It's been a while!

Hello again! We haven't posted new information for awhile because we're busy planning for our trip to Ethiopia in February. We get our travel shots December 16.  I believe we each have to get inoculated for at least eight diseases! That does not include Malaria and we wonder if we shouldn't get it anyway. :) We're also busy looking into funding an outstanding filter system for the people of Ethiopia to use. Since our fundraiser raised more than we needed for the surgeries we’re investigating other life saving issues. You see, they get their drinking water from various rivers. Unfortunately, the rivers contain lots and lots of germs which produce lots and lots of disease. So....why not start with clean water to try to stop the disease. Actually, this problem is worldwide. We are SO blessed here in the US. We’ll let you know what we decide in our next blog.

On to other fundraising endeavors...

Now that Women Helping Women - Ethiopia Project 2010 is over Lori and I are looking for new ways to fundraise for Ethiopia.  We are both so grateful that, with the help of many, we were able to raise such a large amount of money.  But, we both realize that the need is ongoing and vast.  We're focused on getting that fresh water well up and going at the school, purchasing mattersses for the boarding students and the hospital, and purchasing new shoes and clothes for the orphans.  We are ALWAYS looking for fundraising ideas.  If you would like to you may send them in the "comment" area.  We  would love to hear from you.  Anna

Outstanding Success!

Women Helping Women – Ethiopia Project 2010 was an outstanding success! We had more attendees than we thought we’d have and they were very generous. We were told by many that the silent and live auction items we accrued were very high quality and much appreciated. All in all, we were able to raise $10,000 to put toward the work in Ethiopia. We are so thankful to all who participated in this endeavor. Rest assured that Lori and I will remember your kindness and generosity when we work with the people in Gimbie, Ethiopia in February. We are not finished fundraising! There is still a good deal of time before we leave and we intend to use that time efficiently. We’ll keep you posted. Anna

Whew! Last night Lori and I did the final arrangements for the donations. We can't believe how blessed we are with so many wonderful auction items. And, the list of attendees just keeps growing! This is going to be a great function for an even greater cause! My daughter, Molly, and her friend, Amy, are coming in today from Seattle to visit and help out. Aren't they going to be surprised when I start them on their jobs! Anna

We have now accumlated over $19,000 worth of donations for the silent/live auctions on November 6!  Just acquired a five nights stay at a practically new beach home in Lincoln City, Oregon.  Google:  Seahaven Rentals and look at the Mill House.  It's a $1250 value!!!  We are busy calling all of the women who have not rsvp'd and reminding them to come and invite their friends.  Lori and I keep reminding ourselves that we have done what we can to make this work and get the most funding we can for Ethiopia.  Anna 

Things are coming together!

Donations are coming in for the Ladies Night Out silent auction and they are goooood! I know that Anna just posted about the two night stay at the Timberland Lodge.....it's so beautiful there! We also have had beautiful original art, personal training seasons, wine tasting, beautiful product baskets, AZ on the Rocks 1 month family pass, and much more donated for the silent and live auctions. Plus we are finalizing the appetizers and wine selections this week. So, all we need now is for all of you to RSVP that not only that you are coming, but you are bringing a few friends with you! Everyone is welcome to come and join in the fun!

WOW!  Today we got a donation of two nights at Timberline Lodge, outside of Portland, Oregon, with gear rental and lift tickets for two!  Yahoo!!  That will be one of the live auction items at our function on November 6th!  We are now at $9500 worth of donated items for the silent and live auctions.  AND, Lori's wonderful family sent checks to pay for TWO suegeries!  I am truly amazed at the gernerosity of people.  She has a great family.  Anna

Yesterday, Saturday, October 24, while Lori worked at Holland Boone's Sidewalk Sale, I manned the Ethiopian Project 2010 raffle table.  The weather was beautiful which helped to bring lots of people to the sale.  And, needless to say, this Sidewalk Sale is always a hit.  Long story short, I sold $170 worth of tickets.  That pays for surgery for one woman!  Our Project continues.   Anna

       

Wow!  We're over $8000 in donated items for the silent and live auction on Friday, November 6th!  And, we're not EVEN done getting more donations.  NOW.......we need to get bodies to the function.  We've sent well over 200 invitations.  And, tomorrow while Lori is very busy with her job at Holland Boone's Sidewalk Sale, I'm going to have a table in front of the store raffling off two polished pewter bowls and salad spoons/forks embellished with turquoise and coral stones.  I'll be handing out invitations to the November 6th event while I'm doing the raffle.  I'll let everyone know how it goes.  Anna

"Ladies Night Out"

Things are starting to come together for our benefit on November 6th. All of the invitation should be out by the middle of this week and donations have been coming in! It's exciting to see all of this come together! We hope that you all will be there - it's going to be a great time! Lori

We're "pounding the pavement" and "dialing for dollars" to get donations.  Lori and I were talking the other day about this process and how one day we'll feel really "up" and excited and the next we hope everything will work.  We want to be able to make every dollar count so the fifty Ethiopian women can receive the best care. Anna

Support & Interest

It has been amazing the amount of support and interest that this project has taken on! Not only do we have people donating some amazing items for the
"Ladies Night Out" event and silent auction, but we also have so many people asking for extra invitations that Anna had to order more! We are both busy planning what we hope will be a very fun event that will literally have
"Women helping Women" and look forward to it's success.

We are still collecting donation items and would love your help with this. Please contact either one of us if you have an item to donate or would like to gather donations for us! Keep November 6th on your calenders!

Newest member!

My neighbor and friend, Keli Ballinger, has joined us to help with getting donations and work with us on the Silent Auction.  She is really energetic and has great ideas.  Welcome, Keli!!

Moving right along......

Invitations are going out this week.  We're sending out about 175 invites.  Talk about get the word out!  We're also contacting local OB/GYN doctors for sponsorship.  Our assignment is:  DONATIONS!  Yesterday I was at my monthly hair appointment.  I've been going to Lori Sparato for eleven years.  After explaining our project to Lori and Patrice, the receptionist, they asked for our fliers so they could get the word out and Lori offered to totally pay for one surgery!  All it takes is a moment to explain how these women from Ethiopia are affected by prolapsed uterus and people just jump at a chance to help.  What a great feeling.

We have the paperwork!

We've printed the fliers so we can hand them out with all of the information available so people can send donations. They look really professional. We've also printed the Donation Letters so when we do get donations of money or goods we can give that directly to the donor for their tax records. Things are moving right along....

My Story

I wanted to thank you for your interest in our blog and how I got involved with the Ethiopia Project 2010.

About a month ago, Anna Ingram came into Holland Boone, where I work, and started telling me about her upcoming trip to Ethiopia in February 2010. As she told me about the mission to provide women with corrective surgeries, it literally changed me right then and there. I couldn’t imagine how these women must feel being ostracized from their communities just because of a condition they could not control. My heart broke for them. When Anna told me that for just $150 a women’s life could be changed forever, I was dumbfounded.

After a few days and sleepless nights thinking about these women, I knew that I needed to do something to help. I called Anna and told her that I had some ideas of how we could raise the money to help these women and children. Since that time, we have been making plans, talking with friends and family, and meeting people who want to join in our effort to make a difference.

So, there begins my story that has moved me to take action to help 50 women I have never met. I hope that as we move forward you will have these women and our efforts in your thoughts and prayers and to continue following our progress.

New person enters our fundraising family

I've never been more surprised by how doing so much good can open so many doors! This morning I spoke with Jennifer Helberg from Sandy, Oregon. She and my son, Grant, are good friends. Grant had talked with Jennifer about my trip to Ethiopia and Jennifer was enthralled. You see, Jennifer is a walking giver and grant writer! Starting in October, after she coordinates support for the troops, she will concentrate her efforts on fundraising for Ethiopia!!! Not only that but she wants to go with us to Ethiopia in February. Jennifer has worked for Starbucks for many years and currently manages the store in Sandy. She has some outstanding ideas about fundraising and looks forward to a great response. How encouraging is that!!! So....onward to Ethiopia and caring for our fellow human beings!

Added colors

With the help of my Elegant Beading web designer I've figured out how to set my posts in blue.  So, now when you see a post, if it's in black it's posted by Lori and if it's blue it's from me!  When we go to Ethiopia we will have different experiences so you'll want to know who is writing the post.

Silent Auction Update

Lori, Kelly and I met a couple of days ago and came up with some excellent ideas.  First, in order to have EVERY dollar go to Ethiopia we're not going to use a caterer.  As much as people want to help we have not found a caterer to donate their services.  So, we're going to provide the food/wine/drinks ourselves.  And, second, instead of dinner we're going to offer appetizers and drinks.  It will be a simple event.  A Ladies Night Out.

To this point, the articles we're having donated are outstanding!  It's incredible.  Once we explain our mission to people they really respond.  I just happened to be a my favorite bead store, Bead It!, when another customer arrived.  The owner, Sandy, and I were sitting at the table working on a bracelet.  I was introdued to Linda and we three started talking.  Linda makes classy earings using old buttons!  She's in the process of selling them to the store chain, Anthropoligie.  Long story short, she's going to donate at least three earings and maybe bracelets that she makes, to the auction!!

Stay tuned!

Silent Auction

Oh my!  I just got a call from my very good friend, Kelly Rude, to say that she has a laptop to donate!  Wow!  And.......she is going to handle the Silent Auction for the November fundraiser!  How cool is that?!  Kelly is one of those people who, when given a project, does the best job ever.  Excitement prevails!

Gourmet Dinner & Silent Auction

We've put our heads together and come up with a BIG project! On Friday, November 6, we're hosting a Gourmet Dinner & Silent Auction entitled, Women Helping Women. We've lined up a respected catering business, Occasions by Lyn & Mari, to provide and serve a cocktail time/gourmet dinner. And, we've started procuring items for the Silent Auction. Already, some of my fellow artists have jumped on board to offer pieces of their art! And let me tell you they are a very talented group. We're going around to local merchants for gift certificates and/or merchandise. This is truly such a "grass roots" venture that our heads a spinning with ideas and things to do! But it seems the more people we talk to the more people want to help. We'll keep you posted as to how it's going.

Also, our cohort from Oregon, Janice Radcliffe,PhD, a repeat volunteer and great resource person, sent us an email updating her endeavor for accumulating gently used dresses.  Usually the women who arrive for surgery come in tattered and soiled dresses as it is their only piece of clothing.  However, when they leave the hospital they are not only healed from their disability but go in a brand new, clean dress!  Janice has been able to procure enough dresses take with us.  Way to go, Janice!

One of the many things we can use is vitamins - both children's and adults.  Anyone have any connections where we could get them for free?

Fundraising

Wow.  Fundraising is not any easy task.  However, when you're passionate about something it seems you develop a strong determination to get the job done.  It's easy to get tunnel vision.
Lori and I had a very productive meeting yesterday with her friend, Amy.  Amy is very creative and was able to give us a different perspective about our ideas.
Even though there are several issues of equal need we've chosen to focus our work on corrective surgery for fifty women with prolapsed uterus.  Heck, we figure we'll raise more than enough for the cost of surgeries and the overflow will go to the other projects!  They are 1) eighty mattresses for the dorm rooms at the local school, 2) restoring the fresh water system at the school, and, 3) providing funds for education.
Anway, for fundraising we're planning a dinner party, a mass mailing, and a table at Holland Boone's Sidewalk Sale.  Holland Boone is a local store that has beautiful interior design products and furniture.
If you, as you read this, have any good fundraising ideas please let us know.  In the meantime, spread the word!   

My Story

Here's a little background information on how I got involved with the Ethiopian Project 2010.

Four years ago I was introduced to Deneke's Hope Foundation through my niece. She and her husband started the Foundation to provide an avenue for people to support their work in Ethiopia. Through their volunteer visits to Ethiopia they formed an attachment to, and later adopted, Deneke. He was 10 years old at the time and was surviving by himself.

At about the same time I was just starting my business, Elegant Beading LLC. And, I couldn't think of a better way to use the net profits than donate them to Deneke's Hope Foundation. Up to this point I have donated over $3800. And, since my business is growing I see that number increasing!

As I stated in the initial blog my pieces are sold through my website: www.elegantbeading.com. Just think, you can order some unique and artistic serving pieces for yourself or as a gift and you'd be supporting our work in Ethiopia at the same time!

Look for more to come as we undertake our work...

Welcome to Ethiopia Project 2010!

A most hardy welcome to the first post of Ethiopia Project 2010. My good friend, Lori McNeil, and I have been invited to volunteer on a medical mission to Gimbi, Ethiopia, in February, 2010. And, I can tell you that we are both unbelievably excited to be able to do hand's on work with the Ethiopian people.

The "Project" actually encompasses several mini-projects. They consist of; 1) surgery for fifty women who suffer from prolapsed uterus; 2) purchasing mattresses for the dorms at the school in Dongoro; 3) updating and repairing the well at the school to provide fresh drinking water; 4) getting used and/or new laptops for the school teachers and hospital administrators; 5) getting used eye glasses and sunglasses (lots of premature cataracts from excessive sun and dust exposure); 6) new toothbrushes; 7) bottles of children's and adult multivitamins; 8) taking village children into town to buy new clothes and shoes; and, 9) bringing gently used long dresses for each woman who has had surgery so they can go back to their village renewed in body and spirit.

The doctors and lay people who are going to Ethiopia all volunteer their time and expertise. Surgery for one woman costs $150. This amount will pay for: pre-operative screening, surgery costs (anesthesia drugs, monitoring, surgical suite expenses, linens, wound dressings, etc.), recovery (nursing care, medicine, etc.), and the hospital stay post-surgery.

Funds donated to Ethiopia Project 2010 will go through Deneke's Hope Foundation, http://www.ethiopianhope.org/, and are tax deductible.

You may also be interested in looking at my business site, www.elegantbeading.com. I produce very unique and functional pieces of art. They make outstanding, thoughful gifts for any occassion. And, all of the net proceeds from sales go to Deneke's Hope Foundation.

We are in the very start-up phase of fundraising and have come up with some outstanding ideas. Of course, we're also open to ideas from anyone interested. I will do my best to keep updating our progress which will continue through our trip and beyond.

Let's get started!