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Published: June 19th 2009
Toys from a yard sale
In 2008 I shipped ~2,000 toys to needy children served by the charities I help. Sometimes I can get good bargins at yard sales or rummage sales. I also pick up donations personally in my big Volvo sedan.As many of you know, I do both short term relief and long term development. I work directly with small, grass roots charities who already have a track record of success and who have few other outside resources. In other words, my heart is to help those who have very little help, hope or champion. My passion is to marshall the resources of the first world to help those in need while simultaneously blessing & enriching the lives of first world donors. I help donors know that they are making a transformative difference in the lives of the poor.
Short Term Relief: I ship goods (men/women/children's clothing, music CDs, diapers, shoes, blankets, toys, etc). It started out with 9 boxes of shoes in 2002 and since then I've shipped ~ 10,000 lbs of goods. Donations are gathered in my garage, sorted and boxed. I use a shipper here, a Romania couple who imports appliances into Romania. For $1.50/lb and $5 box insurance, they get the items thru customs and deliver them directly to the charities I help. The items are then distributed by the charity to those in need. Our boxes never sit in warehouse
Connie & Clarice with donations
With my friend Clarice, we sort and pack donations them into boxes. somewhere, and no government agencies are involved. I've shipped hundreds of boxes and never lost a single one.
Long Term Development: As a business consultant, my forte is helping businesses solve problems, improve profitability and expand programs. With my BS in Accounting and MBA in IT, I also help new business get started by setting up their books, doing budgets, targets and forecasts, ROI analysis, etc. I've worked with organizations ranging from one person start ups to Fortune 100 companies.
Bringing standard business principals to non-profits, I seek to help them expand existing programs or develop new programs. A particular interest is helping non-profits start compatable businesses to bring in revenue and reduce dependence on donations. (For instance, helping a soup kitchen start a for-profit catering business).
I have set up my own small company in Romania, Stewardship Enterprises, SRL, based in Timisoara. I have purchased land (about 1/2 acre) there. My long term goal is to build a children's shelter and community center, and a Romania friend who is an architect designed the plans.
I do have a fiscal sponsor, Communities of Hope (COH), my wonderful church in Campbell, CA. COH is an IRS-certified
Boxes ready to ship
This shipment contained thousands of dollars worth of donated goods and cost me about $3,000 to ship, and it's worth every penny to bring joy and hope to the needy. It was VERY hot that day in our little garage! 501c3 and therefore I can provide donors with receipts for tax deduction purposes. A member of their Board, Susie Smare, helps with my work and provides input and oversight. COH has adopted my work as one of their “overseas/missions outreach” projects. However, COH doesn’t directly financially support the project, although individual members of the congregation do help by donating clothing & toys and occasionally helping with shipping costs. They also help sometimes with the actual sorting and packing of the donated items.
However, the work I do is a labor of love started, maintained and run almost solely by me, Connie Finch. It is the most important work that I do and the most enjoyable. I'd like to encourage each reader to get involved, if not with my work, then with another organization whose mission resonates with them. If each of us only invested 5% of our time & money in worthwhile causes, we could change the world as we know it. Don't know where to start? My work doesn't resonate with you? Try www.kiva.org, a micro-lending group. You can transform someone's life and give them a future with a loan for as little as $25.
I knew
Shipper preparing invoices
A Romanian couple-Christy and Camilla, living in Fremont, CA ship our boxes into Romania, clear them thru customs, and deliver directly to my friends who are directors of charities there for distribution to the needy. absolutely nothing about charity or non-profit work when I started. I just COULD NOT sit idle in comparative luxury, focused on my seeming "problems" while women, children and families suffered unbelievable hardships. Not when I had it in my power to change things for them. We ALL have the power to change things, if we will only make the effort and believe we CAN make a difference! Furthermore, I found the more I helped others, the smaller my problems seemed and the happier I became.
In the immortal words of Margaret Mead
"Never doubt the ability of one person to make a difference. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has".
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Barbara Maypark
non-member comment
Incredible
Connie, Your gifts, work and passion are an inspiration to anyone who comes in contact with you, directly or indirectly. I have enjoyed reading your travel blogs, and if you ever tire of the immense work you are currently doing, you would make a great author. I look forward to hearing more of your adventures and challenges and to when you return. Barbara