December Fundraiser Update

The new Make a Change Fundraiser list is now ready!

15. Robyn~ Maria & Ullysette in Phillippines ~ needs $247 more to be completed
16. Su~ Crystal & Gema in Guatemala IGP ***COMPLETE***
17. Steve~ Maila in Philippines ***COMPLETE***
18. Dee~ Yamileisy in the DR ~ needs $475.40 more
19. Stephanie~ Glenn in Philippines
20. Candace~ Adriana in Colombia
21. Wilfredo~ Jerry in Philippines
22. Heather G~ Joyce
23. Holly~ Maria
24. Camille~ Ariela
25. Tamara~ Rosalie
26. Cherise~ Sabrata in India
27. Kate~ Nelanda in the DR
28. Mack~ Kevin in Ecuador
29. Heather M~ Brayan in Mexico
30. Chrystal~ Jessica in Ecuador
31. Susan H~ Jessabel in Philippines
32. Holly G~ Roselle
33. Heather G~ Michelle
34. Barbara~ Mario in Chile
35. Lisa~ Jostin in Ecuador
36. Dana~ Elaine in Philippines

Please note, there are a few of these fundraisers that are very small. If your fundriaser is small ($200 and under), I will be squeezing you in with a larger fundraiser. This will help the list and fundraisers keep moving and not be at such a stand-still. It, also, means we will all get to our own fundraisers a lot quicker!

Since this is all of the response that I received from the bulk of the sponsors for new fundraisers, I am opening up the last 4 spots to those who have fundraisers in numbers 27 through 30. If you are one of the sponsors in that slot and would like a fundraiser between numbers 37 to 40, contact me by Monday evening with the child ID. Also, remember these fundraisers have a $350 cap. Once I hear or don't hear from this group, I will open up any remaining numbers to those with fundraisers on the end of the list. Once I hit #40, I will stop taking requests until around April 2010 (or sooner, if the fundraisers complete faster).

Vamanos pa' Cartagena y Barranquilla!

(above is Heather G's child Diego with a book that she sent him)

The book store is up and running! I have added several titles, and more will be added later. Right now, all of the books are in Spanish, but I will be adding English books for our English speaking children soon.

The first country to get a package will be Colombia. If you have sponsor children in Cartagena or Barranquilla, go to the web-site:

http://www.makeachangemac.webs.com/

On the web-site you will find books for all ages. I have included something fun for the children as well (dominoes). You can place your order directly from the web-site, and the order may be placed any time between now and December 26th, 2009. At that time, I will gather up all of the orders and pick up the books and dominoes. The package will be put together and go out at the beginning of January.

Each child will have a seperate bag inside the box with his/her full name and child ID. You may, also, e-mail me a letter that you would like to include in their package.

Make sure to give me your child's full name & ID along with which community center they use.

And the winner for Day 13 is...

The final tally is:

Barbara - $10
Su - $30
Chrystal - $20
Sara - $5
Stephanie - $15
Robyn - $20
Total = $100

As for the drawing ...

Barbara: 1-10
Su: 11-40
Chrystal: 41-60
Sara: 61-65
Stephanie: 66-80
Robyn: 81-100

And the winner is ...

Chrystal Torres with #41! Yay!! Chrystal, let Mack know which of the three bedtime bundles you would like.



That leaves $60 still needed for the picnic and party in Guatemala. If you would like to donate, there is still time. Send your donation via paypal to scubaboarder33@gmail.com

Project #8 for Alia Thank you

The child together with her mother was SURPRISED on the gifts given by the sponsor. Accordingly, this is the 1st time that the child received this kind of assistance. The gifts given were already indicated in the previous inquiry memo sent by the sponsor. Thus the family was so very glad that the inquiry was granted and that their proposed IGP will be materialized. With this, they wished to extend their heartfelt thanks to the sponsor for sharing them this precious blessing.

The assistance given to Alia Rose’s family is very significant not only to the child but to her family as well. The income generating project which is the fish vending will give the father extra job taking into consideration that he only engages in an on and off construction works. With the fish vending activity this will augment the income of the family. In addition, the footwear of the sponsored child will be useful for her personal needs. This will also replace the old ones. On the other hand, the groceries will supplement the needs of the family for food for a certain period of time. So, the family was THANKFUL to the sponsor because the inquiry was realized into special donation

Alia Rose

“Thank you for sending this assistance to me and my family. This is a very big help that you can give me because it will really add on to the income of my family"

Summer Reading Packages

Books for Grades PreK through 2nd grade below

Grade 2 through 5 below

Grade 6 and up below

I am requesting feedback from all of my dear blog followers. This is my idea for the children this summer, so let me know what you think:

I would like the children to have books to read during summer vacation, and I would, also, like to give them books that would give them a love for learning and reading to last a lifetime. It can be so expensive to send a package to our children, but together, as a combined effort, it would be affordable for everyone.

I would like to send packages to the main areas where our children are, and raise money for the kids as well. This is how my mind is thinking:

1. Start with 1 center, for example, Cartagena, Colombia.

2. I would have choices of around 20 or so paperback books all for $10 a book.

3. If you want to provide a book for your child/children in Cartagena, you would donate the amount by a specified time and choose the books you wish to purchase.

4. I will gather every one's orders, and get a multiple item discount.

5. I will order the books & have them shipped to me.

6. I will pack up all of the books in large bags with each child's name & ID # on the outside of the bag. You may include a letter that I will print & put inside the bag as well.

7. All of the books will be put into one large shipping box & ship together to the center in Cartagena, Colombia.

8. Any profit from the sale of the books (after paying for the books & shipping) will be disbursed to the current fundraisers in the Make a Change line.

9. Then, we can move on to the next community center of interest, and we start the whole process over again.

10. Ideally, starting in January and going until May to get the books there for the summer to whichever community centers you all decide on. Of course, if there is only one sponsor wanting to send to a particular area, it would not help the cause at all, since we would pay more in shipping.

This should give approximately $4 of each sale back to the fundraisers, which could make a BIG difference in getting them funded.

Plus, the children receiving the books get the benefit of learning the magic of books.

Now, I need your feedback. Do you like the idea? Do you have a particular community center you would like focused on? What would you change, if anything, about the idea?

I would like to see more happy faces from children receiving packages like the happy faces above.

*Another thought to go along with this one... If this idea draws a lot of takers, and every one enjoys it, it would be nice to have other things to include in the packages. For example, small toys or games, clothing, etc. This will require a lot of research on my part to find things at a good price, so that approximately 50% of what you pay for the item here will go to the fundraisers (the other 50% would buy the items and ship them).

And, I am really not sure what to do about Ecuador at this point. With the taxes they are imposing on packages, it makes it impossible to send anything. We may have to do a test package and see if they tax a priority flat rate envelope, and if so, how much.

Last day to get in the raffle!

$5 was donated by Sara Senser. $95 more is needed to make the Guatemala party & picnic happen. Today is the last day for the raffle.

Above is the Bedtime Bundle #2, and guarenteed to arrive in time for Christmas!! Remember that you will have a choice between the 3 Bedtime Bundles. It only takes $1 to be in the drawing!

To enter, make your donation via paypal to:

scubaboarder33@gmail.com

Crismairy's Christmas Package

Crismairy's letter to Barbara:

"Dear B.Rogers.

I am writing to thank you for the gifts sent to Crismairy. She is too young and cannot write well yet. She is very happy for the clothes including a Winter Olympics 2010 T-shirt, bathroom wall plaque, stuffed beluga whale with Santa hat, singinging blushing snowman, toy cooking set, Xmas accessories and purse and Santa hat received from you. She also thanks you for the pictures and card sent. She sends greetings to your entire friends. That all for now. Yacosta (cousin) and Crismairy."

Mario's Christmas Package

A message from Mario's sponsor, Barbara:

Because of what Mario went through this year, that is having to flee from domestic violence with his mother and sister and finding refuge in a church facility I sent him and Javiera more expensive gifts than usual. I was hoping to cheer them up and the following photos prove that my plan worked. The look of happiness on Mario's face as he starts to explore his Christmas package says it all. Here is what he wrote upon receiving his Christmas package.

"Dear sponsor Barbara Rogers;

I hope this letter finds you well along with your family. I am very thankful for the gift you sent me. This time I received a remote control car and batteries, a Barbie doll and clothes (for Javiera), a Pope collector plate (for his mother), clothes, Christmas accessories, a book and pictures. I always get very happy for all these gifts that are very nice. I say goodbye with a kiss. Your sponsored child Mario."

Welcome to Fundraiser #18!

You may remember these adorable 2 siblings from the Nov. 1st post. Dee was able to provide them with a toilet, sink, and the actual addition to the home of a bathroom!

Now, she needs our help. The family would like to start an IGP (my favorite!). They would like to sell clothing and beauty accessories from their home. The cost of the product they will sell is $500. They can use some of the profit from the business to buy more product to sell, and keep the business going indefinitely!

To help this wonderful family realize their dreams and be able to spend more time together, check out their fundraiser IGP!

Fundraiser Participation

I am still going through the pages and pages of donations to add up everyone's totals. Those of you with fundraisers coming up soon have more than likely already heard from me. I am focusing on those sponsors that have fundraisers coming up within the next month. After that, I will start adding up the rest of the donations (for those that have a fundraiser coming up). Instead of posting the results, I will just keep a spreadsheet on my computer (so I won't have to go through so many pages next time). I will let you all know idividually if you do not have enough donations to launch your fundraiser. Then, you can pay it forward before the time comes for your fundraiser. This will, also, help close out some of these fundraisers that are close to completion.

If you already know you need to doante more, here are the current fundraisers:

only needs $59 more!!

needs $250 more!

Guatemala Party Update #1

We are at the halfway point of the raffle to raise money to throw a party for the children in Guatemala. The above pictures are for Bedtime Bundle #1. If you win the raffle, you will have your choice between the 3 Bedtime Bundles. I will show more of the other two bundles tomorrow and Thursday, There is still money needed for the party & picnic, but here are the donations that have been received so far:

Barbara~ $10

Su~ $30

Chrystal~ $20

Total raised so far= $60

If you would like to donate, just send a paypal payment to:

scubaboarder33@gmail.com

More updates to come!

Draft list of fundraisers for 2010

18. Dee~ Yamileisly in the DR
19. Candace~ Adriana in Colombia
20. Stephanie~ Glenn
21. Wilfredo~ Jerry
22. Heather G~ Joyce
23. Holly~ Maria
24. Camille~ Ariela
25. Tamara~ Rosalie
26. Cherise~ Sabrata in India
27. Kate~ Nelanda in the DR
28. Mack~ Kevin in Ecuador
29. Heather M~ Brayan in Mexico
30. Chrystal~ Jessica in Ecuador
31. Susan H~ Jessabel in Phillippines
32. Holly G~ Roselle
33. Heather G~ Michelle
34. Barbara~ Mario

This is a semi-final draft of the upcoming fundraisers. There are still some kinks being worked out. I have gone through some of the donations. Some people are short on the amount that they need to donate before their fundraiser can start. I know some of this is because some of you were unaware as to how much you have donated. I have added up the totals for 5 of you, but I am still going through the list for the rest of you. I am only adding up the totals for those of you who have an upcoming fundraiser. I will let you know your total by the end of the week. Then, you have until your fundraiser is about to start to donate the amount you need to. If it comes time for your fundraiser, and you have not donated the 25%, you will be skipped and pushed to the next fundraiser. Once you have been skipped, it is time for you to donate the rest that you need. to If you do not donate or respond to me to tell me what is going on, I will push your fundraiser out again. If you still haven't responded to my inquiries or made any donations since, I will remove your fundraiser from the list.

I am trying to help everyone, but I am running into obstacles for the following reasons:

1. the need of pics, write ups, & break downs to set up your page

2. people not donating the 25% in enough time for me to plan out their fundraiser placement

3. people not wanting to help get their fundraisers funded

Here are my suggestions:

1. send your pics, write ups, & break downs in plenty of time to set up you page (send it to me at least by the time your fundraiser is 3 fundraisers away)~ That way, if you have a chance to get bumped forward, you can be, and I for sure will be able to get your page set up in time.

2. if it is hard for you to make donations, send them a few dollars at a time, and let them build up. 25% is not a big amount to request. Remember that if you donate to others, they are more likely to donate to you.

3. the rule of 25% means that if everyone only donates 25%, 75% has to be gotten from outside of the group. I hope that most are donating more than 25%, but it is not mandatory. This being said, when your fundraiser is up, you MUST lobby for your own cause. Especially if you only donated 25% (because you may only get 25% back from the group). Lobbying for your cause would include telling friends and family, social networks, facebook, twitter, myspace, and holding raffles (among other ideas).

Now, in order to launch the next fundraiser, I am just waiting for one of these fundraisers to be completed:

http://www.firstgiving.com/icecreamigp
http://www.firstgiving.com/betterlatethannever

Ok... Now, I hope everyone understands all that is going on with the fundraisers. I want to make this a great experience for everyone and help a lot of families along the way. I don't intend for this to be a one-person show~ It should always be everyone working together for a common cause. And, I can tell you this from experience... If everyone sits here and waits for something to happen, it will never happen. YOU have to make it happen.

**P.S. If you sent me a request, and your name is not on this list, e-mail me a reminder & I will sift through my e-mails to pull up your original request.

Also, most of these fundraisers have been on the list this year (for a LONG time!) The only new ones start at fundraiser #27 and on. Thank you to those that have patiently waited through these large fundraisers for their's to start!

Now, you have until Friday 12/18/09 to get your fundraiser requests in. I will load them up until we get to #40 or until the end of Friday night, whichever comes first. It is on a 1st request, 1st served basis, and is open to anyone who is not already on the list between fundraiser #27 and #34. That means any of you who have a fundraiser BEFORE #27 you can request another fundraiser for this new batch (the reason for this is because those between #18 & #26 have been waiting months for their fundraisers to start, since most were requested before October of this year).

Then, I will start taking requests again in April 2010, or sooner (depending on how quickly we get the fundraisers completed).

To get your child's name in these upcoming fundraisers, e-mail your request to me no later than Firday 12/18/09

Upcoming Fundraisers

This is just a reminder that tomorrow I will be posting the list of the new upcoming fundraisers (crossing my fingers). I need to hear from everyone who wants a fundraiser on the upcoming list by today! If you don't make it on the list, you can still be added at a later time (but everyone who responded first will be in front of yours). I am not assuming that anyone wants to continue with the fundraisers and have an additional one unless you tell me so.

Also, if you have a fundraiser coming up, I need your pics, breakdown & write up if you haven't already sent them. I need to get these by the 18th. For those of you on this list: Stephanie, Wilfredo, and Camille, I need to hear from you by that date in order to keep you on the list. (you each should have a personal e-mail from me, so just respond by Friday)

Several of you have asked for your donation totals, and I know we need them to check the 25% rule. I will be doing the tedious job of adding up each person's donations, and then, I will post the list so you will know how far you have to go to get your project launched. IF for some reason, the 25% is not reached at the time when your project is supposed to launch, you will be bumped back and the next person in line will go before yours (until the amount is donated). This will keep everyone helping everyone, and that is the whole purpose of this group~ The point is alone we may be able to do a couple of things for our children, but together we can change the world!

A recommendation as well is that for the next fundraisers we try as hard as we can to set the family up with an IGP. We want to give them the power to help themselves, and the satisfaction that comes from it. Sometimes, an IGP can not be done (I can think of a couple of cases) because the parents are illiterate or there are no parents. In the case of an illiterate parent, it is possible to set them up with the educational training, if they want the help. The education will allow them to succeed in life, and imagine how much more powerful they will feel if they can do basic math & read and write!!

Now, I am going to get to work on these numbers. I don't think I will get every one's donations sorted out until later in the week, but I will be posted the updated fundraiser list tomorrow... Stay tuned!

***Also, as I add up the numbers in the amount that each person has donated, if you do not have a fundraiser coming up, I will not be adding yours up. After I come up with your total, it will go like this (an example):

Person A had a fundraiser in June for $250
Now, Person A would like another fundraiser in this 2010 round for $300
The total in Make a Change fundraisers for Person A is: $550

Person A needs to have donated 25% of that amount before their 2010 fundraiser can start. Amount needed to be donated: $137.50

Now, remember, this amount that has to be donated to other people's fundraisers (not donations to your own) to be counted.

12 Days of Christmas Raffle-thon Totals

Everyone should be very happy with the results of the raffles. We had lots of winners, and most importantly the children won much needed help!! We now only have 2 current fundraisers, and one of them is VERY close to completion (not including the homes that are needed)! The ice cream shop in Guatemala only needs $89 more to be complete!!! If you would like to contribute to this fundraiser and close it out, you can donate here Once this fundraiser is completed, I will launch the next fundraiser!

As for the 12 Days of Christmas, $2,406 was raised in only 12 days!! Which brings our yearly total to over $8,000!! Here is the exact breakdown:

Day 1= $19
Day 2= $40
Day 3= $401
Day 4= $64
Day 5= $113
Day 6= $28
Day 7= $1170
Day 8= $75
Day 9= $317
Day 10= $49
Day 11= $25
Day 12= $65

Total = $2406

A BIG HUGE thank you to all who contributed prizes & money to these fundraisers! You all have made it a success, and the children and their families will be successful in return. I hope you all enjoyed the raffles. One person (I don't know if they want to be named) had this to say:
"It was great for me that the raffles were happening during finals - gave me one fun thing to look forward to each day"

A Party in Guatemala!

A message from Mack (who will be supplying the Guatemala Crew with lunch and a party):

Today's raffle is for your choice of 3 "Bedtime Bundles" - an excellent gift for the little one in your life, sponsored or not. All three sets include a colorful child's quilt with a soft flannel backing. These quilts are one-of-a-kind creations, generously donated by my mother.

Bedtime Bundle #1 features the lovable, cookie-chomping mouse from Laura Joffe Numeroff's popular children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. The bundle includes a hardcover copy of the book, an adorable stuffed mouse, and a hot cocoa gift set with three yummy flavors.


Bedtime Bundle #2 showcases Laura Joffe Numeroff's bestselling sequel, If You Give a Pig a Pancake. The stuffed pig included with this bundle is even softer, fluffier, and warmer than the very best pancake ever pulled from a griddle! Naturally, he comes with a copy of his book + 2 boxes of delicious hot cocoa (for your child to spill on the quilt).


Bedtime Bundle #3 is for the non-reading, wild animal lover. The bright and whimsical quilt is covered in hippos, rhinos, and elephants, with zebra and leopard-print flannel on the back. It comes with a furry stuffed gorilla, a spotted stuffed leopard, and a totally cute chameleon.

$1 = 1 raffle ticket & this raffle will go until Thursday Dec. 17th. $160 needs to be raised, but if more than that is raised, they can have an even bigger party! (i.e. Small toys to gift)

If your sponsor children are included in the party plans, this is a great time to donate and provide them with a great experience. It will be exciting to see the pictures on this one!!

To enter the raffle, send a paypal payment to Mack's e-mail (we were going to set up a FirstGiving page, but CI wouldn't get the FirstGiving check in time for her trip- Sorry! Mack will be updating us on the status of the fundraiser, though):

scubaboarder33@gmail.com

If you have never sent a payment via paypal, here are the instructions (make sure you follow the part about it being a "gift", or part of the money will be taken as a fee by Paypal):

1. Go to www.paypal.com
2. Click on the tab marked "send money"
3. Fill in the two email addresses. Mack's is scubaboarder33@gmail.com
4. Under "Purchase" mark "Services"; under "Personal" hit "gift". I think that way I don't get charged a fee.

And the winners for Day 12 are...

Holly & Heather Griffin! You two won the $20 Amazon gift card! Yay!! Please let Robyn know if you prefer a joint $20 card or two $10 cards. Here is what Robyn said:

I used random number generator again, and it came up #15. So congratulations go out to Holly & Heather, holding lucky ticket #15!! :)

Thank everyone for donating- it is greatly appreciated!! :):)

1-20 Holly & Heather
21-25 Tracy
26-30 Lindsey
31-40 Del
41-45 Sara
46-55 Heather M
56-65 Jim & Mack

Mack's Planned Trip to Guatemala

Mack is headed to Guatemala in less than a month! She decided to meet up with other sponsor's children (just as Steve has done), but she wanted to do something a little different. Her idea was to take all of the kids to the zoo!! She had to get permission from CI, and see if they could feasibly do that. This is the response she received back:

This is what CI has planned for me in Guatemala:


For safety and logistical reasons, our field staff are not able to arrange for you to take Nicty, Heidy, and 19 sponsored children of Google Group members to the zoo. They can however, arrange for you to meet with some of the sponsored children of members of the Google Group, if you are interested. This is the itinerary they have suggested:

8:00 Pick you up at your hotel in Guatemala City
9:00 Arrive at Nicty's home
10:00 Take Nicty shopping
12:00 Take you and Nicty's family to meet with Robyn's child Wilmer and Steve's child Blanca (who live in Nicty's area) at a park and have lunch with them

1:30 Take you back to Guatemala City
2:30 Meet with Google Group members' children who live in Guatemala City (Susana's kids Gema & Crystal and Steve's kids Mildred, Johainy, Gilma, and Karilin)

4:00 Take you back to your hotel

You can let me know if you would like to meet with the children of some of the Google Group members as outlined above or if you prefer to stick with your "Plan B" and spend the entire day with Nicty. The cost of lunch for everyone (3 children, 3 mothers, 4 siblings, and 4 staff) in Antigua would be $90, and the cost of transportation would be $15. For your meeting with the six children who live in Guatemala City, our field staff suggested having a little party for them. The cost for the pinata, candy, cake, and decorations would be $39. The cost of transportation for the six children and their parents to travel to our office would be a total of $15.

For a total cost of $159

So, to make this miracle happen for the kids, which I know will be fun (& is sure to produce some great video & pictures!!!), we need to raise $159. Mack, of course, is paying for her whole trip and expenses. These are only the expenses to meet with the rest of the group's children. It will be nice to have a party for them, and I'm sure this is an experience they will never forget!!! (I wish I had kids in Guatemala!)

If you would like to help with the expenses of the party, transportation, & picnic, we are doing an "andale" extra raffle day. This raffle will go from the 13th to the 17th, and it is going to be for a very nice prize! Stay tuned for the details!

And the winner for Day 11 is...

Sara Senser! She won the $25 Mastercard Gift Card!

I know this picture of Araceli is not the best one, but it shows how desperate the families needs are. I am so glad we are able to help her and her family! Thank you, everyone, who helped put money toward her fundraiser. Although the raffle is over, the fundraiser is still open for donations.

Robyn did the raffle drawing for this one since Steve is visiting with the big guys in KC. So, this is how Sara won:

Hi Heather! I used the True Random Number Generator from RANDOM.org, setting the Min at 1 and Max at 25. Sara won since I had set her as #1... I did it many more times just for fun, and Sara would have won again if there was a 2nd prize- this time with the number 4. It was meant to be!! LOL.
Congratulations Sara!! Winning with TICKET #1!

1 - Sara
2 - Sara
3 - Sara
4 - Sara
5 - Sara
6 - Su
7 - Su
8 - Su
9 - Su
10 - Su
11 - Mack
12 - Mack
13 - Mack
14 - Mack
15 - Mack
16 - Heather
17 - Heather
18 - Heather
19 - Heather
20 - Heather
21 - Heather
22 - Heather
23 - Heather
24 - Heather
25 - Heather

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

my sponsor gave to me...

12 grains of rice!

Today's raffle will go to help Maria & Ullysette. They need school books, a bunk bed, wooden cabinet, a big sack of rice, and other groceries.

The raffle prize is a $20 gift card to Amazon.com. Not only does Amazon have just about anything you are looking for, but you will get the $20 instantly after winning the prize!

To enter the raffle, make your donation here (remember $1 = 1 raffle ticket)

And the winner for Day 10 is...

McKenzie Fritch (AKA Mack) and Jim Miller! They have won the gorgeous travel book about Lisbon, which is perfect because Jim traveled there last year!! I'm sure it will bring many great memories! Mack, please make sure to send Su your address, if she doesn't already have it.

I, also, wanted to mention that even though this raffle got off to a slow start, it gained $49 in donations! See why I always say you guys are the best?! Now, we are only short $91 to get this fundraiser completed!! You guys rock! Anyone hungry for ice cream? They should have their ice cream shop up and running by February... So, if you are planning a trip to Guatemala anytime after that, make sure to stop by and taste the delicious ice cream that you helped provide! Yum!!! Now, I am wondering how "mom" is going to keep the girls out of the ice cream & eating up profits! LOL!!!