Sometimes I can be long winded so I'll try to keep it short and to the point. This has been our first year 'in business' and we have accomplished a good amount in a short time. But we are looking for bigger in 2014!
13 Things We've Accomplished in 2013:
1. Registered and received our 501 (c)(3) status.
2. Became the sole lenders for a million dollar marketplace set to open Summer, 2014 in Haiti.
3. Distributed almost 500 pairs (given by donors)of NEW Crocs to Burundi, Africa and Fond Parisen, Haiti
4. Collected and sent 25 LARGE boxes of clothing for men,women and children in the poorest of poor regions in Haiti.
5. Raised $35,000
6. Received 700 applications for the 300 loans we are giving out.
7. Hired two full time Haitian staff
8. Been publicly recognized by the following local magazines: Up in Cumming, Points North, and Moments Magazine and given the cover of Northside Woman November 2013 Edition.
9. Alisha and I have gone on multiple trips together and still remain best friends. Ha! (can you tell I'm going to have a hard time getting to 13?)
10. Our husbands are still our biggest advocates
11. Our sons still recognize us as their Mothers :)
12. Oh dear.... I'm at a loss
13. Crap, how am I going to come up with 14 for next year? Dang, why can't it be 2007???
So long 2013, you've been an incredible year for Open Hand and we hope to capture many more generous hearts this next year with our endeavors to help fight human trafficking by providing small business loans in 3rd world countries and providing shoes to children who don't own a single pair.
CHEERS!
The behind the scenes of starting a non-profit.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Our Products
Introducing - Freedom Wings! Each necklace represents the freedom that comes when someone is provided a small loan - Hope charms are hand crafted in Haiti! 100% of the proceeds from our necklaces and bracelets will go towards providing loans. We have necklaces in black leather, turquoise and brown. They hang approximately 20 inches and look great with everything. There's something to be said to wear a piece of jewelry, or to be given one as a gift and 100% goes towards impacting the lives of others forever. Now that's timeless jewelry.
Our bracelets also range in style and color. These will be sold exclusively at our events. We are going to be selling these at our Sole Sister parties and the holiday bazaars we are trying to get in to. Note to selves: Next year, start thinking about all the holiday bazaars WAY BEFORE the middle of November. We missed the cutoff on all the 'good' ones but we'll remember for next year! In the mean time, Alisha and I will be sitting in my kitchen making more products. Like we've said - we are hands on girls. We do it all ourselves. Of course, if someone would like to help we would gladly accept :)
Our bracelets also range in style and color. These will be sold exclusively at our events. We are going to be selling these at our Sole Sister parties and the holiday bazaars we are trying to get in to. Note to selves: Next year, start thinking about all the holiday bazaars WAY BEFORE the middle of November. We missed the cutoff on all the 'good' ones but we'll remember for next year! In the mean time, Alisha and I will be sitting in my kitchen making more products. Like we've said - we are hands on girls. We do it all ourselves. Of course, if someone would like to help we would gladly accept :)
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Getting the Word Out
We are crazy excited to share with you our most recent PR. Thank you to Katie from Northside Woman magazine for the incredible article about what we are doing with Love a Child and the marketplace in Haiti. You can read the article by clicking on the link under the cover photo :)
To Infinity and Beyond (or Fort Myers - same difference)
I just need to vent for a second ok, maybe longer than that. It is highly frustrating to run a non profit without the money necessary to do what is in your heart to do. We have boxes of clothes and Crocs to take to Haiti. Love a Child is allowing us space on a container but we have to get all our things to Ft. Myers, Florida. Alisha and I are planning on renting a truck and taking everything down in one whirlwind trip. Uhaul wanted to charge us Alisha's first born and Enterprise is willing to work with us big time. But even their best is still too much for us to spend and yet we don't have a choice. If only we knew someone who had a moving truck we could borrow. Oh well. We are get er done girls and we'll get this done too. 20 hours of drive time in 42 hours. I know I'll be chugging the 5 hour energy drinks!
We have 20 boxes full of NEW Crocs and clothes for men, women and children of all ages and sizes. People we've never met heard about what we are doing and donated clothes. We have thousands of dollars worth of stuff to give away. How fun it is going to be to physically hand out all these goodies when we go back to Haiti. Hopefully with our husbands and some of our board members too!
On a completely wonderful note - well wonderful is a relative term but it this case it is wonderful because the people in the truck division of Enterprise once again worked with us to bring our cost down even lower than before. Still expensive but not outrageous. So without further ado - I give you a view of the killer ride we'll be driving down to Ft. Myers. Don't be jealous.
So we certainly had an adventure - hadn't even gotten out of Atlanta when a piece of plywood flew up from the road from the truck in front of us and came zooming towards us and hit the hood and took out the driver side mirror. A few more inches to the right and the odds are very high that I wouldn't be writing this update. About a half hour later Alisha gets a call from one of our board members who says we have been on her heart all night and that she had been praying for us and that there was a battle over even getting these clothes and shoes down to Florida. Alisha explained to her what had happened and thanked her for praying. It is so nice to know we have people like that on our team!
One more interesting thing - I never get the insurance offered by a rental car place but for some reason I did. Needless to say, when we dropped off the van, Robb, the Enterprise guy said, "well I do tell people if you are going to get the insurance you might as well make it count. You guys certainly did. To the tune of $2800 in damage." Thank God we got the insurance and that didn't come out of our pocket!
After 22 hours of driving in the span of 36 hours we are back and exhausted but feeling accomplished.
We have 20 boxes full of NEW Crocs and clothes for men, women and children of all ages and sizes. People we've never met heard about what we are doing and donated clothes. We have thousands of dollars worth of stuff to give away. How fun it is going to be to physically hand out all these goodies when we go back to Haiti. Hopefully with our husbands and some of our board members too!
 |
I thought it was going to be more creepy kidnapper van-ish so I'm pleasantly surprised it only looks like a nerd mobile. |
One more interesting thing - I never get the insurance offered by a rental car place but for some reason I did. Needless to say, when we dropped off the van, Robb, the Enterprise guy said, "well I do tell people if you are going to get the insurance you might as well make it count. You guys certainly did. To the tune of $2800 in damage." Thank God we got the insurance and that didn't come out of our pocket!
After 22 hours of driving in the span of 36 hours we are back and exhausted but feeling accomplished.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Our Haitian Adventures
One day left in our Haitian Adventure and we have accomplished so much. First off, picture this: 2 women in their 30's carrying an additional 50 pounds RUNNING full sprint through the Miami Airport to catch our connecting flight - I thought my heart was going to burst it hurt so bad. We arrive at the gate out of breath and ready to barf b.c we have hoofed it and they were ready to close the gate but we made it. Phew! Then we sit on the tarmac for two hours b.c of mechanical issues. At least we burned some calories right?
We made a trip into town with our Haitian guys to run errands. We left it up to one of them to get us transportation. I will put it to you this way - the 'vehicle' we rode in one of our Haitian men refused to use again. Said even the Haitians don't consider this a vehicle but being the adventurous women that we are we navigated our way into the van that was completely stripped down to the metal. The windshield had a huge hole in it that was stuffed with something so the air couldn't get through and the seats were like sitting on ply wood but they rocked b.c they had rusted out and no longer stayed in place. The highlight of all of this was when Nicolas stepped out of the 'van' and the floorboard fell out of the car onto the side of the road. Oh yes, we were riding in style.
We managed to open a bank account in only 3 hours, get unlimited internet for our guys and get our own Haitian cell phone that we can use while we are down here and add minutes to when we return.
So after running around all day in that sad excuse for a vehicle we were ready for dinner. As we stood in the buffet line in front of the rice and beans I had to step back b.c the man serving the food smelled awful. I quickly filled my plate and went to sit down where Alisha says to me, "I think our food stinks" and I lean down trying to be non obvious and sniff and reel my head back trying not to gag. Any of you familiar with the movie Bugs Life when they say "Who ordered the poo poo platter?" I think that about sums it up. If you are up for a laugh you can watch the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv5DlbpOt30
Needless to say we didnt eat the rice and beans and spent the evening in our room hysterically laughing that we thought it was the man who smelled, repeating that line from the movie and replaying the heap of junk or more commonly referred to as POS that we have bravely used that day.
We have 640 applications and will be adding 60 more that will be men and off those 700 applications we need to chose 300. We have women who ranging from 19 to 80 years old applying for loans. Every time we come down here we learn something new or that plans have changed. We brought all the paperwork needed for Franck to begin teaching October 15th but some meetings we were not aware of need to take place before that and so we are having to push back our training till January. More than likely the marketplace won't open until June 2014 which gives us more time to raise money. So just for fun - we added up all the money that the applicants were asking for and all they want is 1.2 million. Seriously. I don't know what they are thinking asking for such huge loan amounts. They are obviously not just for the inventory needed to start their business. So how do you tell someone that instead of getting the $12,000 they asked for they are going to get $300. And how do you tell half of your people that they are not going to get a loan? How do you decide which family to 'save' and which will have to wait until the loans are repaid and they can be in the next round. Do you tell the woman who has 12 people living in a 10 x 12 room that she is/or isn't going to get a loan? Or the woman who is feeding her children mud b.c that's all she has?
When we leave our guys are going to call all the applicants to get more information from them. Since Franck was the only one taking applications he wasn't able to get all their information and we really need it in order to make the decisions on who gets a loan. So they will be doing that while we are gone. We have entered all the information into an excel spreadsheet should something happen to the actual papers - we stayed up till 2am doing that and each man will get half of the applicants to follow up with. We are also going to have them go out into the various marketplaces and see how much it will actually cost to start the businesses that the people said they wanted to start. I'm sorry, but selling bananas is not going to cost $2500 dollars. We must be made out of money.
Speaking of which, one more funny story from the bank. We had to answer all kinds of questions and they wanted to know how much money we make. Alisha said zero. Franck stared at her, the bank lady stared at her and Alisha said zero again and held up her hand in a big 0. To which Franck grabs a piece of paper and hands it to her and says, "if you don't want to say just write it down." Man, we had a good laugh about that one that night too. We make 0. 00.
We are excited to say we got permission to put stuff on a LAC container and it will be stored here until we come back and can distribute to the village we went to back in June. We will also put everything for the office that will be Open Hand's in the marketplace on that container as well. Can you see Alisha and I in a UHaul driving down to Florida? Oh man. I can't believe our husbands let us do all this. ha! And another small pleasure - after the first two nights of being so hot in our room we couldn't sleep Sherry said we could have the AC on all night. Now that is a big deal. We are so grateful for that!
And another HUGE accomplishment - when we went to the bank on Tuesday we were told checks take 15 days to arrive which obviously was not going to work for us b.c we are leaving on Saturday and need to pay our guys with advanced post dated checks and low and behold, our anxious pleading and many phone calls caused these awesome bank ladies to get it done. Oh yeah! Who Rocks? Open Hand does that's who!
We made a trip into town with our Haitian guys to run errands. We left it up to one of them to get us transportation. I will put it to you this way - the 'vehicle' we rode in one of our Haitian men refused to use again. Said even the Haitians don't consider this a vehicle but being the adventurous women that we are we navigated our way into the van that was completely stripped down to the metal. The windshield had a huge hole in it that was stuffed with something so the air couldn't get through and the seats were like sitting on ply wood but they rocked b.c they had rusted out and no longer stayed in place. The highlight of all of this was when Nicolas stepped out of the 'van' and the floorboard fell out of the car onto the side of the road. Oh yes, we were riding in style.
We managed to open a bank account in only 3 hours, get unlimited internet for our guys and get our own Haitian cell phone that we can use while we are down here and add minutes to when we return.
So after running around all day in that sad excuse for a vehicle we were ready for dinner. As we stood in the buffet line in front of the rice and beans I had to step back b.c the man serving the food smelled awful. I quickly filled my plate and went to sit down where Alisha says to me, "I think our food stinks" and I lean down trying to be non obvious and sniff and reel my head back trying not to gag. Any of you familiar with the movie Bugs Life when they say "Who ordered the poo poo platter?" I think that about sums it up. If you are up for a laugh you can watch the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv5DlbpOt30
Needless to say we didnt eat the rice and beans and spent the evening in our room hysterically laughing that we thought it was the man who smelled, repeating that line from the movie and replaying the heap of junk or more commonly referred to as POS that we have bravely used that day.
We have 640 applications and will be adding 60 more that will be men and off those 700 applications we need to chose 300. We have women who ranging from 19 to 80 years old applying for loans. Every time we come down here we learn something new or that plans have changed. We brought all the paperwork needed for Franck to begin teaching October 15th but some meetings we were not aware of need to take place before that and so we are having to push back our training till January. More than likely the marketplace won't open until June 2014 which gives us more time to raise money. So just for fun - we added up all the money that the applicants were asking for and all they want is 1.2 million. Seriously. I don't know what they are thinking asking for such huge loan amounts. They are obviously not just for the inventory needed to start their business. So how do you tell someone that instead of getting the $12,000 they asked for they are going to get $300. And how do you tell half of your people that they are not going to get a loan? How do you decide which family to 'save' and which will have to wait until the loans are repaid and they can be in the next round. Do you tell the woman who has 12 people living in a 10 x 12 room that she is/or isn't going to get a loan? Or the woman who is feeding her children mud b.c that's all she has?
When we leave our guys are going to call all the applicants to get more information from them. Since Franck was the only one taking applications he wasn't able to get all their information and we really need it in order to make the decisions on who gets a loan. So they will be doing that while we are gone. We have entered all the information into an excel spreadsheet should something happen to the actual papers - we stayed up till 2am doing that and each man will get half of the applicants to follow up with. We are also going to have them go out into the various marketplaces and see how much it will actually cost to start the businesses that the people said they wanted to start. I'm sorry, but selling bananas is not going to cost $2500 dollars. We must be made out of money.
Speaking of which, one more funny story from the bank. We had to answer all kinds of questions and they wanted to know how much money we make. Alisha said zero. Franck stared at her, the bank lady stared at her and Alisha said zero again and held up her hand in a big 0. To which Franck grabs a piece of paper and hands it to her and says, "if you don't want to say just write it down." Man, we had a good laugh about that one that night too. We make 0. 00.
We are excited to say we got permission to put stuff on a LAC container and it will be stored here until we come back and can distribute to the village we went to back in June. We will also put everything for the office that will be Open Hand's in the marketplace on that container as well. Can you see Alisha and I in a UHaul driving down to Florida? Oh man. I can't believe our husbands let us do all this. ha! And another small pleasure - after the first two nights of being so hot in our room we couldn't sleep Sherry said we could have the AC on all night. Now that is a big deal. We are so grateful for that!
And another HUGE accomplishment - when we went to the bank on Tuesday we were told checks take 15 days to arrive which obviously was not going to work for us b.c we are leaving on Saturday and need to pay our guys with advanced post dated checks and low and behold, our anxious pleading and many phone calls caused these awesome bank ladies to get it done. Oh yeah! Who Rocks? Open Hand does that's who!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Wanna See Something Awesome????
| Ha! Too late - you opened the post! Now you have to look whether you wanted to or not :) | .JPG) | ||
| 300 Folders for Loan Recipients |
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Alas, Alisha and I had a very hard decision to make. Save the planet or save people. I feel it is only necessary to make this disclaimer:"many trees were harmed in the making of these folders, binders, and paperwork for all the loan recipients and it would not be a stretch to say that we are carrying over 100 pounds of paper with us to Haiti." There. I'm sorry green energy people. But on the plus side it's only a one time offense until that is... we do this all over again in Haiti (once the loans are repaid) and in Africa!!!! (sorry. I had to add that)
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Workman's Comp
Is there such a thing for a non profit? I may have lead poisoning. Carpel tunnel. Does it come on quickly? My eyes are all blurry. Strange. But seriously... you should see my aching, throbbing, blister ridden, lead stained hands from sharpening all 300 pencils that we are taking with us to Haiti for our training classes. You'd think we would buckle up and buy the electric sharpener huh? No sir, we like to do things the hard way here at Open Hand. Or injured hand... I'm not sure which right now.
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We leave in a week or so and we need to have all the training materials/office supplies for Franck because he will begin training on October 15th. As we have been making copies, printing materials and 3 hole punching materials I encountered another casualty of war... RIP dear 3 Hole Punch. Literally broke into pieces.
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So yesterday I was on a mission - a "how cheap can you get a folder" mission. I went from big box store to store looking for the cheapest folders I could find for our loan recipients. We want them to have some note paper and a place to keep their notes. I was on the hunt for the elusive '10cent folder' and convinced Alisha had sent me on a wild goose chase. Shame on you, Walmart because of course, I tried you first but alas you disappointed me. My last stop was Target and as I headed back to their huge picked through school supplies section it was like I could hear angels singing as I came across the 10 CENT FOLDERS. It was like finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. They exist! I almost did a little dance. Now the fun part, to stand there and count out 300 folders and to make sure they were the correct 10 cent ones because everything was all mixed up by this point. Then when I get up to the counter to pay for them the cashier has to count every single one because there are different bar codes for some. Oh jeez. Half hour later I exited Target with my 300 folders. Now here's the funny part - those suckers weigh a ton! We are going to have to take extra luggage in order to bring all our supplies down to our guys. But we will have them prepared!
Oh.... silly me for forgetting to tell you this - Franck started taking applications this week and has taken almost 400 so far!!!! People from all over the region are coming and hoping for a loan. We have the desperate people, now we need to reach the ones with the money to help them.
Oh.... silly me for forgetting to tell you this - Franck started taking applications this week and has taken almost 400 so far!!!! People from all over the region are coming and hoping for a loan. We have the desperate people, now we need to reach the ones with the money to help them.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
An Open Letter
To my bestie, (first off I want it to be known that I wrote this before you called me)
I don't really know if you read this blog but as I'm sitting here in Georgia today, and you are in California I'm tearing up. I'm tired, I know you are tired and you've been battling physical illness and yet you traveled across the country to speak to as many people as you can about what Open Hand is doing in Haiti. I'm excited to be on this crazy adventure with you and I know we are both working every contact we have to get the money that the Haitians need in order to provide for their families and to keep themselves and their children from being trafficked. You have a HUGE heart to make a difference, you are a woman of character and I know your life hasn't been an easy ride and you are such a fighter. I can't help but think of the song Overcomer by Mandisa. This song will be Open Hand's song. NOBODY can ever say that we are slackers, that we are sitting back and hoping/praying the money will land in our laps. I have seen the sleepless nights, and the countless hours you have spent in pulling your weight for this foundation. Every contact, every trip, every email, every text you are not a quitter.
You have so much to give, so much to teach, so many lives that you have impacted, are impacting and will continue to impact and I'm glad I can be along side you to see it all unfold. I know we are hoping our husbands will join us literally on this journey, ha! I'm so grateful they and our children are willing to be without us for a period of time so that we can do what we feel we are called to do. I don't think I will ever forget that night we were in Haiti laying on our beds and we had the windows open (even though we were worried about mosquitos and other critters) and all was quiet but suddenly we could hear the most beautiful voices singing and it carried all the way to our room and we looked at each other and got the biggest grins on our faces - it was like we knew we were right where we were supposed to be.
I'm grateful that when you are down, I am up and that we both aren't down at the same time. Ha! We are a great balance. Sometimes you are the dreamer and I have to pull you back to reality but mostly, you have to pull me back :) Our personalities end up complimenting each others. With the help of generous people and companies WE.ARE.GOING.TO.BE.WORLD.CHANGERS. It's just how we roll.
Love,
Lisa
I don't really know if you read this blog but as I'm sitting here in Georgia today, and you are in California I'm tearing up. I'm tired, I know you are tired and you've been battling physical illness and yet you traveled across the country to speak to as many people as you can about what Open Hand is doing in Haiti. I'm excited to be on this crazy adventure with you and I know we are both working every contact we have to get the money that the Haitians need in order to provide for their families and to keep themselves and their children from being trafficked. You have a HUGE heart to make a difference, you are a woman of character and I know your life hasn't been an easy ride and you are such a fighter. I can't help but think of the song Overcomer by Mandisa. This song will be Open Hand's song. NOBODY can ever say that we are slackers, that we are sitting back and hoping/praying the money will land in our laps. I have seen the sleepless nights, and the countless hours you have spent in pulling your weight for this foundation. Every contact, every trip, every email, every text you are not a quitter.
You have so much to give, so much to teach, so many lives that you have impacted, are impacting and will continue to impact and I'm glad I can be along side you to see it all unfold. I know we are hoping our husbands will join us literally on this journey, ha! I'm so grateful they and our children are willing to be without us for a period of time so that we can do what we feel we are called to do. I don't think I will ever forget that night we were in Haiti laying on our beds and we had the windows open (even though we were worried about mosquitos and other critters) and all was quiet but suddenly we could hear the most beautiful voices singing and it carried all the way to our room and we looked at each other and got the biggest grins on our faces - it was like we knew we were right where we were supposed to be.
I'm grateful that when you are down, I am up and that we both aren't down at the same time. Ha! We are a great balance. Sometimes you are the dreamer and I have to pull you back to reality but mostly, you have to pull me back :) Our personalities end up complimenting each others. With the help of generous people and companies WE.ARE.GOING.TO.BE.WORLD.CHANGERS. It's just how we roll.
Love,
Lisa
It's Been Awhile
Since I've cried in frustration about Open Hand so I think today is as good a day as any. Once again, the idea of this blog is to show behind the scenes of starting a non profit and it's also good to be able and go back and see how far we've come and when things have gone well so we can remember Haiti was God's idea, not ours and that there is only so much we can do before Someone bigger has to step in and make this happen.
Alisha is out in California working all her contacts to raise money and I have been diligently going through my husband's business rolodex and calling on every.single.person. he's ever worked with that he thinks may be interested in what Open Hand is trying to accomplish. First I call, then I send an email and after a few days I call back to see if they have any questions or if they'd like to just go ahead and cut a check right then and there :) You know the whole squeaky wheel analogy? Well I'm hoping to get a lot of oil!
I've had my calls 'accidentally' dropped on their way to voice mail, I've had men flat out tell me that they have no desire to help, I've had people not even open the email I sent them and send it straight to their trash bin, and I've had others, who when I mention my husband's name tell me to send them the information. My husband is in a very small industry and he has made a good name for himself. That being said, I will go back and reference my other post Chills Don't Pay the Bills and you start to get the idea. Yes, what we are doing is honorable and selfless and all that but write.the.check. Just be generous and see what happens.
Once I have called on, sent out, and re-followed up with all those I sent our email to - I'm done. I have no other resources to tap. And I have it on good authority that more than a handful of those I'm calling on could write a check for all we need in a heart beat and five times over! Even one extremely well off company could be all Open Hand needs to bring in the money for these loans.
If the saying about 'working your ass off' was literally true I know for a fact, Alisha and I wouldn't have one.
Alisha is out in California working all her contacts to raise money and I have been diligently going through my husband's business rolodex and calling on every.single.person. he's ever worked with that he thinks may be interested in what Open Hand is trying to accomplish. First I call, then I send an email and after a few days I call back to see if they have any questions or if they'd like to just go ahead and cut a check right then and there :) You know the whole squeaky wheel analogy? Well I'm hoping to get a lot of oil!
I've had my calls 'accidentally' dropped on their way to voice mail, I've had men flat out tell me that they have no desire to help, I've had people not even open the email I sent them and send it straight to their trash bin, and I've had others, who when I mention my husband's name tell me to send them the information. My husband is in a very small industry and he has made a good name for himself. That being said, I will go back and reference my other post Chills Don't Pay the Bills and you start to get the idea. Yes, what we are doing is honorable and selfless and all that but write.the.check. Just be generous and see what happens.
Once I have called on, sent out, and re-followed up with all those I sent our email to - I'm done. I have no other resources to tap. And I have it on good authority that more than a handful of those I'm calling on could write a check for all we need in a heart beat and five times over! Even one extremely well off company could be all Open Hand needs to bring in the money for these loans.
If the saying about 'working your ass off' was literally true I know for a fact, Alisha and I wouldn't have one.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Ready, Set, Go get the money!!!
After weeks and weeks and weeks of work - our corporate media kit is done and our introductory letter is complete as well. We have forwarded to each of our board members and asked them to send to those they know in the corporate world who may be interested in sponsoring some loans. Heck, maybe they would be interested in sponsoring all the loans. You never know :) Now we start picking up the phone and reaching out to those we know in the corporate world... or those we are friends with that know someone in the corporate world - you gotta know somebody who knows somebody, ya know?
We have hired our two Haitian Director/Assistant Directors and we are working on getting our training manual up to speed with Haitian culture. We will begin taking applications for loans in September before we get there and once we are there we will go through those applications and decide who will receive a loan and training will begin in October. Woo Hoo!!!
We have had a lot of change in our thinking from what we thought would be very small loan amounts to the clear fact that 'you get what you pay for' when it comes to employees. Since we will not be on the ground we need men we can trust, loyal, and upstanding men in their community to pull this off. Our Director lives quite far away so we are having to deal with bigger salaries than we had anticipated as well as the fact that he is going to need a vehicle. Which now sounds daunting because we don't want to 'waste' any money on something like that but in the long run will be quite nice to have someone pick us up at the airport and we will have our own vehicle when in Haiti.
Here is a 'snap shot' of our corporate media kit. Not too much information as we know we are dealing with busy men and women but enough to see if they are further interested. Combined with our awesome letter I think it's time we start raising the 100k we need!
A friend gave this to me and it is PERFECT for what Alisha and I are going through. Hope you get a chuckle out of it :)
We have hired our two Haitian Director/Assistant Directors and we are working on getting our training manual up to speed with Haitian culture. We will begin taking applications for loans in September before we get there and once we are there we will go through those applications and decide who will receive a loan and training will begin in October. Woo Hoo!!!
We have had a lot of change in our thinking from what we thought would be very small loan amounts to the clear fact that 'you get what you pay for' when it comes to employees. Since we will not be on the ground we need men we can trust, loyal, and upstanding men in their community to pull this off. Our Director lives quite far away so we are having to deal with bigger salaries than we had anticipated as well as the fact that he is going to need a vehicle. Which now sounds daunting because we don't want to 'waste' any money on something like that but in the long run will be quite nice to have someone pick us up at the airport and we will have our own vehicle when in Haiti.
Here is a 'snap shot' of our corporate media kit. Not too much information as we know we are dealing with busy men and women but enough to see if they are further interested. Combined with our awesome letter I think it's time we start raising the 100k we need!
A friend gave this to me and it is PERFECT for what Alisha and I are going through. Hope you get a chuckle out of it :)
Friday, August 9, 2013
Give Back Programs - Warning *Soap Box*
Alisha and I have been pounding the pavement working within our community to find their 'give back' type programs. We are working ever angle we can to raise the 100k we need by January. Yes, you read that correctly. We have been very excited to see just how many local businesses and chain restaurants offer some type of give back program but here's where I * jump on the soap box - there.is.always.a.catch. ALWAYS.
What one would assume is a generous company willing to give some of their proceeds to help an awesome cause is actually a ploy in marketing to see if our organization can get more people in the door than normally would eat or shop at said give back location. So besides there being a specific time that you can fundraise you also aren't able to stand outside and let people know to mention your organization when they check out b.c the horror - we might get each and every person in that evening to say our name and therefore the small percentage they are offering would be given to help change Haitian lives forever instead of lining their pockets with just a little more profit. What is a little profit to them for one evening with a time frame is life and death, or the reality of having to decide which child to sell in order to pay for the rest of the family to eat for that week to the Haitians. So these give back programs really are a way for a company to feel like they are being generous but if they were really being generous and cared about making the world a better place (we don't mind a time frame) we just want to be able to stand outside and let people know to mention us. Because hundreds of dollars really will change lives forever. *steps off soap box
What one would assume is a generous company willing to give some of their proceeds to help an awesome cause is actually a ploy in marketing to see if our organization can get more people in the door than normally would eat or shop at said give back location. So besides there being a specific time that you can fundraise you also aren't able to stand outside and let people know to mention your organization when they check out b.c the horror - we might get each and every person in that evening to say our name and therefore the small percentage they are offering would be given to help change Haitian lives forever instead of lining their pockets with just a little more profit. What is a little profit to them for one evening with a time frame is life and death, or the reality of having to decide which child to sell in order to pay for the rest of the family to eat for that week to the Haitians. So these give back programs really are a way for a company to feel like they are being generous but if they were really being generous and cared about making the world a better place (we don't mind a time frame) we just want to be able to stand outside and let people know to mention us. Because hundreds of dollars really will change lives forever. *steps off soap box
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Chills Don't Pay the Bills
I've been looking for a couple of these - if anyone has one or more in their backyard please let me know and we'll come on over. I know how burdensome they can be.
So... have you figured out the meaning of my subject line? If not, I'll so graciously elaborate. This past week I have been visiting local businesses and passing out flyers about Open Hand and every time I would begin to talk about what we are doing and how $100 can literally change the lives of at least 5 people for their lifetime, people would tell me that what I'm saying is "giving them chills" all of them. But guess what? Chills don't pay the bills. Get it? If what I'm saying to you physically impacts you - do something about it. Donate! Write the check! Save a life! It's great that what I'm telling you makes you horrified and sickened and how you say, "Wow, only $100? That's nothing." If it's nothing then please, please, please we'd love to take a few Benjamin Franklin's off your hands in order to help fund these mico loans.
So... have you figured out the meaning of my subject line? If not, I'll so graciously elaborate. This past week I have been visiting local businesses and passing out flyers about Open Hand and every time I would begin to talk about what we are doing and how $100 can literally change the lives of at least 5 people for their lifetime, people would tell me that what I'm saying is "giving them chills" all of them. But guess what? Chills don't pay the bills. Get it? If what I'm saying to you physically impacts you - do something about it. Donate! Write the check! Save a life! It's great that what I'm telling you makes you horrified and sickened and how you say, "Wow, only $100? That's nothing." If it's nothing then please, please, please we'd love to take a few Benjamin Franklin's off your hands in order to help fund these mico loans.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Face Time
I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack. Everything is hitting me at once the huge responsibility we have to gather the money for the loans and I just want to cry. Faith or fear? Faith or fear? Right now everything in me screams fear.... fear that we won't get the money we need, fear that the fundraisers we have will be total flops, fear that we won't be able to get any of these huge companies to agree to even allow us to send them info on what we are doing and follow up with them. Should I keep going? I think you get the idea.
I could write this and let the tears fall but the reality is I have to tell my mind to shut up because Haiti was NOT in the plan for Open Hand and yet too many pieces came together to make it apparent that this is where we are to start. Start. Not end. Start. A model that we can replicate over and over throughout other third world countries. To help put a stop to human trafficking before it starts. To change the course of an entire family forever. That is so huge. Children being able to go to bed with their tummies full, bodies clothed, a roof over their heads, and an education. Everyone in the families needs met. But not just met... we want these people to thrive not survive. Thrive. We are hearing horrible stories about children in Haiti being burned by their parents as punishment for taking more than they should have when it is meal time. This is unacceptable. Every person should have the right to go to bed full. Every.single.one.
******
Alright, I've had a couple of hours to relax... well to try not to stress only to be told that a huge chunk of money we were hoping to be available for us to use has been used for another project. Anyone have a brown bag I can breathe into?
So it's Friday night and I'm home alone printing up flyers for our fundraiser next weekend, cutting them and printing up stickers to give to people so they won't forget to mention Open Hand. As I'm doing this I'm thinking to myself it's a really good thing I'm a highly organized detail oriented person because I don't see how some people can start a non profit. This is a lot of work. Granted, we are a team of two. Two non paid stay at home full time mothers and wives. Anyone else see the crazy in this? OH is mine and Alisha's baby. Nobody else is going to care like we do. Nobody else is going to spend countless sleepless nights, days on end of mundane tasks, all the hours and hours of putting together everything that is needed to trying to get what we need most.
Ooo, I bet you thought I was going to say money, right? Well.... I was going to say something else that our friend Freddy, from Burundi taught us, "First you get their hearts, then their purse strings will follow."
Put us in front of people and we can get their hearts. That's all we need. The opportunity for people to give us 5 minutes of face time and I guarantee we will get it done.
I could write this and let the tears fall but the reality is I have to tell my mind to shut up because Haiti was NOT in the plan for Open Hand and yet too many pieces came together to make it apparent that this is where we are to start. Start. Not end. Start. A model that we can replicate over and over throughout other third world countries. To help put a stop to human trafficking before it starts. To change the course of an entire family forever. That is so huge. Children being able to go to bed with their tummies full, bodies clothed, a roof over their heads, and an education. Everyone in the families needs met. But not just met... we want these people to thrive not survive. Thrive. We are hearing horrible stories about children in Haiti being burned by their parents as punishment for taking more than they should have when it is meal time. This is unacceptable. Every person should have the right to go to bed full. Every.single.one.
******
Alright, I've had a couple of hours to relax... well to try not to stress only to be told that a huge chunk of money we were hoping to be available for us to use has been used for another project. Anyone have a brown bag I can breathe into?
So it's Friday night and I'm home alone printing up flyers for our fundraiser next weekend, cutting them and printing up stickers to give to people so they won't forget to mention Open Hand. As I'm doing this I'm thinking to myself it's a really good thing I'm a highly organized detail oriented person because I don't see how some people can start a non profit. This is a lot of work. Granted, we are a team of two. Two non paid stay at home full time mothers and wives. Anyone else see the crazy in this? OH is mine and Alisha's baby. Nobody else is going to care like we do. Nobody else is going to spend countless sleepless nights, days on end of mundane tasks, all the hours and hours of putting together everything that is needed to trying to get what we need most.
Ooo, I bet you thought I was going to say money, right? Well.... I was going to say something else that our friend Freddy, from Burundi taught us, "First you get their hearts, then their purse strings will follow."
Put us in front of people and we can get their hearts. That's all we need. The opportunity for people to give us 5 minutes of face time and I guarantee we will get it done.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
It's Show and Tell Day!!
Remember back in the day when you could take your most favorite toy or stuffed animal in for show and tell and how you would be so excited, drive your Mom bonkers jumping up and down, and barely eating your breakfast because you couldn't wait to show "Snuffy" to your entire class? Well behold... Open Hand's version of show and tell. Ok, mostly show.
First - our awesome business cards for our board members to give out.
First - our awesome business cards for our board members to give out.
And last but certainly not least by ANY means is our wonderful promo video. Way better than my home video, yes, I admit it wholeheartedly. Every time I watch the video I sit there with a grin on my face. See, I told you there would be some 'tell' to this day :)
Monday, July 15, 2013
It Takes Money to make money
I know we have all heard that saying. It makes perfect sense. What doesn't make sense is that this same truth applies to non profits - which by definition are NOT making profits. Ha! We can't even go to a bank and ask for a loan to start. *sigh*
It's the same when you are starting any company - you need to get your name out there, you need quality advertising etc.. because you only get one shot at making a first impression and for us, we are trying to reach companies and ask for sponsorships so we need to have something professional in order to be taken seriously. Hence the reason that we need professional looking information but as we all know takes money. It's something I'm torn with because I don't want to use the money we've been given so far for all these things that are actually necessary. I want to use them to save up for all the loans we need. BUT in order to get the money for those loans we have to get out there and catch the attention of some big wig companies willing to give us tens of thousands to see the lives of Haitians changed forever.
We need specific funds in order to produce quality media/advertising kits and we need certain funds to buy the aprons that the people will wear at the marketplace. My dream world consists of this, someone donating a large sum of money to Open Hand and telling us that we can use it wherever it is needed. Ok, I put it out into the blog sphere...
It's the same when you are starting any company - you need to get your name out there, you need quality advertising etc.. because you only get one shot at making a first impression and for us, we are trying to reach companies and ask for sponsorships so we need to have something professional in order to be taken seriously. Hence the reason that we need professional looking information but as we all know takes money. It's something I'm torn with because I don't want to use the money we've been given so far for all these things that are actually necessary. I want to use them to save up for all the loans we need. BUT in order to get the money for those loans we have to get out there and catch the attention of some big wig companies willing to give us tens of thousands to see the lives of Haitians changed forever.
We need specific funds in order to produce quality media/advertising kits and we need certain funds to buy the aprons that the people will wear at the marketplace. My dream world consists of this, someone donating a large sum of money to Open Hand and telling us that we can use it wherever it is needed. Ok, I put it out into the blog sphere...
Monday, July 8, 2013
It's Time to Brag a little (ok, maybe a lot)
On this wonderful and inspiring 12 year old girl, Sanjana, who heard about what Open Hand is doing with raising Crocs™ 4 Kids and decided to do something about it. Sanjana babysat, made bracelets and sold paintings (she's very talented) and raised money to buy 55 pairs of Crocs™. Is that incredible or what? This girl is a rock star to us and I can only imagine what she will be to the children who get a pair of the shoes she bought with her hard earned money. So... what have you done with your summer?
Of course the founders of Open Hand HAD to have our picture taken with our BIGGEST Croc™ donor so far! Hey, all of you out there - you are getting beaten by a 12 year old girl! It's time to step up your game :)
UPDATE: Check this out! Hopefully the start of many more! http://pointsnorthatlanta.com/impact-for-open-hand/ - since my original post about Sanjana she has raised a total of 125 pairs of Crocs and counting. She has more custom frame orders but school is starting so she's going to have to put everything on hold until winter break. One more little brag - so Sanjana's mom told us that her goal was 100 pairs and when she surpassed that goal her Mom said, "why dont we take that extra money and go buy you a new dress?" to which this 12 year old girl said she'd rather spend the money on more shoes for the children. So Alisha and I decided it would be super fun to buy Sanjana a couple dresses as a thank you for all her hard work. Shh... don't tell her. It's a surprise :)
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Ta Da!!! Georgia Mom's Making a Difference in Haiti & Africa
Introducing - Georgia Moms Making a Difference in Haiti & Africa
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Just breathe
I have to try and remind myself of this. There is so much to get done in order to be ready for the opening of the marketplace in Haiti in April. I may have a small panic attack. Our training manual needs to be adapted to fit the Haitian culture, we need to figure out how much our director(s) will get paid, and yes, it is plural. Too many people to give loans too, there's no way one man can do it all. So we'll be hiring a Director and an Assistant Director. The director will collect the money (TBD as to how often he will collect) and the Assistant Director will do the training. Both men will need to take applications for the loans. We need to train our Assistant Director (A.D) and go through the whole manual with him to make sure he understands before he can begin holding classes. These men need bank accounts so we can pay them. We will need to train via Skype which isn't ideal but we don't want to use any more funds going back and forth to Haiti. We'd like to go again sometime in the fall to check on the training, say hi to everyone etc... and then again when we graduate everyone and once more when the marketplace opens.
Since the marketplace is a new idea there are still questions we need to have answered, for example, how many booths will there be and how much will it cost to rent a booth for the month. This factors into our loan costs. While we were in Haiti, it was told to us that Haitians don't believe anything is for free, they are suspicious and want to pay something or they feel what they are getting may not be the real deal so we have an application fee that must be paid before someone can apply for a loan. It won't be a huge amount b.c the average Haitian makes $2 a day, if they are lucky. We just need them to know we are serious, and we want them to be serious about the loan.
Alisha has been working on the training manual, one of our board members is working on our media kit and I've been trying to negotiate deals with apron companies but so far, no luck. We are almost ready to start calling on the corporations we have some level of relationship with and see if they be a sponsor - whether silver, gold or platinum. Our board met last week and came up with some great ideas for more fundraising. There is so much money that needs to be raised it's overwhelming. Breathe, Lis, breathe.
Since the marketplace is a new idea there are still questions we need to have answered, for example, how many booths will there be and how much will it cost to rent a booth for the month. This factors into our loan costs. While we were in Haiti, it was told to us that Haitians don't believe anything is for free, they are suspicious and want to pay something or they feel what they are getting may not be the real deal so we have an application fee that must be paid before someone can apply for a loan. It won't be a huge amount b.c the average Haitian makes $2 a day, if they are lucky. We just need them to know we are serious, and we want them to be serious about the loan.
Alisha has been working on the training manual, one of our board members is working on our media kit and I've been trying to negotiate deals with apron companies but so far, no luck. We are almost ready to start calling on the corporations we have some level of relationship with and see if they be a sponsor - whether silver, gold or platinum. Our board met last week and came up with some great ideas for more fundraising. There is so much money that needs to be raised it's overwhelming. Breathe, Lis, breathe.
Friday, June 21, 2013
I'm a tad bit giddy
WARNING: I have been known to be giddy about the most stupid of things and to act like a small child when I get excited about something even as remotely as a gorgeous full moon. But whenever I look at my car I get a huge stupid grin on my face. You know the kind - because I have always wanted one of these but never knew what it would say and now may I introduce to you....
MY LICENSE PLATE (crowd roars expectantly)AHHHHHHH...
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For some reason this makes me feel way more official than the government status and the fact that we are starting to bring in money help women and children. ha! I told you, I'm a tad strange. My next secret accomplishments in life that make me feel as if I have "arrived" (and I kid you not) is a). to be "important enough" to have my own business card and b). to have my own cubicle. Sad huh? I know but seriously, the small things excite me! Every time I see this I want to laugh out loud because this whole journey is just incredible. I feel like we are on a wave and we have to just hold on and go with it! Surfs Up baby!!!
MY LICENSE PLATE (crowd roars expectantly)AHHHHHHH...
Monday, June 17, 2013
The Heart of the Generous
I'm trying to figure out how to write this post but I'm at a loss. So maybe I'll just write and you'll have to forgive me for not being more 'on'.
I just got off the phone with a woman who has an etsy shop. She's had it for years but only recently has it begun to take off. She has been donating a portion of her earnings to a local camp but yesterday starting thinking about Open Hand and what we are trying to accomplish in providing loans to woman so they can take care of themselves and their children. She said to me that since she has been blessed with her etsy shop and she is a woman entrepreneur that she can't help but want to make a difference in the life of a woman in Haiti. She told me she usually gives at the end of each year but she feels she wants to give right now. Not to wait. She says, "well... it's not much. It's only $100 right now." Que my silent tears b.c that is exactly how much we are anticipating one loan is going to cost in Haiti. And that one loan is going to impact immediately on average, 5 people and once the loan gets paid back another 5 and another..... and you get the idea :)
And this is exactly what we need. We need people who are generous, who hear what we are doing and want to jump in and help us make a difference. So thank you, generous giver. Your donation is going to change hundreds of lives.
**** UPDATE - as of today (6/19), Amanda's fun idea has gone viral and she has hundreds of orders she can't fill. Check out this article http://www.today.com/moms/cabbage-patch-kids-wigs-babies-go-viral-6C10350466 Here we go! http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/children-1980s-meet-cabbage-patch-kids-hat-190452507.html - The cover of yahoo. Can you believe it?? This is crazy. Cabbage patch kid hat crazy!!!
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I just got off the phone with a woman who has an etsy shop. She's had it for years but only recently has it begun to take off. She has been donating a portion of her earnings to a local camp but yesterday starting thinking about Open Hand and what we are trying to accomplish in providing loans to woman so they can take care of themselves and their children. She said to me that since she has been blessed with her etsy shop and she is a woman entrepreneur that she can't help but want to make a difference in the life of a woman in Haiti. She told me she usually gives at the end of each year but she feels she wants to give right now. Not to wait. She says, "well... it's not much. It's only $100 right now." Que my silent tears b.c that is exactly how much we are anticipating one loan is going to cost in Haiti. And that one loan is going to impact immediately on average, 5 people and once the loan gets paid back another 5 and another..... and you get the idea :)
And this is exactly what we need. We need people who are generous, who hear what we are doing and want to jump in and help us make a difference. So thank you, generous giver. Your donation is going to change hundreds of lives.
**** UPDATE - as of today (6/19), Amanda's fun idea has gone viral and she has hundreds of orders she can't fill. Check out this article http://www.today.com/moms/cabbage-patch-kids-wigs-babies-go-viral-6C10350466 Here we go! http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/children-1980s-meet-cabbage-patch-kids-hat-190452507.html - The cover of yahoo. Can you believe it?? This is crazy. Cabbage patch kid hat crazy!!!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Our Trip to Haiti (what do you say if it's longer than a nut shell? And why is a nut shell even a measurement?)
Well here I was all set to write about our trip to Haiti but I opened our mail and was dumbfounded to find our DETERMINATION LETTER from the government. What went from a documented one year wait was accomplished for us in under 90 days. I'm in shock and awe right now. NOW it is time to bring in the big donations and the corporate sponsorships!
These are the men who showed up to interview for the Director position for Open Hand's micro loans. One man came from as far as 6 hours away! This is how badly this country needs jobs.
Upon arriving in Haiti we had a lot to accomplish in only 3 days but we did it! Sherry Burnette from Love a Child met us at the airport which was a big deal because 1) she normally isn't the one to pick people up 2) our plane was 3 hours late and 3) many fear for her life since she is so well known she may be kidnapped.
So with all that being said we felt pretty special to be picked up by this lady:
The images of children without clothes haunted us. The little boy in the front of this picture was completely naked. And probably about 5 or 6 years old? Anyways the point is that it was obvious to him that he wasn't wearing clothes b.c the other kids in this picture were. And we were too. I kept picturing my 4 year old son and thinking "oh no... not on my watch." And if you know anything about Alisha and me, and the fact that Open Hand is founded on being generous you know that we can't allow the children of this village to live without clothes and shoes. Sherry says the village has about 100 families. It's far enough off the beaten track that I hope we can make a difference in the lives of these villagers but not attract attention to them by having others come in to reap the benefits we hope to provide for them.
So before I sign off let me leave with you with some awesome Creole French I picked up in my three days. Now granted, it's totally spelled phonetically b.c otherwise how the heck would I learn it?
Me: Coma ooo rayla? Translation: What is your name?
Me: Maway rayla Lisa. Translation: If you can't get that then you are in trouble.
Me: Coma oo yah? Translation: How are you?
And the best one we learned from one of our potential directors "Sac pa say" means what's up!? Then when someone asks you that you answer "Na boo lay" which means not much or I'm cool or something of the sort.
All in all it was a wonderful, wonderful trip and the opportunities set before us are far beyond what we could have dreamed. I think God has a sense of humor because we wanted to start in Africa with women and instead we are starting in Haiti (which if you know your geography is NO WHERE near Africa) and we'll be giving loans to both men and women. Oh God, you are so silly!!
Upon arriving in Haiti we had a lot to accomplish in only 3 days but we did it! Sherry Burnette from Love a Child met us at the airport which was a big deal because 1) she normally isn't the one to pick people up 2) our plane was 3 hours late and 3) many fear for her life since she is so well known she may be kidnapped.
So with all that being said we felt pretty special to be picked up by this lady:
The Love a Child compound is incredible. From the armed guards to the gorgeous lush landscaping to the ever wonderful AIR CONDITIONED rooms... it was perfect. One of the many things we learned on this trip is that the generator turns off around 8pm and doesn't turn back on till 5am which means no air conditioning for the night time. But we managed :) We had the honor of spending a lot of time with Bobby and Sherry as they showed us where the market place is going to go as well as Miracle Village, the local market and the blueprint plans for the marketplace. www.loveachild.com
I think the Bible says somewhere about 'wherever you put your feet He will give to you" or something along those lines - well here I am in all my glory claiming the marketplace land for Open Hand to be a part of!
Once we were able to see the market place, interview potential directors and then speak to over 600 women who came to hear about our loans (gasp) we had some down time to help Sherry in the medical supply room doing something we found to be funny - putting together deworming medication. Now the reason this is funny is because in our quest to give every orphan/child a pair of NEW shoes specifically Crocs™ we found that the two leading causes for getting worms was contaminated water and walking barefoot. So here we are having raised over 200 pairs of Crocs so far only to be in Haiti getting the medicine together for those who have worms b.c they dont have shoes. See how funny that is? Ok. Maybe it's more funny when you're exhausted. I dunno.
Something else we learned while in Haiti is that Haiti has families whereas Burundi doesn't. Most of the men in Africa have been killed from war or AIDS or walked out on their families. This is not the case with Haitians and therefore if Open Hand is wanting to do micro loans at the LAC (Love a Child) marketplace we need to broaden our scope of influence to include men. Another huge eye opener is the loan amount. We were told it would be $25 dollars but when we got to Haiti it was apparent $25 was not going to be enough - we had committed to providing 300 loans but our loan amount needed of $10,000 isn't going to cut it. At.all.
Which found us in this awful place as we returned to the States wondering question: how the heck we are going to raise the tens of thousands of dollars we need to make these loans happen. The answer: we need corporate sponsorships. The problem: corporations wont give large amounts of money unless they can be tax deductible. Solution: get your determination letter in the mail the day after you get back from a trip where you promised to fund a ton of loans. Ha!
One of the best things about Haiti is the fact that the people are descendants from Africa. So unless you actually knew what country or continent you were on you would think you were in Africa. We were told by some missionaries that Haiti is called "Little Africa".
I think the biggest and most gut wrenching, cry inducing part of our trip came when Sherry took us to this village:
This is Lilette (Lee Let) or what was left of it. The LAC people call it Old Layton. What you can't tell is those are the roofs of cement homes built by LAC years ago and the lake has risen so much that it flooded the homes. If you were to turn around from this picture you would see what was left of this village and I think village is a loose term, we're talking small huts made out of sticks and mud and thatched roofs. We're talking children running around without any clothes. We're talking absolute mind boggling poverty. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this -
So before I sign off let me leave with you with some awesome Creole French I picked up in my three days. Now granted, it's totally spelled phonetically b.c otherwise how the heck would I learn it?
Me: Coma ooo rayla? Translation: What is your name?
Me: Maway rayla Lisa. Translation: If you can't get that then you are in trouble.
Me: Coma oo yah? Translation: How are you?
And the best one we learned from one of our potential directors "Sac pa say" means what's up!? Then when someone asks you that you answer "Na boo lay" which means not much or I'm cool or something of the sort.
All in all it was a wonderful, wonderful trip and the opportunities set before us are far beyond what we could have dreamed. I think God has a sense of humor because we wanted to start in Africa with women and instead we are starting in Haiti (which if you know your geography is NO WHERE near Africa) and we'll be giving loans to both men and women. Oh God, you are so silly!!
Friday, May 31, 2013
I guess we're doing this!
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Only thing I've been having a hard time with is finding an international calling card that will allow us to use our phone to call back to the U.S. Sure you can find tons going the other way around but not what we need. And we wont be able to stop and get one while we are there. Oh well... we might have to call our husbands and using the infamous "bobhadababyitsagirl" but instead it would be "wearehereandsafeandloveyou" It's going to cost both of our first born sons just to say that, which isn't exactly fair because Alisha has one more son. Ha!
We'll find a way to let our husbands know we have arrived safely. Bon Voyage - which seems quite fitting b.c Haitians speak French. Granted, Creole French but I try :)
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Hello Exhaustion, Our name is Open Hand
I think we've met. In fact we met yesterday and around 1am when we finally got home and then when we had to get up this morning. Whoever says fundraising is easy... well, I'll be polite and leave it at that. Last night, after many weeks of planning, preparing, inviting, and gathering auction items OH had their first major event with both men and women called Party by the Pool. We had gracious hosts who opened their gorgeous home and incredible back yard entertaining area to us to have our event.
With the threat of rain at 70% for the entire day and into the evening we kept praying and praying and pushing back the rain. It amazes me that God is in charge of the weather - We watched as the chance of rain literally went down to 0% for the whole day and then stayed at 60% for the evening which was when our event was taking place - from 7 to 9pm. I really really didnt want to move the event indoors b.c the outdoor area was so awesome so we kept praying and watched as the chance for rain kept going down until it was nothing until 10pm. Our poor hosts ran around frantically yesterday, cleaning their house and trying to figure out how to host a party of 60 in their home while we prayed the rain away, hour by hour.
Alisha and I arrived 3 hours before the event to begin setting up the auction tables, items, registration tables, raffle table, Croc drop off, microphone, beverages, food..... you get the idea. We did it all. Literally.
Needless to say the certain threat of rain kept a lot of our guests from attending but those that did attend had a fabulous time eating and drinking and learning about Open Hand.
That being said there are a few things we have learned for next time:
1. Even thought we were at a multi million dollar home on the lake - the drive is just too far for people.
2. People listen to the weather man. Even when he's wrong (which btw, is most of the time)
3. Silent auction items need to be located in a more convenient location.
4. We need a decent sound system
5. You are going to bust your butt to get these events in place etc... and you may not collect your goal. It's a lot of work for little reward.
6. Can't wait to get our determination letter so that we can get corporate sponsors and company donations. It sure would be easier than what we've been doing.
7. When we get our determination letter and we hit up those big donors, we will have worked hard for every dollar we collect. This is not easy. It is exhausting. Like I'm so tired, I'm gonna cry, exhausting.
I think that's all my tired brain can think of right now. We managed to collect 37 pairs of Crocs™ and enough money for 127 loans - a third of what we need for Haiti. I had set my sights on raising the money for all 300 loans we have committed to but it didnt help that only a third of those who RSVP's showed up.
We have one more Sole Sister party set for June and hopefully another big Family Fun Event at the end of July but we really need to get something on the books closer to Atlanta.
With the threat of rain at 70% for the entire day and into the evening we kept praying and praying and pushing back the rain. It amazes me that God is in charge of the weather - We watched as the chance of rain literally went down to 0% for the whole day and then stayed at 60% for the evening which was when our event was taking place - from 7 to 9pm. I really really didnt want to move the event indoors b.c the outdoor area was so awesome so we kept praying and watched as the chance for rain kept going down until it was nothing until 10pm. Our poor hosts ran around frantically yesterday, cleaning their house and trying to figure out how to host a party of 60 in their home while we prayed the rain away, hour by hour.
Alisha and I arrived 3 hours before the event to begin setting up the auction tables, items, registration tables, raffle table, Croc drop off, microphone, beverages, food..... you get the idea. We did it all. Literally.
Needless to say the certain threat of rain kept a lot of our guests from attending but those that did attend had a fabulous time eating and drinking and learning about Open Hand.
That being said there are a few things we have learned for next time:
1. Even thought we were at a multi million dollar home on the lake - the drive is just too far for people.
2. People listen to the weather man. Even when he's wrong (which btw, is most of the time)
3. Silent auction items need to be located in a more convenient location.
4. We need a decent sound system
5. You are going to bust your butt to get these events in place etc... and you may not collect your goal. It's a lot of work for little reward.
6. Can't wait to get our determination letter so that we can get corporate sponsors and company donations. It sure would be easier than what we've been doing.
7. When we get our determination letter and we hit up those big donors, we will have worked hard for every dollar we collect. This is not easy. It is exhausting. Like I'm so tired, I'm gonna cry, exhausting.
I think that's all my tired brain can think of right now. We managed to collect 37 pairs of Crocs™ and enough money for 127 loans - a third of what we need for Haiti. I had set my sights on raising the money for all 300 loans we have committed to but it didnt help that only a third of those who RSVP's showed up.
We have one more Sole Sister party set for June and hopefully another big Family Fun Event at the end of July but we really need to get something on the books closer to Atlanta.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Step Out of the Boat!
One of my most favorite stories in the bible is when Peter walked on water. Sometimes I think we dont analyze that story enough. We don't think about what all physically had to happen before he walked on water and this is where I find my soap box and jump on it! Ready? In order for Peter to walk on water he had to literally pick up his leg and put it over the side of the boat. Profound huh?
You will never know if you can walk on water UNLESS you raise your leg up and over the side. This past weekend we had a women's conference and one of the key phrases that stuck out to me was, "Faith or fear?" Faith or fear? Which are you going to chose?
So yes, we have timing against us in the form of the government being a YEAR behind in assigning determination letters for non profits but we are also legally able to collect funds and they are all retroactive. We have some friends who have also started a non profit and are in the same boat (no pun intended) we are but they are afraid to collect money. He called me the other day and I just went into full on preach mode. We aren't waiting for that letter to collect money. If someone wants to give to OH we will gladly take it. We are going to live by faith not fear.
We have this huge male and female party set for next Saturday and our hostesses are wealthy, influential women in our community and they are inviting their friends to this 'party by the pool'. This is the night where we will host our first silent auction and the night where I am expecting to collect $10k towards the micro loans we have committed to in Haiti. So it's no wonder that these wonderful women have had problem after problem since signing on to host for us. From car troubles, to serious family issues... these women are under attack. Which is a good thing and a bad thing. A bad thing b.c of the obvious but a good thing because it means the enemy doesn't want us to succeed and doesn't want us to raise money that will literally change the lives of hundreds and hundreds of women and children throughout Haiti and Africa.
You will never know if you can walk on water UNLESS you raise your leg up and over the side. This past weekend we had a women's conference and one of the key phrases that stuck out to me was, "Faith or fear?" Faith or fear? Which are you going to chose?
So yes, we have timing against us in the form of the government being a YEAR behind in assigning determination letters for non profits but we are also legally able to collect funds and they are all retroactive. We have some friends who have also started a non profit and are in the same boat (no pun intended) we are but they are afraid to collect money. He called me the other day and I just went into full on preach mode. We aren't waiting for that letter to collect money. If someone wants to give to OH we will gladly take it. We are going to live by faith not fear.
We have this huge male and female party set for next Saturday and our hostesses are wealthy, influential women in our community and they are inviting their friends to this 'party by the pool'. This is the night where we will host our first silent auction and the night where I am expecting to collect $10k towards the micro loans we have committed to in Haiti. So it's no wonder that these wonderful women have had problem after problem since signing on to host for us. From car troubles, to serious family issues... these women are under attack. Which is a good thing and a bad thing. A bad thing b.c of the obvious but a good thing because it means the enemy doesn't want us to succeed and doesn't want us to raise money that will literally change the lives of hundreds and hundreds of women and children throughout Haiti and Africa.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Haiti here we come.....
Wait. Haiti? Yes, you read that correctly. We've had way too many things fall into place the last month that it has been impossible to ignore the potential Open Hand has to partner with a well known, long standing non profit in Haiti who would like us to take on their micro loan program. From finding a woman, training her, interviewing potential borrowers to scouting out the market place. We have 3 days to do it and we are jumping in.
As of this date we have gotten our largest donation so far but are believing for much MUCH more. The party we are having on May 18th - we are looking to bring in $10,000 between the silent auction and donations. God willing.
So a month from today, we will board a flight going in the completely opposite direction we had ever intended to see if Open Hand can partner with this organization. As of now it looks like it will be Alisha and me but we really would like our husbands to meet up with us but we aren't sure if they can pull it off. One of these days they will come with us and see what their wives are up to!
As of this date we have gotten our largest donation so far but are believing for much MUCH more. The party we are having on May 18th - we are looking to bring in $10,000 between the silent auction and donations. God willing.
So a month from today, we will board a flight going in the completely opposite direction we had ever intended to see if Open Hand can partner with this organization. As of now it looks like it will be Alisha and me but we really would like our husbands to meet up with us but we aren't sure if they can pull it off. One of these days they will come with us and see what their wives are up to!
Monday, April 29, 2013
King Me
Have you ever felt like you are on the verge of a massive breakthrough but you have no idea how or when it's going to happen? I've been feeling this ever increasing anxiousness for the past few days. Like I'm about to explode with all that we want Open Hand to be and accomplish but we aren't quite there yet. I've had a dream of a specific person giving us $10,000 to be used for micro loans in Haiti.
Yes, I realize I may not have spoken about Haiti but there is an opportunity for OH to partner with a well known, well established non profit in Haiti and be the micro loan portion of their establishment. Right now, we don't have the funds to even go and check it out to see if it's something we want to be involved in. But in the midst of not having the money and not having our determination letter YET is a hope that keeps wanting to grow and grow inside my heart that we are going to do this thing. The past day or two has brought more and more world changers into my line of vision and I so want to be one. It gets me excited to see people changing the world and I know they once started out just like we did. At the same time I am not very good at waiting. Oh, who am I kidding, I suck at waiting. I'd be Veruca from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, "I want it now... I want the world, I want the whole world.... "
I've often said I feel like our lives are a giant chess game and things get lined up and jumps get made to put us in position to hear, "King Me". I hope to hear those words very soon for Open Hand.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Small steps forward, one giant step back
I have to admit, I'm discouraged, bummed and any other adjective that may come to mind when it comes to being discouraged and bummed. Ha! OH (Open Hand) has been approached by a very well known, established non profit that wants us to head up their micro loan system in a different country. The fact that they would consider us is ridiculous enough b.c honestly, we haven't proven ourselves yet and there are many other organizations they can turn to, but they want us. I feel like David amongst Goliath but the good thing is, we all know how that story turned out!
Our awesome board met on Sunday night and voted as to whether or not we should take a fact finding trip to this unnamed country and see if we felt we'd be a benefit to them and vice versa - it was unanimous - our board said go for it! Alisha has been in contact with key players, phone conferences etc... and has said that OH would like to provide 300 loans. The cool thing about this country is that it is much more manageable in regards to the loan amount. I know, I'm talking in code but it kinda needs to be that way until we really work all the logistics out. A normal person would read what I've written so far and think, "OK.... so why are you discouraged, bummed, etc.." and the answer would be because I called the IRS on Monday, figured I would use my ability to be an annoying squeaky wheel and see what I could find out about the status of our 501 (c)(3). Poor Darryl from the IRS (no, that wasn't really his name but I can't remember it so we'll go with Darryl). He had the unfortunate job of telling me the IRS is backlogged into March 2012. 2012. At which point I say, "I was under the impression we'd be hearing something back within 90 days from our application being accepted" and poor Darryl says, "we've been asking them to take that off the form letter. We are so understaffed we are processing claims from March 2012." And myself, in my utter disbelief spouts, "but those are the applications that have problems right? " I bet Darryl was cringing as he answered, "No. That is all claims." to which I start crying. Yep, crying to the IRS man, but I bet that isn't the first time he's heard the sobs coming from the other end of the phone line.
So now you know why I'm discouraged, bummed and any other word you can think of. Because we need a miracle. We have opportunities that have been thrown at us but we need the resources to make it happen, and the resources will come when we have the status from the government. See the vicious cycle? So I promised you a behind the scene look at starting a non profit and this is it. Discouragement. So many things are within reach and yet they aren't.
Our awesome board met on Sunday night and voted as to whether or not we should take a fact finding trip to this unnamed country and see if we felt we'd be a benefit to them and vice versa - it was unanimous - our board said go for it! Alisha has been in contact with key players, phone conferences etc... and has said that OH would like to provide 300 loans. The cool thing about this country is that it is much more manageable in regards to the loan amount. I know, I'm talking in code but it kinda needs to be that way until we really work all the logistics out. A normal person would read what I've written so far and think, "OK.... so why are you discouraged, bummed, etc.." and the answer would be because I called the IRS on Monday, figured I would use my ability to be an annoying squeaky wheel and see what I could find out about the status of our 501 (c)(3). Poor Darryl from the IRS (no, that wasn't really his name but I can't remember it so we'll go with Darryl). He had the unfortunate job of telling me the IRS is backlogged into March 2012. 2012. At which point I say, "I was under the impression we'd be hearing something back within 90 days from our application being accepted" and poor Darryl says, "we've been asking them to take that off the form letter. We are so understaffed we are processing claims from March 2012." And myself, in my utter disbelief spouts, "but those are the applications that have problems right? " I bet Darryl was cringing as he answered, "No. That is all claims." to which I start crying. Yep, crying to the IRS man, but I bet that isn't the first time he's heard the sobs coming from the other end of the phone line.
So now you know why I'm discouraged, bummed and any other word you can think of. Because we need a miracle. We have opportunities that have been thrown at us but we need the resources to make it happen, and the resources will come when we have the status from the government. See the vicious cycle? So I promised you a behind the scene look at starting a non profit and this is it. Discouragement. So many things are within reach and yet they aren't.
One Month "in business"
and I have to give a major shout out to what has been accomplished so far - We have raised over $3000 and 153 pairs of Crocs. In our first month in business. Now that's impressive.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Drum Roll Please......
Why don't I hear anything? Ha! As of 3:30pm on March 15, 2013, Form 1023 has been mailed to the IRS and should arrive by Tuesday, March 19th. I was physically shaking as I wrote out the check to the government and printed out the LAST form we were waiting on from the State of Georgia. And then I cried.... yep. I tell you, I am getting soft in my old age.
Almost three months of tears, hard work, and frustrating evenings has come to today's send off and now we do what we don't do best - we wait. LOL. But, while we wait, we will be hosting more shoe parties. We have a lot of ideas that we're trying to get up and started and can't wait for the Determination Letter from the IRS that gives us the green light to collection huge portions of money. Because that's what we are going to do. Collect.huge.portions.of.money for the shoeless orphans and the widows and women in Burundi, Africa.
Almost three months of tears, hard work, and frustrating evenings has come to today's send off and now we do what we don't do best - we wait. LOL. But, while we wait, we will be hosting more shoe parties. We have a lot of ideas that we're trying to get up and started and can't wait for the Determination Letter from the IRS that gives us the green light to collection huge portions of money. Because that's what we are going to do. Collect.huge.portions.of.money for the shoeless orphans and the widows and women in Burundi, Africa.
Friday, March 1, 2013
It all comes down to this
In 3.5 hours Open Hand Foundation, Inc will hold their first Sole Sister Party in hopes of raising money and shoes for widows and orphans in Burundi and Kenya, Africa. To say the last day has been highly emotional for me would be.... well .... correct. Ha! The realization that for as long as I can remember I have wanted to do something with my life and that the time is literally in a couple hours where I will stand before women and ask them for their resources in order to better the lives of women and children is overwhelming. I never thought I'd get here. Making a difference has always been a dream but I hope to God, it's about to become a reality. I hope tonight's party is only the first of hundreds we will host and tens of thousands we will raise in our effort to be world changers.
Last night I realized something I hadn't been able to vocalize before. I left my heart in Africa. I have to go back. My trip in December was no way the last time I want to go. Is this what it feels like when you are about to do something huge, take a leap of faith, jump and see if you can fly because it all hinges on tonight. Yes, we will have more parties but the level of the success of tonight's party will indicate if Open Hand has a bright and promising future. We've bought, planned, prepared, and worked tirelessly to put this all together and now all we can do is jump.
Wish us luck... here we go!
Last night I realized something I hadn't been able to vocalize before. I left my heart in Africa. I have to go back. My trip in December was no way the last time I want to go. Is this what it feels like when you are about to do something huge, take a leap of faith, jump and see if you can fly because it all hinges on tonight. Yes, we will have more parties but the level of the success of tonight's party will indicate if Open Hand has a bright and promising future. We've bought, planned, prepared, and worked tirelessly to put this all together and now all we can do is jump.
Wish us luck... here we go!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Can we Do it? Yes we Can!
I'm reminded of the words of Bob the Builder as I titled my post today.
Been hearing a little bit of rumblings as to why Open Hand wants to give new shoes to orphans in Burundi and Kenya, Africa and it's troubling me. A few people have stated, "why not used shoes?" "School shoe drives won't give new shoes" and to that I say, "Why not?" It certainly isn't hard to give shoes that are used. There's no sacrifice in giving away your hand me downs. Used shoes to orphans - how cliche. How about giving them something NEW. Something that shows them that they are valued and deserve it. How about giving till it hurts... just a little, to buy those $20 pair of Crocs™ heck, we're even accepting knock offs which I didn't want to do, but I digress. New knock offs are better than used shoes any day.
And to the nay sayers I ask, "What about TOM's?" For every pair of shoes you buy, they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. And TOM's are AT LEAST $50 a pair. And yet, they have given over 2 million pairs of shoes away to children around the world. Guess that means it's working right? 2 million pairs of NEW shoes..... I can only imagine if Open Hand could be so lucky to partner with those who want to live a generous life. Those who want to live life with an open hand and not a closed fist. Those who would like to give an orphan a new pair of shoes. I challenge you to live life generously and see what happens.
 |
| Yes, We Can! |
Been hearing a little bit of rumblings as to why Open Hand wants to give new shoes to orphans in Burundi and Kenya, Africa and it's troubling me. A few people have stated, "why not used shoes?" "School shoe drives won't give new shoes" and to that I say, "Why not?" It certainly isn't hard to give shoes that are used. There's no sacrifice in giving away your hand me downs. Used shoes to orphans - how cliche. How about giving them something NEW. Something that shows them that they are valued and deserve it. How about giving till it hurts... just a little, to buy those $20 pair of Crocs™ heck, we're even accepting knock offs which I didn't want to do, but I digress. New knock offs are better than used shoes any day.
And to the nay sayers I ask, "What about TOM's?" For every pair of shoes you buy, they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. And TOM's are AT LEAST $50 a pair. And yet, they have given over 2 million pairs of shoes away to children around the world. Guess that means it's working right? 2 million pairs of NEW shoes..... I can only imagine if Open Hand could be so lucky to partner with those who want to live a generous life. Those who want to live life with an open hand and not a closed fist. Those who would like to give an orphan a new pair of shoes. I challenge you to live life generously and see what happens.
Things I want to remember
Over the past few days I've been hearing some big positive thoughts about Open Hand and the impact it will have. Now granted, some of it has been from my loving husband but he's not normally one who would over encourage. I feel like I need to document this just in case it is one of those 'from your lips to God's ears' type of thing.
The first being last week when I attended my three year olds Valentine's Day party and his teacher asked me about my trip to Africa. In our brief 3 minute long conversation after I told her what we were trying to do she said to me, "we're going to know you before you were big. Some day you are going to be on the Today Show and we're going to say we knew you before.." I don't know about you but that's such a random comment I had to tuck it into my heart to think about later.
And then there's my husband. Every time I get excited telling him about all the plans we have for our Sole Sister parties he looks at me and says, "you're going to be big." I always answer, "I just want to raise a ton of money for widows and orphans."
I thought it would only seem 'fair' for me to write this on this date so that hopefully, years from now we can look back on this post and see that someone knew we were going to be huge before we even knew it. We are T minus exactly one week till our first Sole Sister party and I think we are ready. Professional photographer, professional vendors, gorgeous house, amazing hostess, delicious food and women who we can only hope come ready to live out the lifestyle of generosity that Open Hand wants to have.
This week I filed the charitable contributions form for the State of Georgia - which is a huge step and Form 1023 is ready to be reviewed by multiple people before I send it to the attorney for one last run through. Another interesting opportunity has presented itself for Alisha and me. We're going to be in a fashion show. Yep, you read that correctly. With so far, 400 people in attendance! Good news is they wanted 'real' women so we fit right into that category. This fashion show is being held by a long time local organization that helps women who have been sex trafficking and abused turn their lives around and become productive members of society. It's going to give us a great opportunity to see how a fashion show is run by a non-profit that has been around for a long time as well as an opportunity to make some connections that we can hopefully draw on in the future. I've been practicing my cat walk. Ha! Just kidding, but I am working on my 'end of the runway pouty mouth twirl around and don't fall face' .
Oh, and how could I forget the one story that makes me think Open Hand IS going to be huge... a 1st grader heard about us raising money for shoes for orphans and gave $1.25. If children understand the importance of helping orphans how much more should adults. ... "out of the mouth of babes..."
The first being last week when I attended my three year olds Valentine's Day party and his teacher asked me about my trip to Africa. In our brief 3 minute long conversation after I told her what we were trying to do she said to me, "we're going to know you before you were big. Some day you are going to be on the Today Show and we're going to say we knew you before.." I don't know about you but that's such a random comment I had to tuck it into my heart to think about later.
And then there's my husband. Every time I get excited telling him about all the plans we have for our Sole Sister parties he looks at me and says, "you're going to be big." I always answer, "I just want to raise a ton of money for widows and orphans."
I thought it would only seem 'fair' for me to write this on this date so that hopefully, years from now we can look back on this post and see that someone knew we were going to be huge before we even knew it. We are T minus exactly one week till our first Sole Sister party and I think we are ready. Professional photographer, professional vendors, gorgeous house, amazing hostess, delicious food and women who we can only hope come ready to live out the lifestyle of generosity that Open Hand wants to have.
This week I filed the charitable contributions form for the State of Georgia - which is a huge step and Form 1023 is ready to be reviewed by multiple people before I send it to the attorney for one last run through. Another interesting opportunity has presented itself for Alisha and me. We're going to be in a fashion show. Yep, you read that correctly. With so far, 400 people in attendance! Good news is they wanted 'real' women so we fit right into that category. This fashion show is being held by a long time local organization that helps women who have been sex trafficking and abused turn their lives around and become productive members of society. It's going to give us a great opportunity to see how a fashion show is run by a non-profit that has been around for a long time as well as an opportunity to make some connections that we can hopefully draw on in the future. I've been practicing my cat walk. Ha! Just kidding, but I am working on my 'end of the runway pouty mouth twirl around and don't fall face' .
Oh, and how could I forget the one story that makes me think Open Hand IS going to be huge... a 1st grader heard about us raising money for shoes for orphans and gave $1.25. If children understand the importance of helping orphans how much more should adults. ... "out of the mouth of babes..."
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Choo! Choo!
 |
| In honor of my three year old who LOVES Thomas! |
Here we are a couple of weeks since my last post and I'm still chugging away at filling out all the necessary paperwork for the IRS. Of course, I'm juggling a somewhat part time job and being a Mom and a wife but hey, no sweat right? I can always create more hours in a day :) The paperwork has to be exactly right so after I'm done there will be many people reviewing our packet before it is sent to the IRS. Heck, who am I kidding, I may just pay an attorney to look it over because once we send this baby there's no going back - or getting our application fee back either. I've been told that if all your paperwork is in order, you can get your Determination Letter within two months. And the Determination Letter is the holy grail of non profit status. Everything hangs on that letter. The government still allows us to raise money but the catch is that we can't tell people it's a tax write off yet. Key word YET. Everything that is donated from the time we incorporated (which was January 11, 2013) until we get, I say, GET our Determination Letter is retroactive. So in essence, as long as we get approved by the government then all our donations up until then are tax deductible. But we understand why some of our big donors want to wait to make sure we get that letter!
In the mean time, we're planning, planning, planning and strategizing on our Sole Sister Parties, our gala ideas, and trying not to put the cart before the horse; which is very hard because we are ready for this horse to run! In the mean time, we've gotten our first few donations and have been able to buy some shoes for the orphans. Many, many more are needed and we can't wait till our first Sole Sister Party. We've got lots of fun things planned and hope to have a lot of ladies show up who are looking to support an awesome cause - shoes for orphans and micro loans for women.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Disaster in Bujumbura
My heart is heavy this morning as I have found out that the main market in the capital of Burundi has burnt to the ground. This is where Alisha and I had the privilege of visiting a few women who had been given loans and seeing how they were working. "Today, 27th January, as the whole central market of
Bujumbura has gone up in smoke, it is a national disaster. We are
mourning with thousands of others. Many have lost hope. Some have
committed suicide by jumping into the flames as their livelihoods burnt
before them. Others died trying to rescue what they could. Many are
hospitalized. Tens of thousands of mouths will not be able to eat as
they have lost everything."
I want to be in the place where Open Hand can see something of this magnitude and have the 'extra money' to send to our friends in Burundi for the widows and others who will obviously need help. It's hard for me to grasp how little our Burundian friends have and now this. It is unspeakably sad.
If you want to help, please do. Here are the options:
Click here if in the UK and the rest of the world:
https://my.give.net/BurundiChristmas2012
Click here if in the USA:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Greatlakesoutreach
Click here if in Canada:
http://www.youthunlimitededmonton.com/index.php/en/donations/make-a-donation
| Simon Guillebaud |
I want to be in the place where Open Hand can see something of this magnitude and have the 'extra money' to send to our friends in Burundi for the widows and others who will obviously need help. It's hard for me to grasp how little our Burundian friends have and now this. It is unspeakably sad.If you want to help, please do. Here are the options:
Click here if in the UK and the rest of the world:
https://my.give.net/BurundiChristmas2012
Click here if in the USA:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Greatlakesoutreach
Click here if in Canada:
http://www.youthunlimitededmonton.com/index.php/en/donations/make-a-donation
Monday, January 21, 2013
Lining Up Our Ducks
Man, have Alisha and I been busy, busy this last week. We've yet to launch our facebook page and really promote our website but there are still women who are eager to host Sole Sister parties for us to help raise money for Crocs ™4 Kids! Alisha has been the brains behind our gorgeous website, our business cards, email functions - you name it - she's has been/done it.
Me... well I'm the detail oriented one so I got stuck with the monotony of filling out Form 1023 for the IRS to become a 501 (3) (c). I know they say 'form' but what they really mean is packet because by the time I'm done with everything they want, our packet will be EASILY 30 pages. *sigh* I'm trying to tackle parts at a time or I will get overwhelmed and someone may find me in the corner of my office rocking back and forth in the fetal position. Ok. I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.
And here's something else you may not know - the government charges quite a hefty price to become a non profit. To help people. Non profits are already starting out with little to no money, and then they want to charge a huge fee for us to become an official non profit. Go figure. Penalized for wanting to help others. And then all the documentation you need to prove yourself and your mission. They certainly don't make it easy and I can see how those who have the money would pay for someone else to do all the paperwork involved in becoming a 501 (3) (c).
We spent all day yesterday working on our website, face book page, pay pal functions, Sole Sister party ideas etc.... exhausting but so fun! I can't wait to launch our Fashion Shoe Show in the Spring - we at Open Hand are embracing the "go big or go home" philosophy! So we're getting our ducks in a row and taking them out one by one. Can't wait until we can FINALLY bring in money to stop human trafficking through micro loans, Crocs™4 Kids, and chicken farms! So many lives and villages we want to impact!
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