Where to start?

 Nakuru Pipeline IDP Camp

Ticking off another job on the Silent Auction preparation list is always a good feeling.  Late last week I contacted Carlton Party Hire  to request their help.  I asked if they would provide the use of wine glasses and tablecloths on auction night.  On Friday morning I received an email confirming they were prepared to help me out.... Fantastic!!! One more thing I don't have to worry about.... Thanks Carlton Party Hire.  Next thing on my list, a vineyard to donate 2 cases of wine, and a caterer to provide the nibbles. Thats next weeks goal.

$20:00 - Entry to Auction, wine, nibbles, guest speaker

I've been working hard over the past few days to complete the tickets for the Silent Auction, I'm pretty happy with the final result. The aim, to sell a minimum of seventy tickets, a $20:00 per ticket

The idea being - a $20:00 ticket affords you; entry into the auction, a glass wine, nibbles, and the opportunity to hear an amazing guest speaker. Along with the satisfaction of knowing that you're helping me help the So They Can charity.

Sausage Sizzle

You have to love being positioned under a sign selling Breasts.!

After standing outside the Mad Butcher Shop in Massey for a big chunk of the day, I'm tired and cold so it's an ideal time to chill out in front of the TV and watch day one of Olympic coverage.  I was fortunate enough to have the help of a colleague for the first two hours today, followed by two mums from my school, who had very kindly offered to help out.  These ladies are brilliant.  Prior to my shameless self promotion campaign I barely knew them apart from a polite hello in passing.  But they have been amazing, offering support and hard work, simply to help me get to Kenya. Later in the day my eldest daughter gave up a few hours of her precious weekend to help too.  This is a young lady who works three jobs, whilst being in her final year at university.  If it wasn't for people like my helpers today, getting to Kenya would still be just a dream, but because of them, everyday it's one step closer to becoming a reality.

Stationery Supplies

Another great result on Thursday. Part of my role at work is purchasing the back to school stationery for over 500 students, I deal with a great guy at Office Max/School Supplies in Auckland. On Thursday I was chatting with him discussing the 2013 stationery delivery, I explained I needed to change delivery dates due to being out of the country, he enquired to where I was going, me being me, launched into Kenya'mode, low and behold he offered to donate pencils, rubbers, rulers, and gluesticks for me to take and give to the school.  How cool is that... ! 


Things just keep getting better, my twenty five year dream is finally happening, it's proving to be a hundred times more rewarding than I could have dared dream it would be, and I haven't even stepped foot on African soil yet.

Asante
Jacq

It Never Rains but it Pours......

And today was a downpour.....So many things in one day, tomorrow will seem slow and lifeless.  If you've checked out the fundraising page of abs-olutley you will have seen Vikki's Fantaboulous Idea to get Jacqui to Kenya and the donations of bottles of wine are pouring in (excuse the pun) It's great having friends who are so encouraging, it's just what I need, it keeps the self doubt at bay.  Today was a tough one for me, on a personal level, but on a "Getting to Kenya" level, it was amazing... You can't ask for everything, and today my luck came in the shape of aid.

#1 - The Sausage Sizzle is booked, I've got my helpers and hopefully some hungry people wanting to pop a gold coin in the box for a sausage.  Photos to come.  Once I've got this under my belt, I will feel like it's really happening. 

Mad Butcher Massey

Triangle Road Intersection

Massey

10:00 am - 1:00 pm

#2 - I stepped away from my desk for just a few minutes, only to come back to see I had missed a call.  I mentioned the stroke of luck last Friday meeting the group of guys at Bar159, well it seems they really were angles in guise of builders.  One had said he would see if he could generate some interest, that he would ask some of his suppliers if they were prepared to donate goods.  Well true to his word, he rang today asking if I would put together a letter outlining my fundraising goal and he would see what he could do.  What more can I ask for? As I keep getting told "Action creates Activity" I'm starting to believe it.  Said letter is currently being proof read by my most convincing supporter.

Links and promotion will accompany any support given 

Keep the bottle pledges rolling in, and please if you've pledged an item, follow through, I can't auction "Good Intentions" but I can auction "Simple Gestures." All items donated will go directly to the Silent Auction. All funds raised at the Silent Auction will go entirely to Getting Jacqui to Kenya. 

Jacq

x

What a Day! - "Action creates Activity"

Where do I Start?

I came to the decision yesterday that I had to make a concerted effort to put the feelers out, I needed to start being more pro-active in making a start on the money front... all the talk in the world is not going to get my butt on that plane, not unless that talk gets results.... As my cheerleader frequently tells me..."Action creates Activity" I think today was proof of that... 

I'm not a big fan of "counting my chickens before they are hatched" so maybe all the glow of yesterday might fade... but what ever happens, it's given me an enormous dose of motivation, that has me fired up.  I was awake at 04:00 with a million thoughts running through my head.

A week ago I asked a colleague to enquire if her husband's work still supported local fundraising events with Sausage Sizzles (the good old traditional Kiwi money spinner)  yesterday she came back with much better news than I could have anticipated.  Yes, they do support fundraising events, not only she had arranged for me to have at least two (possibly three) and not only do they allow you to have the sausage sizzle at their store, they supply the BBQ, and the sausages..... all I have to pay for is the bread and the serviettes, and arrange the manpower, how amazing is that? Once I have it all organised, I will post a link on the Acknowledgements page to this generous local business.   

So I was pretty happy when the usual four of us trotted off to Bar 159 for our Friday "Meeting"  I had already decided that 159 was going to provide me with results.. and I wasn't wrong.  Every week there is a table of what look like Tradies and a few other guys, they are always friendly, and keep to themselves.  

Those who know me, know I can and will talk to anybody, just don't put me up the front of the room in front of people to do this or I might just vomit... but walking up to a group of people and chatting, no problem!  Shameless self promotion, is not my normal topic of conversation, but sometimes needs must.  So these guys got the full force of the  "Jacqui Edwards, is doing a mud run, Jacqui Edwards is  going to Kenya." rant and guess what? it worked... 

It turns out, one of these guys is the Trade Manager at a local VERY large hardware store and is prepared to donate goods to my silent auction (and make some generous changes to the school trade account as well) Another has a daughter who is in the promotions department at Samsung, this woman is currently volunteering in Cambodia, but he is confident due to my cause she will come to the party with an item or two for the auction too.  And to top it all off, they will all sponsor me for the mud run. 

Here I was handing out my phone number, email address and newly printed flyers like they were candy.  Maybe these will lead to nothing, but whatever the outcome the response was encouraging.  

After our usual hour of drink and chips my colleagues were all leaving (incidentally I had abandoned them for most of) the table of new supporters invited me to join them.  They were a great group of guys just genuinely interested in the Kenya project and what I was doing to make it happen.  

So I'm feeling inspired and motivated... this is going to happen, I'm sure of it.

Jacq

PS: Oh yeah, my getting to Kenya account is no longer empty the lovely music teacher at my school had joined us for our "meeting" and I was sharing with her my progress and mentioned I had opened an account, even if it was currently at $0:00 when she generously opened her wallet and placed $20:00 on the table, with the words "No account can have nothing in it"             Thanks Rose xx