July 29th, 2008 admin
The members of our Philadelphia Sangha Fundraising Team held a Sidewalk Sale to benefit Living Compassion’s African Vulnerable Children’s Project.
Everyone did their part, either participating in the planning and inspiration process, donating items, making baked goods, setting up the sale table, working the sale, cleaning up, and just having fun talking with neighbors and potential sale customers.
It was a great day, despite the rain that moved in and caused a frantic breakdown of the sale at one point. We raised $355.00.
We were excited about this, as we found that when we put that amount in perspective, we found: $10 per month feeds one child in the Kantolomba Project. Our funds could feed 35 children for one month.
Posted in Fun Raiser Stories
July 29th, 2008 admin
I just wanted to write about my son Justin, who is ten, and his donation to Living Compassion’s Africa Vulnerable Children Project. Justin has been visiting the Monastery and going to most of the bridge walks since he was five. I talk about the children in Africa frequently and tell him stories about what Living Compassion has done in Africa, how the children play, how they share their food and other things, how many of them don’t have parents or houses, how they make their own toys to play with, how they don’t have television or video games, how happy they are with so little, and so on. We sometimes read the blogs together, and he loves the pictures and the stories. So when Justin’s fourth grade teacher asked him to write a sentence about something he would like to do for someone else, this is what he wrote (from my memory):
“I will help the children in Africa so they can have food and clothes.”
Justin brought this sentence home to me. I was so proud of him and told him so! I asked him how he was going to help them. He disappeared into his bedroom for a few minutes and came out with a wrinkled up dollar bill. I asked Justin if he wanted to mail this note and dollar to Living Compassion. He said Yes! enthusiastically. We got it ready and I told him that he would really be helping the children. He smiled a sweet little shy smile, and I could tell he felt very good about his act of kindness and giving.
I just wanted to share this story because I want to show the impact that Living Compassion has on others. You all may not see or know how you are affecting other people right here in this country. I am grateful for my participation with the Monastery and my involvement with Living Compassion for many, many reasons. When something like this happens, I feel joyful and alive. Justin feels a strong connection with the children in Africa and asks frequently if that is where he is from. Justin is half African-American, and I tell him that his ancestors lived there. Thank you for making such a difference in our lives. Renee.
Posted in Fun Raiser Stories
July 29th, 2008 admin
Hi– I have a wonderful, compassionate class of 3rd grade students, and they have some thoughts to share…..
From Dahlia
Dear Living Compassion Helpers,
We are raising money for children in Africa so they can have clean water like us. We have raised $54.52! We are hoping to get to $100.00. We are thinking about giving it to one child or spread it around. I hope this money will become valuable for things like the new school, clean water, and enough food for them to survive. Their homes should be strong for protection. I hope that one day this will come true!
From Marisol
There is this book named Growing Up in Africa, by Les and Genny Nuckolls. It talks about Africa but it is from a different city. The children could get splinters and they wouldn’t have the tweezers to get them out. I think it would be a good idea that you could buy some tweezers with the money we collected. Also, could we ask you some questions about the children? One of the questions is do they have any electricity so they could call someone, use computers, or have batteries for flashlights? We could buy them batteries! Do they have a principal or a general at their school? Do they have a Governor or Army–we could send someone over to protect them. I hope they do much better with the donation and care we want to help them with. Wow. That really inspired me!
From Arianna:
Dear Living Compassion Helpers,
We are helping people in Africa by donating money to Africa. It is a great idea to partner with a child. We looked at the children in Africa, and we were thinking that we want to take care of them and make them have a better life. I feel sad because they look homeless and homesick and starved. I am wondering if they speak our language? I wonder what they are doing right now. My teacher wore a T-shirt to school, and I said, “Can I donate money to Africa?” Do they have a name because I want to know. We saw some children on the computer and some of the kids were crying because some of their Mom’s and Dad’s died. We were thinking that if we could buy them clothes, books, shoes, and socks it would be good because if they didn’t have shoes or socks, and if they went outside, the rocks would probably get stuck in their foot and they would get hurt really bad. It is making me want to be their partner because if I was like them, I would know how it feels.
Thanks for listening and giving these children a chance to share and care!
Jean
Posted in Fun Raiser Stories
July 29th, 2008 admin
Peggy Thornburg created her own fundraiser at work.
Her poster below reads:
Take a Day off And Help Feed Hungry Children
My meditation group, Living Compassion, started a program for feeding Children in Africa. This program is the Africa Vulnerable Children Project. Every September they sponsor a fundraiser in San Francisco. I am sponsoring a fundraiser here at SWVTC this September and I invite you to join me.
How You Can Help
Take a leave day that I can work for you (see posted schedule) and I will donate my pay for that day to the Africa Vulnerable Children Project. If you would also like to contribute monetarily, any amount would be appreciated, but this is not a requirement. Everyone is Invited to Contribrute!
You may like to watch this 10 minute video (First 100 Children video) and meet some of the children.
With gratitude, Peggy
Posted in Fun Raiser Stories
July 28th, 2008 admin
This year I wanted to use a resource that was already available to raise funds for the Africa Vulnerable Children Project, and the Living Compassion Gift Cards seemed ideal. There are a number of ways that these can be used to raise funds but the following are the ones being tried at the moment. I hope others will get more creative ideas!
1. Display books: A display book of the cards is given to friends and family to take to their businesses, homes, neighbors, etc., with the intention of selling the cards and being an awareness raising process for the work of Living Compassion and a shop window for the gift cards. Each book contains fact sheets about the Kantolomba project, (information which I have taken straight from the website), a photocopy of all the cards available on the cover page, a selection of between 12 and 17 cards slipped into the plastic sleeves so that people know what they are getting, an order form, and a tally sheet to use for the main order at the end of the period. We will be taking orders first, and keeping the cards in the book so that they can be rotated around to different people for a 2-3 week period over several months. Even if each person sells 10 cards, the money raised is significant. We will be asking for payment up front so as not to be left with any cards over. I will put in orders on a regular basis to fill the orders.
would recommend photo albums to display books as the cards remain more secure instead of slipping out easily. At this stage, the 5 books I have are spoken for, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing how this project goes. So far, other people have purchased cards online or given a donation so it’s off to a good start.
2. As I run a small music business, I am able to display the cards so that people see them all the time. I am asking other teachers to do the same with the display books and anyone else I know who has a small business.
3. Thirdly, small packs of five cards along with info sheets are available to anyone who feels they could take the pack and just sell those 5 cards. I will do this more as time goes on and I see which cards are most in demand.
All in all it’s a fun activity and people respond very positively, from the perspective that they love the project, and secondly because it solves a gift buying problem for people who don’t really want or need more “things.”
I am especially grateful to the people at Living Compassion for providing all the necessary help as this project was developed. They have been truly wonderful, and I think they do a magnificent job with
the Kantolomba Project.
I would love to know of any other ideas for using the gift cards to raise funds!
Posted in Fun Raiser Stories
July 11th, 2008 admin
This past Sunday evening, 5 of us gathered at a Sangha member’s home (an amazing home built in 1840) to work in the yard. We worked for 3 hours, working-meditation style, as a funraiser for the Africa Vulnerable Children Project. We accomplished an amazing amount in a short time—cutting and stacking wood, clearing and sweeping—ultimately bringing a delightful arbor to its original, beautiful state.
It was enjoyable, working mindfully, silently, outside, in the shade, focusing only on the task at hand, with clear, simple directions from the supervisor to guide us, not having to have better ideas or to watch what others were doing. One member noticed how working like this was like meditation in that it’s a lot easier doing it with others. Another person enjoyed the sense of community—people helping each other out. We all found it rewarding.
Adding to the enjoyment of it all, we meditated 15 minutes before and 5 minutes after working and our gracious host Sangha members prepared a sweet, refreshing soup with colorful salad and vegetables just picked from the garden for us to eat.
It’s such a win-win-win experience. The host family is able to get much needed work done (and done with great care); we, those working, get to be outside, get to work with our hands, get to be part of a community and a part of something larger than ourselves; and the children of Kantolomba receive much needed resources as the host family donates to Living Compassion in return for the work we carried out. Everybody wins! And anybody can do this!
Toni, Eleanor, Dennis, Marie And Rick
Posted in Fun Raiser Stories
July 11th, 2008 admin
It has never been easy for me to ask other people to donate to an organization or cause that I support. I always feel as if I am imposing. What if they say “no”?
Then I had the privilege of traveling to Zambia with Living Compassion. There I spent 3 amazing weeks getting to know the people of Kantolomba and seeing first hand the projects of Living Compassion in Africa and the incredible difference the work is making in the lives of those families.
One of the things we often talked about while in Zambia was the 2006 Bridge Walk. The goal was to raise $100,000 for Living Compassion to support the ongoing work in Kantolomba.
So, I made the commitment to myself to take on the challenge of finding 10 people to give $1000.
I returned home and put together what I thought to be a rather compelling letter complete with picture and sent it out to 30 people.
Checks started arriving. I also got phone calls from people who wanted to know about my trip and the projects of Living Compassion. As I was talking with people, I realized that if I hadn’t sent out those letters, I would have deprived not only the kids in Africa, but also the people here who deeply cared about the work being done in Zambia.
Mary Ann
Posted in Uncategorized
July 11th, 2008 admin
When I volunteered to be a “Team Captain” in my area and try to raise money for the Africa Vulnerable Children’s Project, I was excited about the challenge of moving into a place that was far removed from my comfort zone! I had never done any fundraising at all, and part of me was terrified. I must say, not long after I volunteered, I wanted to un-volunteer, the voices of self-hate were so strong. I did two things, then, got a partner to form our team and called into the radio show. My partner supported me and reminded me about why I was doing this, and I must say, her excitement (which she first got from me!) was contagious. Calling into the radio show helped me to put my fear center stage and re-align with my 1st impulse to be part of something bigger.
From then on, things sailed along. We actually gathered most of our money before our event, from people inspired to be part of the project. A space was donated, a sound system and audio/video equipment were donated, so we could watch the 2 CD’s from Living Compassion. My husband donated his time and energy to make all the “behind the scenes” happen.
Our event was called, “A Night of Compassion.” It was a time of letting go and opening to our own hearts, through yoga, meditation and visualization. Afterwards we watched the videos and had refreshments. We were thrilled to have raised more that $1,500.00!
We all felt blessed to have been able to be involved. The heart does want to give and I no longer own that excuse of, “I don’t know how….I don’t think I can….” ( at least when it comes to fund raisers!)
Posted in Uncategorized
July 11th, 2008 admin
The Pittsburgh Sangha came together and created a rummage sale.
On a bright and sunny day, Becky, a friend and I set out to pick up generous donations. We made several stops, taking people’s clutter, leaving them with empty space. By the last stop, we had more help. Thorne donated the most sought-after item, a deck chair from the USS Amsterdam, and came along himself to unload. Amy joined in the fun. Working mostly in silence, and sharing in the Privileged Environment, we efficiently emptied the truck into the storefront Rick had donated, free of charge. Carole and Barb sorted and laid out the clothes in the clothes closet, turning a pile of garbage bags into a colorful array. One person found his favorite pair of shoes, that his wife donated to the cause. Lisa pitched in with the first level of sorting. Tina set up the entire kitchen. Gavin hauled box after box. Sarah bravely put in a lot of time posting signs. Becky tirelessly contributed time, supplies, and the truck.
People began to trickle in. For the next five days, people would stop by and start treasure hunting. Most walked away with something. Katherine came up with an idea to sell some dollhouse and doll supplies on eBay. We raised over $200 from that! Amazingly, this mountain of stuff was turned into $2600 for our friends in Africa.
It was an honor to be a part of the whole process and watch it unfold like a morning glory and then fade away as we walked away from the empty storefront.
Beth
Posted in Uncategorized
July 11th, 2008 admin
The “Chicago Area Team” was comprised of about 73 people, friends and family members to whom I sent a letter about the Bridge Walk. I was uncomfortable asking folks for money, even for so worthy a cause. My dearest friends who are familiar with Cheri’s work helped me remember that I would not “die from uncomfortable.” And so I was very touched by the folks who chose to respond to the appeal, and grateful for all the efforts folks were willing to make.
I was delighted to learn that Living Compassion reached its goal. I hope I will be able to once again participate in the effort next year, and maybe someday even make it to the Bridge Walk in person.
Many thanks to all of you who are working so hard to make a difference in the world, through efforts like these and through the other work of the Monastery. There are many days when I wish I lived nearby, to be able to take in more of what the Monastery has to offer.
Kindest regards, and in loving kindness,
Anne
Posted in Fun Raiser Stories
