Fast (semi fast) top ten update list

Never enough time to get the word out on everything.  But here goes:


BR update: top ten list on many fronts:

1. 1. It is another Hilbert weekend, so only going out on Sunday--get your school work caught up on Saturday!   (Sun 11:15: dress warm!!!)  Job includes more steps installed and likely some winterization.  Also, MAYBE helping clean out a storage area in Allegany County that has water damage.  Stay tuned. 
2. Remember the donation for Haiti from the recent graduate a few weeks ago?  It was sent out and allowed a larger garden and reforestation program in Gonaives, teachers at a school in Leogane to be paid, and teachers at an Orphanage in Laschobas to be paid.  It also is allowing them to think now about composting toilets that will be great!!!
3. Money was transferred twice to West Africa for our partners there.  Like in other past situations (From MS to OK to NY to Haiti), there are so many needs remaining.  The $1762 we raised has been (or will be very shortly) all been allocated and dispersed.  If you would like to continue helping, fund raisers will be needed.  It is as simple as that.   
4. Several jobs have been on our to-do list for months but for one reason or the other keep getting pushed back.  With the winter, unfortunately, here, it looks like a few of the jobs (painting) will have to wait until Spring/summer.  The lack of volunteers and a larger leadership pool does have a cost. Sorry to those who are waiting.  
5. The lack of fundraising will also mean that we will not be able to do a food packing event this spring.  
6. Our International Service Weekend (we ask people wherever they are to go and do some service from cleaning up a park to painting a school, etc) date this spring is April 11-12.  This is the weekend AFTER Easter.  Start planning your projects! More information soon!
7. Locally, I was speaking with a teacher this past week who was saying some of her students have no books at home.  One girl in particular was so happy when she had one book.  So from now until December 1, we will be collecting books!  We are willing to work with any group already doing this, but I did promise the one teacher that we would get at least two books for each of her 25 students (K-6).  
8. A dozen WarmSnugglyBlankets were given out this week.  A big thank you to the Pink Pumpkin Project for including our blankets in their care packages!  Also, a big Thank-You to the St. Johns 9th grade Religious Education program for helping to make blankets!  (thanks Ann!)
9. HaitiScholarships is happy to be working with a JMC class (thanks Shelly!) to help bolster our fundraising and media presence.  I take full blame for HaitiScholarship not truly blooming, as it has the potential to be huge and is still very much still in a start-up mode.  We have a board meeting this Sunday evening, so if you have any good ideas for us (or want to make a donation to put more Haitian students in school), please let us know!
10. A reminder with Christmas shopping coming up, if you are shopping online, go to GoodShop.com and select BonaResponds as your charity and we will get a small amount of each sale.

Thanks everyone!!

jim

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