Katherine's Christmas 2009 Package

Letter from Katherine's sister:

Hello!

I wish with all my heart that you are healthy. Who writes is Maria, sister of your sponsored child, Katherine. I want to thank you for the gifts (Here, the items are listed out in minute detail). Katherine is very happy for all the gifts and says she already wants to learn to write so she can do the letters by herself. She wants to write about how she feels. She says she is happy that you are her sponsor.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for being a wonderful sponsor! I say goodbye with a strong hug.

Maria

Letters from Jim's girls

Mack wrote:
"Jim recently received letters from both of his sponsored girls. Once again, Katherine's mother has written an interesting and detailed account of her daughter's life. Hopefully, Katherine's letters will be just as animated when she begins writing herself!

The photos show Nicti of Guatemala, just after her 5th birthday. She is the little girl that Mack would have been visiting next Monday, had her trip not been canceled."

Direct Package to Katherine in Ecuador

Mack wrote:

Here are the photos/letters we received after sending a package to Katherine in Ecuador. This was not the large box that got held hostage by customs, but a simple flat-rate envelope that I mailed in October for Katherine's 8th birthday. I always enjoy the letters that Katherine's mother writes, because they are so detailed and creative:


Hello Jim Miller!

Katherine is very happy for receiving your gifts. She wore the bracelets and started dancing like Shakira, the singer. She will wear the socks when she goes out to stroll. She will do her homework on the board, and will use the hair accessories to style her hair because she has long hair. She will play with the punch balloon. She will also play in the patio with the paddle ball. She gave the set of pens to her sister. She liked the card and the photos. She will keep them in the wardrobe. Thank you very much for the gifts we received. Katherine is healthy and hopes you and your family are fine.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for being a wonderful sponsor! I say goodbye with a strong hug – Katherine’s mother.

A Look Back 2009 Part 1

#1 Janet was the first child ever to receive our group's donations! Janet is Robyn's sponsor child. She lives in Zambia. She was in great need of the items in order to start school. Luckily, we were able to provide them just in time! She even received a bed and food items!

We raised: $215 by 4/19/09

Janet received:

1 –Bag of rice,
1- Bag of Mealie Meal,
1- Container of cooking Oil
1 - Bag of Sugar
1 - Blanket
1 – Bed
1 – Uniform
1 - School Bag
1 - Pair of shoes
1 – Miscellaneous bags of Beans, Flour, Groundnuts
1 – Kapenta (sardines)

#2 Miguel is Barbara sponsor child in Mexico. He was sharing a bed with his parents, and desperately needed a bed of his own.

We raised: $215 by 4/30/09

Miguel received:

1 Bed

1 Chest of drawers

1 Bedspread

1 Set of bedsheets

1 Pair of shoes

#3 Katherine is Jim's sponsor child who lives in Ecuador. She was in need of nutritional supplies and a bed to keep her healthy.

We raised: $200 by 5/2/09

Katherine received:

1 Blender
3 Pediasure bottles
1 Portable gas stove
1 Full size mattress
1 Bed sheets

And the winner for Day 8 is...

From Mack:

I couldn't ask Heather and her girls to do my raffle this time because of the conflict of interest, so I downloaded a random number generator from here:

http://download.cnet.com/Random-Number-Generator/3000-2066_4-10499948.html

I set the parameters between 1 and 70, then I assigned my raffle contributors these numbers:

Chrystal = 1-10

Andrea = 11 - 15

Sara = 16 - 25

Heather = 26 - 70 (from the raffle of her bilingual laptop)

The randomly generated number was 55, making Heather McLaughlin the winner fair and square. I'm no statistician, but I sorta saw that one coming, lol.

I'm sure she'll post a photo of her quilt once it's finished. She will also post the photos of Katherine and Kevin with their Christmas gifts, of course!

Thank you for your donations, everybody. I'm going to come up with $50, then ask my father if he will contribute the additional $15.

**And, a special thanks to Suzanne Lowry who purchased the biligual laptop!

On the 8th Day of Christmas...

Kevin's items are above

Katherine's items above & below (as you can see the package included the biligual laptop~ This will come in great use when Katherine is stuck in bed sick & unable to go to school!)

Today's raffle is for a personalized, one-of-a-kind, LAP QUILT or BABY BLANKET or WALL HANGING

This item will make a good gift for:

A family member
A friend
A child (sponsored or otherwise)
An arriving infant
Yourself

The quilt can be themed any way you like. Some ideas are:

Favorite colors
Favorite animal(s)
Favorite hobbies
Children/grandchildren/sponsored children
All of the above

The quilt squares can be:

Made from material matching your theme
Made from photographs or other graphics
Embroidered with pictures or words

I will work with the winner to design a quilt that will perfectly compliment the recipient. I've included a photograph showing one of the many fabric shelves in my mother's sewing room - if she doesn't have the materials you need on hand, no problem, the fabric store is just down the road.

DELIVERY BY CHRISTMAS IS GUARANTEED!

As an example of what can be done, here are some photos of various wall hangings around our house:

The pictures on the "Frog Theme", "Carousel", and "Child's Bedroom" are all done with embroidery.

The red and blue squares are from a wall hanging in progress that we are making for my sponsored child, Wilson. It is themed after his favorite Honduran futbal team, Olimpia, and the logos were printed onto the fabric using files I downloaded online. The square in the center shows him, his mother, and his brother wearing the hats and jerseys that Victor and I bought them on our last visit.

Unfortunately we can't set up a Firstgiving page for this fundraiser, because CI would not get the money until February. The rep told me that Ecuador customs will hold the package for only around 2 weeks before considering it abandoned. Therefore, all raffle tickets must be purchased by gifting me money through my PayPal account. The address is: scubaboarder33@gmail.com

This method means that you will not be able to see how many tickets other people have purchased, so you can't gauge your competition. You'd better contribute BIG, just to be safe. Good luck!

Mack

This raffle will go until 9PM CST today. Good luck (and I will ask Mack to keep us posted on donations)

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

Letters from the Children

From Katherine's mom:
We feel so happy for the letter and pictures of your family and pets, also stickers. We will put it in a photo frame in the living room in order that it looks very nice. She (Katherine) loves animals, especially the dogs and cats. She had a rabbit and she called it Sebastian, but she is allergic to animals so she had to give it to another person. In other opportunity we will send you some pictures together with the family. She would like to know if you have seen Guayaquil. We invite you to come to know the place where we live, and also we will be able to show you nice places. I thank you deeply for being a wonderful sponsor!
I say goodbye with a big hug,

Katherine's mother

From Mercy's mom:

Mercy is fine and the family. She is happy with your sponsorship. She is enjoying school, though it is very cold here and windy. She likes playing with her friends, dish washing and clearing the table after meals. Thank you for the support to Mercy.
Yours, Mercy's mother

Letter from Nicti's sister:
Dear Sponsor Jim!
Nicti Janeth sends you loving greetings, wishing that you are fine beside your family. She tells you that she got the letter and card and the beautiful pictures from you. She says that she is happy because you remember her. She tells you that you have a beautiful family and nice dogs and cats. She has not seen a snake before until now that you sent the picture to her. She loves you very much.
She says so long to you sending you many hugs.
Heidy Abigail

I Know the task can seem DAUNTING

Do you feel like what you are doing is not making a difference? Right now, especially during these slow fundraising months, it can be hard to remember that we have already done so much!! Funds are only trickling in for our projects, as opposed to the flood of money we had just a few months ago.
This post is to keep you from feeling down about these slow months. REMEMBER, we have already helped 13 children and their families with our previous projects, and we did it all in a span of 5 months!!! That is incredible!!
August is the slowest month for contributions of all of the months of the year. Right now it seems even worse because the projects we are trying to fund are larger than the previous ones. Luckily, we are halfway through August, and contributions will get even better as we approach the holiday season.
For now, we just have to do the best we can with what we have, and remember that we have done a lot already. There are children out there sleeping on beds that we purchased; children who are healthier because of nutritional supplements we provided; children that have clothes on their backs because of us; children's parents who now will be able to better provide for their children because we have provided them with a business of their own that they would never have been able to afford had it not been for us... I just want everyone to see that even if you only were able to donate a few dollars, it DID make a difference!!!
These are the 2 current projects that are in need of donations to complete. I hope we can complete these this month, so that the families will get the money in September. I can't speak for everyone, but I currently find myself in a VERY tight financial spot! Donate what you can, when you can, and little by little, penny by penny, we WILL make a difference!! On my next pay day, which is still a week away, I plan to add a few more dollars to the fundraisers. I know it won't be much, but I know $5 or $10 less in my pocket (or to my bills) will have a much bigger impact on the familes that we help than it will in my wallet... Of course, I am not condoning debt. I do think that we can all find ways to pinch a penny or two :0)
If any one would like to submit any of their new and exciting ways to pinch pennies for the benefit of our children, shoot me an e-mail. Once I get several ideas, I will post them here with the submitter's name.
Don't forget these children who have a chance to get their projects funded this month! If we can raise the money needed for them by August 31st, they will get the funds for their projects at the end of September!!

Nsenzeni's project needs $370 to provide a small business for her grandmother:
http://www.firstgiving.com/igp4nsenzeni
Angelito's project only needs $165, and his sponsor Tamara is offering a raffle ticket for each donation of $10. The winner will be able to choose a gift from her web-site valued at $100!!!
http://www.firstgiving.com/graduates2

I, also, wanted to update everyone on the success of finding sponsors. My blog readers are the BEST! If you don't believe that, just check out the list below... 4 children received sponsors because they were featured on this blog. I like featuring children on the blog for others because then, I get to see the children grow through pictures and letters as their sponsors send me the updates. There is another child that got a sponsor through the blog, but I don't have his picture. After the special needs feature last year, my sister-in-law decided she could take a child. She asked me to find her a child with a cranial-facial disorder. I contacted Ashley at CI (The same rep who hooked me up with the other children with special needs) and she gave my sister-in-law a filipino child named Feliciano.
I want to thank all of you who have donated and/or taken on a sponsor child from this blog!!!!

Alice stepped up to sponsor Paola's sister Tomasa after she saw the post that she was in need of a sponsor!!
Sarah became Maria Cristina's sponsor at the end of July!!! Maria Cristina will greatly benefit from the health benefits, thanks to Sarah!!

Katherine was featured almost a year ago, along with 3 other children with special needs. Katherine was scooped up by Alice immediately after she saw the post. After some financial difficulties for Katherine's sponsor Alice, Katherine was able to get another loving sponsor... Jim became Katherine's new sponsor. Alice is still able to watch Katherine's growth via this blog!!

Gladis was featured just a week ago. Her sad face touched Llahnna who has now made it her mission to change her frown into a smile. Llahnna is excited to be Gladis's new sponsor!

Fundraiser Project #3 Pictures!!!

Please list the gifts provided to child and family.

1 Blender

3 Pediasure bottles

1 Portable gas stove

1 Full size mattress

1 Bed sheets

1 Mattress transportation

What were the child's/family's comments when the gifts were delivered?

They felt very happy and thankful for the gifts received.

How will the gifts benefit the child and/or family?

The new mattress and bed sheets will allow the child sleep comfortable.

With the portable gas stove they will prepare the meals for the entirefamily. With the blender they will also be able to prepare juices for breakfast and the milk will help the child grow.

Letter from Katherine's mother, August 2009:
Hello dear sponsor,
We feel very happy for receiving a blender to prepare the juices before she goes to school. We also received a portable gas stove to cook her meals. She and her younger sibling will sleep on the mattress, and the bed sheets for her new mattress. The Pediasure milk is so she can get stronger. We thank you for sending her all of these things that are useful for my child and family. The foundation is sending pictures with the donation received. She would like to meet you even by photo and know more about you by means of letters. We feel very happy and thankful.

Letters from the kids

Yessica in Guatemala City wrote:
Dear Heather:
I thank you for the letter and three pictures that you sent me. I am very happy with all that you have sent me. I feel very happy that you work in the hospital, and I like the babies. I pray that God allows you to go on with your work. My family and I are fine, and so is my education. I am fine thanks to the support that you send me. I will have time off at school soon. I say goodbye with a strong hug.
Yessica

Henry in Cartagena, Colombia wrote:
Dear Heather
My family and I hope that you and your family are well. We are doing fine. We have one week of vacation for holy week (semana santa). I am playing a lot, watching t.v., and doing my homework.
Thank you for your letters and for always thinking of us. I wish you and your family a lot of blessings.
With nothing more, I say goodbye
with a lot of love,
Henry

Leydi from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic wrote:
Thank you for your pretty letter. I like that you write to me. I love you very much. I am doing very well in school. How great that you work in the hospital. Thank you for worrying about me. with a lot of affection, thank you for the stickers.
Leydi

Katherine is one of the children that I was looking for a sponsor for. Jim (Mack's father) is now her sponsor. She was in my account for about a week or so. I wasn't sure if I would find her a sponsor, so I sent her a letter in that time. Her mother responded with the longest most detailed letter I have ever seen. This letter is posted here for Jim to enjoy!:
Dear Mrs "(last name removed):
It is a big joy to be a part of the sponsorship program provided by Children International! Your sponsored child's name is (here she lists Katherine's name in its entirety). I will tell you some things about her so that you can know each other much better. Let me tell you that I am so proud that you have accepted my daughter as your sponsored child. She is a seven-year-old girl. She has brown eyes and brown hair. She is restless. She enjoys dancing, painting, playing and going to the park and coutryside in order to see the animals, especially the iguanas. Her favorite foods are: chicken soup, rice with beans and meat. She likes maracuya juice. She likes all kinds of fruits, especially watermelon. She is attending school now. She is in Pre-school (equivalent to 1st basic year in Ecuador), but she can't write yet. She has four older sisters and she sleeps with her sister because she is the last one. I say goodbye with affection,
Miriam, your sponsored child's mother

Regine from the Phillippines wrote to Efrain. Here is the letter Efrain wrote back to her,as well as the letter she wrote to him:
I just sent a letter to Regine. This is what I wrote to her, what I surround with parenthesis is not part of the actual letter:
May 14, 2009
Dear Regine,
Kumusta ka? Mabuti naman ako. (How are you? I'm very fine.)
I am extra happy to receive your letter. This was what you wrote:
“Dear Sr. Efrain Caro,“A blessed day to you and to your family. I have received a letter from you and I am happy writing to you once again. As you were asking, yes. I always wanted to write to you. I am fine and doing good in school. I am study my lesson very hard to got high grades in my reportcard. I am excited to be in grade next school year. I am sad that your workplace will closed but promise that I will pray hard for your upcoming business. Congratulation in advance. Regards and thank you for your letter. Hope to hear from you again.“Love,“Regine"
That’s your letter word by word. (I deleted her last name to protecther identity)
I’m happy to know that you are a good student. Continue to learn what they teach you. What you learn is what you will take with you from school when you graduate. That’s what matters.Maraming salamat (thank you very much) for your congratulations on my upcoming business and for your prayers. I am trying a few Filipino words in this letter. Nakakaintindi ako ngkonting Tagalog. (I can understand a little Tagalog.) I hope that sentence is well written. The course I’m taking teaches to talk Tagalog, but not to write it. I hope to go visit you somewhere this year or maybe next year. I’m not very good on speaking English; my native language is Spanish; so I hope that knowing a little Tagalog makes a difference. Take good care of yourself. Your loving sponsor, Efraín
That was my letter to Regine. In order to put her "yes" reply in context, this is what I have previously written to her:
"Would you like me to write more often? I remember that when I was a child, time seemed to pass much slower than now. I suppose it’s the same with you. Maybe by the time you get a new letter of mine, it seems centuries since the last time you wrote."

Fundraiser Update!

Yes, in case you haven't seen it yet, it is official- Project #2 is complete!!! Janet (Project #1) and Miguel Angel (Project #2) are about to be surprised with a special needs donation!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! I just can't thank everyone enough! Project #3 will begin next week. I know last time we had some anxious people waiting to donate to the next fundraiser... So, for the anxious folks, here is the link to project #3: http://www.firstgiving.com/keepkatherinehealthy
I am still working on it, but the page will accept donations. I just don't want to overwhelm people with several back to back fundraisers...
You all are terrific!!!

Alice's Kids~ Family Pictures

Lilliam & her mom
Lilliam's grandparents, herself & her mother inside the grandparents' home
Lilliam's grandparents, mother & herself (left to right)
Katherine & her mom outside their home

Katherine & her mom inside their home


From left~ mother, Stanford (Eclipse's brother), Ishmael (brother), Eclipse & Sharon
Katherine & her mom in front of their home. I noticed that they have a Children International sign on their home & now wonder if all sponsored children do (or maybe just rural routes?)
Katherine and her mom inside and outside their home


Ok... I am not an expert in computer, so I have no idea how to make these pictures bigger. I am hoping to get better copies from Alice soon, and then, I will replace these with the new ones.

Now, here are some interesting updates. First of all, Katherine S, is one of the children with HIV for whom I had tried to find a sponsor. When Alice saw her pictures, she took her immediately. At the time, it seemed that Katherine (of all of the 5 children with HIV/AIDS) was better off than the others. Both of her parents still living, and she had not advanced to AIDS. As you can see in the pictures she looks weak & doesn't feel well. Also, I don't know where her father was when they took the picture. However, as for her condition, she was sick at the time of the pictures. Children International is requesting a special needs donation to buy her a blender, Pediasure & vitamins. The total cost is $110. If you would like to help Alice raise the money to help her feel better, contact myself or Alice, and a child ID number can be given so that the donation given to CI will go directly to help Katherine. Thank you to all who help!!!

Here is a letter that came from Katherine's mother:

Let me tell you that we have received your letters , picture and Christmas' postcard. We are so happy because you care about us. She already finished the school and she is on vacations. What she likes the most is to color and draw.. I would like that you come to visit to our home one day. We would be so happy to see you in person in order to talk, go out for a walk and eat fruits also go to the countryside, etc. I feel very proud to know that there is someone in the distance that care about my daughter and my family. Now, we are in winter time and it rains also is very hot. We would like to receive a blender and 2 cans of nutritional complements
(Pediasure) and vitamins (Complejo B). I thank you deeply for being a wonderful sponsor! I say good bye with a big hug

Lilliam lives with her grandparents, but there is no room for her mother in the home. Her mother has to live in a one room apartment. Alice is hoping to start a fundraiser at a later date to either improve on the grandparents current home or purchase a new home that will allow all of them to live together. I will keep you posted when that happens.