Chile and Honduras Bound!!!

I am just waiting on a couple more shipping payments, and then, the box to Honduras and envelope to Chile will go out in the morning! Next up, Mexico and Guatemala! Here is the timeline of the Christmas packages that we have left to order for:

Guatemala & Mexico= orders due by 9/16/10- money due by 9/19/10

Philippines (except Manila)= orders due by 9/19/10- money due by 9/22/10

Ecuador= orders due by 9/22/10- money due by 9/25/10

India (Sahay office only)= orders due by 9/25/10- money due by 9/27/10

Zambia (Child Hope Zambia orders only)= orders due by 9/28/10- money due by 9/30/10

Destination- Colombia!

The first 2 Christmas packages have been shipped!! Very exciting! That means more great pictures of the kids!! I am now getting the packages ready for Chile and Honduras. There is still time to order for the rest of the countries.

Here is the timeline to get your orders and money in:

Chile & Honduras= orders due by 9/13/10- money for orders and shipping due by 9/15/10

Guatemala & Mexico= orders due by 9/16/10- money due by 9/18/10

Philippines (except Manila)= orders due by 9/19/10- money due by 9/21/10

Ecuador= orders due by 9/22/10- money due by 9/24/10

India (Sahay office only)= orders due by 9/25/10- money due by 9/27/10

Zambia (Child Hope Zambia orders only)= orders due by 9/28/10- money due by 9/30/10

Mario's Fundraiser is Complete!!

Thank you so much for helping Mario and his family!! It happened just in time as he will be able to receive his gifts at the end of August!! That is awesome! Thank you!

Mario's Fundraiser Update

A post from Barbara:
"Yesterday, I finally received word that an emergency DP that I had sent for Mario had finally arrived. As you can see Mario is always very happy when he receives his direct packages. It was sent on 2nd December and did not arrive in Chile until mid June!! As Mario's present fund-raiser outlines the family are in dire straits after having to flee their home due to domestic violence with only a few of their possessions. His mother had sent me a list of things that they needed urgently which I immediately sent only to be frustrated that they took so long to arrive. The family are now living in rented accommodation which only leaves them about $40.00 a month to live on so their need is great. With their winter beginning now and South America suffering from one of their coldest winters on record the need for blankets and other bed-ware is urgent. So, if any of you are able to spare a few dollars for Mario's fund-raiser I and Mario's family would be most grateful. Thanking you in advance. Cheers

Barbara"

Mario's fundraiser only needs $67 to complete it!! To help Mario and his family, you can visit his fundraiser here

Mario's Fundaiser Has Turned a Corner!

We have passed the halfway point for Mario's fundraiser!! $187.50 is all that is needed to complete this fundraiser. Mario's fundraiser is important because his family has suffered through domestic violence. This fundraiser will provide his family with items they need to make a fresh start. To help Mario and his family get a good jump start on their new life, visit his fundraiser here On behalf of Mario and his mother, I thank you!!

Mario's Fundraiser

Joyce's Fundraiser has just completely funded!! Now, we have Mario's fundraiser that needs a little less than $300. Mario and his family has had a very tough time in life. Because the family had to flee their home, they are now starting over completely without furniture or other household necessities. This fundraiser will provide his family with furniture and Mario with shoes and clothing. To help Mario, visit his fundraiser here. Thanks for your help!

Fundraiser #31 has Launched!!

Fundraiser #31 is for Barbara's child Mario in Chile. You can read all about Mario on his fundraising page. This fundraiser will provide him with: This fundraiser will provide the family with:
•1 bookcase: US$48.33
•2 pairs of sneakers for Mario & Javiera: US$27.06
•4 single blankets: US$46.40
•2 set of bed sheets (single bed): US$27.06
•2 single bedspreads: US$58.1
•1 double bedspread US$36.73
•1 double blanket: US$19.33
•1 set of sheets (double bed): US$19.33
•Total: US$282.34
•Plus food items for a Grand Total of $350

To donate to Mario, visit his fundraising page here

A Letter from Mario's Mom

Dear Madrina Barbara Rogers

I am happy to be able to write to you and tell you about Mario. He is in good health and, thanks to God, he is doing very well. Mario wants me to ask you how you are doing, that God blesses you and he is very happy and thankful because you take such good care of him. Well, our Pastor also sends you many blessings that God will help you always prosper.

We thank you for all benefits we have received from you, such as clothes, gifts, medical care for Mario's health. I thank you enormously for your love for Mario.

Ana Delgado, the mother of Mario says goodbye to you.'

Meet Gleny!

A Post from Lisa:
This is Gleny. She is my newest child. I was set and not going to sponsor any more kids. But I was on Liftone and another sponsor had started to sponsor this little ones twin sister. She was looking for a sponsor for Gleny so she wouldn't feel left out. I could not resist this face. So even though soon I will have to start selling body parts I have added her to my family. She is 3 years old and lives in Chile. She has 2 siblings, her twin sister and a brother who is 5. They live with relatives since both parents abandoned the kids. I look forward to getting to know her and watching her grow. Liz (her sisters sponsor) and I look forward to doing what we can for this family. First up is money for a birthday party! The twins turn 4 in the middle of June. We are going to split the cost and send money for a party!

Easter Package for Mario in Chile

Post from Barbara:

You may remember Mario from previous posts when he, his mother and sister were forced to leave their home due to domestic violence. They are now living in rental accommodation but since they were left with few possessions instead of sending frivolous Easter gifts this year I sent a mixture of school and hygiene supplies which the family said they needed. This is what Mario wrote.

"Dear Sponsor Barbara:

I am happy to greet you and hope that you are fine and healthy and blessed in your work. Madrina, we were really scared about the earthquake; today, March 11th, 2010 we still can feel aftershocks in Chile. Well, I am already attending school and hoping this year is better.

Madrina, thank you very much for the Easter card, photos and gifts [a mixture of hygiene products and school supplies, a sewing kit and Easter candle for his mother; plus a plastic dinosaur in his favourite colour - green]. Thanks for everything. I send you a kiss and a hug. Mario and family."

This was the first letter that I have received since the tragic earthquake so it was good to hear that, apart from the trauma they went through he and his family appear to be well.

Cheers

Barbara

Summer Reading Package Received- Aracelly in Chile

Aracelly was one of the children to receive a Summer Reading Package. She is 9 years old and lives in Chile. The thank you letter she sent reads:

“I hope you are well; thanks for the Barbie and the book, they are very nice. School year is about to start, so there are not many days of recess left. During summer recess I went to the beach, the pool and I had a great time beside my siblings and family. Thank you very much.”

Summer Reading Package Received- Patricio in Chile

Post by Shana:
Patricio's photos came today of the gifts he received from Susan that she ordered from Make a Change. I also have photos of his family attached.

Patricio is my newest child. He is from Chile and he lives with his father, mother, two brothers and younger sister. Patricio is nine years old and likes to recite poetry. This is a photo of gifts that he received from Susan, a friend of mine. She ordered the gifts from Make a Change and sent them to him when his sponsorship first began. It was very sweet of her to do this and he looks very happy.


Patricio's letter:

"Dear Sponsor Sharon,

I hope that this letter finds you well. I greet you from the distance with a lot of love. I want to tell you that I am very happy because I was given a present. Thank you for your concern. Soon I will be attending school and I am looking forward to met my new classmates. All my siblings will be attending school too. I am in 4th grade, I like gym and sports. I send you a hug and I pray for your health. Good bye.

Love,
Patricio

Summer Reading Package Received- Peter in Chile

Post by Sara S:

This is Peter who I recently introduced in connection with an IGP. I sent
him a small summer reading package. He looks genuinely pleased with Sponge Bob :) (I’m glad Heather knew Sponge Bob was a popular character and put the
books in her MAC store. I had no idea. Thanks Heather!). Peter’s letter
reads:

“I hope this letter finds you well and beside your family. I am about to go
back to school again, summer break is over. Thank you for the book, I really
like Sponge Bob; thank you for remembering me. I always remember you and pray
God to protect you and your pets that I know you really love. Please send my
greetings to your mom and dad. By the way, my mom says sales are great [at
the shop she started with IGP funds]. We can sell many things. Thank you
very much. My family sends you a lot of love, please take care.”

Meet Sara's Child Peter in Chile

A post from Sara S:
I’d like you to meet Peter from Chile. Peter is 11. I’ve been sponsoring him for just under a year. He lives with his mother (father abandoned the family) and two older sisters. Late last year I sent some IGP funds so that Peter’s mom could run her own stand/shop at the market, selling soap, toothpaste, detergent, etc. (She was previously sharing a stand with Peter’s aunt … hopefully having her own will increase the family’s income.)

Peter’s letter reads:
“I hope this letter finds you very well. I would like to tell you that summer recess has not ended yet, so I have gone fishing and to the beach with my family. I really like soccer and specially Colo-Colo team.
I would like to thank you for all the help you have given to me and my family. My mom is very happy about your help.
I send you a kiss, I am very grateful.”

Fundraiser #19 is COMPLETE!!!

Carla's Fundaiser is now complete!!! Scratch fundraiser #19 off your list because she is taken care of!!!! Thank you to all who made this fundraiser a success! You are the bomb!

Summer Reading Package~ Chile

Chrystal's sponsor child Paula's items (above)

Sara S's sponsor child Catalina's items (above) & her sponsor child Peter's items (below)

Sara S's sponsor child Aracelly's items (below)

Shana's sponsor child Patricio's items (above) & Dana's sponsor child Paula's items (below)

Alright, everyone, I have 2 country's packages ready to go. That means I will be shipping them out tomorrow! I just need all of you to look over what I have and make sure that I haven't missed anyone or anything. Should we decide to send Christmas packages later in the year, I will have a little different way to do it, so that it won't be so head spinning and confusing on my end. (that I will explain when the time comes) I have 6 children included in the package to Chile as shown above. Total weight 6 pounds 4 ounces~ Total cost to ship= $42! It is now in a mailer to go out tomorrow morning 2/1/10 :o)

Fundraiser #19 Raffle & only $96 to go!

Don't forget that the deadline to enter the raffle for a penguin beanie baby to your sponsor child is tomorrow at 10AM CST (only 18 hours left!) I have two to give away, so I will be drawing two names. $1=1 raffle ticket. To enter, make your donation here. These 2 little penguins need a child's love. Won't you find them a home? :o)

Fundraiser Spotlight: #19

Carla's fundraiser is almost halfway to completion! That means only a little over $100 is needed to complete this project! I am making a special offer in order to get this one funded this month. Above, you will see a beanie baby. It's a cute little penguin. It can be sent to your sponsor child in HH4H, CUS, or CI (as long as they are in the Dominican Republic, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Philippines, or Honduras).

For only $1 you can enter the raffle to win one of these adorable penguins. I have 2 up for raffle, so I will draw 2 names & announce 2 winners!!! To enter, just make your donation to Carla's fundraiser by Wednesday 1/27 at 10 AM CST.

Last Day to Order for Chile & Dominican Republic

Today is the last day to place your order for Chile and the Dominican Republic. Also, if you have already ordered and would like to send a letter to your child, send that today.

I received a question yesterday about how these summer reading packages are spread out. This person was requesting that I send the package out sooner than what I stated. I spread them out to help you all. I thought having one go out every two weeks or so would make it so that you could order for one child on one pay check and another child on a different pay check. However, I do already have a lot of orders for the rest of the countries. My question is to those who are participating in this event: Would you like me to pull the dates together and send them out sooner? It really works better for me to do them closer together, but I just want to make sure that everyone would be able to participate this way. Here are the deadlines that were set before to get in your order:

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

Here are the proposed deadlines:
Dominican Republic & Chile~ 1/22/10
Guayaquil, Ecuador & Honduras~ 2/5/10
Guatemala & Mexico~ 2/19/10
Philippines~ 2/26/10

If we do it this way, the new ship dates would be:
Dominican Republic & Chile~ 2/3/10
Guayaquil, Ecuador & Honduras~ 2/15/10
Guatemala & Mexico~ 3/1/10
Philippines~ 3/10/10

Let me know if this works for all of you. If it does, that we will do it the new way- Packages will go out sooner, and pictures and thank yous will come back sooner.

Also, I need to find out from those of you who send direct packages: Does Chile have just one address that packages are shipped to? What about the Philippines? The address I have seen to the Philippines says "Quezon City". Is that where all of you ship, and then the packages are sent to the appropriate community center? I am hoping there is just one address for these, but since I do not sponsor there, I am clueless.

Also, remember that the princess dolls are still available. I have about 10 left I believe. Every sell adds $8 to our fundraisers!! To order items for the Summer Reading Packages, click here
Thanks in advance for your feedback!

How you can help

To help Yamileisy and Jose Manuel, click here

To help Carla, click here

To help Michelle, click here

Eveline Germain is in need of a sponsor. She is 8 years old and attends the preschool class in Danda. She has 1 brother & 6 sisters. She needs a very special sponsor. Details below...

I decided to break down and make my "How you can help" post. With all that is going on, I could use all of the help I can get! So here are some ways you can help. Depending on what works for you and how much time you have, here are the things that are needed:

1. There are 3 fundraisers currently. There are so many ways to help with those:

a. Donate to the fundraisers.

b. Add a link to the fundraisers on the signature line of your e-mails to family, friends, coworkers, etc. You would be surprised at how many people will say, "Hey, I saw your link, what is it about?" You have now opened a discussion for fundraisers & new sponsorships!

c. Add a fundraiser link to your social networking sites: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogger, Google & Yahoo Groups, among others.

2. I need someone that can do up some FirstGiving pages for me for our upcoming fundraisers. This can be done in whatever spare time you have. Once you figure out the site, the whole process shouldn't take more than 15 minutes per page. I will have a little under 20 pages that need to be set up between now and March. If that is something you can help with, please contact me for start up details.

3. The little girl shown above, Eveline Germain is in need of a special sponsor. She is in the HH4H program and recently lost her sponsor. The HH4H crew is concerned about her health, so they do not want her to be without a sponsor. She remains small, even though she has gotten older. This is why the crew is concerned. If you have space in your heart for this little girl, please send an e-mail to Jamie at jamie@hishandsforhaiti.org

4. I am starting another group called MIC- Mothers Inspiring Change. This group will be based on the whole IGP process that we have done for our families through the fundraisers. The difference is that this group will partner with a group of mothers to provide them with a business. The business will provide income for 15+ mothers and their families (there are 15 mothers right now ready to get started, but we will probably have more mothers total in the business by the time it starts). How can you help? I need someone who has set up web-sites before to put together a web site for this group. It will be similar to the one we have for the MAC group. Someone with experience in IGP's and east africa is preferred but not necessary. If you can provide this service, please contact me for start up info.

5. You can donate items to raffle/ sell in the web store that can provide money for our fundraisers. Sara S is a good example of this- She provided 25 barbie-like dolls that have already provided over $100 to the fundraisers! There are still dolls she donated that are waiting to be bought, so after all of them sell, she will have given $200 to the fundraisers!! Donations should be mailed to: Make a Change, c/o Heather McLaughlin, P O Box 847, Anna, TX 75409

I am going to go ahead and post this, so that you can see what is needed. I may have some more things to add about helping later, so I will put those in a new post if that happens.

Please keep me posted about Eveline Germain, as well, so that I know when she has a sponsor. Thanks!!!

By the way, of those who have children in the HH4H program, do any of you have children in Danda? If so, send me an e-mail. There is another special project in the works for the Danda children.