Sewing for a Cause

Do you remember this post? Well, the Adami Tulu team continues to amaze us with their creative fundraising ideas!

This incredible team is COMMITTED to raising funds to expand the the Adami Tulu preschool and serving more orphaned and vulnerable children in need!

From Super Bowl parties... to Aspen overnight giveaways... their ideas are endless!

Now, Cassie Williams, founder of Twinkle Stitch is donating 100% of her Etsy shop proceeds to fund the school! Just in time for Christmas shopping! Check out her site here!

To read more about the Adami Tulu project, check out the team facebook page here.

New School Year - Lifesong Ethiopia

Please enjoy this update from our Lifesong Ethiopia directors, Gary and Peggy Ifft:

On September 12 we turned over our new year here in Ethiopia and now we are in 2004.  We are looking forward to many good things in this new year!

School started here on Monday, September 19.  Opening up 3 campuses with over 600 students was quite a challenge.  This is especially true, considering that we had two brand new school buildings to open up. Opening up 2 new buildings and adding over 200 students also requires a lot of new teachers, teachers' aides, feeding program cooks, cleaners, and so on.  We now have a school staff of 62 employees and 5 employees in Samuel's Home.  This is a great responsibility which we take very seriously.  At times we lie awake at night thinking about all the families who are dependent upon us for their livelihood.  We are especially grateful for faithful supporters! 

We also want to recognize a special team which accepted the challenge of building 4 additional classrooms at our Adami Tulu campus.  This team committed to building additional rooms to allow us to have 2 classrooms each of Nursery School, Lower Kindergarten, and Upper Kindergarten.  As a bonus they also decided to raise funds for a brand new latrine for the students.

 

The amazing thing was that the team members didn't really even know each other personally before becoming involved in this project.  The one thing they had in common was that each had adopted or was in the process of adopting an Ethiopian child.  They went through a rather arduous fund-raising process and decided also to come to Ethiopia to do some "hands-on" work with the building they sponsored.  So, in mid-August they arrived and spent a few days painting the buildings.  They also taught Vacation Bible School to up to 200 kids and did a lot of other very worthwhile things. We are grateful for all they did, and we really appreciate the fact that they are also determined to help us expand the work in Adami Tulu!”

God's blessings to each of you and your families,

Gary and Peggy, Lifesong Ethiopia

Build a School = Skiing in Aspen?

Over three years ago, my husband and I began our journey to adopt our son from Ethiopia. And since that time, God has been filling our hearts with an overwhelming love and passion for the people of Ethiopia. We returned a year after our first adoption to bring our daughter home. After arriving home with her, we knew we had to do more!

We have been so blessed to team up with other adoptive families around the U.S. and with Lifesong for Orphans. Lifesong is doing some amazing work through a small nursery school that they support in Adami Tulu, Ethioipa. You can read more about Adami Tulu here. Last year, we, with five other families, raised over $40,000 to build a new building, restroom facility, and gate at the Adami Tulu school. In August, we got to return to Ethiopia to see the new building. We had an amazing trip, and have absolutely fallen in love with Adami Tulu. You can read more about our trip here and here.

The school is changing the lives of so many vulnerable children in the area by offering them a wonderful education and two nutritious meals a day. We've returned home with the knowledge that we have so much more to do in Adami Tulu. So we've agreed to continue our work with Lifesong by raising funds for another school building on the Adami Tulu campus. This will enable the school to expand to include 1st and 2nd grade. More details will be coming soon, but we're anxious to get a jump start on fundraising. We know that this project will cost at least $50,000. But, for these sweet faces, we'll do anything!"

-Mary Beth Picker, Adami Tulu Team (www.caseypicker.com)

 We are very excited to announce our first fundraiser for our next phase of the Adami Tulu project: another Aspen Giveaway!

 

Our Aunt and Uncle have, once again, generously donated toward our fundraising efforts. Only this time they've offered us not one but FIVE stays at the Hyatt Grand Aspen.

Any one of these November stays might make a great early-Thanksgiving get together for you and some friends or family! We will begin the giveaways today and draw winners on October 15. To enter, donate $20 by clicking the link for the stay that you're interested in. For every $20 you donate to Lifesong for Orphans, you will get one entry in the drawings. By the way, 100% of your donation will go to our work in Adami Tulu.

Here are some details and pictures about the Hyatt stays: Hyatt Grand Aspen has complimentary continental breakfast, a pool and hot tub, fitness center, fire pit, daily room cleaning and nightly turn down service complete with chocolates. There is even a little hut by the hot tubs where you can hang your robes to keep them warm for you! The hotel is within walking distance of lots of shops and restaurants in Aspen.

The retail value of each stay is approximately $2,500.

To get to Aspen, you could fly into the Aspen airport. The hotel will pick you up and, since everything is within walking distance, you can go without a car during your stay. Or you could fly into Denver and rent a car to drive to Aspen.

Or, of course, you could also just drive to Aspen.

---

Hyatt Stay Giveaway #1:

• Sat.- Sat. November 5-12 (full week stay)
• Studio Unit (Like a nice hotel room with small kitchenette.)

To enter the drawing for Giveaway #1, donate to Lifesong for Orphans here:

---

Hyatt Stay Giveaway #2:

• Sun.- Thurs. November 13-17 (five days/ four nights)
• Two Bedroom Unit (Two Bedrooms and Bathrooms, Kitchen, Livingroom, Dining Room, Washer and Dryer, etc.)

To enter the drawing for Giveaway #2, donate to Lifesong for Orphans here:

---

Hyatt Stay Giveaway #3:

• Sun.- Thurs. November 13-17 (five days/ four nights)
• Three Bedroom Unit (Three Bedrooms and Bathrooms, Kitchen, Livingroom, Dining Room, Washer and Dryer, etc.) Maybe a family could do an "early Thanksgiving get together" in this one.

To enter the drawing for Giveaway #3, donate to Lifesong for Orphans here:

---

Hyatt Stay Giveaway #4:

• Tues.-Sat. November 15-19 (five days/ four nights)
• One Bedroom Unit (All the things a two bedroom has but only one bedroom and bathroom)

To enter the drawing for Giveaway #4, donate to Lifesong for Orphans here:

---

Hyatt Stay Giveaway #5:

• Tues.-Sat. November 15-19 (five days/ four nights)
• Two Bedroom Unit (Two Bedrooms and Bathrooms, Kitchen, Livingroom, Dining Room, Washer and Dryer, etc.)

To enter the drawing for Giveaway #5, donate to Lifesong for Orphans here:

---

Just imagine, you could win a stay in Aspen, just for donating $20. What a deal! Plus, you get to be part of this amazing project to help these precious kids in Adami Tulu. If you are unable to use one of the stays, you could donate your entry to a friend, or minister, or someone who could really use the time away. Help us raise money to expand the Adami Tulu school and spread the word about our giveaway. Please repost on twitter and facebook! Thank you!

Ethiopia Expansion

Please enjoy this update from Lifesong Ethiopia:

In addition to just the normal operation of the schools, the feeding programs, etc. we have been in the process of :

• Adding four more classrooms to Lifesong's Pre-School in Adami Tulu.  Thank you to Aaron Klein and the "Adami Tulu team" for all the hard work that went into raising the funds so we can serve more children!  Upon completion we will have two classrooms each of Nursery, Lower Kindergarten, and Upper Kindergarten.  This project is just beginning.  

• The Adami Tulu team is now working to raise funds for new restrooms on the Pre-School grounds.  You can see the difference between the current restrooms (left), and the model of the ones we hope to build (right):

 

• Building a "high wall" between our Lifesong primary school and the courthouse behind us to keep the "smell" from our latrine from entering their offices and the smell from their latrine from entering our school director's office.  This project is nearly done.  It is a cement block wall 147 feet (47 meters) long and 15 feet high (4.5 meters).  It is really "just a wall," but a mighty big wall.

 

Here's a video from the Adami Tulu team:

Thank you for your prayer and support as we strive to bring joy and purpose to children in Ethiopia!

a Reason for Praise!

Last September Aaron Klein joined our vision trip to Africa, (read his guest post HERE) and when visiting Lifesong's Adami Tulu school he was immediately drawn to it.  In his own words,

When I stepped onto the grounds of the Lifesong school in the tiny little village of Adami Tulu in Ethiopia, I instantly knew that something was different.

I wasn’t sure why. This was the last of many Lifesong projects I had visited.  It wasn’t the one I was expecting would capture my heart and imagination.

But it did."

At the end of 2010 Aaron and his wife, Cacey, decided to take on the task of raising funds to build Adami Tulu a new 4-room school house.  They developed a fundraising team, sold t-shirts, and gave presentations.  They even got creative with a National Super Bowl Party! 

And by March they were two-thirds of the way there... until one generous donor wrote a check to cover the remaining need!  Wow!

Thank you Aaron and Cacey for your creative and dedicated service to this project!

Thank you to the individuals who have joined the Kleins in raising these funds!

Thank you to everyone who gave, big or small!  Your support has made a difference!

Most of all, thank you, to our Heavenly Father Who refuses to forget the forgotten and Who is using His people to change the lives of children!

If you want to find out more about this project check out Aaron's blog HERE.