Before I left to come to Tacloban, I did a crowd sourcing fundraiser due to the urging from a couple of friends. I’m terrible at asking for help, favors, etc. so fundraising is not in my blood at all. This is counter to my belief and understanding that the more people you have on board, the more (easily) you can create change. After all, it takes all of us, or at least most of us to create a better world. Not that one individual can’t create a significant shift. They can and have, but take that person and multiply them, and the impact becomes exponential. Anyhow, back to point:
Together, we raised over $500 from crowdsourcing donations and an additional $300 from Thrivent Financial (thanks to Gwen). As I’m a huge proponent of people seeing meaning and purpose in life, particularly when giving money to a cause (as there are so many other places they could put their dollars), here’s what was done. I wanted to find projects with a direct impact, addressing specific needs that would bring a measure of hope — beacons and symbols remind us of what is possible. That is needed here. It’s needed everywhere.
Therefore, in the spirit of things, I “hope” I did well.
So Where Did the Money Go…?
School Supplies for Old Kawayan
The donations from Thrivent Financial were used as part of the Kusog Tacloban medical mission/distribution to Old Kawayan. All students, ~100 in total, grades Kinder to High School, received desperately needed school supplies. Their “thank you’s” were priceless.
I also gave them a number of donated handmade baby slings, chalk and crayons that I brought over during this time as well. Thank you, Nikki.
Cirilo Roy Montejo National High School
A place near and dear to my heart, home to Principal Valeria Gabriel. The school has made great progress since I first visited, due in large part to the hard work and care of the faculty and teachers, but as with much in Tacloban, CRMNHS still has many critical needs, including running water for their bathrooms. A portion of the funds raised was donated to be used to address the school’s greatest needs.
Retreat/Research House for Old Kawayan
Old Kawayan, a magical place if ever there is such a thing. I worked on digging steps out of the ground to allow the children quicker access to the main road, which is currently a 2km walk. Near the top of the hill is the framework for a small, single room building. Sister Helen is constructing it so there is a place of retreat for the teachers of Old Kawayan and a location for the children to research/study after school. They had no funds to complete the building.
They do now.
To everyone who helped — through monetary donations, sharing posts on social media, offering words of support or putting up with me in your house for a week+ — thank you. You helped make the world a better place, in an area you may never visit, for people you may never meet.
That’s heroic in my book.
Job well done. 🙂
David