Tomorrow's Raffle

Kevin Bryan~ His father recently passed away and he is struggling to deal with the loss (above)
Katherine~She has had and up and down year with her health. She is now taking Pediasure, vitamins & liquados in hopes of getting her immune system to a normal level (below)

A message from Mack:

Dear fellow sponsors,

I must apologize in advance for the frivolity of tomorrow's fundraiser. I realize that my cause does not seem very important in comparison with kids who are sick, or with those who have lost their parents or their homes, and I will understand if nobody wants to donate.

Today's raffle is in support of the FREE THE TOYS FUND!

Like many of you, I enjoy sending toys and other "fun" items to my sponsored children. They only get useful holidays gifts - such as clothes and dishes - from CI, and they never seem to be allowed to buy non-essential items with the money we send (unless the sponsor specifically asks that the donation be used on a bicycle, swim lessons, etc). I know that having food to eat is far more important for a child than owning a Barbie doll, but does it really hurt them to have both? Kids are kids, no matter what their economic status may be, and there's a certain amount of benefit to stimulating a child's imagination through play!

For Christmas, I sent a large box full of toys to Katherine and Kevin in Guayaquil. I received a call from CI on Friday to inform me that customs in Ecuador is holding my package hostage for a ransom of $135! The rep told me that 7 other sponsors are in the same fix - all being forced to pay $100+ for the release of their child's Christmas gifts.

$135 is an outrageous amount to be charged for a package containing only $75 worth of toys (and I believe I declared the value at only $50), and obviously I will not be sending any more large, expensive boxes to Ecuador. I'm hoping to raise enough money to free these gifts, however, because my father and I have already invested $150 dollars into the package ($75 for the items + $75 (insanely) for the shipping). I'd hate to just write everything off as lost ... but worst of all, it is now to late to get new holiday cards and letters out to Katherine and Kevin. I'd hate for them think that they've been forgotten at Christmas! If all else fails, I will send them each a $25 special needs gift - but I would prefer to use this money to free their presents if I can get other contributors to chip in.

To encourage donations, I am offering a very special PERSONALIZED raffle item that will make an awesome and unique gift for a loved one, a sponsored child, or even yourself! Look for all the details in tomorrow's blog post!

Your friend,
Mack