Cellar Door Tonight!!

Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight at the Cellar Door! My fundraiser starts at 7pm and it should be a great night. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Cheers!!!

Tiff

African Reading Challenge Part IV

A LONG WAY GONE, MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER by Ishmael Beah

This was this month's book club selection, since it was my pick. This is a true story about a young man in Sierra Leone who became a child soldier. It is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers in more than fifty violent conflicts worldwide. This tells the story of how Ismael loses his family and is then picked up by the governmental army and forced to fight the rebels for them. It is questionable as to who is in the right in this conflict in Sierra Leone and made us realize how little we know about many of these civil wars. Ishmael is lucky that he eventually is found by UNICEF and eventually makes his way to New York City.

Ouch!!

Yesterday, I went back to the doctor for Hep B #2, Hep A #1, and meningitis. The nurse was laughing that I'd better not kick her but she wasn't used to adults getting so many shots.

So, now that I've found my shot records and I've already had Polio-- I only need Typhoid and Yellow Fever which can't be done at my doctor's office. My friend Margaret is a nurse and she is looking into my getting it done at her hospital.

News from Ethiopia!!

I just received word that Barbara, the volunteer coordinator in the States, has heard back from the coordinator in Addis. The note below is what was sent!! Apparently they think I'm a teacher which is really fine as that is what I do a good part of my day anyway. But super excited that I can begin to look for flights and that I will have an inside room-- thanks for the suggestion Marianne!!

Dear Barbara,

I am glad to hear that a teacher(Tiffany) will be coming to AHOPE.The timing is good which is the end of the children's academic year.
It is also possible to arrange for a room in the main part of the house.
I will wait for the exact days of her arrival.

Thank you very much
Gelila

FUNDRAISER this Saturday!!!!

Don't forget!!!

This Saturday, February 28th is my fundraiser at the Cellar Door.

CELLAR DOOR
(630) 241-2030
5150 Main St, #A
Downers Grove, IL

Starting at 7pm. Dave will start playing at 8!!!!

It would really mean a lot to me if everyone would come out and show their support.

Happy Day!!

I just got an email from Barbara from the AHOPE volunteer office, saying that all my paperwork has gone through and that she is emailing AHOPE Ethiopia to confirm my dates, so that I can purchase my plane tickets!!! I'm so excited...it feels so real now!

Plus with all those great donations from the last post, I'm over 55% to my goal for fundraising.

Lots more thank you's!!!!

I have recently been flooded with new donations. A great big thank you to all!!!

Fred and Mary Graca-- heard about your upcoming cruise with my parents, sounds like fun!!

Stephanie and Jay Melone--- this is my friend whose 3rd grade class are my greatest supporters at school!!

Ken Jones-- thanks Dad-- very impressed you figured out Paypal!

Michele Jones-- so you aren't flying in for one of the fundraisers??

Cheryl and Brian Atwood-- Thanks to you both, can't believe the little one will almost be here when I return!!!

A story from AHOPE

Amelezeud Gashaw was 11 years old when admitted to AHOPE Ethiopia with her two younger brothers. Beautiful and talented, she was a leader among the children, always ready to help whenever needed.

She was also an excellent student, earning top grades despite her frequent absences from school due to illness. She learned to speak fluent English as well as her native Amharic despite a hearing loss due to complications from AIDS.

The world lost a child of great promise when Amelezeud Gashaw died of AIDS at age 13 in September 2005, just as anti-retro-viral medications finally arrived at AHOPE Ethiopia, but too late to help her.

Amelezeud is a legend amongst AHOPE supporters and the staff in Ethiopia. Her life, in my opinion, speaks volumes to the importance of AHOPE and orphan care in general. She had many dreams and although they were not realized, her life has come to mean so much to so many.

In her own words:

“After I graduate, I want to be a professor of mathematics. In our country there are not many women pilots, so I may want to be a pilot. I want to learn quickly and I want to grow up. In the future, I want to live in my family’s house. I want to build my older brother a villa and to plant flowers on the gate to make it beautiful. I want to help children without families, like me. I am going to tell them that I like them, and help them the way Mimi and Bibi help me. More than anything, I like to read history books. This makes my life happy”

What changes are you making?

I just redid my social work bulletin board at school. This quarter's theme is Be the Change. I found quotes that I like on making a difference-- and my students helped put it up. They have been stopping to read them and some have asked questions. It's never too early to learn that you can make a difference and shouldn't wait for someone else to do it for you!!!

Postcard Update

Thanks to my friend Shannan and her friends... I just got a whole bunch of postcards to bring to AHOPE. Though, Shannan, you are going to need to help me come up with facts for the backs of them!!!! Who out there likes Geography and History and wants to help out?

Penny Project

My students at school are collecting pennies for Ethiopia Reads, a great organization that publishes children's books in Ethiopia in both Amharic and English. For each dollar raised, a book can be published. These books are for the Shola Children's Library in Addis Ababa and for the Donkey Mobile Library, which is just what it sounds like. They are both places I plan to go while I am there and take lots of pictures for my students.
My friend Stephanie's third grade class collected milk jugs and then painted them the colors of the Ethiopian flag, and labeled them all with information for ER. Then the kids got to go from class to class and explain the project. They were great-- cause their teacher is great!
So we are going to collect until I leave, but I thought it might be a good idea to start counting pennies early and take some of them to the bank. So my students have been counting the 2nd floor jugs all week, and I think this first batch should bring us close to 60 books for Ethiopia Reads. Isn't that awesome!!! I will be so excited to bring them their check this summer.

GO GOODWIN STUDENTS!!!