Volunteering & Volunteer Students

I am so pleased to share with you that my online Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund received it’s first donation yesterday!!! It was a huge donation, of $100. And to be quite honest I was somewhere between tears and falling off my chair with zeal at the realization that someone would be so generous. The amount astounded me, but the fact that someone had actually made a donation was beyond words for me. I am so grateful to that donor! Thank you for bringing me many giant leaps closer to being able to doctor, minister, and assist those in despair!

I am now about halfway there in terms of raising enough money for the flight. I have a ways to go with that, and raising enough money for lodging, exit fee to return to the US, ground transportation (and other necessary expenses) from Port Au Prince (PAP) airport which is finally safe enough to fly into and Montrouis (pronounced “Moo-Wee”) is a beach town where many displaced people have found safety and where I will be for most of the mission trip.

I have at least $700 more dollars to raise to ensure I will be able to cover all of my expenses traveling to, being in, and returning from Haiti. I am actually across the country (I’m a transplanted Jersey girl) in Nevada caring for my mom for a bit following her back surgery the other day. So, I’m totally out of my element when it comes to fundraising here. If I were home, or at least in my (semi-)home state, I’d have at least a few resources as to where to go to raise money–and quickly. Restaurants (ie Applebee’s, etc.), the hospital at my medical school, the schools surrounding my home (think penny wars between grades/classes), churches, and other organizations that know me would be among my resources. I’m trying to figure quite how to do this from across the country. I have a few ideas (ie local restaurants, selling items on eBay–I’ll be posting them later on today), but if anyone has any other ideas how to fundraise and quickly, I would so greatly appreciate your input.

So happy to share with you about my first online donation (!), and hoping that you will share some advice and ideas as to how to make sure I am able to be where I have been led in a little under two weeks!

I am continuing for the people of Chile and those affected by the resulting aftershocks, tsunamis; as well as their loved ones in my thoughts and prayers. May God bless them, provide them strength, and comfort in the wake of this devastation.

Thank you for stopping by and God bless!

Danielle