For A Good Cause

Last summer, I traveled to Nicaragua with some of the most wonderful people I have ever met...all so kind and compassionate.  When you are in siuations that expose you to such pain and poverty and then hop on a plane and fly home...well, it is difficult.  You come back with a lot of questions.  What do I do now?  how do I help?  Can I even make a difference?  Where do I begin to make a difference with such a huge problem?

For this group of team members, it all seemed to come down to one issue.  Casa Bernabe, the orphanage where we "lived" for the week is a wonderful place.  A place where children receive 3 meals a day, a loving caring staff to encourage and care for them, and the opportunity to go to school.  "Casa" is not perfect, and there is still much to be done.  But it was clear to our group that the orphanage is a light in a country full of much darkness. A safe refuge for many children.  One problem, however is that because of finances, Casa Barnabe only cares for about 60 children when the orphanage capacity is around 100.  That means that there are 40 children on the streets of Managua or in toxic homes or elsewhere that could be experiencing the safety and nurturing of "Casa".  The only roadblock is funding. 

This team just could not quite get over that fact and decided to do something about it.  They set out to raise $20,000 to bring more children off the street and into safety and opportunity. 

We attended the fundraiser this past weekend, held at a small local airport. 

It was wonderful.  It was more than wonderful.  It was inspiring to watch people put those small little whispers of "I wish I could do something" into real action.

I am so proud to call these amazing people my friends.

I have been making a quilt out of vintage sheeting and linen to offer as one of the raffle items.  But the team ended up doing a 50/50 pot split and not needing the quilt.  So now I have this quilt that was made with the specific intention of donating it to help in the effort.  I don't feel right about selling it, or even giving it away as a gift, since there was such a specific purpose in mind.  Believe me, it did enter my mind. 

My father is an auctioneer.  And I grew up to the auctioneer chant of his voice.  (happy birthday Dad)  So, it seems like a natural response to auction this little quilt off here on the blog.  I have never seen an auction done through a blog, but I think it will work.

Stay tuned next week for more.