A little house

This sweet little house was made by one of our past team members, Norm. I may have talked about it here before, but the point behind the house was to make it look like something we would see in Mississippi and to have it be a place that people could put change and donations into for the teams going in the future.

Today we tested it at Vacation Bible School. It works. The kids brought in $26.52. Awesome! That money is going to be converted into a gift card to one of the hardware stores in Mississippi so that we can buy supplies and things needed to rebuild the homes that we will be working on in December.

We got the green light today, so plans are full-steam ahead. The week is still to be determined but we're going! Look for a way to donate here on the blog and more information in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Announcing a Golf Tournament

Our next fundraiser is a coming up soon...but it won't be a fundraiser if we don't get golfers and tee sponsors!

The Golf Tournament is Saturday, August 22nd at 2pm. A BBQ dinner will be held for the golfers afterwards at the church...families may join the BBQ for a small fee.

Cost for the tournament is $55. Sign-ups are happening now!

Additionally, we are looking for tee sponsors. We will place a sign at each tee saying who has sponsored that tee for $100. All donations are tax-deductible.

Questions should be funneled to Sandy or Brittany. And helpers will be needed that day for the BBQ!

Gearing up for December

Our next trip to Pearlington will most likely be December 26-January 2. A common refrain has been the need for more fundraising activities, one I'm sure will be repeated over and over again this year. Our costs most likely will go up a little on this next trip, due to airfare, so here are some opportunities to get the fundraising going!

• August 22nd we will host a Golf Tournament at Valley Gardens in SV. Cost is $55 per player and includes a BBQ afterwards. We need golfers and Tee sponsors so start recruiting people! Tee Sponsorship is $100 and each person or group will have a sign recognizing their contribution. We also will need help with the BBQ, so mark the date on your calendar.
• October 3rd we have been given the opportunity to help with an event at Dominican Hospital. Details aren't fully complete but we will need 6-8 people (we can rotate through) from 10am-4pm to help with cooking, serving, and more. Put the date on your calendar now!
• November 7th we're having a Jambalaya Fest at 6pm, complete with entertainment! More information will be coming in the next few months.
• An ongoing fundraiser will be selling decorative tiles. Each tile will have a poem, scripture or song decoupaged on them. Sandy T. is heading this up and is looking for help with the assembly of the tiles.
  

Over the years the whole team has benefited from the various fundraisers, but sometimes it just doesn't seem fair for a small few to do the work and the larger group to benefit from the work of a few. So this year we're trying out a new thing. Work the fundraiser, a portion of the proceeds will go directly towards your balance for the trip.

Put these dates on your calendar and let me know if you have questions!

News article

Gail found a news article the other day in the SJ Mercury about the state of things in Mississippi when it comes to housing. Click here to read it for yourself. There is one line that just hit me like a ton of bricks and reminded me, again, why we keep heading back to Mississippi. It said "nearly 20,000 families are still living in temporary trailers and apartments." Twenty thousand families just in Mississippi. Words fail.

It's June 1st...

That means the hurricane season has officially begun. According to NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) it's going to be a "near-normal Atlantic hurricane season." Here's hoping and praying that the season is quiet and uneventful.

The names, though, for any potential storms are already locked in.
Here's the list for 2009:

• Ana
• Bill
• Claudette
• Danny
• Erika
• Fred
• Grace
• Henri
• Ida
• Joaquin
• Kate
• Larry
• Mindy
• Nicholas
• Odette
• Peter
• Rose
• Sam
• Teresa
• Victor
• Wanda

Bill--please don't become a hurricane! :)