to procure will still be in place and ready to put into motion. Damon's has made it clear that they're leaving their welcome mat out for Rufus should that happen. Should he become available again, they want him, period.

Those of us who were in the thick of this are going to find an evening in the next week or so to finally meet each other in person, talk about this experience and discuss what might happen next. We want to stay prepared, should this situation change again. We're hoping Jorge will accept our invitation to join us at that meeting, as he deserves a "thank you" dinner, big time. When Lynn figures out what to do about the funds that were raised, one of us will let you know. One thing I can assure you: These funds will NOT go to the new Bahooka owner. They were raised specifically to purchase Rufus from him and help cover the costs of moving him to a new home.

This was the third time that Thor and I have teamed up for a good Tiki cause or project. He is truly the best kind of person anyone would ever be lucky enough to know and I am proud to call him my friend.

I really look forward to meeting Lynn and Fez Moai. Lynn did all this work for free, just because she felt this was the right thing to do AND because her group, HIdden Los Angeles, reaches so many people, she knew she had the community support -- much like we do in our Tiki community, but on an even larger, local scale. Otto von Stroheim made Lynn possible, as he's the one who told me to call her -- and I am so glad I did.

I also look forward to meeting Fez Moai in person. He's the one who found out about Rufus needing a new home and had the good sense to tell one of the most valued people in our community (Sven Kirsten) about this situation, because Fez knew that people would listen to Sven in a way they might not listen to someone else. Throughout all of this, Fez kept in constant contact with me and Lynn, giving us whatever updated information he could about this situation because, at the beginning, Fez was the only one who had interaction with the new owner and Jorge (Rufus' caretaker), who also put his trust in him. None of this would have happened without Fez Moai's help.

I am finally getting a chance to read the posts from the past few days, and there are some accusations being thrown at Fez, which have nothing to do with the great service he did for this cause. This kind of treatment hits a particularly personal nerve in me and some of you know why. I'm choosing to meet Fez in person and give him a hug for all he did to help. I hope some of you do the same when you meet him.

I also want to say THANK YOU to everyone for contributed their thoughts to this thread and to those people who sent me some really nice personal messages. There were some excellent ideas you shared, and your support kept us going more than you know. Hang tight -- we may need it again.

~ Kari Hendler
(Former Assistant Editor/Writer for Tiki Magazine)

[ Edited by: Tangaroa-Ru 2014-02-20 03:14 ]

[ Edited by: Tangaroa-Ru 2014-02-20 03:15 ]