We made it!!!!!

“We’re proud as, well…a peacock about being one of the top 3 competitors for
Stay Classy’s “Most Innovative Use of Social Media” award, and it’s all thanks to…YOU!!!  That’s right, your votes put on on the winner’s podium.

The last round of voting begins this week, but don’t worry, your part is done.  A panel of judges will choose a single winner among the top 10 in each category.  Fingers crossed, on September 17th, EOR will be given a mighty sum of money to help the girls at Children’s Heaven.

Thanks to each and every one of you who brought us this far.  YOU are EOR!  How Classy is that?

Do you live in the San Diego area? Want to join us for the award night? To purchase tickets click here.

Thanks again for your votes, and your votes and more votes!

Kim & Paige

 

only 3 more days

It’s crunch time friends! We only have 3 days left to secure your vote in the Classy Awards. Were currently 3rd out of 25 in the most innovative use of social media category.

Should we win the prize of $15,000 it will go to purchase land for Children’s Heaven in Addis Ababa. Like many of you, Children’s Heaven holds a special place in our heart.

Haven’t vote yet (only one vote per email address) please visit Classy then under charity categories click on most innovative use of social media by a charity. Click vote on Ethiopian Orphan Relief then in upper right hand corner submit my vote. It’s free, simple and only takes about 22 seconds.

We have really been feeling the love by so many of you who’ve shared your photos of  “vote for EOR” with us. Take a look at this little 2 minute video  to see our friends encouraging others to vote.

Your vote must be cast before midnight Thursday! Don’t forget to share with all your friends, facebook page, co-workers and family.

Thanks friends,

Kim

my little Ethiopian daughter encouraging you to vote

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

When my husband and I went to Ethiopia, we went north from the capital to Lalibela. Lalibela is known for its rock hewn churches. Its a place unlike any other.

While we were in Lalibela my husband and I met some local girls who invited us into their home for a coffee ceremony. I decided I was much too exhausted from jet lag to do this, while my husband, who apparently isn’t affected by jet lag was all ready to go. He went to their hut and experienced a typical Ethiopian family’s coffee ceremony. This is something our daughter would have experienced over and over again in her lifetime had she grown up in her Ethiopian family. He came back from the experience full of conversations about the girls’ dreams, life and school in Ethiopia. I can’t help but feel like I truly missed out on an experience that would have stayed with me forever.

Did I know at the time that I would regret not going? I think so, however, I could barely form a sentence due to my lack of sleep. The point of this all is some of the decisions we make in our life are big, some are little. Regardless of size of decision, we need to throw off the bowlines and sail away from the harbor. Take a chance in your life and see where things go. Thinking about adopting? Go for it! Thinking about getting a puppy? Do that too! Thinking about trying a new lasagna? Now’s the time!

For tonight your new thing could be actually voting for the classy awards for EOR. If you have been reading about them but not voting, now is the time. And while you are at it, invite all your friends to vote too. Or donate to EOR so we can finish building the home/school for FOVC-Ethioipia’s children. We only have $2500 left, so close, so very close.

Think about your life and do something that challenges your notion of a normal day. Get involved, throw off the bowlines and set sail! Join EOR in our quest to make life a little better for the vulnerable and orphaned of Ethiopia.

Molly

Yes dear friends, another plea for votes

Only 10 more days to vote in the Classy Awards! Please vote for Ethiopian Orphan Relief! Click here then scroll down to’ Most Innovative Use of Social Media,’ then click on Ethiopian Orphan Relief and submit your vote.

Your vote will bring us one step closer to winning $15,000!

You can only vote once per email address. So if you have a family of 5 and all of you have separate emails then that’s 5 votes you can cast! It’s simple, free and that one click can bring us one vote closer.

Right now were 3rd place out of 25 for most votes! Let’s ROCK it and get to 1st!!!

Kim

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.

Feeling the love

We’ve been feeling the love with all the photos you are sending to us for our Vote for EOR in the Stayclassy Awards. Currently we are 4th place out of 25 for votes. PLEASE help us spread the word that we need votes.

We would love photos of you or your kids encouraging others to vote! Take a look at this adorable tot who joined his forever family this spring from Ethiopia.

Thanks again for voting and spreading the news!

Want to help spread the news?

Hope you heard the exciting news about our chance to win $15,000 in the Stayclassy finals! Click here to read the exciting news.

Were trying to be creative in various ways of getting the word out that we need votes! This is where you come in. We need your vote + we would love it if you can snap a photo of yourself, kids, friends holding up a sign that says something creative and catchy. Vote for Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Raise your voice, the only choice should be EOR! Make your vote count, etc.

Were going to be making a 45-60 second video of all the photos and debuting it next Thursday the 11th so we need your photos no later then Monday, the 8t at midnight pacific time.

Can  you help us? Were trying to get a huge representation of photos. Some ideas we have

• your kids holding up a sign or signs
• Someone in a Bakery with a bakers hat
• Business people
• Policeman/women
• Firefighter
• Lifeguard
• Bus Driver
• Store Clerks
• Ethiopian’s
• Mickey Mouse/Disneyland
• TV hosts
• Doctors/Nurses

Email your photos to Kim at kim@ethiopianorphanrelief.org  

Thanks Friends!

We need your vote

Have you voted for Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. yet? More than ever before we need your help!

Last week we announced that EOR had been selected by Stayclassy.org as a finalist in the “Most Innovative Use of Social Media by a Charity.” Our entry focused on the overwhelming success of our social media campaign, Project Gena, which gave donors a chance to send backpacks filled with gifts directly to the orphan and vulnerable children we serve.

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.

Share this contest and link with EVERYONE you know — on facebook, or your blog, with your church group, coworkers, yahoo groups and with all your family and friends.

This $15,000 (and all the good we can do with it) is so close, but it will take thousands of votes to win it. Please raise your voice (once again) in support of EOR.

Your votes make it possible to win BIG money for little kids.

Kim

The "E" family from Oregon encouraging friends to vote