Garage Sale

Thank you to Denise Wimer for her donation!

Tomorrow is the yearly HOA garage sale. I have decided to sell a bunch of stuff and put all the money toward Rwanda. I hadn't realized (I was in denial) how much stuff I had. Way too much, and I am not even a collector or a hoarder.
I am hoping to make at least $100. Doesn't seem like much but every little bit helps.

AND...I still haven't finished my Hello Rwanda Children's Campaign letter. I WILL get that done today!!!!
I do have an interview on Monday for a temp agency. I decided it is silly of me not to try to work. And it will give me an opportunity to meet new people. It'll be good! And meeting new people = more people to educate about Rwanda.

AND I have been in touch with 3 of the 5 August volunteers. Getting in touch with the other volunteers prior to the trip was really important to me. In certain situation I tend to build up anxiety and it emotes itself as shyness. But since I have been in touch with the volunteers prior to the trip I feel just fine and even more excited about the whole thing. Plus it is such a relief to know I have someone to travel with on the weekends, if needed.

We are each in different programs but all going to Rwanda. There is a lady from near Toronto (childrens program), one from DC (gender based violence program), one from UK (HIV/Aids program) and I haven't found out where the 3rd lady is from yet.
I am really relieved that I have been in contact with the ladies and will continue to learn more about them throughout this entire adventure.

Great News - As I am typing this I got a text from Natasha that said she has sold 5 fundraiser tickets today! AAAHHHHHH, now I feel like the fundraiser is officially on its way.

Shots, Shots, Pills and more Shots

I had no idea how expensive all the shots and pills were going to be. And of course, to make it even more fun my doctor does not distribute any vaccinations. My doctor's office referred me to the local vaccination hoarder office. Word on the street is there are only 5 offices in all of Phoenix area. At least I know where to go if any sort of epidemic breaks out in good ol' PHX.
I arrived early for my appointment, so I sat in the tiny lobby and read an article on how to have fabulous hair. I can't remember any of the tips it gave out.
The lobby is roasting hot, and it being the 1st 100 degree day may I say it was pleasant.
Yellow fever vaccination was the most expensive single shot at $115.
Adult polio vaccination was $50
Hepatitis A is a serious of 2 shots and each is $75.
Hepatitis B (this is the one that made me feel like my shoulder was ripping out of it's socket) is a lovely serious of 3 shots at $80 each. Can't wait to go back for 2 more of these.
I opted for the Typhoid pill form vs. the shot. It is 4 pills; one taken every other day. The pill form is suppose to last a few years longer than the shot.
And most important, I received my script for my malaria pills and a script for anti-diarrhea medicine. I think I am more concerned about getting diarrhea than anything else.
I opted against the 3 x $285 rabies shots. I figure if I get bit by something in Rwanda I will have most likely lost a limb or two and maybe some important organs. At that point, rabies would be the least of my worries. Plus I am not going to be in any areas with a high risk for contact with wild animals.
I handed over my debit card to put another dent in my severance package. The vaccination place doesn't bill insurance, so now I get to file a claim to see what or if they may pay for. I wonder how long this will take?

I feel one step closer.

I also got an email from Justus in Rwanda. He included 5 email addresses, and I am assuming those are the other volunteers that will be there in August. I emailed them all to introduce myself and to ask if any of them wanted to travel together on the weekends. One of the ladies emailed me back and said yes. I am really excited about that. Now I know I won't need to travel solo while exploring.
Justus said he is onboard with the Read To Me program, he will set me up with a gorilla trek group and there was something else but I have forgotten at the moment.

Tomorrow is a meeting with Natasha to keep the fundraiser on schedule. And I will be finalizing the Hello Rwanda Children's Campaign letter. I should probably update my resume too. I don't think I will make it much longer as a retiree. I am getting a little bored and now that it is getting too hot outside there are limited things to do.

More Thanks

Thank you to Ryan McMillan (aka Ryan McRoommate or Brody's Dad) and Chris Wheaton for their donations. I am thankful for your support!

Bumps

Just a few bumps in the road...and of course, I made it to the other side. A bit winded but gaining stamina.
The fundraiser was suppose to be a week from yesterday, but we weren't getting any response for tickets. Natasha and I decided to meet last weekend and lay out a new plan of action. It took us about 90 minutes to figure out a new date and a new way to go about selling tickets. The new date will be a Saturday instead of a Thursday. It will be on May 16th. Our thinking was more people would be apt to go on a Saturday because they wouldn't feel rushed from work, night students would be able to go, and it would be something fun to do on a weekend and people would still have time to go out after the fundraiser.
Well, so far there has been mixed reaction to the change. Mostly for the positive, and have gotten a few more verbals of people wanting to attend. But we need to translate the verbals into ticket holders, and we are stuck in the mud on this issue until next week.
As of today, we still didn't have the event tickets. If we had followed our schedule we should have had them on Tuesday or Wednesday, but we ran 3-4 days behind schedule...Again. No tickets = no selling = no donations = on hold.
I am having some anxiety about us not sticking to our schedule. When it comes to work related items I tend to be more literal than general. I don't like being behind and not knowing what to do or not being able to move forward because we are waiting on something.
But hopefully come Monday we will be up to date again. The event tickets should be delivered on Monday. Our plan is to meet on Monday and finalize our "going out to sell" plan for Friday. Natasha and I and some other ladies will be hitting some Friday night businesses in the hopes of selling some tickets. We will also try to sell at First Friday in Phoenix the following week. Betty has graciously volunteered to do some 5th floor selling at my old job. And Natasha will cover the 6th floor selling at the old job.
We should have our flyer cards by Wednesday next week as well. I believe we are getting 1,000, so we will be handing those out as much as possible at First Friday, art shows, festivals and any other high traffic areas between now and May 16.

"Hello Rwanda Children's Program" has it's first commited young girls. A troop of 11 girl scouts. They will be making their friendship bracelets, writing their letters and taking pictures on May 6. More on HRCP soon!

I underestimated this process. I knew it was going to be hard to raise funds due to the economical issues the world is having, but I did not think it would be this difficult. Not so much that it is hard as it is disappointing. It's understandable that someone does not want to give out their money when they are worried about paying their own bills. But to give say $5 instead of maybe having that extra drink at Happy Hour...it's really that easy.
As I talk to people about my plan they absolutely love the idea. They want to do more and they want to see pictures and hear stories and follow along. But...they don't necessarily want to get involved. I am trying to figure out how to bridge that gap. How do I get people to donate in such hard times?

ANTE UP FOR RWANDA

May 16, 2009 3:00pm - 7:00pm
JOIN US FOR AN AFTERNOON OF DINING AND ENTERTAINMENT VEGAS STYLE!

Proceeds to benefit the welfare and education of Rwanda's children.

Tickets: $30.00 in advance; Day off: $45.00 Ticket price includes full buffet and $300.00 in play money.

Games include Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette and Farkle.

Prizes and silent auction items include original artwork, jewelery, gift cards for local restaurants and stores, and much more.

Macayo's Central Banquet Room, 4001 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Purchase tickets by: contacting Heather at ca_blueshark@yahoo.com or 602-405-3706

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacqueline-murekatete/rwanda-15-years-later-a-s_b_185271.html

UNITED NATIONS EVENT 7 APRIL TO MARK FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF RWANDA GENOCIDE

UNITED NATIONS EVENT 7 APRIL TO MARK FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF RWANDA GENOCIDE
Lunchtime Event Will Include Testimonials
By Genocide Survivors, Launch of Two Photo Exhibits
In observance of the fifteenth anniversary of the Rwanda genocide, a commemorative event will take place in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at United Nations Headquarters, on Tuesday, 7 April, from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m., followed by a book signing by Jonathan Torgovnik in the Visitors’ Lobby from 2:30 to 3 p.m.
The commemorative event, organized by the Department of Public Information in conjunction with the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the United Nations, will include the reading of testimonies of genocide survivors by United Nations officials, well-known personalities and students.
Readers include United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro; the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Francis Deng; and the Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations, Joseph Nsengimana, himself a genocide survivor. Similar readings of testimonies of survivors of the Rwanda genocide will take place in cities worldwide, including Brazzaville, Canberra, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London, Melbourne, Mexico, Tokyo, and elsewhere in New York.
The event will also launch two photography exhibits –- “Visions of Rwanda” and “Intended Consequences: Photographs and Interviews” by Jonathan Torgovnik –- to vividly illustrate the lives of genocide survivors in Rwanda today, the challenges they face and their visions for their future. The two exhibits will remain on display in the Main Gallery of the Visitors’ Lobby through 10 May. More information on the exhibits follows below.
At the conclusion of the commemorative event, Mr. Torgovnik will sign copies of his Intended Consequences book, which accompanies the exhibit, from 2:30 p.m., also in the Visitors’ Lobby.
RSVP by 2 April is essential for attendees without a United Nations access pass. Please send an e-mail to el-ansarys@un.org, or phone +1 917 367 2753 with name and contact details.
For journalists without United Nations press accreditation, please refer to the website of the Media and Accreditation Liaison Unit for details: http://www.un.org/media/accreditation or contact: +1 212 963 6934.
For media queries, please contact Renata Sivacolundhu, tel: +1 212 963 2932, e-mail: sivacolundhu@un.org; or Melanie Nolte, tel: +1 917 367 0262 e-mail: nolte@un.org, of the Department of Public Information’s Outreach Programme on the Rwanda Genocide and the United Nations.
The Exhibits
“Visions of Rwanda: Images of Survival, Reconciliation, Forgiveness and Hope” -- Genocide survivors and perpetrators in Rwanda came together in November 2007 to document their daily lives, hopes, dreams and memories as part of the “Visions of Rwanda” photo project. The 12 participants included orphans, widows, rape and assault survivors, a judge and perpetrators, some of whom were responsible for the deaths of family members of other participants. The participants, many of whom had never used a camera before, were trained and given general photography tips by a United Nations facilitator and were then free to document topics of importance to them –- their “visions of Rwanda”. Examples of subjects portrayed in the photographs include memorials to the genocide, children and families, important buildings, landscapes, weddings and burials.
The “Visions of Rwanda” project and exhibit are an initiative of the United Nations Department of Public Information’s Outreach Programme on the Rwanda Genocide and the United Nations.
The exhibit “Intended Consequences: Photographs and Interviews” brings together award-winning photographer Jonathan Torgovnik’s powerful documentation of the accounts of several Rwandan women who were subjected to sexual violence during the 1994 genocide. Due to the stigma of rape and “having a child of the militia”, the communities and few surviving relatives of these women have largely shunned them. The portraits and testimonies featured in “Intended Consequences” offer intensely personal accounts of these survivors’ experiences of the genocide and the challenges they face today, as well as their conflicted feelings about raising children who are a reminder of the horrors they endured.
This exhibit is supported by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations and the United Nations Public Information Department.
For more information on United Nations exhibitions, call Jan Arnesen at +1 212 963 8531, arnesen@un.org; or Liza Wichmann at +1 212 963 0089; wichmann@un.org.