November 2010

Eat So They Can Newsletter

Dear ,

The past few weeks have been a time of celebration for the Eat So They Can team. It is always the most amazing feeling when each year donations from the campaign begin to roll in and we start to think about all the incredible things we will be able to achieve with the funds.

In addition, for me one of the most satisfying parts of the campaign is hearing your stories and how you have used ESTC as a tool to raise money for causes which you feel passionate about. We believe that supporting those less fortunate shouldn't be about guilt, but it should be about feeling a sense of solidarity with others and finding a way to assist others as a natural and fun part of your life.

We hope that ESTC has achieved this for you and we'd love to get your feedback. Please tell us what worked, what we can improve on and where you see ESTC going in the future. Our host survey takes only 3 minutes and can be completed here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HV73Q32.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate our amazing ESTC in-country partners who have managed to find time in their busy schedules to host their own ESTC events this year. We've had a party in the rain in Haiti, dancing and dinner in Uganda, a cocktail party in Kenya, amongst others. We are proud to work with such incredible and committed partners around the world.

With gratitude,

Courtney ESTC Co-Founder and GVN Foundation Director

	Top News $105,000 raised... and counting! The ESTC distribution trip is going to be opened up as a GVN program. Watch this space! Check out our photo and story galley here. It's not too late to host an event! Please sign-up now or encourage your friends to host an event. Check out GVN Foundation's Holiday Giving page for some creative holiday gift ideas.

	What next? Hosted your event? Wondering what's next? We've come up with a few exciting ways for you to continue doing amazing things for others. Climb Machu Picchu The Inca Trail is one of the most famous and awe-inspiring hikes in the world, ending with a day at Machu Picchu. However, the real beauty of this hike is that you will also be raising money to support the education and nutrition of Peruvian children living in the Sacred Valley. Each participant is asked to raise $2,000 to support our work in Peru and on the final two days of the trip you will have the opportunity to meet and spend time with the children benefitting from your funds. For more info click here. Cycle through Vietnam Our Vietnam Cycling Challenge offers participants the opportunity to help support children in Vietnam and to cycle through one of the most beautiful countries in the world. You will begin your journey in Ho Chi Minh and conclude in Hoi An. You will pass through many cities as well as have the opportunity to visit 3 orphanages along the way. For more info click here. Be The Change Ever dreamt about starting your own charity or non-profit? Ever wondered what it would be like to work for the United Nations? Our Be The Change course is designed to take your idea for a project or dream and give you the skills and confidence you need to make it a reality. For more details click here. Holiday Giving Check out GVN Foundation's Holiday Giving page for some creative gift ideas ranging from artwork which supports our projects in Haiti to gift cards to support orphanages around the world. Another great gift option is to purchase an ESTC 2011 benefit calendar made by our amazing ambassador, Kayla Clausen. See below for more details.

	Kayla Clausen's Benefit Calendar Kayla is a former GVN Vietnam volunteer and decided one way to stay active after volunteering was to raise funds to support the projects she worked so hard at. Kayla became an ESTC ambassador this year and has done an incredible job at raising awareness and funds for ESTC. Here is what Kayla has to say about why she is motivated to go the extra distance to help others: In July 2008 I traveled to Vietnam and volunteered for one month in their orphanage program in Tuy Hoa, Vietnam. If you haven't heard, one of this year's Eat So They Can causes is orphaned and vulnerable children and one of the beneficiaries from this will be GVN Vietnam. As part of my fundraising endeavor, I have created a 2011 benefit calendar featuring photos from my time in Vietnam. These calendars are being sold by Omega Phi Alpha Service Sorority. 75% of the funds generated from these calendars will benefit Eat So They Can Vietnam, providing funds to assist the children in the program. As many of you are former volunteers, you understand first-hand what a small donation can mean for these children. It is my hope that through this fundraiser 500 calendars can be sold, raising $3,500 for GVN Vietnam. I hope that you will consider purchasing one of these calendars- available to be shipped anywhere in the world- and I thank you for your support!" ~Kayla Clausen To purchase one of these beautiful calendars, visit http://www.eatsotheycan.org/host/omega-phi-alpha .

	Dates for your calendar 31 December 2010 - Last day to submit donations In order to be entered into our Grand Prize Draw, please ensure that you submit your donations by 31 December. For more info about how to submit donations click here. 15 January 2010 - Grand Prize Trip winner announced! We will send out an email to everyone on 15 January to announce the Grand Prize Trip winner. The winner will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to directly help with distributing funds raised from the Eat So They Can campaign. 10-17 April 2011 - Kenya Distribution Trip We are also opening up the Kenya distribution trip as a GVN program. By joining this program you will be involved in each step of grants distribution from going to markets to purchase supplies to delivering these supplies to the schools, orphanages and camps we support. For our hosts who have been able to raise $500 or more, you will only need to pay the program fee and not the application fee. We are currently working on putting together a website with more details of this trip and will announce this in December. For a sneak preview click here.

	There is justice in celebrating A Changent and friend of mine, Ally, recently wrote a blog post for Thanksgiving and discusses ESTC in the post. I'd like to share a short excerpt from this which really highlights what ESTC is all about. After learning about ESTC, Ally writes: "I couldn't help but think of something a professor once told me while I was in grad school. He said, 'It's not wrong for us to celebrate what we have: it's wrong that others can't celebrate to the same degree,' or something like that! This has stuck with me. I think so many people associate "doing good" and the organizations that support that fantastic agenda, with guilt. When I taught high school, some of my students would be overwhelmed with guilt when we would learn about things like the genocide in Darfur or homelessness in the U.S. They were overwhelmed to a point of inaction- they felt like it was too much and all they could do was feel awful that their lives were so relatively 'easy'. Organizations like ADFT and ESTC are switching things up, and I love it. I can completely see my former students getting behind some of these amazing initiatives-- because they focus more on action than any sort of guilt-- more on celebrating and fighting for the right for others to celebrate with the ones they love, than anything else." To read Ally's complete post click here http://changents.com/There-is-Justice-In-Celebrating.

	New team member! We are excited to announce the newest addition to our office, Lynette Cochrane. Lynette is a Victoria University student and as part of her Postgraduate Diploma in Development Studies is required to complete an internship. We are thrilled that Lynette chose to intern with us and the timing couldn't have been better! Lynette has done an incredible job of helping us process hundreds of donations... including donations from her own ESTC event! Lynette first heard about Eat So They Can when Host Mentors Eliza and Caitie did a presentation at Victoria University. She decided immediately to host an event and says "I really liked the idea of hosting a dinner and this initiative felt like it had a very positive feeling to it. It is not about highlighting the �lack of� but to celebrate the potential and the possibility of change, empowering people and making a difference." . To learn more, check out her recent blog post. On behalf of everyone here in the office, THANK YOU Lynette!