More Help for Haiti

Pamica Jean, age 7

Jolanda Geffrad, age 7

Mikerange Chery, age 7
Mikerange Joseph, age 7

Very Great News!!! Several of the Haitan children shown last night now have sponsors!!! I know these girls will be taken quickly as well. Just remember that these children are very young, therefore, you probably will not get letters until they are older. The illiteracy rate in Haiti is very high. It is possible that the parents of these children can not read or write. If you send a letter, they children will get it. If they can't yet read, it will be read to them. It is possible that they might color a picture or something, but it is probably be to gently prompt them about how much it would mean to you to get a picture from them (plus, send some paper, crayons, etc).

The main thing is that because of you, these children will be able to get an education!

Now, for an update on the children that were posted yesterday:

Barbara took Islande Demesva

Sara S took Rose-Guerlande Decimus

Sara S took Djerlinx Gomez

Stephanie took Rose-Mirlene Volmar

If you would like to sponsor one of these children, please send an e-mail to jamie@hishandsforhaiti.org Put the child's name in the subject line and give your name, address, and state your intention to sponsor child "x"

Coming up next- the little men of the group!

Help for Haiti

Judeline Felix, age 8

Dieska Pierre, age 9

Ilionise Monestime, age 9

Mirielle Auguste, age 9

Darlounedie Angrand, age 9

Julnise Jean, age 9

Ketteline St. Hilaire, age 10

Ysmelande Compere, age 10

Josline Colas, age 10

Edelande Louis, age 11

Moselene Abel, age 11

Chilove Jean-Louis, age 11

*Pictures removed because most of them now have sponsors!!

I had meant to hold off on this news, but in light of recent events, I have decided to share. This is how it happened on my end:

I was researching a 100% voluntary non-profit group called His Hands for Haiti. At the beginning of January, I began gathering information about the organization. It didn't take long to see that this organization is incredible. Here are the pluses:

1. No one is paid- 100% of the money you give goes to the children! Those kinds of non-profits are hard to find. The people running this organization are doing it purely because they love the people.

2. The sponsorship fee is low, but it provides so much for the children- the opportunity to go to school, have a school uniform, and a hot meal at school. Primary school enrollment in Haiti is about 67%, but only 30% make it to 6th grade! By the time of junior high, enrollment is less than 20%! Sponsorship is $40 per semester/ $80 a year

3. You may send packages to your child for a fraction of what it would usually cost, if you live in the US. The reason is because they have a private plane service that will take packages & letters to Haiti. It costs only $7.50 to mail a 5 pound package (plus, the cost to get it to Florida)!

I have corresponded with Jamie Charles who is the Child Sponsorship Coordinator. She has provided me with a mountain of information. After taking all of the information in, I could not help but take 2 of the children (I will introduce them later). Now that Haiti is in the crisis it is in, these children are in an even more desperate need. The schools are closed for now, but they are hoping they will be opened back up on Monday.

If you would like to join me in sponsoring one of these sweet children, this is what you need to do:

1. The pictures above are all girls between the ages of 8 and 11 who are in need of a sponsor. Their name is under their picture along with their age. Look at the pictures and see which one grabs your heart.

2. Send an e-mail to Jamie ( jamie@hishandsforhaiti.org ) with the child's name in the subject line. Tell her your name and address and your intention to sponsor child "X".

3. Once she confirms your e-mail and tells you that the child is being held for you, you can then send your check. Mail your check for $40 (or $80 if you want to pay for the year) written to "His Hands Support Ministries" to:

His Hands for Haiti

P O Box 62

New Vineyard, ME

04956

4. Jamie will mail you your child's photo and info as soon as she receives the check. She will, also, give you the details of how to write to your child & how to send packages/monetary gifts (I will explain those in a separate post).

Special notes: They do not have any on-site staff that takes pictures of the children. The annual photos are updated when a volunteer group travels to Haiti. Half of the area is covered by a volunteer trip in the spring, and the other half of the area is covered by a volunteer trip in the fall. That is when the annual photos & updates are sent to the sponsors. You will not receive a picture of your child receiving the package you sent them because as a voluntary organization, they do not have those extras at their disposal.

Letters are not required to be written. However, you are more likely to get a letter from your child if you:

a. choose a child old enough to read and write

b. write letters to the child as well

c. encourage them by sending a pack of stationary, pencils & other items for writing

d. send a few "about me" pages for them to fill out

Please keep me posted by responding to this post if you decide to take one, or two, or more. I would like to hear about your experience with this group. I will be keeping you all updated on my experience (including a post tomorrow about the 2 children I took). I will post some more children later, for those who may want to take on a younger child. I posted these sweeties first because they are all writing age, so for those who like to coorespond- this group is for you!

And the winner for Chanel sunglasses is...

Chrystal!! Yay!! Chrystal, you will now be battling the sun in style! Thank you, every one who helped finish the two fundraisers that benefitted from this raffle! Jessica will now have a wheelchair (and a small deposit toward a bed), and Maria & Ullysette will have their food, school books, and beds!!!

This is how the winner was picked using random.org. These were each person's numbers:

Robyn 1- 5
Chrystal 6-45
Holly 46-50
Inga 51-70
Wilfredo 71-90

The winning number was #25!!

On a side note, Jerry only needs $18 to complete his fundraiser! If you can help, please donate here

Victor's Trip to Honduras~ Chapter 1- The Loot

Victor's Trip to Honduras

Chapter 1: The Loot

I had been planning this trip with Mack for several months but the day before I was scheduled to leave, Mack called to say that she was too ill to travel. It was disappointing; more so for her than me, of course, but I was sorry not to have the company. I told her I would cover for her kids at our planned expedition to the water park - I wouldn't be bringing them gifts, but at least I could do that. I flew over to Florida the next day and hit Target fairly hard. I was going to hit WalMart as well, but the one closest to the house of the friend I was staying with had just closed down. I thought WalMart put other people out of business, I never knew that they went down themselves. Perhaps Target did them in - it was huge.

Either way, I was straight. I got a bunch of clothes, a soccer ball for each of the boys, racecars, markers, some other toys for the younger two and a bat, ball and glove for the older one. The politically incorrect side of me bought a camouflage shirt for Axel and Carlos as well. Fortunately, I didn't have too much of my own stuff because it took up most of my two suitcases. Tip when flying to Honduras - fly TACA - they let you take two bags with no extra charge. I got off the plane and I had left behind cold Florida (how often do you hear that!) for warm Honduras. I've no doubt that it will be water park weather tomorrow.

Anyway, I am in my hotel and the CI van is due to pick me up tomorrow at 10:00 - I can't wait!

And it only gets better!

Due to popular demand, Sara S has donated another 15 dolls!! If you look around at our fundraisers, you will see that these dolls have already given $88 to the 3 present families being helped!! (that all happened in less than a 24 hour period of time!) Check out the webstore (The deadline to order for Chile and the Dominican Republic is a week from today 1/22/10!)

The total number of dolls that Sara has donated for the children are 25, and 11 are already sold. We have 14 left, and all available 1st come - 1st served.

I, also, had one other person as if they could donate some items. For that, I want to tell one and all- If you would like to donate items for the store, you may send them to:

Make a Change
c/o Heather McLaughlin
P O Box 847
Anna, TX 75409

As I receive the items, I will photograph them & get them added to the store. Other than a small international shipping fee to get the items to the children, all of the rest of the money goes directly to our fundraisers! Any items that are not too bulky or heavy & in new condition are welcomed & very much appreciated!!

Our children are going to have so much fun with these packages!! We are going to have fun getting the letters & photos!

Two more small notes for this post:
1. I will be providing a post about how you can help Make a Change soon, I promise! Right now, I have some other exciting posts that I need to get up (including one from Victor who is presently in Honduras).
2. If you decide to donate items for these packages, please let me know if you want your donation to be anonymous- otherwise, I will be thanking you loud and proud (so stop me, if you don't want that to happen- you have been warned. LOL!)

Current Fundraisers 1/15/10

#18 is for Yamileisy and Jose Manuel's family in the Dominican Republic to start a business. They need about $330 more to start the business. Here is the link

#19 is for Carla in Chile. The fundraiser is almost halfway to completion with only a little over $100 to go!! Here is the link

#20~ Is for Jerry's family in the Philippines. They only need $100 to buy a table, cabinet & family-sized mosquito net. Here is the link

Sara S. capped off fundraiser #15 yesterday!!! YAY!! Now Maria & Ullysette will get the beds and food they need. Thank you, every one who helped make that happen for these two precious children!

These are the 3 fundraisers we now have going on. I expect them to fund quickly. 2 of them are almost complete, so it shouldn't take long. We have lots of families waiting in line, so I am anxious to get these completed ASAP. (20 more families are waiting for us- Can you believe it!?)

I will be adding some funds that I have today. Please join me in helping these 3 families. I think we can get at least one of these funded today, and the more we fund, the more people we can help!!

Thank you again for all you do! Have I ever told you how much I appreciate each and every one of you? Well, If I haven't...

I APPRECIATE YOU TREMENDOUSLY!!!!

**By the way, the money made from the princess dolls discussed in the post right before this one will be donated immediately! That being said, 8 dolls have already been purchased, and $64 has been donated to the fundraisers listed above. That means it will be even easier to get these funded!!

Special Delivery! Princesses!

I went to my doorstep this evening, & I found a big package waiting for me. I brought it inside, and took a peek. Inside were 10 beautiful princesses!!! Jaden and Morgan were "oooohhhh"ing and "aaaawwww"ing behind me. I know this small picture makes the dolls hard to see, but trust me they are gorgeous!

Sara S. made a donation to our web store! These dolls are dolls she has provided free of charge! That means that when you purchase them at the web store for $10, this is where you money will go:

$2 will cover the cost of shipping to get the doll to any of CI's community centers (at the regular time the country's packages are scheduled to be shipped)

$8 will go to the current fundraisers

Which means, we have $80 for the fundraisers just sitting there waiting for some one to grab it! If you would like to send one of these dolls to your CI sponsor child, act quickly. Once they are gone, they are gone! Here is the link

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Sara, for your generous donation!!!

What is going on at Make a Change?

Today I decided to break down and tell every one a few of the things that are coming up and some things that are already going on at Make a Change. This is very important, especially for those who do not follow the group regularly. There are so many things going on at one time, it can be hard to keep up.

For those of you who do keep track of the group, you have seen a lot happen in less than a year's time. I am sure it will surprise you to know that what you see is only the tip of the iceberg!! Here is a list of things that are going on/are in the process of being started:

1. The fundraisers have been a huge success. As you can see by the posts, we have helped many families and continue to help more and more. Numerically, we are on fundraiser #19, but we have had emergency fundraisers and an A&B fundraiser that make us over the #20 spot in fundraiser completion. The exciting part is getting the pictures and thank yous back from the field. When you get a chance, take a look at the complete projects page of the web-site. I would like you to take a close look at the faces of the children and their parents. Pause for a minute & really look at them. Then, try to put yourself in their shoes and imagine just how they might be feeling. It is truly AMAZING!

2. The summer reading packages are in full swing. A package is going to almost every community center that CI services. In each package, there are smaller packages for each child whose sponsor wants to participate. I would say an average would be about 10 children will be serviced by one package (as more sponsors begin to participate). That means that as the packages arrive to their destinations some time in the spring, they will be given to those children they are destined for... And, THEN, by summer we will have lots of photos & thank yous from some very happy children. Each sponsor will get their own pictures & letters, so it will be up to the sponsor to forward the correspondence to me to be shared with the group. I have a feeling I will have to post more come summertime! (right now I only post 2 times a day). To participate, and send your sponsor child items, check out the web-store. Any excess funds made from the purchase of the items in the web store goes directly to our fundraisers!!

3. We have done a reading program for CUS in Uganda as well. Two large priority boxes full of books were sent last year (over 100 books were sent!). One of the big boxes has already arrived along with a package full of bead bracelets & necklaces. These bix boxes of gifts will be given to the children when they return to school in February.

4. Shortly, I will be providing some information on how you will be able to help in a mass IGP (income-generating project). I am gathering information now on setting up several women with a group business. The business will provide these women with the life skills they need to survive & take care of their families. They will receive training in a craft, and will participate full time in the business. The products they produce will be brought here to the US & sold. Once sold, the money will be divided with the group of business women- We will have constant feedback & pictures. I will tell you about the women, and we will get to see first hand the items they are making. Then, we will make the business happen for them, and watch their lives transform!!!

5. Some of you have been following this group long enough to remember what I said about 1 year ago. It would be great to have a group of volunteers to go out to these poor communities & help (hands-on!!!) Some of you expresses interest in this as well. The good news is that despite the nay-sayers (which, by the way you can always find one if you are looking for them), I will soon have more information on this aspect of the group. I will be speaking with a representative of an organization I have worked with in the past. I am supposed to catch up with him next week, since he is presently in the Dominican Republic. I will be speaking with him about how we can get our sponsor children's communities in to their projects & how we can participate. The realization of the dream will probably not happen until 2011, as it will take a lot of time to plan. BUT, it is great news all the same!!

Those are the 5 bullet points I wanted to get out there, so that you all will know what is going on. It is much more than you see (as you can tell), and I try not to think about it all at once- It is really overwhelming what all we have the potential of doing. It is the purpose of the group- Make a Change is about making an everlasting change in people's lives and the world. The group is not about me- It is all of you making a difference together!!

This has turned into a full-time job for me, though I don't get paid to do it. I do it because it is exciting to see the difference it makes, and I would hope that someone would do the same for me if the roles were reversed. I do many things behind the scenes to get the projects completed, and I can always use some help (no matter how small). I will have some ideas for those who wish to help coming up this afternoon... So, stay tuned!

Bracelets, Necklaces & Books for CUS

Great news!!! As you can see, one of our large boxes of books & the medium-size priority box of necklaces & bracelets have made it to Kampala!! (our 2 boxes are on the bottom) The children are still on Christmas vacation, but will be returning in February. They are going to be in for a treat!!

Thank you all who participated~ I can't even imagine how the children will react when they see all that is waiting for them!

I, also, want to say thank you for your patience. It takes so long to get a package to Uganda, and replies back from the children. I can guarantee you that your kind gestures have not been in vain! Please remain patient for the children~ They have been through and continue to go through more in their short lives (depending on how old they are) than most of us will ever go through if we live to be 100 years old!!

Pictures & Thank you from 11A- Angelito!

Tamara wrote:

Thank you everyone that donate to Angelito's fundraiser
This is what Angelito and his family got

2 portable gas stove/plastic cabinet
1 mattress
63 assorted groceries
3 meal/transportation

Angelito and his family are very happy and feeling blessed when they received the special gift. Angelito was excited to visit the mall together with his mother. He was satisfied with the food they ate. His experience during marketing was unforgettable and he wished that his sponsor is also with him that time and see how happy he was. He would like to express his appreciation and thankful for the kindness of his sponsor.

The gift will benefit the child and family:
Through the gift,he was able to buy a mattress for his family. They now have a comfortable sleep area. The mother of Angelito is very excited to use the new portable gas stove. She will no longer use the old kerosene stove which is already damaged and not safe for cooking. Likewise it will also facilitate the cooking of the mother. angelito is also glad to have his own plastic cabinet so he can organize his clothes and other personal stuff. They also purchased grocery items for their daily needs. His parents will no longer worry about their food for days to come. He is happy having all these things.

Dear Tamara
Thank you so much for the wonderful gifts that you sent me. My mother and I went to the mall and bought something that we needed in our daily life like mattress,that my family and I can sleep comfortable. The plastic cabinet were I can use to keep my clothes. My mother also bought portable gas stove, and some bags of groceries for our daily needs. My whole family were very happy for the wonderful gift that I received from you.
Again, thank you and more power God Bless
Always, Angelito

Raffle Extended Until Friday

We are SO close to finishing Maria & Ullysette's fundraiser... So, The raffle for the Chanel sunglasses has been extended until Friday. This is in hopes that we can get this fundraiser completed by the end of the week. We only have $40 to go!

$1 gets you one raffle ticket (and the person who donated over $400 is not in the raffle, so you do have a chance).

To enter, make your donation here

Plush Animals & Beanie Babies

Ever since these Summer Reading Packages started, I have been on the look out for items for our kids. I love it when I am able to find quality products at a discount because that means that the total cost to buy and ship them won't be so much! These cute little puppies I found are 100% Snoopy collectibles. I was able to get 10 of these, so it is first come first served (available on the webstore)

Also, I have someone who will possibly be donating some 100% authentic beanie babies. That means other than a small fee for shipping (if we have enough country participation), the bulk of the money will go to our fundraisers!!

If you would like to donate items for the store, you may send them to:

Make a Change

P O Box 847

Anna, TX 75409

Please make sure that the items you donate are not too bulky or heavy, that way they will ship to each country affordably.

I am extremely anxious to see everyone's pictures & thank you's that they receive from these packages!! It will be nice to have so much great news to post! We will be bombarded with pictures and thank yous within 3 months or so. I can't wait! Make sure to pass along the pictures & letters, so that I can post them for the group.

**By the way, if you would like to add Snoopy to the Zambia package, you may do so. To add Snoopy to the Zambia package, make sure to order by 1/14/10.

Please Note: Country Added~ Chile!

Stickerbooks packed full of stickers! Over 400 stickers in each book. I am expecting a shipment of several stickerbooks by next week, and I will be able to tell you the exact characters I will have available. In the meantime, you can choose per gender on the web store.

Hair accessories for all of the pretty girls- clips and barrettes to choose from.

SpongeBob Lost in Time in Spanish. I have yet to meet a little boy who does not like "Bob Esponja"~ that includes English & Spanish speaking children!

I decided to read "Yo, Naomi Leon" to see exactly what the book is like. This book rocks! Great for any Spanish speaking child 9 and up! Naomi and her brother live with their grandmother in California. In this book, her mother comes back and wants to step up as a mother (but doesn't have the children's best interest in mind). Naomi takes a trip to Mexico and learns about her Mexican heritage. She, also, finds her father there. Believe me when I say this is a great book!

Arthur is great for children 2 and up. The preschool children will have to have the stories read to them, but they will enjoy the stories. My two girls (one who is 5 and the other who will shortly be 3) LOVE the Arthur stories! PreK- 6th grade children will enjoy these books.

I am packing up the Zambian items now, so the time to order for Zambia has passed.

You can now purchase items for the Dominican Republic & Chile!! I just added Chile to try to fit them into the program. I will be shipping both packages on the same day. The deadline to order items for both countries is January 22, 2010!

To order, go to the web-store: You have 10 more days to order...

Jessica will now get her NEW Wheels!!!

Thank you, one and all!!! Jessica will now get her wheelchair!! How exciting is that?!

Lisa was working on getting another raffle item for Jessica's fundraiser. Instead of the person donating the raffle item, they finished off the fundraiser & then some!!! Her fundraiser has now been over funded!! Yay!! She has other needs that were noted in the special needs break down, so the extra funds will not be wasted.

Lisa's raffle is still on until Tuesday morning as stated before. If you would like to enter to win the Chanel sunglasses, by donating to Robyn's fundraiser. Her fundraiser only needs $60 more!! That means there are 60 additional chances to win the sunglasses!! $1 gets you 1 raffle ticket, but you must act quickly- the drawing will be help bright and early tomorrow morning!!

Update on Mwanza

No one can deny that Mwanza and his family have had it rough in life. Both of his parents passed away a few years ago. Usually, what happens here in the states is that relatives come from near and far to help the children who have lost their parents, bringing food, comfort, and even taking the kids in to their home. Unfortunately, that is not what happened to Mwanza and his brothers and sisters.

When Mwanza's parents passed away, their relatives came to take everything the kids had in their home. They lost all of their furniture and almost every possession they had. They didn't even leave them a scrap of food to eat!!

The children had been struggling on their own before Children International found them. Now, they receive the benefits of sponsorship. All 5 children are able to go to school!!! They even receive meals through CI. They have come a long way from where they were 3 years ago!

Mwanza and his 4 brothers and sisters are still living on their own. CI is looking further in to how the family can be helped. I am hoping that they can start an income generating business, so that they won't have to go into the streets begging. A response should come back from the field within the next few weeks.

$512 has already been raised for the family. This will help fulfill their special needs request when it comes in. Their fundraiser will hopefully be enough for the children to start their own business & provide a bike to transport the goods back and forth for selling.

Here is the letter I just received from Mwanza:

Dear Heather
I am greeting you with much pleasure. I and my family, we are all right. I have received your nice letter and have heard your message. It's almost 1 kilometer from my school to my house, and 1 1/2 kilometers to our market. I do not have a bike. I have received your hugs and kisses. Thanks very much!
Yours,
Mwanza

Maria N's Special Needs Gift

Holly wrote:
"I sent Maria money for a Special Needs Gift, she was able to buy home furnishings, food, clothes & kitchen utensils.

Here is Maria's letter:

Dear Ms Holly,

Hi!!! First of all I want to greet your family and especially to you. You know I'm very happy when I know that I have a gift coming from you. Me and my family are very thankfull for God because I have a sponsor like you. Thank you for all the items that we can get. Thank you for the homefurnishing, kitchen utensils, groceries and also the clothes for me. You know those things are very important to us because it is the things that we need and also I'm very proud of you and I am the one who are very lucky person. Thank you for your loving and concern and thank you for giving me your attention. And I promise that I will finish my study for having a good future someday. I hope that you and your family are happy this coming christmas. Thank you very much and God Bless You.

Sincerelly yours,
Maria N"

Maria N has a fundraiser coming up for a fish vending IGP, so stay tuned for your chance to help out this sweet child and her family! Holly will raffle off a $25 giftcard in order to raise the funds needed for Maria N's family.

Chanel Sunglasses Raffle

This raffle is for a brand new pair of authentic Chanel Sunglasses!! They cost over $300. I bought them but never wore them, they still have the tags on them!
To have a chance at winning the sunglasses, you only have to donate $1 to Jessica's wheelchair fundraiser. Of course, the more you donate, the more chances you have to win!! 1 raffle ticket for each $1 donated! To enter, just make a donation here:
http://www.firstgiving.com/wheels4jessica

Emergency Fundraiser #3

Jessica (above) & Kiara (below)

An emergency fundraiser has just been launched! Jessica is Ecuador currently has no way to get around inside her home. She must scoot across the dirty floor to get where she needs to go. This fundraiser will provide her with a wheelchair she can use inside her home.

To make this fundraiser fun, there will be some fun items raffled off. One item is being raffled off starting today. The raffle will go until Tuesday when Lisa will draw the winner at 9AM eastern time. Stay tuned for details on what is being raffled. In the meantime, check out Jessica's fundraiser here:

Wheels4Jessica

Limited Quantities

More items have been added to the web store, and more will be added soon. Most of these are limited quantities. The balls above are one of those items- Each ball is only $3 to get shipped to your sponsor child! The major sport for the DR is baseball, and I have 6 available today. I have 2 soccer balls, 5 basketballs, and 3 footballs.

As I stated before, I have to group things together in the store, so these balls can be found under "toys!". More "$1 candy", "chocolate & candy", "games!", and "stickers" have been added. Plus, the price for coloring books and crayons have been reduced to $5 shipped! I have two Winnie-the-Pooh coloring & activity books in SPANISH available on a first come first served basis.

There are a lot of cool things available on the web site, so make sure to check it out. You can purchase the items at any time. Here are the deadlines to purchase, according to country. Make a note- CHILE has just been added!:

Dominican Republic & CHILE! (just added)~ 1/22/10
Ecuador~ 2/5/10 (a small package to Guayaquil only- we will see what customs does with it)
Guatemala~ 2/19/10
Philippines~ 3/5/10
Mexico~ 3/19/10
Honduras~ 3/26/10

Can you Help? Only $65 left!!

This fundraiser only needs $65 more!!! Who can help finish off this fundraiser and give these children a bed and food?

If you can help, here is the link. Thank you every one!!!