December 2008
What a whirlwind month. The seeds sown in November are taking root. The newspaper story in our local daily paper was picked up in Rochester Minnesota newspaper as well as the Eau Claire Wisconsin newspaper. Also, as a result of our November wine tasting event, Gold's Gym in Sartell Minnesota is planning a 6K Walk/Run for February in hopes of raising funds for the Child Survival Aid Project in Ghana. People will be able to register online and at Gold's Gym.

November 2008
This month was a great start in getting the word out about 200 Orphanages Worldwide. We had front page coverage in our local St. Cloud Times, which was picked up in the Minneapolis Star Tribune November 24 and then in the Fargo Forum Sunday November 25. I've been hearing from the readers and making more great contacts as a result. I will be on our local radio station Dec. 3 and they have more stations around the midwest which may air the interview. It's been a month of laying the groundwork and helping people understand our goals. I am so energized from all who hear about the cause. Everyone wants to help, it is obvious. After our first gathering, I followed up with attendees, one offered to send a flyer in his next business mailing. Another called to tell me he was going to help me raise $1,000, so I prepared a Person To Person form for him to assist him in reaching out to his friends to donate to the cause. I've started a blog as well which can be found on the menu bar of the website. It is in the beginning stages, needs work and I will focus on it more in the next few weeks.

We created a cause on Facebook and have 78 members in just a week or so. I expect it to grow exponentially.

I am pleased to announce I hosted our first Informational Gathering--just the beginning of many to come--organized for the purpose of getting the word out to supporters, advocates and friends of 200orphanagesworldwide. It was a small intimate gathering with representatives from Nibakure Children's Village, Hope for Africa and Angel Of Mercy, all listed on the orphanage section of the website.

We are also sending our first fund raising mailing in just a few days of which I will follow up with a personal phone call to help people understand what we are trying to accomplish. I am hoping for a good response from recipients. It is the first of our solicitations.

New Association/Partnership: Networking with like minded organizations is key to our success and we have recently added MSAADA as an associate partner. Director Poul Bertleson and I met together to discuss strategy and decided that we would work together on fund raising as we have much in common. You will soon see an additional page listing their critical projects for giving opportunities.

September and October

Milestones: We received our non profit status in late July and had our first board meeting in late September. I had occasion to travel to Caldwell Idaho to meet with Fred Cornforth, our board chairman. Jesse telecomuted from Minnesota and we had a productive discussion. Fred is as ever generous with his staff in helping us build a base of supporters. Stay tuned for fundraising updates.

Meeting With Orphanage Representatives: In early September, I met with representatives Floriane Robins-Brown and John Kremer with the Nibakure Children's Village and Sandy Peterson with Hope for Africa International to exchange ideas for fund raising. Each have new developments and projects so make sure to go to their web sites and follow the progress.

We are entering Phase One of our fundraising efforts and it is my sincere desire to raise awareness with my contacts all across the nation and raise funds for the projects on the site. It's been a busy September and very productive as well.