Some amazing contributions

We've had great success (and luck) this past couple of months with fundraising. This includes:

Global Giving drive: We signed up with Global GIving (www.globalgiving.com). The first step is to prove you "belong" by reaching certain goals in an initial fundraising drive. We needed to raise USD 4000 from 50 separate donors in one month (August 2011). We passed with flying colours, thanks to the 80+ donors who contributed over USD 5000. Special thanks to Brendan Beck who contibuted over $1000 at a key moment and thus single handedly put us well beyond the finish line. These funds will mainly go toward a special purchase of books, uniforms, desks and other supplies in Kawangware for 2012. The extra funds will go into the general budget for MCC for 2012, probably toward the budget for the MCC nursery in Kakamega.

IEA runners: the International Energy Agency in Paris has a group of runners who collected EUR 1080 as part of the Paris-Versailles annual 16k race. About 10 of them, led by Dennis Best, went after sponsors and ended up with an amazing donation for MCC - enough to cover the costs of supporting 200 children (basically everyone in Kawangware) for a month (at this point, namely January 2012). There should also be enough there to pay for new uniforms for the Kawangware students football team. Thanks very much runners! and to your sponsors!

Jim Murphy (with assistance from Maggy Madden and Siobhan Einarson). Jim insisted that, apart from paying for one tree for his place in Burgandy, he would donate the rest of his retirement party gifts to MCC. Well, quite a retirement party, he and his assistants raised about EUR 680. Running with the value for kids in Kawangware concept, this gets us through about 2/3 of February 2012. Great!

Thanks again everyone,

Lew