"RAISING AWARENESS NOT MONEY"
Continually we are being asked, "How can I help?" or "Gemma, I don’t have much money but I have a lot of energy and enthusiasm so how can I direct this to giving support to The School of St Jude?". Well, I've come up with an idea that should answer those questions, won't take up too much of your time and should be fun - "Friends of St Jude's"! And now let me explain:
I keep talking about what a great team we are because we ARE a great team! This school only started in 2002 with a few children enrolled but now we have around 1300 students and 350 staff plus starting a secondary school next year!! If we can keep this up we will have campuses all over Africa for the continents future movers and shakers! And this is the whole point of "The Friends" - I want The Schools of St Jude to grow and sustain way into the future. If the generosity of our hundreds of initial supporters got us this far, imagine where we will be in ten years if we can get even more members on the team!
Now, to be a "Friend of St Jude's" all you have to do is sign a form pledging to have a few informative get-togethers each year with people who don’t know about the school and who may be willing to become one of our team members. It could be a lunch, dinner, barbecue, Sunday brunch, drinks (or cocktails, if you are American!) or a meal of beans and rice served with banana wine if you want to add a touch of Tanzania! Formal or relaxed, it doesn’t matter, just as long as everyone enjoys themselves and you manage to get the word out about The School of St Jude. It's not hard sell! No prizes for signing people up! It's just that I hear a lot of people say that they are so pleased to find somewhere to send donations where they know that the money actually goes directly to the project – no middlemen, no agents, no consultants – so there are probably a lot more people out there who would love to hear about us.
I really feel that this is something that everyone will enjoy getting involved in as it’s a great excuse to get together with friends and acquaintances, and enjoy a relaxed chat about the children and the project you are a part of in Tanzania. If you wanted to, we could put you in touch with other "Friends" in your area for a joint get-together or just to brag about your student’s latest report card or achievement certificate! And I would be thrilled to receive photographs and stories of your get-togethers to put in our monthly newsletter and on the website.
For more information about the Friends of St Jude program, check out the Friends FAQ.
Big hugs, Gemma
"RAISING AWARENESS NOT MONEY"
Continually we are being asked, "How can I help?" or "Gemma, I don’t have much money but I have a lot of energy and enthusiasm so how can I direct this to giving support to The School of St Jude?". Well, I've come up with an idea that should answer those questions, won't take up too much of your time and should be fun - "Friends of St Jude's"! And now let me explain:
I keep talking about what a great team we are because we ARE a great team! This school only started in 2002 with a few children enrolled but now we have around 1300 students and 350 staff plus starting a secondary school next year!! If we can keep this up we will have campuses all over Africa for the continents future movers and shakers! And this is the whole point of "The Friends" - I want The Schools of St Jude to grow and sustain way into the future. If the generosity of our hundreds of initial supporters got us this far, imagine where we will be in ten years if we can get even more members on the team!
Now, to be a "Friend of St Jude's" all you have to do is sign a form pledging to have a few informative get-togethers each year with people who don’t know about the school and who may be willing to become one of our team members. It could be a lunch, dinner, barbecue, Sunday brunch, drinks (or cocktails, if you are American!) or a meal of beans and rice served with banana wine if you want to add a touch of Tanzania! Formal or relaxed, it doesn’t matter, just as long as everyone enjoys themselves and you manage to get the word out about The School of St Jude. It's not hard sell! No prizes for signing people up! It's just that I hear a lot of people say that they are so pleased to find somewhere to send donations where they know that the money actually goes directly to the project – no middlemen, no agents, no consultants – so there are probably a lot more people out there who would love to hear about us.
I really feel that this is something that everyone will enjoy getting involved in as it’s a great excuse to get together with friends and acquaintances, and enjoy a relaxed chat about the children and the project you are a part of in Tanzania. If you wanted to, we could put you in touch with other "Friends" in your area for a joint get-together or just to brag about your student’s latest report card or achievement certificate! And I would be thrilled to receive photographs and stories of your get-togethers to put in our monthly newsletter and on the website.
For more information about the Friends of St Jude program, check out the Friends FAQ.
Big hugs, Gemma