Kevin Bryan Christmas 2010

Here is Kevin's new photo =)  This is the child I share with Mack.  We got an updated photo not too long ago and now we just got another... But, I'm not going to complain ;)

Julexy K - Ecuador

This young lady is 15-year-old Julexy from Ecuador. Julexy is the
older sister of Kevin, sponsored by Heather and Mack. We asked CI to
add Julexy to the program a couple months ago and I brought her into
my sponsorship family. The mailman brought me two letters from her,
the Welcome letter and a “CP” letter. She seems very talkative; I am
looking forward to learning more about her. She writes:

“Let me tell you that my favorite fruits are strawberry and pear. The
food I like most is Chaulafan (Chinese food). I also like to play
soccer, which is what I love the most. At the weekend I play soccer
with my friends and the neighborhood. Let me tell you that I have
three brothers who are younger than me. I am the oldest and I get
along very well with them. Let me tell you that I am in 9th grade and
I love to study and learn a lot. I have good grades. One of my best
friends lives around my house and I get along very well with her. We
don’t argue. I feel very happy because I will turn 15 years old. I
feel good and happy. I hope you are doing well and take good care of
yourself.”

“Me and my family feel so happy to be writing to you. Know that I
spent a beautiful time when I turned fifteen. I had a lot of fun too.
Know that the city where I live is beautiful and big. It is very
beautiful where I live, there is a big tree near my house and it gives
us fruit every November. I am taking swimming classes every Friday
after school. I spent a nice time during my classes with my friends
and teachers. They are good people. Know that I love to draw and once
one of my friends painted for me. All my friends are really nice with
me and I love them a lot.”

Feedback on Kevin's Fundraiser

You may remember Kevin's fundraiser that we completed a few months ago. This is a child that is shared between myself and Mack. Mack and I were able to combine our letters and e-mail them to be sent to him with his gift. His fundraiser provided him with:

A full size bed frame

A full size mattress

Plastic chest of drawers

Blender

Soccer ball

Sweater

Pants

Shoes

Kevin's letter said:

"Hello dear sponsor,

Greetings and I thank you for the items I've received such as the pants, sweater, soccer ball, and other things that I'll look better with and have fun. The chest of drawers and bed are going to be useful for my room and to rest. With the blender, I'll be able to prepare milkshakes and food. May God bless you always. Thank you for your help. We hope to have news about you soon and I'll tell you more about my family and me. I say goodbye with a strong hug!

Kevin"

A Letter from Kevin

I got the letter from Kevin that went with his summer reading package. Here it is:

"Dear Sponsor,

Thank you for the toy car, pocket video game, book, tic tac toe game, and drawing. I like them very much. The book is very nice and the car is nice too. I will play with the car. Let me tell you that about 2 weeks ago I started back in school. I am very excited because I have made new friends and met a very kind teacher. I play lots of soccer with my friends and it is fun. When I go to school, I come home and eat and then do my homework. I have a great time here. I say goodbye with a big hug, Kevin"

Summer Reading Package Received~ Kevin in Ecuador

I received these pictures of Kevin with his Summer Reading Package. I will post the letter as soon as I get it.

A Letter from Kevin

Mack and I got a letter from Kevin. On the back, her drew a picture of a house and 2 volcanoes. This is what the letter said:

"Dear Mrs. McLaughlin and Mrs Fritch,

Hello! I hope that you are doing well. Let me tell you that I like to play soccer with my friends from the neighborhood. We play every afternoon. I also like to help my mom with the household chores along my youngest siblings. We help with whatever she needs. I went to the countryside visit my grandparents on my mom's side. There is a nice and big river there and I had a lot of fun swimming with my family. My favorite food is rice with mashed potatoes and fried steak. I love mangoes and other types of fruits. I say goodbye with lots of affection,

Kevin"

And the Winner of the Box of Toys is...

Here is the breakdown for the toy raffle:

Victor = 1-50

Holly = 51-52

Molly = 53-63

Heather G = 63-64

Chrystal = 65-112

Bernie = 113-161

Winning number = 151 = Bernie!!! Thank you to all who helped this fundraiser finish! Kevin will be very happy, and so will his mother!

Don't forget that there is a raffle for a handwoven purse for Leydi's fundraiser. This would make a great mother's day gift!

*and, while you don't currently see all additional 10 posts of jewelry yet, I will be putting the up today. The posts will magically appear BEFORE this post, but you will be able to find all of the jewelry on sale by looking at the posts from 4/17 and 4/20. Have a great day every one!

Update on Kevin in Ecuador

Stranger things have happened, I guess. Remember the Summer Reading Packages? Well, I got an e-mail from CI about the package that arrived in Guayaquil. They were confused as to why there were so many children involved and they were not my children. I explained the situation, and everything was worked out. A week passed, and I got another e-mail from CI. It was about the 2 packages that I sent: 1 for Jonathan, and one for the child I share with Mack- Kevin. It turns out they read my letters and did not want to give them to the 2 boys because I wrote that there was a possibility that a friend would visit them when they were in Ecuador. So, my letters were rejected and tossed.

Well, I am guessing that they called Kevin and Jonathan to the center at the same time to retrieve their packages because both of their reports were updated on Thursday 4/15/10. My cover may be blown. I guess I will soon find out. Mack's double Guayaquil sponsorship secret is probably safe because I don't think she sent a package to her Katherine at the same time. Oh, well- My cover would be blown eventually anyway whenever someone pays them a visit (Mack is supposed to go next year and Steve is going at the end of this year). Maybe I can save up enough miles to go at the same time Mack does- I have my fingers crossed!

I am not sure where the family's income of $150 comes from since the father is deceased and mother is listed as a "homemaker". I wish these reports would contain that kind of information!

Here is Kevin's report:

Age: 9 Gender: M Date of Birth: 5/17/2000
Height: 4 Feet 1 Inches Weight: 69 Pounds Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Black
2. Attends School: Yes
3. Favorite School Subjects: Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with friends
Chores at Home: Running errands
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing
Languages Spoken: Spanish

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
4. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $150.00
5. Name of Father: Roberto Age: Occupation:
(If not present, why?) Deceased
6. Name of Mother: Reina Age: 36 Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
7. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Jeremy Roberto Age 5 Gender M Name Julexi Age 14 Gender F
Name Roberto Age 1 Gender M
8. Child now living with: Mother

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
9. Description of Home: One multi-use room, One Bedroom
Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Wooden beds
Home Construction: Walls Roof Corrugated metal Floor Wood
10. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Non-regulated usage
Sanitary Facility: Septic tank

One Last Raffle for Kevin!

We are down to the last $111 for Kevin's fundraiser! Wooo Whooo! Mack is throwing out one more raffle for everyone, to see if we can get this fundraiser completed. This raffle is for a box FULL of items to send your sponsor children. As you can see, there is a little of everything.

Unlike the last raffle, this raffle is starting from today 4/18. $1 gets you 1 raffle ticket. The raffle will go until 4/23 at 8:00 PM CST, or until the fundraiser is completely funded, whichever comes first. To get into this raffle, make your donation to Kevin here Good luck!

And the Winner is...

Number 159!! We had a total of 218 raffle entries! Here are every one's assigned numbers. Since no one chose any lottery numbers, I have assigned them just according to when people donated:

Sara S $5 214-218
Steve $25.00 189-213
Teej's Dad $25.00 164-188
Lisa (aka Speedy) $25.00 139-163
Heather G $3.00 136-138
Susan $5.00 131-135
Melinda85 $10.00 121-130
chrystal $10.00 111-120
Barbara $13.00 98-110
John $50.00 48-97
Holly $5.00 43-47
Katja $10.00 33-42
Heather G $5.00 28-32
Molly $12.00 16-27
Jack & Tamara Schilling $15.00 1-15

The winner is Lisa F!! Lisa, please send me your address, so that Mack can send you your quilt and stuffed animals! my email is macandmic@gmail.com Thank you to all who donated to help Kevin with his fundraiser!!

What a Great Idea!!

This is exactly why there is a democracy, and this group needs the participation of all... This is one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" moments! I heard back from Mack who was going to do the raffle for Kevin, and she said, "Should we include EVERYBODY who has donated to Kevin in the raffle drawing. It seems like people are going to stop contributing to the fundraisers as they are launched, because they are holding out in case of a raffle. One person is disappointed because she wanted this quilt the last time it was up for raffle, but she's not even in the running this time around because she donated too early and has no more spare money to give again. Wouldn't it be more fair for all the early birds to also get a shot at the raffle?"

Well, that makes sense to me!! From here on out, those who donate to the fundraisers BEFORE a raffle launchs will automatically be entered into the raffle drawing if/when one pops up!! That means all of the following people will be in the raffle for this quilt:

Steve 4/13/2010 $25.00
Teej's Dad 4/13/2010 $25.00
Lisa (aka Speedy) 4/10/2010 $25.00
Heather G 4/8/2010 $3.00
Susan 4/7/2010 $5.00 For Kevin
Melinda85 4/7/2010 $10.00
chrystal 4/6/2010 $10.00
Barbara 4/1/2010 $13.00
John 3/31/2010 $50.00
Holly 3/30/2010 $5.00
Katja 3/30/2010 $10.00
Heather G 3/26/2010 $5.00
Molly 3/25/2010 $12.00
Jack & Tamara Schilling $15.00

Mack has left it to me to draw the name using random.org. I will draw the name on Thursday at 6:30 PM CST. Any more donations received until that point will be included in the raffle! If you would like to get in on the raffle, you can donate here Kevin only needs $166 more!!

Kevin's Fundraiser & Raffle

One more day to get in on the raffle for this cute quilt and stuffed animal set!! Remember you have until tomorrow, Tuesday April 13th at 8:30PM CST. $1 gets you one raffle ticket! To get in on the raffle, make your donation here

The other incentive to getting this fundraiser funded is we have a long waitning list of children who all really need the help. Getting this project funded gets up one step closer to the next child! TIA!

Quilt Raffle for Kevin's Fundraiser Part 2

Kevin's fundraiser raffle is still going on! You have until 8:30PM CST on Apils 13th to donate in order to be a part of the raffle. $1 gets you one raffle ticket. And, yes, it is possible to be a winner with just a $1 donation! I can't donate much, but I will at least be getting my name into the hat :o)

To enter, make your donation here

Fundraiser Update~ Our 2nd Year of Existance

We are going well with our fundraisers, and we are now into our second year!!! It is so awesome to see these completed projects (30 in total so far). We have lots of children left on the waiting list, but we will get to them all. I don't really want to publish the number of children waiting because it can seem so overwhelming when I say it out loud. Instead, we will focus on chunks at a time. First, I want to remind everyone of the raffle for Kevin's fundraiser. It wis going on until April 13th at 8:30PM CST. His fundraiser only needs $216. You can actually pick your lucky numbers. If you don't pick your lottery numbers, they will be randomly generated for you. To enter the raffle, donate here You can pick one number for every $1 you donate. The numbers go up to 100. You may not share a number with someone else, so you will need to chose a number that hasn't been chosen yet (don't worry, if you chose one already chosen, I will let you know before the raffle so you can change it).

Now, these fundraisers are coming up quick. If you haven't already, please send me the special needs breakdown, write up and photos for the following children:
31. Barbara~ Marelyn in Guatemala
32. Lisa~ Brayan in Ecuador
33. Heather M.~ Dulce in Dominican Republic
34. Chrystal~ Caselyn in Philippines
35. Jennifer~ Nisha in India
36. Katja~ Ana Gabriela in Guatemala

Thanks!

Quilt Raffle for Kevin's Fundraiser

This Wild Animal Set is being raffled off for Kevin's fundraiser. The fundraiser is only in need of $241 more! Now you have an incentive to donate. This set comes with the two cute stuffed animals you see pictured & the adorable handmade quilt underneath!!! Mack's mother has produced this quilt for us (once again helping out our children by volunteering her talent and donating her time, fabric, and love).

I don't know about you, but I just love handmade quilts! I should be getting mine any day now from Mack's mother, Carolanne. I won one a few months ago, but it was a different kind of raffle (so it wasn't a quilt that could be mailed out immediately)... At any rate, I will be entering in this raffle, too. The quilt just looks so cozy!!! Plus, the animals are great for sending to sponsor children :o)

To enter the raffle, you will get one raffle ticket per $1 donation. The winner will be chosen by Mack using random.org. Plus, this time, you can pick your lottery numbers! If you have a special number or two, or however many, make sure to put the numbers in the comments line with your FirstGiving donation. Numbers will be assigned on a first asked first given basis, so donate soon! For now, let's keep the numbers at #100 and below. Once donations exceed $100, we can add more numbers. If you don't have a lucky number, numbers will be randomly chosen for you and posted before the drawing.

To enter, make your donation here The winning number will be drawn on April 13th at 8:30PM CST ~ Good luck to all!

Only Two Days Left!!!

On April 9th, 2009, Make a Change was born!!! At that time, we didn't even have a group name yet, we were just a bunch of people who got together to make a difference in the world around us. What a difference a year makes with hard work and dedication!!! We have helped 29 families and raised over $14,000!!! We are 2 days away from our anniversary, and so close to hitting the 30 mark. Please help us help our 30th family before Friday, and get our 2nd year off to a good start!!

Maria's fundraiser only needs $141!!! Only 14 people donating $10 can make this happen! Or 7 people donating $20! To help us reach our goal, you can donate to Maria's fundraiser here

Kevin's fundraiser comes with a souveneir of a friendship bracelet! Look back at the 2 posts before this one regarding friendship bracelets to see which styles and colors are left. You will get a bracelet for every $5 you donate to his fundraiser! To help Kevin, donate here

More Friendship Bracelets to Help Kevin

Here are more friendship bracelets available! They are all 100% unique, and ships for free anywhere in the US!!! To order one, just make a donation of $5 to Kevin's fundraiser here After your donation, send me an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com I need to know which bracelet you want & where you want it shipped to... Then, you will have a beautiful bracelet to give as a gift to your sponsor child, for a friend, or even for yourself. A great idea is to get one for yourself and for your sponsor child (just as Jaden is doing). Then, you send a memo when you send the bracelet to your child telling them that you have one just like it. That way, every time they look down at their wrist, they will know that you are thousands of miles away thinking of them. :o)

Final Hours of the Necklace Sale- Help for our fundraisers!

On Friday, I posted a few necklaces for all to see. These are great necklaces for your sponsor child to have as a gift, and they can even fit in an envelope!! Check out my post from Friday here ALL of the necklaces are still available. For the next 8 hours, from now until midnight central time, $3 of every sale will go to our current fundraisers!! We have 2 fundraisers currently, and we are on the final stretch to our 1 year anniversary. It sure would be nice to be able to complete at least one more fundraiser, to bring us to a nice round number of 30 projects funded.

If you would like to make a direct donation to these fundraisers, you may do so here:
Maria's fundraiser~ only $141 needed
Kevin's fundraiser~ only $269 needed

Thank you all for your continued support!

Kevin's Fundraiser #24

We have now funded 29 projects, and we are fast approaching our one year mark (less than a week to go). It would be nice to be able to say that we funded 30 projects in one year, but it isn't necessary. Kevin only needs $269 to fund his project.

Kevin's project is very important for two reasons:

1. His father died last year, and he had a hard time coping with the loss. He failed in school, and will now have to repeat the year in a different school. This fundraiser will provide him with the school help he needs to pass this year.

2. He will receive a bed. Without a good night's sleep, his mind will not be ready to take in what he is learning.

If you would like to help Kevin pass his new school year, please donate here TIA

Headed to our 1 Year Anniversary!!

Maria's fundraiser needs $229. To donate, click here

Rosalie's fundraiser only needs $122 to be complete!!! To donate, click here

Kevin's fundraiser needs $347. To donate, click here

On April 9th, 2009, Make a Change launched their first ever group fundraiser! We are less than 2 weeks away from our 1 year anniversary!! We have helped 28 families so far. If we can help just 2 of these current fundraisers and get them funded by then, we will be able to put down 30 families for our accomplishments in one year! Rosalie's is so close to being funded, so it's not out of reach. Thank you all for your continued support of our families and children!!