September 2010

Eat So They Can Newsletter

Hi ~Contact.FirstName~,

With just 3 weeks left until the official Eat So They Can weekend, there's a real buzz in the Eat So They Can office! Every day we are receiving an increasing number of emails and phone calls from around the world. Hearing about all the different events and the work that you are putting into supporting our campaign is just incredible. I hope that I can share some of the excitement that we're feeling with you in this newsletter!

Eat So They Can started as a small campaign with just a handful of hosts back in 2007 when we raised $37,000. This year we have over 1,000 hosts signed up to organize events in every corner of the globe from Singapore to Cyprus! On average most events have about 20 guests which means that over 20,000 people will be Eating So They Can this October! In fact all together we'll probably be having the biggest dinner party in the world... EVER!

I also want to take this opportunity to let you know that every event is important to us. No event is too small. Please remember that even raising $25 can truly make a difference - it can feed a whole school of 750 Tanzanian students for a day, giving them the opportunity to have enough energy to focus on their schoolwork.

Thank you to each and every one of you for being a part of our campaign this year. Let's change lives - one meal at a time!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.

Warm Regards,

Courtney ESTC Co-Founder and GVN Foundation Director

Top News

• We have 1,100 events taking place so far! Please sign-up now and help us reach 1,500!
• We have already raised over $23,000!
• For information about how to submit donations, click here.
• You can now access our resources from your personal page by logging-in and clicking on the 'resources' tab.
• Have you joined our facebook fan page yet?
• Check out our Eat So They Can blog for regular updates and ideas.

Step By Step Guide

So you've signed-up to host an Eat So They Can event but you're not quite sure what happens next? Don't panic! Here is a step-by-step guide of what you need to do over the next 3 weeks:

• Choose your venue: This is the first step you should take as it will affect everything else. Your venue can be your home, a community hall, a park, a beach, a church hall, a restaurant, a cinema or anything else you can think of!
• Decide on the date and time: Although the official weekend is October 16-17, remember that you are also welcome to host your event later in the year. Our only request is that you submit donations by December 31.
• Start promoting your event: You can do this by updating your personalised webpage and sending this around as an invitation to your event. If it's a public event you might also want to put up posters and ask your friends to help you spread the word.
• Think about how you want to raise money at your event: You can raise money in many different ways depending on the type of event you're organizing. Some examples include: charging a ticket price, a suggested entry donation, a collection box which you pass around after showing the DVD, a raffle, an auction or items for sale at your event.
• Think about what you want to offer your guests: If you're planning on charging an entry price you will need to think about what you can offer your guests. Will you provide free food, drinks or have a raffle? Remember it's completely up to you so do what you feel comfortable with and make sure it's appropriate for your venue.
• Host your event!: Good luck and remember to have fun! You worked hard so give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy it!
• Submit your donations to the GVN Foundation: You can do this either online through your personalised webpage or by writing a check/cheque made out to the GVN Foundation. If you write a check make sure you put ESTC and your name in the memo and post it to: PO Box 294, Littleton, Colorado 80160, USA.

Event Ideas

We've heard about some amazing event ideas over the past few weeks and I want to take this opportunity to share a few of them with you. Remember that your event can be anything you want it to be and that no event is too small or too big! Here are some ideas you may want to think about:

• Eat So They Can cocktail night: A cocktail night is relatively easy to organize and is always popular! One host is even creating a special 'ESTC' cocktail.
• Themed evening: To spice up the evening a bit, why not have a theme? At GVN we'll be having an 'international' theme and we're hoping that people will wear typical clothes from their home countries!
• Pot luck dinner: If cooking for all your guests seems like too much of a challenge or you can't afford it, a pot luck dinner is a great option! Ask everyone to bring a plate and then rather than charging a ticket price you can ask for donations after showing the DVD or you can hold a raffle.
• Live music/dancing: Why not talk to some local groups and see if you can get them to perform some live music/dancing at your event? Or if you have a talented bunch of friends, you might want to organize a Talent Show!
• Auction/raffle: A great way to bring a bit of excitement to the evening and raise some extra dollars is to ask local companies to donate items which you can auction or raffle at your event. Just let us know if you'd like a template letter which you can use to approach potential companies.

Resources

You can now access your resources by logging in to your personal page and clicking on the 'resources' tab. The resources are split into ones which you can use to spread the word and ones which you can use to organize your event. I also recommend checking out the 'key facts' tab for more information about your cause.

Thanks to our wonderful NZ Nature Program volunteers as well as ESTC volunteer Jaimie Horst, all our party packs are now packed! You will have received (or soon be receiving!) your pack which will include our DVD, some stickers and some business cards. For those of you who will be showing our DVD from your laptop you can also access the different sections on youtube:

• Introduction
• Orphaned and vulnerable children cause
• Emergency relief cause
• Anti-trafficking cause
• Women's empowerment cause
• Greatest need cause
• Distribution Trip
• Credits
• Bloopers

Some words of wisdom from ESTC ambassador Shelley Bragg

Shelley Bragg is originally from South Africa but has volunteered, worked, travelled and lived all over the world. She held her first ever Eat So They Can event in 2007 and is now one of our ambassadors as well as the creator of the ESTC cocktail! Shelley has generously shared with us some of her experiences as an ESTC host.

Planning an event on your own can seem like a massive endeavour, and in my 3 years with ESTC, there have often been moments where I feel a little lost and a little doubtful about my abilities to make my events a success. But then suddenly I am approached by a person, someone who can see what I am trying to do, can see the effort that I am putting in, and understands the reason for it, and they tell me that they are inspired and they offer me all their encouragement. It is these moments that remind me what a difference one single person can make. By hosting an event for Eat so they Can, you will not only be helping their many causes around the globe but you will be setting an example for so many others. Take that first step, and watch how many people follow you...you can make such a difference, just by hosting a small dinner.

Thank you Shelley! We are so grateful for everything you are doing to support our campaign!

Feature Cause - Emergency Relief

In this edition of our newsletter, I'd like to tell you a bit more about our Emergency Relief cause. Funds raised for this cause will be used towards our emergency relief work in Haiti, Kenya and around the world. By supporting this cause you will be providing assistance to the victims of emergencies, including immediate relief in the form of food, medical supplies and tents. Your will also be providing long-tem support through rebuilding and micro-finance projects.

One example of a project which will benefit from this cause is Dr Roberts orphanage in Haiti. This orphanage is located in Croix des Bouquets near Port Au Prince, Haiti. The orphanage was set up following the January 12 earthquake when thousands of children throughout Port Au Prince lost their families. Over 200 children requested to live at the orphanage but Dr Robert could only accept 35 children so he was forced to choose those most in need.

The orphanage needs help to meet the basic needs of the children such as food, shelter and education. They are also hoping to build a larger orphanage which will be able to accommodate more children

Eliza Raymond, ESTC Host Mentor, visited Dr Robert's orphanage in June. She says "It was incredible to spend time with the kids at the orphanage but so sad knowing that they had lost everything they knew and loved. I feel a huge responsibility to help these kids have a brighter future and I know that we can make a difference through ESTC funding."

Action and Advocacy

International Day of Peace - 21 September 2010

The UN International Day of Peace is not only about creating peace between nations, it's about non-violence in our homes, communities and schools. Peace One Day's goal is to involve 3 billion people in Peace One Day by 2012.

For ideas on how to take action, visit Peace One Day

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