Our Latest Fundraiser

To me, this blog is a mish mash of pretty much everything that's going on in our lives or running through my mind.  It's not only the DIY projects we do around the house, but a record of day to day life....a virtual family keepsake, if you will.  So, sorry to my followers who are looking for some sort of cute crafty thing or some new decor.....there's been none of that lately.  Zip.  (Although I'm gearing up for Jackson's LEGO Birthday party this weekend!!)

This post is mainly going to be about our latest fundraiser, along with a shout-out of THANKS to my sister-in-law.  She organized it.  She invited people.  She gave up two Saturday afternoons to run it.  She dealt with pregnancy tiredness.  She fed people who came and gave them gifts.  Then she gave us the money!  I know all of you who are fundraising families are jealous right now!  Let's face it, fundraising is not fun.  I view it as a necessary evil, because we just don't have the $35,000+ we need to adopt from Ethiopia.  (You can see the post of why it costs so much here, and how much we've been able to pay here.  It's probably going to end up costing more, because as wait times increase, things like fingerprints and home studies expire, and we will need to redo them.  Which begs the question - how do fingerprints expire???)  It was SUCH A BLESSING to have a fundraiser that I actually did not have to plan or ask people for money!

So the details....  my sister-in-law is an instructor for a really popular form of exercise....the name is trademarked and I don't want anyone to get in trouble, but it is a fun "shake your booty" type of exercise that involves loud music and aerobic & dance moves.  And rhymes with Mumba.  She teaches this class at a local gym and offered to do it as a fundraiser.  Since space was limited to 12 people a class, she tried to get people to sign up in advance.  The owner of the gym, also a friend and an adoptive mama, allowed her to use it for free after closing hours for the purpose of the fundraiser.  It was approximately a two hour time commitment for those who came, which included an introductory lesson, and lots of snacks and chatting time afterwards, along with doorprizes.  Those who attended understood it was a fundraiser, and there was no set fee, but they were asked to provide a donation.

It was a huge success!  Between the two classes, 16 people attended.....I figured if every person gave $10, there's $160!  But their generosity exceeded my estimation....the grand total raised was $505!!!   THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE INVOLVED!!!!

Are you a fundraising family?  Maybe you can take this idea and tailor it to your situation!

And because posts are so much better when there's a picture (sorry, no pics of my sweaty friends at the fundraiser!) here's one of my two cuties...

I would love to hear other ideas for creative fundraisers!!