I am BEGGING YOU to please, please watch this video and GET INVOLVED. We are up against some overwhelming odds, and I know that we cannot do this without each and every one of you getting involved in some way!
$75,000 may seem ridiculous and impossible to you - but today I am standing on the truth that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! I am sure that Joshua felt pretty ridiculous playing an instrument aimed at the walls of Jericho, and that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thought walking through fire was impossible. The truth is, God has a history of making the impossible, POSSIBLE, and He loves it when the odds are stacked against Him! $75,000 in less than 30 days is completely do-able - if we all work together!
So, here is what I'm asking.
1st - I am asking you to consider what you can give. And not just $10 either - these precious little boys and girls are worth so much more than that! As I said in the video - I am asking you to give until it hurts. And believe me - Rusty and I are doing the same thing. (I would not ask you to do something that I wasn't willing to do myself!) DONATE HERE.
2nd - I am asking you to spread the word to everyone you know. Send an email with this video and this blog (or this link to give) to your friends and family and coworkers and small group. Repost this video or blog to your facebook. Tweet this link on twitter. Challenge everyone you know to GIVE SOMETHING!
3rd - I am asking you to take a look at this list of fundraising ideas (below) and choose one. I know that most of you who read my blog do so because you care about the children the world has forgotten. You are the people who love orphans - who believe they deserve a hope and a future. I am asking you today to do something about it. Put some action behind what you believe! Consider what you would do if this was your child. What lengths would you go to, to ensure a safe and healthy future for your little boy or little girl? I know we're all busy people, but I am asking you to put these children first. They have no one to fight for them except you and me! Their future rests in our hands.
So please - I beg you - choose one of these ways to get involved and then DO IT! We will help you publicize whatever you decide to do via facebook and twitter and even give you ideas to make your project a success. Just comment below or email me (erickabennett(at)gmail.com) which thing you're volunteering to do - with the proceeds going to this need! Or - come up with your own fundraising idea and let me know about it! (I'd love it if you got even more creative with this!)
Here's the list - please pick one and get to planning!
- Garage Sale - Usually a Garage Sale makes around $1,000 to $3,000 profit. We are looking for 10 PEOPLE who will volunteer to host at least 1 Garage Sale each before May 20th. This is the perfect time to do some Spring Cleaning for a great cause! Your trash really will be "another man's treasure" - because it will give LIFE, HOPE, and a SECURE FUTURE to our precious kids in India! Don't have enough stuff to do a yard-sale? Why not put up a big ticket item (like a boat, car, furniture or antiques) on Craigslist?
- EBay Sales - Have some old collectibles? How about a camera, clothes, books, or jewelry? I have seen some crazy things go for high prices on EBay! So go through your closet, attic, basement, and garage and get to selling! If you aren't EBay savvy - you could always sell your items via facebook post. (I have seen some girls recently doing this with old pageant dresses and suits!)
- Benefit Shows - Are you a musician? Are you willing to lend your voice for children in need? We are looking for 10 MUSICIANS who will host 1 Benefit Show each before May 20th. It doesn't matter if you don't have a big following or a great venue. I once did a small coffeeshop show in college that raised $1,900 for a charity! You may be surprised at the turnout! We'd be glad to send Sound of Hope brochures and lend you our logo for any promo posters you create!
- Art Auction - Are you an artist? How about a photographer? Would you consider auctioning off one (or more) of your pieces online, or getting some friends together for an art auction? A small auction could easily be set up at a coffeeshop, college, or church!
- Tax Return Donation - According to my online research, the average tax deduction is around $3,000. That means, if just 25 people donated their tax return to this cause, we would be COMPLETELY FUNDED! Will you donate your tax return so these kids can have a home? Will you challenge your friends and family to do the same?
- Share Your Savings - Many of us are at the age where saving is important. We are thinking of the future of our spouse and our children. Unfortunately, these kids in India have no one saving for their future. There is no one putting away money for their college fund. There is no one even saving for their needs next month. Would you consider giving away a percentage of your security to provide for theirs? Would you donate 5% of your savings to give these kids a future? What about 10%? What about 25%?
- Birthday Campaign - Do you have a birthday coming up in April or May? How about asking for donations to this project instead of presents? You can have your friends give directly to this link, or you can set up your own page by clicking "FUNDRAISE" on the right side of that page and following the prompts.
- Do Something Crazy - Remember when your school raised funds by promising you could pie the principle in the face if you met your mark? Or that your favorite teacher would die her hair pink if you raised $1,000? Think up something similar and challenge your friends and family to help you reach your fundraising goal! What would people pay to see you do? Wear your rival team's jersey and sing their fight song? Shave your head? (You can click the "FUNDRAISE" button on the right side of this page to set up your own page and keep track of your donations!)
- Calling All Bloggers - I know there are many of you who have your own blog, and it would mean the world to me if you would do a post about this need! You can even add the widget below to your blog and people can give right on your page! Just click this link to get the embed code (you can even change the color to match your blog!) It would be amazing if you would set a goal for you and your blog readers to reach together - maybe $500? or $1,000 by the deadline? You could even do a giveaway once you reached your goal!
Online fundraising for Asha Mission, Delhi - Land Project at Razoo
Whichever fundraiser you plan to do, remember it must be completed (and the money sent in) before May 20th. Donations can be given online here, using the widget above, or mailed to this address :: The Sound of Hope - PO Box # 534 - Helena, Alabama 35080. Thank you in advance for loving and fighting for these children. Together, we can insure that they have the HOPE and FUTURE they deserve!
The Christian club that I sponsor at school is holding a T-shirt day. These are usually pretty successful fundraisers because we have uniforms and the students rarely get to wear regular T-shirts. I also challenged my students to find people in the community to match our total. The T-shirt day will be May 4th. To prepare students for the day, I recut the video above, so that the teachers can show it to all their students. (The principal was uncomfortable using the full video with middle school students.) I hope that's okay. In the next couple days, I'm going to be working on announcements for the school about the fundraiser. Do you have any statistics about these children I could use as attention getters? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAlso I will be blogging about this need tomorrow. I will post the link here when it is live.
Andrea that is an AMAZING idea!!! I would love to talk to you more about this and see how we can help you make this the best fundraiser possible! Can you give me your email address? Or email me - erickabennnett(at)gmail.com. That way we can talk in depth (not just in the comment section). Thank you SO much!
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