Retail Orphan Initiative - Rallying an Industry behind the cause of the orphan
It started as a chance meeting between two retail technology executives. Paul Singer was a huge adoption advocate working with JCICS and CCAI. Greg Buzek had recently launched an orphan care ministry and church adoption fund at Grace Chapel in Leipers Fork, TN. They met in the midst of a gathering of over 40,000 technologists in San Francisco to talk about how they might work together and learn from each other.
In their discussions they bemused, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could get the $12 trillion retail industry excited about the cause of the orphan?” Then it was just as if the Lord dropped the name right out there…Retail Orphan Initiative or RetailROI. It’s a term that resonates with the technology side of the business.
2 weeks later interested parties were invited to a conference call and 6 weeks later the Retail Orphan Initiative was created. The charity has three primary goals:
1. To raise awareness to the needs of the over 400 million orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide.
2. To help companies create internal programs to help in their communities and supply chain.
3. To help collect funds and distribute those funds to charities who are on the front-lines of working in orphan care and adoption.
RetailROI held its first major fundraiser in January 2010 in conjunction with the National Retail Federation Show and raised $115,000. In attendance were retailers representing more than 107,000 retail stores. People are starting to catch the vision! Vendors are now making donations in lieu of giving away coffee mugs and other branded items.
RetailROI has given over $90,000 in grants to LifeSong, Bethany Christian Services, 4Kids of South Florida, Lydia Home, Free for Life Ministries, and FulaaLifeline.
The charity is now working with retailers to take donations from consumers at the cash register where they can round up their transaction to the nearest $1 or make a fixed dollar contribution at the register.
God has a big plan for orphan care through His church and through you... He has no backup plan!
