Holiday Gifts of Hope

The Holiday Season is fast approaching….Christmas is just 77 days away!

For the second year in a row, EOR will be providing “Gifts of Hope” for orphan and vulnerable children in Ethiopia. In mid November a team from EOR will be traveling to Ethiopia to meet with our partners, check on projects and assess future needs. While there we will be purchasing chickens, goats, cows to share with our partners.

If you would like to buy an early holiday gift please let us know. We will send to you a card you can pass along to the friend, teacher, co-worker who you could honor. We will also send photos to you in early December of the children receiving the gifts of hope.

To purchase a gift of hope click here. 

5 friends

You know those old hair commercials where you’d hear, “they told two friends and then they told two friends and so on, and so on” What if we did the same thing?

What if, each of us reading and supporting Ethiopian Orphan Relief asked 5 friends to vote for us on Classy awards, and then asked those friends to ask 5 more friends? In a few clicks, our reach and voting could expand exponentially. Seriously. Just a few clicks and just 5 friends.

Beyond just our immediate goal of winning $15,000 for the very worthy causes EOR supports, we would also be expanding the reach of our little nonprofit. Our web would instantly grow in size.

So here you go, We would really like you to vote for EOR for best use of social media for the StayClassy  awards.

We know most of you reading this may have already figured out how to vote. But now, we want you to send a quick email or message to five of your friends that would be interested to do the same. How hard is that? For me, Cara, Susie, Susan, MaryBeth and Kelly better look out because my email is coming.

Molly

Step by step instructions on voting:

EOR is poised to win $15,000 but we can only win with your help. WE need you to do the following:

Follow this link, and vote for EOR (just once, we promise)

✻   Under Charity Categories click on most innovative use of Social Media by a charity

✻  Click on the VOTE button next to Ethiopian Orphan Relief

✻  Click on submit my ballot – vote before August 26, 2011

You then have the option of signing in via facebook or by using your email. The choice is yours. Your choice means the possibility of BIG money for the children we are all trying to help in Ethiopia.

Our first Award Nomination – Were Classy

Here at EOR, we don’t like to toot our own horns, but today we have good reason to do so. Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. is a proud qualifier for a Classy Award!

“Hollywood has Oscar, Broadway has Tony, and now philanthropy has the Classy.”-October 2010 The CLASSY Awards recognize the top philanthropic achievements by charities, businesses, fundraisers and volunteers from across the country. The winners receive national exposure and more than $150,000 in cash & prizes for their cause.

Um, hello–they had me at more than $150,00 in cash and prizes for Ethiopian Orphan Relief! EOR has already qualified for the next round of the competition (by receiving more than 100 ‘Likes’ through Facebook) but additional likes will only help us, so please, check us out and give us a ‘Like.’

This big prize can help lots of little kids in Ethiopia–if that’s not classy, I don’t know what is! We entered as a small charity (less than 250K in revenue per year) and were asked to present a single successful venture, so we wrote about Project Gena 2010, one of our most amazing social media efforts:

Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. launched the Project Gena 2010 campaign in September of 2010 through various social media platforms. Supporters were asked to make Christmas merry for a child in Ethiopia by filling a backpack. In a 3 month window, 156 backpacks were stuffed and shipped to the orphans of Children’s Heaven and Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (two of the 5 orphan care centers EOR serves). While the primary goal of Ethiopian Orphan Relief is to to ensure that every child in Ethiopia has a warm bed, a loving influence, and sufficient education to better their lives. EOR’s focus on infrastructure (facilities, meal programs, health clinics, etc) sometimes makes it difficult for donors to feel connected to the orphans we serve. Sending backpacks filled with toys, clothes, school supplies, and letters gave donors an opportunity to connect with the children in a very immediate way. While the logistics of transporting the backpacks to Ethiopia (no direct shipping means that we rely on travelers to bring our donations to Ethiopia) made it impossible to send backpacks to every orphan care center we serve, there was no end to the support and enthusiasm for this project. Ethiopian Orphan Relief, like Edmund Burke, believes, “Nobody made a greater mistake than one who did nothing because he could do little.” Project Gena 2010 made it possible for even small-scale donors to make an impact, and as a result, these donors felt more invested in the work of Ethiopian Orphan Relief, increasing the likelihood that they would give again during the year. We kick off Project Gena 2011 in August of this year. It will be annual event, bringing joy to people on 2 continents. Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. appreciates all of its donors, both big and small. Every gift is a generous one, no matter the size.

Our entry can be seen HERE. Please, please click like next to the Ethiopian Orphan Relief headline to help us stay CLASSY!

Kim & Paige

Come all ye Faithful

So at this time of year, Halloween has ended and Christmas has entered the stores. Thus, my children are sure that Christmas is only two seconds away, and the list making commences. Some of my more industrious children began their lists in July and one in particular has created something that can only be referred to as a manifesto.
Here is my four year old’s list, as dictated to his father.
“Dear Santa,
Gimme all the Justice League , please, for Christmas. Thank you for giving me Justice League. Also, I like Mr. Freeze, then Superman can kill Freeze like a bug and then Superman can come punch ballers or fire. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha”
My husband said that the maniacal laughter at that point took over the discussion.
At my house, the children get something to play with, something to wear, and something to read and then a big communal gift from Santa. This year, we will be adding stockings from Project Gena as their gift to others. What are your holiday plans?

Katie

Gena Giving Project Update – October

Wow! Just last month EOR kicked off our Project Gena idea and you our friends took the idea and shopped it. Were happy to share we are half way there! You have graciously filled a total of 74 backpacks for children at FOVC & Children’s Heaven in Ethiopia. We have 56 more to go. Can you help?

Boy or girl? email kim@ethiopianorphanrelief.org to make plans to shop for a specific child. To busy to shop? For a donation of $15.00 we’ll shop for you and send a special cards to the honoree of your choice. Maybe do a backpack in honor of a family member, perfect gift for the girlfriend who has everything, the post carrier, a perfect birthday gift.

To see a video of Project Gena click here.

Danielle a.k.a. Santa's Elf

 

Meet Danielle…This Portland “Oma” has a love for Ethiopia. Her grandson arrived into

their family from the Toukoul Orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Last week Danielle dropped off gifts for 25 backpacks. My living room now looks like Santa’s village. Danielle shared that she & her husband usually do a giving tree each holiday. When they learned about Project Gena they wanted to help the children from their grandson’s homeland. She also enclosed a hand written note to each of the 25 children. It brought tears to my eyes to see so much love. Thank you Danielle for your giving heart.

When shopping for your treasures please take photos and send to us. We will be highlighting you the month of November.

Thanks again to everyone who’s helping us with the project.

Kim

…It’s beginning to look a lot like Gena

Christmas in Ethiopia is called Gena and it’s celebrated on January 7th.  Here at Ethiopian Orphan Relief we’re gathering gifts to put in backpacks for children of  Children’s Heaven  & FOVC (Friends of Orphans & Vulnerable Children).  Through “ProjectGena2010”  your generosity will brighten an orphan’s life.  EOR provides the backpacks~~ can you help us fill them?

Boy or girl? Email kim@ethiopianorphanrelief.org to make plans to shop for a specific child.  Too busy to shop for all the special someones on your personal gift list? A backpack for an Ethiopian child makes a wonderful gift for others.  For a donation of 15.00 we’ll shop for you  AND send a special card to the honoree of your choice.   A personalized letter or photo makes a wonderful addition to any backpack – we welcome yours.  We can’t wait to share a photo of the children receiving their gifts,  please include your address with your donation so we can send you one too.   To see a video of Project Gena click here.

For those counting, it’s 106 days till Christmas! Let EOR help you take some gifts off your list.  Do your children have a service project at school?  Feel free to pass along our flier and…

Melkam Gena!

Kim

Gift Ideas

Toothbrushes, socks, underwear, small toys, pencils, hair do dad’s, small cars, yo-yo’s, jump ropes, etch a sketch, markers, journals.

Please contact kim@ethiopianorphanrelief.org for questions and address on where to ship your treasures.