Less like a dream, more like a reality...

Things are starting to gel.  Or maybe I've thrown out so many hooks that sooner or later, I had to get few bites.  Just the other day somebody said to me, "You have to kiss a lot of frogs to get your Prince" good analogy.  It seems like I'll be doing one hell of a lot of frog kissing to get my fairy tale ending, so pucker up....

This morning I received an encouraging email of support from the founder of Education For All, a truly inspirational gentleman that I feel so lucky to have had the good fortune to meet.  He reconfirmed a very generous offer, of a donation to my auction of a piece art by his wife.  I know I keep saying it, but people are just so giving. I can't ever repay people for all they are doing to help me, I can promise to try my hardest to not let anybody down.

Yet another great donation from an Auckland icon today.  SkyWalk at Auckland's Sky Tower, have generously donated a SkyWalk gift voucher to the value of $145:00 to my auction.  How cool would that be, looking down on the Auckland CBD from 192meters above the ground? 

To make this feel real, I have started to price up my flights for December, it seems my options are Emirates or Etihad Airways, both fly through Dubai and it seems the norm is between 34 and 38 hours traveling time to get there.

And to also get the ball rolling, I put a call through to the Travel Doctor to make enquires about the vaccinations required to travel to Kenya, the list though extensive doesn't seem unnecessary and better safe than sorry in my opinion.  A nurse explained the procedure of an initial consultation to determine what vaccinations I requirand what I have already been received.  It would seem I need to budget in the range of $600-$800, I had estimated $1,000 so I wasn't too far out.  

I'm starting to see this as a reality, and less of a dream now.  The confidence people have in me is so encouraging, I feel humbled to think people have that much faith in me.  I was reminded today by my youngest daughter, that I need to make a conscious effort to not talk to everybody about Kenya and fundraising.  I know it's hard to believe but apparently it isn't as all consuming to others as it is to me, as she so kindly pointed out.

So I do apologise if I'm boring the pants of people in the real world with my constant talk of Kenya, but if you've stumbled across this blog, I make no apology, as this blog is designed solely for the purpose of my ranting.

Asante
Jacq

PS: I have just been invited by Hallertau Brewbar to be the Quiz Mistress (heaven help me) for their Tuesday Quiz Night in an effort to raise money.  

It's been a funny kinda day...

My general approach to life is usually one of; keep behind the scenes, stay out of the limelight and don't draw any undue attention to yourself, but since deciding to undertake this whole Kenya thing, that has had to change.  Shameless self promotion has had to become part of the norm, but to be honest, there is only so much talking about yourself you can do, before you start to bore even your own-self.


But needs must, so I messaged the Western Leader, our free local paper and made them aware of my project.  I explained how I was attempting to raise this money etc. etc.  Then yesterday afternoon I received a phone call asking if they could come to interview me today about; the Mudrun, Kenya and my whole approach to fundraising. At 10:00am this morning a lovely young woman arrived at my house, and she listened and took notes, as I chatted inanely to her about the whole thing... she concluded the interview with a picture or me holding the disgusting white singlet, posed next to Nelson, the large wooden giraffe that resides in the corner of my lounge.. I dread to think what it will be like... but like I said "needs must.." I will post a link if and when it's published.   

The reason I'm doing all this...

Meanwhile yesterday in a concerted effort to generate interest in the auction of the disgusting white singlet on TradeMe and a dire need to raise $7,000, I pushed messages out to as many business' as possible via the Facebook message system.  And it appears to be working.

I'm a strong believer of using the tools at hand and the right tool for the job, and it would seem social media is the tool for this job.  Whilst social media is often seen in a negative light, it has many positive attributes too.  Personally I've found messaging companies and business' via Facebook has proven far more successful than email alone.  It was via this method that I was lucky enough to receive an incredibly generous donation from Franich Jewellers for the Silent Auction.  Then last night I got a brilliant message from David at Hallertau Brewbar and Restaurant he very kindly offered to donate a voucher for a meal for two, for the Silent Auction, along with inviting me to "Hijack" one of their Tuesday quiz nights.  He suggested I bring along some friends and use it for fundraising purposes... I am hoping this means he will allow me to do a little spiel about myself (those that know me, know that is vomit inducing in itself), and then maybe encourage donations.  It's generosity such as this that really highlights the great people our community is made up of.

Asante
Jacq