Tsunami Hope Chest auction moving forward

Here's a copy of a letter from "Tampa Tom" over at woodworking.org describing the THC:
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After the news of the Tsunami Disaster in the Indian Ocean last December, the nearly 5,000 members of the Woodworker's Website Association (WWA) agreed we had to do something in order to help the relief effort.

It was decided that one of our most talented members - Dave Shaw of Australian Wood Art (www.australianwoodart.com) - would be commissioned to build a hope chest to be auctioned off - with all proceeds to be given to assist the International Red Cross' efforts in the affected areas.

Nearly $3,000 U.S. was voluntarily collected from our members to purchase the exquisite woods and necessary supplies to build the piece.

As far as the woodworking process was concerned, the work was fascinating to watch. Mr. Shaw certainly has talent!

The final productis a sight to behold. Crafted of native Australian timbers, the piece features a hand-carved dove - the international symbol of peace - created from individual pieces of natural wood.

Here is the link to the site to show the progress:
http://www.woodworking.org/hopechest.html

And, here are some photographs of the completed piece:
http://www.australianwoodart.com/tsunami.htm

We are currently planning on listing the piece on eBay for an auction to end June 26, the six month anniversary of the tragedy. Again, all proceeds of the project will be donated to the International Red Cross to assist with Tsunami relief efforts.

At the WWA, our membership is international, with members from five continents. When the news of this tragedy broke, it affected us all. This effort, while small in comparison to other financial contributions, is what some humble craftsmen and women have to offer to help put people's lives back in order.

Thank you for your time, I will follow up with more information as the auction begins.
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It's a gorgeous piece of work and for a worthy cause. Take a look at the pix if you haven't seen them yet. Stunning!