BIG NEWS UPDATE!

OK guys: so I have some really big news! Where to start?

Ok, first off – after doing some fund raising and a lot of ‘mulling’ over how much money I had to raise for such a short trip to such a low-economic place – I started to search around for other groups. I even considered flying there and going alone to just jump in with any camp or orphanage there and start volunteering. I figured: I know a couple people from Haiti, they likely have distant family there that would be happy to take me in for a week. But no one I shared this with thought it was a good idea, most notably: the wife. :- )
To me, I didn’t see the danger that others saw in it…I saw more opportunity for adventure, freedom to help as many people as I could with as many variety of organizations instead of being tied to 1 group and 1 mission. Needless to say, wifey won that debate and I started searching for other groups that were perhaps of lower costs & let me manage my own flight. Then, WA-LA!, I found Adventures In Missions (www.adventures.org)! They were significantly lower in cost & aloud for me to manage my own flight details/expenses. So, I have now officially changed organizations that I will be attending with and my dates have slightly changed as well. Here are the new details:
Dates: 8/16 – 8/21
Group: Adventure In Missions – Adults
Cost: $440 (not including flight)

We will be staying at the base location, located in Fon Tamara (approximately 45 minutes from the PAP airport). The $440 will include food, lodging, transportation, leadership, etc while in Haiti. The price does not include airfare to/from the US. Teams will be tenting in the yard of a secure location (secured by locked gate, cement walls, barbed wire). As you can see, this is a much more rustic trip that will maintain the similar focus as the previous group I was going to attend with.

What I am excited about is that: I was able to locate a much more frugal and affordable trip that will insure that every one of your donated dollars in spent responsibly & not just 1 blank check for me to have a comfy week in Haiti. In fact, I was determined to cut the budget to the absolute minimum, by way of cutting away my personal comforts and conveniences as much as absolutely possible. In my opinion, it is the least that I can do to show respect for the confidence each of you have instilled in me with your donations!

Oh…but there is even MORE good news!!!::::

Now, with the freedom to shop & negotiate my own airfare – I diligently sought people with frequent flyer miles that could be donated to offset costs. Along came my old friend and roommate Frank Paterno, and my Uncle Pib (Gilbert). They both offered to donate frequent flyer miles to cover the trip. Problem arose that with the limited airlines and times that I needed to arrive/depart – Frank’s weren’t available to me. Pib’s, however, were available to the extent of cutting the ticket cost in half (from $665 to $340). Immediately, Frank made a pledge to cover $200 of the difference. With that pledge – we booked the ticket and I will be fundraising to make up the additional $140 for the flight. Without a bit of hesitation, these 2 old roomies of mine helped me erase the largest expense of this trip! And for that, I am forever grateful for them!

So, in case it is lost on you (due to my rambling on. lol) how far we’ve come – we’ve gone from needing $2,000 total, to needing just $580! If that isn’t the true spirit of Non-Profit mentality - of using all resources possible to reduce overhead – I don’t know what is!!! :-)

Ok….so, I got you excited right?! Well, good – because we’re still not done! :-) – I have roughly $345 of the $580 raised. Will you join the list of contributors and become a part of this effort by donating today? There is NO amount that is too small! We are almost there guys! Become a participant in this effort today!

I hope this message finds you all well and in good health. Lets continue to keep the people of Haiti (and all people around the world struggling, for that matter) in our thoughts & prayers. There is so much to be done!

I’ll end with a quote that I read today and it stuck with me: "When will we stop saying 'what can you do' and start saying 'what can I do'?"

God Bless!
-Sean