financial
update:
gifts
received this week…
$14,845.35
from private donors
$34,000.00
from
Russia adoption fees for April
$371,132.17
received year-to-date
TN
Trivia Night Raises $2,222 for AMOR!!
The
Southeast branch’s Trivia Night on April 16th was a smashing
success, with
$2,222 raised for the children of the AMOR orphanage in Guatemala!! Many
thanks to branch director Brenda Barker, volunteer coordinator Rebecca
Smeltzer, and Foundation coordinator Carrie Mullis! A report from Brenda
follows...
"
Not only did we have a wonderful time of realizing what we don't know (the
CHI staff table did take last place, however Tanya beat us all on US
facts!!) but we also had a silent auction! We were able to use the
power point presentation from the Foundation as well. We did a fun
game of 50/50. Each person who participated took out a $5 bill,
and put it either on their head or their bottom. When the coin was
flipped, if it was heads, those with the $5 on their bottoms donated
their $5 and were out of the game....you get the idea! (see picture
below). Anyway, of course Ken (my husband) won....so all of the
prize money was donated back to the foundation!! Interestingly
enough, about 80% of the folks who came were not CHI families! On a
personal note, it was also my daughters' 17th birthday!! (see picture
below) Let's do it again next year!!
Click
on the link to see photos from the evening:
www.chifoundation.org/tn_trivia_night.htm
Update:
Kemerovo Floods
The
response to our plea on behalf of the orphans affected by the Kemerovo
floods has been so encouraging! Thus far, we have received $2,675
designated for the flood relief fund, which will provide clothing and
shoes for 53 children! Thanks to all who have helped spread the word about
this crisis...
Following
is a short update on the situation. The information comes from Vadim
Akentev (the CHI representative in Kemerovo) and the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The
flooding hit 22 towns and villages, affecting more than 5,000 houses
inhabited by 23,529 people. Ten deaths have been reported. The situation
appears to be stabilizing, but houses remain flooded and the governor of
Kemerovo estimates the losses incurred by local residents at about $25
million USD (or 700-750 million roubles). In the city of Tashtagol alone,
the flood broke 37 pedestrian bridges, damaged 100 km of roads, and inundated
500 homes.
Among
the orphanages that had to be evacuated were the following children's
homes in Tashtagol, Kaltan, and Osinniki:
1.
school/orphanage #3 (106 orphans)
2.
special school/orphanage #19 for mentally impaired children (224 total, 52
of whom are orphans)
3.
school/orphanage #26 (150 orphans)
4.
school/orphanage #4 (number of orphans still unknown)
Vadim
will update this list as he receives more information. He reports that the
greatest needs continue to be warm clothes, shoes, bed-linens, textbooks,
and paper. Due to customs fees and transportation costs, CHI is
unfortunately unable to accept in-kind donations for the Kemerovo orphans.
However, a monetary gift of $50 will supply all of the
above-mentioned needs for one child.
Click
on the link to read Russian newspaper accounts of the flooding:
www.childrenshope.ru/en/articles/flood/
“A
Miracle for AMOR”
Four
high school juniors recently raised over $1,500 for AMOR by speaking in
front of their church. One of the four, Michelle Price, wrote an article
for CHI about the girls' decision to make the plea and the effect it
had on so many lives…
“God
does indeed work in mysterious ways. Through four teenage girls, God was
able to answer all of your prayers for the children of Guatemala. We could
have been assigned any other encyclical, having nothing to do with the
poor and vulnerable of other countries. Father Glenn could have easily
refused our appearance at Our Lady of Providence Parish. Mrs Polys (CHI
adoptive mother) and my mom could have missed each other in the hall that
day. CHI could have chosen not to care. The money that was raised and the
hearts that were changed go beyond any analytic or ironic explanation. It
was simply a miracle.”
Click
on the link below to read Michelle’s full story:
www.chifoundation.org/michelle_price_story.htm
