We have to admit: Bono and U2 has/is/will always be an inspiration for thehinitiative. Both the person, band and the music. And the things that Bono is involved in, we aspire to. Just as one example:

(RED) : "(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa."

(RED) has got huge brands on board, like GAP, American Express, Converse, iPod, Dell, Hallmark, Motorola, and Emporio Armani!

Anyway, after having the unforgettable opportunity to watch them live on 24 November '06 (and only 1.5m away from the stage), we sent them a letter along with a few of our "I heart NZ" tees and some good old Wellington chocolate (Whittakers to be exact).

We received this thank you email back from Celia Coffey at U2 headquarters:

From: cecilia coffey [mailto:cecilia@numb.ie]
Sent: 2 May 2007 2:20 a.m.
Subject: Thank you

Dear Li Ling,

Sorry for the delay in replying. Just to say thank you for your letter and to let you know that your t-shirts and chocolate have been passed on to the band.

Best wishes,
CC

Ok, so it was late (a May reply to a December parcel send off). And it's (really) short & sweet. But at least they acknowledged it and we know they got them in the end! Plus, it's our first (and so far, only) "degree of separation" communication from U2 : )

We know this is a pretty random piece of information but thought we'd share it as it was exciting & encouraging at that point in time!