Knitting: Elephant for Aisha! (and general fundraising)

I just finished the stuffed elephant that I have been knitting to raise money for Aisha. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out! What do you think? More photos are available on the Ravelry project page. (If you knit or crochet and you aren't on Ravelry, you should be! Their pattern database is just about the most awesome thing the internet has to offer.)

I'm going to be selling this on a Facebook auction. I'll post the link here once it's up! My next project is also for this auction for Aisha--a set of baby booties. Stay tuned for those.

Random side notes: Happy Halloween! And go check out Gertie's family's blog. They have their first fundraiser: Nursing Cookies and Running Cookies. Don't know what those are? Neither did I. Go check it out.

7 Quick Takes, The I Don't Want To Do My Homework Edition

~~ 1 ~~

Yes, this is just procrastination. No judging please. It's better than Facebook because at least I'm creating output.

~~ 2 ~~

My current knitting project (an elephant which I am going to sell for Aisha) had stalled due to a lack of stuffing, but I went on an excursion with a friend to get some and I'm back in business. Body and two legs are stuffed and sewn. Pictures coming soon.

~~ 3 ~~

With respect to that craft store excursion, it is not a good idea to make a non-time-sensitive trip off campus after lunch on the day of a 3:30pm football game for one of the most famous teams in college football when they are undefeated. Traffic patterns get changed and cops try to convince you to park in a field and tell you that they don't know what to say about the fact that you have an on-campus parking sticker and it might take you twice as long to complete the last 1/2 mile as it did the rest of the drive. Just saying for your edification. I of course would never try anything that stupid.

~~ 4 ~~

Poor little Kurt still needs his family. Someone please go get him so I don't have to find a social worker who will approve a homestudy for a newly-married 22-year-old couple to adopt a seven-year-old. And yes, if the time comes and he is still waiting I will do that. Please don't make him wait that long.

~~ 5 ~~

Go check out my fundraisers! Most of them still have no purchases and I don't know why. These are all useful and would make great Christmas gifts. (I'm thinking of buying some pasta for my brothers, who like making pasta for breakfast...don't tell them!)

~~ 6 ~~

Wow, I got all the way to six before I ran out of stuff to say! This might be a record. Ummm...go give Gertie's family some money. They have $10 in their fund. Gertie had $215.86 in her grant, and Gianna had $100 in hers. That leaves about $29,675 still to raise. Even $5 will make a difference.

~~ 7 ~~

Shoot, this is the last take. I guess I should go do my homework now.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

GOOD NEWS!

This might be the blog post I've been most excited to write. GERTIE IS ON MFFM! A FAMILY IS COMING FOR HER!

Thanks be to God. That's all there is to say. Thanks be to God.

Update 10/19: Gertie's family has a profile now! They are also adopting a little girl named Gianna. You can donate to help them here.

Help Save a Life (or Two or Ten)

A few requests today.

The first is extremely quick. Reece's Rainbow is in a contest. If they get the most votes, they will get $50,000 to help save orphans' lives. Click here to vote for Reece's Rainbow!(You must be 21 because it's a wine company.) Vote once a day, every day, until October 31st. (Some people have reported that their cookies allow them to vote more than once a day--please don't do that, because Cultivate Wines can check that kind of thing and they could disqualify RR.) Want to know which kids are going to receive the money in their grants if Reece's Rainbow wins? Click here.

The second request: As you know, I'm an Angel Tree Warrior for Aisha K. There are still many, many children who need warriors. Please consider signing up. This would be a great service project for a group if you don't think you can do it alone. Here are the girls on the Angel Tree, and here are the boys. (There may be more than one page of children.) Children who don't have a grey image with a starfish next to their info still need warriors. Click here to learn more about the program and here to sign up.

The Flesher family are adopting a child with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (also known as Babydoll Syndrome), a condition that causes mental and physical disabilities. They have been fundraising in their community, but they are in desperate need of funds. Mrs. Flesher also just got hurt. They currently have a matching grant: When their funds reach $2575 they will be given another $1100. Right now they are at $710. If they don't get this money, they may not be able to proceed with their adoption. Please help them out! If you can't donate, spread the word!

Lastly, if you've been participating in the fundraiser for Gertie, September's over! Please count up your electronic change and donate it. So far only three people have put money in, and one of them was me. (I do know that some of you are still fully intending to donate and are waiting on an external factor, so please don't feel insulted if you are one of those people.)

Thanks for reading! If you're sick of reading about money, hang tight--I'm planning out a post on a totally different topic.

Fundraiser for Gertie!

Please read the whole thing--ways to help if you don't have money are included!

"Gertie" is a little girl waiting in an orphanage in Eastern Europe for a family to adopt her and bring her home. (Gertie is a fake name because of privacy laws.) She was recently listed on the website of Reece's Rainbow, a non-profit organization that raises funds for international special needs adoptions (reecesrainbow.org). Gertie turns five in September. She is currently in a "baby house", but once she turns five, she will be eligible for transfer out of the baby house, and it is very likely that she will not receive adequate medical care in the new place. She may be in a facility that is not designed for young children and in which she is not kept safe. Gertie's special needs are a heart condition, kidney problems, and a gall bladder problem. I don't know the details, but it's very likely that these problems need medical attention that she will not get in an orphanage, but are fairly standard in the US.

It will probably cost about $25,000 to adopt Gertie, and she only has $22.50 in her fund right now. I have committed to being her Guardian Angel, which means that I have promised to fundraise for her and raise awareness of her in the hope of finding her a family and reducing the financial impact on that family. In honor of her birthday, I am having the following fundraiser:

Electronic Change Round-Up
The basic idea here is that for the month of September, you will donate a small amount of money for each purchase you make. Here's how it works:

Every time you buy something, look at the receipt and figure out how much money you would need to round up to the next dollar. Remember that number. At the end of the month, add up all the numbers (or keep a running total through the month if that's easier) and make one lump sum donation to Gertie's grant fund.

Here's an example: I bought gas yesterday for a total of $36.09. That's 91 cents for Gertie. Then I bought coffee later that afternoon: $1.06. 94 more cents for her. Today I bought more gas (I drove about 450 miles this weekend--I don't usually spend this much on gas!): $36.52. 48 cents. So far I owe Gertie $2.33. Make sense? (If you're feeling faint at the thought of that much adding and subtracting, commit to give a flat amount, such as a dollar, per purchase instead. It will cost you a little more, but it's for a good cause and the math is easier.)

To donate to Gertie's grant fund, go here.

If you don't want to participate in this fundraiser, but you would like to donate, please do that at the same link. If you want to help, but you have no money, please share this fundraiser with your friends! And whether you donate or not, please pray that Gertie will be taken care of and that she will soon be adopted into a loving home.

My collection is growing (and matching grant update)

Four-year-olds are like potato chips--you can't have just one. I would like to introduce you to Gertie, my second prayer warrior child.

Isn't she beautiful? Gertie has a heart condition (I think, based on someone else's experience translating the translationese on her page, that it's an atrial septal defect with pulmonary hypertension), a gall bladder problem (no idea what), and a kidney infection. All of these, as far as I know, are or can be fairly dangerous if not treated. She needs a family fast! Please share her around, and please join me in praying for her as well.

Gertie's smile spoke to me at once, and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about her, so I figured why not make it official. Then I noticed that she is in the same country as Kurt and was born in the same month of the same year. Wouldn't they make great adopted almost-twins?

Matching grant update: Kurt met his matching grant because of the generosity of the community. Thank you to everyone who donated! The check with matching funds has been mailed and should be posted within a week or two.