Busy As Bees

Our apologies that we have been silent over the past week or two. It's not that we have nothing to do or say. Quite the contrary - we have been busy!

• Busy given presentations on Haiti to multiple churches, youth groups, elementary schools, Girl Scout troops, women's groups, book clubs and others. People have been moved by our first-hand accounts of the current living conditions in Haiti. Their hearts have been touched by the photos of people living in tin shacks, tents, wheelbarrows, and homeless on the streets. Touched so much that supporters are organizing their own fundraisers, including bake sales, dress down days for school, bread sales, garage sales and even collecting loose change with Penny Blessings just to name a few. Indeed, every penny counts!

• Busy coordinating the manufacture and delivery of our first full container of all terrain wheelchairs for Haiti! One hundred wheelchairs are tentatively scheduled to dock in late June barring any setbacks at sea. Please check back in the next few days for the press releases giving full details of this great news and full acknowledgement to our fantastic donors.

• Busy scheduling our next trips to Haiti. Our first trip is scheduled in early May to work on plans for the funding and construction of the much needed surgical center at Mountain Top Ministries. Second, one of our medical representatives will be working in multiple clinics in Port au Prince for 4-5 weeks in May / June. Third, we will travel to Haiti in either July or September to help with the distribution of the wheelchairs.

• Busy looking for creative ways to fund our administrative costs. While all of our manpower is volunteer based, our direct travel and working expenses are a reality that can not be ignored. With airline tickets costing anywhere from $550 - $750 each, lodging in Haiti, and the cost of our ESL materials (just to name a few), we need to find sustainable revenue streams to cover these ongoing expenses. Please consider if you, your organization or business might be able to help in this area.

Since the beginning of 2010, The Red Thread Promise has garnered more donations than our past 6 years combined. We are humbled by the trust you, our supporters, have placed in us and our ability to use your dollars wisely, touching as many lives as possible. We ask that you continue to keep The Red Thread Promise in your giving plans throughout 2010 and beyond.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.