Your favorite

As you might or might not know were busy planning two fundraising events. In Ohio our board members, Amy, Alex and Paige are working till wee hours of the morning putting the final touches on Night of Warmth which will be February 25th. In the rainy Pacific Northwest you’ll find Molly, Jenny, Lauren and Kim brainstorming new ideas for Lights of Hope happening May 19th.

These events could not happen without our talented, endless energy, amazing auction volunteers! We’d be lost without them.

So we come to you our friends….can you share a favorite auction item that you’ve seen at fundraising events? Were always looking for creative new ideas that will WOW our guests and open their pocketbooks.

Proceeds from both events will fund our current and future projects in Ethiopia. So just think when you are raising that bid card high in the air and bidding $700 on a chocolate cake, $14,500 on a trip to Mexico, $165 for a beautiful Ethiopian Scarf,  $240 for a autographed shoe, $100 for a scrabble tile necklace or $10 for almost 4 mosquito nets your going to be making a big difference in Ethiopia.

Can’t wait to hear what your favorite item is and maybe we can have it at one of our events.

For questions about our events or to receive an invitation please email us at info@ethiopianorphanrelief.org

 

I just paid how much for that cake?

 

Lauren and Kim in total shock that Mexico sold for over $14,000

Proud Brandon Roy Shoe Owner

 

I always think of her…wordless wednesday

Paige

Night of Warmth

Very exciting things are happening in Columbus, OH.  Night of Warmth will be taking place on February 25, 2012.  We are expecting over 100 people to attend this event that will raise money for EOR.  Everyday another donation arrives for the silent and live auctions.

There will be red carpet photos, a Wall of Wine and lots of items for the silent and live auctions.  There will be food, a band and our NoW signature cocktails.  Tickets are only $25 in advance and $35 at the door.  If you plan on bringing some friends you can get a table of 8 for $175.

Night of Warmth: EOR fundraiser now has a page on facebook. So make sure to stop by and like our page. We will be posting photos of some of the auction items.  It’s also a great way to get details on next years event.

 

February 25, 2012 @ 6:30 p.m.  Xenos Cafe 1340 Community Park Drive Columbus 43229

a thank you from YOU

It always brightens our day at Ethiopian Orphan Relief when a note arrives from YOU via email, snail mail, comment on our blog, comment on facebook. 

We wanted to share this beautiful insight from a friend of EOR and Lola Children’s Home, Tiffany who shared with us first hand how YOUR generosity is helping. 

I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your work. I’m a volunteer who has spent time at Lola Children’s Home for the past two summers. Everything you have done for them, I know has been much appreciated, but I wanted to share this story with you- to reiterate the beauty that is the Lola/EOR van!! Last summer, one of our little ones(and I mean little) had to have a tooth removed- it had been damaged and staff had located a dentist that did pediatric work-so one late afternoon, I went with her and a staff member to the dentist. This took quite a walk followed by two or three different bagets (little 3 wheeled cabs) in the rain to get to the dentist. Then after a traumatic dentist visit for our little one- which was just as traumatic to her English speaking ferengi(me), we had to make that same trip home while also stopping at the pharmacist. This whole process probably took at least an hour and half longer than it should have. I’m so glad they have the van now!!! Your organization is amazing and directly impacting many children. I just wanted to say that.

Thank you Tiffany for your uplifting letter. We love the children at Lola and all that our gracious donors provide for the orphan and vulnerable children in Ethiopia. 

Bananas in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the birthplace of my youngest child. It is where I
“labored” two years ago as we met her and prepared to bring her home.
Its funny how little I remember about that trip in general but I
remember every detail about her. Its the same as my hospital stays
with my other children! I remember their eyes and the sounds of their
cries and their APGAR scores and their first baths and yet I could not
tell you a thing about the room we were in. I have pictures, tons of
pictures of our first trip to Ethiopia but so much of it is such a
blur to me.

Then we were home and I was a mom of four kids and two years went by
and I found myself missing this place, Ethiopia, the way I miss my
birthplace of Colorado. I met the ladies of EOR and fell in love
again. This way to give back, to remain connected, to attempt to make
even a little difference, was more than I could have hoped for. For
all of these reasons, and for the millions of orphans needing hope in
Ethiopia; when Kim, Lauren, and Paige said they were going back to
Ethiopia this fall, I was overjoyed and booked my ticket.

Kim requested a guest blog for our site and I happily agreed, wanting
to share the Ethiopia that I saw this time, with fresh eyes, with all
of the love I have developed for this country. I could write a million
pages about our trip. But I decided this morning that I was going to
write about bananas!

Shanto is a village in Southern Ethiopia and the home of EOR’s partner
FOVC. After an emotional welcome, we set to work, building, painting,
playing, assessing, and absolutely adoring these children and the
amazing staff. It was a busy and intense time while we were there. The
children were so adoring and so happy to have us there! Thursday
afternoon in Shanto is Market and we decided as a group that we wanted
to give a little treat to the children. So into Market we went to find
nearly 200 bananas! We purchased the bananas from a local woman.
We took the bananas back to the school compound and shared them with
the children. These children, who have so many needs in life, lined up
graciously and waited for their banana. I watched them as they enjoyed
this treat the way our children relish a birthday cake. This was an
extraordinary treat. This fruit that grows plentifully in Ethiopia,
that often go bad sitting on my countertops, that my children have
enjoyed nearly daily; this fruit is a surprise and a joy for these
children.

More than anything, what I learned in Ethiopia, is gratitude.
Ethiopians do not wallow in their hardships, they live life and they
are grateful for its blessings. They do the work that needs to be done
and are grateful every step of the way. I am so grateful to Ethiopia,
for my daughter, for the life lessons I have learned there, for the
friends now in my life because of Ethiopia, and for the knowledge that
I CAN make a difference.

I think it was John Kennedy who said, “to whom much is given, much is
to be expected.” EOR is for me, that way to give back to a place and a
people that has given me so much. And to think, it could all have
started with a banana!!!

Annie ~ EOR Volunteer & Lights of Hope Auction Committee

Soccer Balls to Ethiopia

The beautiful wise young girl Maeve is the daughter of EOR donors James & Annie. Remember this face as I’m quite confident she is going to change the world someday. This month Maeve was highlighted in her school newsletter for collecting soccer balls for kids in Ethiopia. Take a moment to read her sweet note.

My baby sister Viola was born in Ethiopia, which is located in the NE corner of Africa. Since we brought her home my mom has worked with Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. (EOR). This year my mom and some other ladies from EOR went to Ethiopia. They brought backpacks full of stuff for the kids, supplies for hospitals, tons of clothes, and soccer balls signed by the kids from my 4th grade class, as well as my brother Quinton’s 2nd grade class. The soccer balls were given to girls at Children’s Heaven and kids at Lola and the orphanage care center in Shanto. 

The first time my mom went to Ethiopia she brought home something for our family, my sister, but this time we wanted to leave something from us there.

Thank you Maeve for your giving heart & the beautiful example you are for so many of us.

Kim

Year End Giving…One more time, with gusto!

Knock, Knock.

Who’s there?

Year End Giving.

Year End Giving Who?

Year End Giving….YOU!

Have you realized there are only two more days of 2011? I know you spend most of these days wondering when your house is going to clean it self up but you must now turn your attention to year end checklists. At the top of that list should be giving to your favorite nonprofits to round out your donations for the year. If you are a follower of EOR and have yet to donate, now is the time. If you you haven’t read EOR’s latest newsletter, check it out. After you read it, you will be amazed at what a relatively small amount of money can do for a very large amount of people.

Don’t forget that all year end gifts must be postmarked by December 31st which also includes any on-line giving. When you use our portal, Network for Good, they will keep track of any donations you make throughout the year which is a handy thing come tax day. Also, it makes you feel good to see how much you’ve donated throughout the year.

Time to donate, time to clean up your life, your house and your checkbook. Start the new year off right by knowing you ended 2011 well with a donation to EOR.

*and remember, Paige, Ethiopian Orphan Relief’s Vice President, has pledged to match the first $500 EOR receives between now and 11:59 on December 31, 2011.  Double your donation today, and help even more children who need YOU!

Molly

Too Much

It’s been a wonderful holiday.  As an American mama, living an American life,  I enjoy a season filled with “too many.”  Too many presents, too many late bedtimes, too many sweet treats, too many holiday activities to squeeze into an already too full schedule.

I really am lucky that way.  I returned from Ethiopia just one short month ago, and I saw, more often than I cared to,  people who lived with too little…too little food, too little education, too little water, none of it clean.

Short of bringing you all to Ethiopia with me, there’s little I can do to share the enormity of need with all of you.  All I can do, is ask you to join me in funding Ethiopian Orphan relief’s year-end campaign.

All of us have so much in our lives.  I am asking you to share some of your “too much” with those who have too little.

By giving to Ethiopian Orphan Relief,  you help more people more quickly.  With an all-volunteer board, EOR  guarantees that a greater percentage of your funds will actually meet needs in Ethiopia.

Please join me in giving before December, 31, 2011.  I will match the first $500 in donations between now and then.  I have so much to share.  I imagine you do too.

Happy Holidays,

Paige

Year End Giving/Teacher Gifts

Its December, your kids have a couple days left of school and you haven’t figured out a holiday gift yet. Or perhaps you have, but would like to do something more. Why not give them their holiday fruit cake and add a donation to EOR? I am planning on giving gift cards and matching those gifts with a donation from our family to EOR. Your teacher or whomever you are giving to, will feel touched that you have not only thought of them but have made it meaningful for your family and theirs as well.

Your gift to EOR at this year’s end can do so much for so many in Ethiopia. At this time of year your wallet is pulled in so many different directions its difficult to sort out just what you want to spend, if you can, and how to do so.  Think back over the last year and decide if you are able to donate at all, and if you can, please consider EOR. EOR is a completely volunteer run nonprofit. 95% of your gift goes to our projects and partners in Ethiopia. Compare that number with the other organizations you donate to and you will realize how much EOR blows their socks off. Seriously, your money is being put to good use in Ethiopia.

While we’re on the subject of gifts, let’s review some info on year end giving. A few things to remember when you donate to EOR. All donations must be postmarked by December 31, 2011. This is also true if you give by credit card through our website. If you picture yourself sitting with your 5th cup of coffee on April 14th wondering how you could have decreased the taxes you owe, this is the way to do it. Donate now to Ethiopian Orphan Relief. Log on to our website and donate through our portal Network for Good. When you do, Network for Good keeps track of any thing you’ve given through their website throughout the year and you can print out the official tally at the end of the year. Also contact your employer to find out if they do matching gifts. You can easily double your donation by making one phone call.

Whether you give in the name of a teacher, a friend or your family and whether your gift is related to the holidays or year end giving; please know that we appreciate the hard work that you have done to earn that money and how much thought you put into giving it to any organization. Ethiopian Orphan Relief is happy to have you as a supporter and glad to call you friends.

Questions and some answers

Thank you to Michael Keo Photography for sharing photograpah

From time to time here at EOR we receive questions from YOU our loyal supporters! We thought we would post a few here that we’ve received in the past several months.

Q  I’d like to send a box of donations to an Ethiopia. How do I arrange that?

We love when our supporters think of our partner organizations in Ethiopia. Due to the expense and uncertainty with shipping items to Ethiopia, we discourage from donations being delivered in this matter. Many times the partner organization or individual would need to pay duty fees to receive the item, we’ve also learned many times the package does not even make it to the intended individual. We’ve learned through our past trips that the best way to help out in Ethiopia is to purchase physical donations in country or even send with a family traveling to Ethiopia.

Q  How many paid staff do you have at Ethiopian Orphan Relief and are they full or part time?

Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. (EOR) is a 100% volunteer non profit organization. We have no paid staff,  board members donate 100% of their time and talent. We take much pride in our donors and their generous giving. The amount of time donated by our board varies from day to day, from a hour to 5 hours a day per board member.

Q  I’m confused, when you say you partner with established organizations in Ethiopia do you also partner with their United States branch or the non profit that assists with their daily operations here in the states?

EOR is solely partnered with the organization in Ethiopia. Our current Ethiopia parters are Lola Children’s Home in Mekelle, Children’s Heaven in Addis Ababa, FOVC-Ethiopia in Shanto and SOS EE in Addis Ababa. Our communication, needs assessments and progress reports are with the directors in Ethiopia. There are times we do communicate with the US agencies, as in giving updates on projects, sharing future projects, debriefing about recent trips, etc. EOR does not fund any operational expenses for our partner organizations. EOR is project based. Our project coordinator Lauren, assess a need, comes up with a action plan and then we raise funds for that project. EOR is not involved in any providing of funds for day to day operations, staff or sponsorship. The majority of our Ethiopian partner organizations do indeed have US agencies providing the funding for operational expenses, but EOR is not partnered with them, just the Ethiopian aspect of organization.

Q When you wire funds for your projects do you send to the United States partner   or directly to Ethiopia?

EOR historically and will continue to only send funds to our partner organizations in Ethiopia. This method of accountability is for both our donors and  Ethiopian partner organizations.

Q  Do you have a newsletter you send out with updates?

We do have a monthly newsletter we email out, usually the end of the month. To receive please sign up here. Our newsletter is filled with great info on our partner updates, a spotlight on a different donor each month, upcoming events, and more exciting news each month.

Q I’d like to learn more how to volunteer at one of your events or how to fundraise for you? Do I have to live in Oregon or Ohio where your board members live?

We would be honored to have you volunteer at one of our events. Volunteers work behind the scenes to help assure our evenings to bring hope to the children in Ethiopia are a success. Please send us a email  at info@ethiopianorphanrelief.org for more info.

We have volunteers who help us fundraise in many different states. We have kids have lemonade stands, brides and grooms who ask their guests in lieu of a gift to donate to their favorite charity EOR, birthday parties, concerts, marathon races and many more great things. If you would like to organize a fundraiser in your area please email us at info@ethiopianorphanrelief.org