Meet the MAC Staff!~ Vice President

Hola, my sponsor friends!

My name is Mckenzie, and I serve as the vice-president of Make A Change. Like all vice-presidents, my duties include Public Relations + doing whatever the president tells me to do.

I have been sponsoring with Children International since a good friend invited me to join during the summer of 2008. I got excited while waiting for Jonathan's information to arrive in the mail, and turned to the CI google group to fill the void during my period of anticipation. I met so many great people there, and I'm thrilled that all of you (along with my sponsored children) have become such an enjoyable and meaningful part of my life. It feels so good to be making a difference in the world, and to be socializing with generous people who share my beliefs about the importance of helping others.

A little bit about me:

I live with my parents, husband of 15 years, and my best friend. I am bio-childless, but practice my pathetic maternal instincts on our three dogs (who I regularly forget to feed)(just kidding). I enjoy the adrenaline rush that I get from participating in extreme sports, but because I lack athletic prowess and coordination, I have to stick to the ones that don't require much actual skill. Some of these are:

Whitewater rafting (with guide)
Skydiving (with guide)
Jumping off high places, with or without bungee cord attached

I'm looking forward to trying a new sport called "sphereing" or "zorbing" where the participant simply climbs inside a giant plastic ball and gets pushed down a hill. No skill necessary, except an ability to retain consciousness!

Some sports I've worked hard to become good at are:

Horseback riding
Scuba diving
Snowboarding
Rollerblading (to a limited degree)

I don't do many of the above activities these days, because of the cost involved, but I will never give up my passion for travel. And now, thanks to CI, I have kids to visit when I go on trips!

Meet the MAC Staff!~ FirstGiving Page Coordinator

Ushering in our 2nd year in existence means bringing on new faces! These past few months have become busier and busier. A few months ago, I realized, there was no way I could do it all alone. Besides, who wants to do it alone when you can work with some great people instead!? I asked for volunteers for a few projects, and that is pretty much how it all started. I am happy to make these wonderful volunteers official staff of the MAC group!! They will all get a substantial salary- paid out not in US dollars but in millions positive emotions!! Don't believe me? There are studies and articles found everywhere to back this up. Check out this 2 page article on MSN: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/depression/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100167285

(I wish we could get the positive emotions and the cash out of this job, but that would mean taking money away from the kids. As needy as myself and my family are, we are not even close to what these families are going through!)

Now, on with the introductions:
I am introducing you first to Heather Griffin. She is the person you will go to after you get your child's fundraiser breakdown from CI. She is our FirstGiving Page Coordinator! Once you know you have a slot in the MAC fundraiser waiting list, Heather G will know your slot number because she has the same fundraiser list that I have. Then, once you have the special needs breakdown, e-mail Heather G at hgriffins85@yahoo.com . You will want to send everything in one e-mail to her including the special needs breakdown, pictures (about 6), and a write up. Heather will put it all together for you into one pretty page :o)

This is a special presentation called "Getting to Know Heather Griffin":

My name is Heather and I am 24 years old. I live in Massachusetts. I have been sponsoring with Children International since 2001. The girl I first sponsored moved away after a year and a half of sponsorship and then the next girl they sent me already had a sponsor by the time I got her information. That's when I received the information of my Joyce. She is 12 years old from the Philippines, I have been her sponsor for almost 7 years. In July of 2008 I went to the CI website and chose Diego from Ecuador, he is now 7 years old. And just last November I chose 8 year old Michelle, also from the Philippines. I enjoy going to the movies, reading & bowling. I enjoy sending direct packages to my sponsored children. I work at a local supermarket. I like animals, especially my cat Milo who I have had for 6 years now. I hope to meet my sponsored children someday.