Following is a wonderful post written by Janice Mack – Aerie Africa Board Member and Volunteer Phenom. She shares her recent experience fund raising for Aerie Africa. Let us hear about your fund raising events!
One of the reasons I wanted to sponsor a child with Aerie Africa was to expose my children to another country, culture and experiences different from their own. We started sponsoring Asfaw in 2003 when my children were 8 and 5 at the time. Ellie would talk about her “Ethiopian” brother and get interested looks from her friends and teachers. We take time to write him and get excited picking out a few things for his care boxes three times a year. We are very proud of his hard work in school and are grateful for the opportunity to participate in his life, even from a great distance.
As a Board member of Aerie Africa, I work on finding and communicating with the sponsors. But, we all work on fundraising and promoting our organization within our circles of co-workers, friends, families and organizations. I wanted to include my children in reaching out to our community and with their help set up a table outside of the local Acme grocery store in Paoli, PA. I extended an invitation to other families that sponsor children in my area and I am grateful to the Rush and Elliott families for their help that day! We made friendship bracelets, which we gave people who stopped to donate, as a thank-you and a reminder of orphaned children in Ethiopia. We were excited as people stopped to look at our pictures and many had stories to share of their own travels to Africa to work, study or vacation. We collected a little over $500 and found a a family interested in sponsoring a child. It was a wonderful way for my children to feel like they are contributing to Aerie Africa’s success.
Ellie Mack and Rush Family Raising Funds for Aerie Africa
Please consider if there is a way that your family might work together to raise money and awareness of Aerie Africa. Here are a few ideas that you might consider. Please let us know if you have any new ideas to add to the list. I would be happy to help anyone who wants to put an idea into motion.
Donate the proceeds to Aerie Africa from:
- Lemonade stand
- Bake sale
- Garage sale
- Host a pot-luck dinner and have people donate what they would have spent in a nice restaurant
- Ask friends and family to make a donation in honor of a birthday or anniversary
- Ask your church to put Aerie Africa on their list for alternative gift giving at Christmas
- Offer to mow lawns in your neighborhood for a donation to Aerie Africa
Thank you for your support of Aerie Africa and our wonderful children in Soddo, Ethiopia.
Janice Mack
email: aerieafrica@comcast.net
Fundraising for Aerie Africa on a very warm summer day
Janice at her Aerie Africa Fund Raising afternoon
Elliot Family at Fund Raiser
