| Hi Folks, My wife Wendy told me about a little girl named Mariah here in Victoria, who with her parents are struggling right now with a number of issues. While I can appreciate the world is a turmoil of hurricanes, tsunamis and people asking for money and donations everywhere, this particular story touched my heart and I thought I would do what I can to help. Maybe you can too and feel like you know that this donation is going somewhere specific instead of lost in the world of some Fund Raising 'Company' where maybe it becomes a new office chair for an employee (I don't know this for fact but it sure seems that way sometimes...). I'm no expert on Fund Raising or Charity Management but I do know how to build a website and I know how to provide a link to PayPal, etc. in order to collect cash. So, I thought, lets try this out and see how much we can do to help this little girl and her family. I know that if I started trying to register a charity, etc. that this would become delayed and complicated so I'm going quick and simple here.
Cheers, Ps. Come back often. I don't know what to expect from this exercise but if I get some interesting comments, suggestions for others seeking help, etc. I'll be sure to post them here.
Pps. I'm starting the donations with $200 from Wendy and I. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Instructions:
Its that simple. Any amount is suitable whether it be $5, $50, $500, whatever. I have set September 30th, 2005 as the last day to collect funds so that we have some sort of deadline. Whatever we have at that time, I'll arrange to make sure Mariah and her family receives it. I will pay, out of pocket for any and all PayPal fees that may be incurred. If you have difficulty using PayPal (try it, its beautifully simple
- you DO NOT need a PayPal account to pay as the
system will also accept VISA, Mastercard, Discover and American
Express) and
still wish to make a donation, please contact me. If you are
absolutely against using PayPal (seriously, why?), through my business
I am able to take VISA and MasterCard and if you are in Victoria, I'd be
happy to also accept a cheque or cash. I will document every dime that is
received and ensure Mariah and her family receive it.
Please Note: I/this is not an official Charitable Organization.
I honestly don't know what it takes to become one but I wanted to
take action, today.(If you work for a charity and/or can clue
me in, I'm all ears). I do not know if the PayPal receipt you
would receive by email can be used for tax purposes. Print it
off and this page and perhaps your accountant will be able to tell
you more but this is not my area of expertise... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| About Mariah: First things first. Mariah's parents have not solicited or requested any help in any way from us. I read about their challenges on a website called 'Kids In Victoria (http://www.kidsinvictoria.com) which is primarily a site about parents hooking up and helping each other out. Its a great site by the way. Mariah was born ten days over due on June 15, 2003. She spent 7 weeks in the special care nursery due to severe jaundice and having very small nasal passages. At the age of 7 weeks Mariah was discharged to home and was not home for more than a week and ended up back in hospital due to an allergic reaction to formula. Unfortunately, she suffered a cardiac arrest in the ER and they had to bring her back to life. Two days later it was discovered that Mariah was having seizures and suffered severe brain damage. What they need right now is a converted Van (see quote below). I asked Wendy to contact Mariah's Mom and this is what she told us:
This is what they need:
|