85 days....

There are just 85 days left until I turn 30 and just 68 days until I fly out to Ghana for my volunteering.... I am getting slightly nervous now but more nervous about not being organised.... time has flown by and it's been a busy few months personally so I don't really feel all that prepared yet. I am still off sick from work (it's been 9 weeks!!!) but I should be back at work next week hopefully and can pick up my collection tins from the staff room!

I haven't had any donations since the last post, although the cheque from ' Love it' magazine did arrive (see picture for the article).

I also booked my flight (paid for personally by me not from donations) with KLM. I am hoping the next few weeks before I go will bring in some more donations and provide a sizeable donation for the orphanage.. here's hoping :)

I have made a short video on Youtube using some photos borrowed from previous Ghana volunteers (Nicole Anzelone and Samantha Leathers.. thanks girls) so hopefully that will also get people donating. The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_nP1P1DAG8

I am very grateful to all who have donated so far. For those that still want to help, if you are unable to donate money right now I will also be taking some things with me like pens, pencils etc for the children...maybe when you are out getting the kids back to school stuff you can pop an extra one in your basket and donate it. Email me for my address to send items to. My luggage is limited so nothing too heavy or bulky though.

I will spend the next few weeks fundraising and preparing myself for the trip. I still need to have my yellow fever injection and get my visa and work out everything I need to take and how much space I'll have. I'm getting excited as it gets closer but I'm also nervous about it all having never done this before. I'm sure it'll go well but it will be emotional.

Well I better get on. Do check out the video and share it if you like and please please keep donations coming in.

Thanks all and have a lovely day :)

130 days............

So there are now 130 days until I turn 30.... time is flying by!!! I have just 113 days until I fly out to Ghana to start my placement at the orphanage.

My fundraising is going well.... my tins at work are slowly growing and after I wrote to 'Love it' magazine I got a call saying they are printing my story in the July 27th issue (next Tuesday) as 'Reader of the Week' and they will be sending my £100 towards my fundraising.. woohoo... that makes my current total £450 (+whatever is in the tins at work).... I have now passed my total that I wanted to raise and am hoping to raise even more to give to the orphanage on my arrival.

I am currently off work sick after falling down the stairs and tearing a ligament but that gives me more time to research online and try more fundraising ideas... time to get writing those letters to local businesses.... wish me luck!

Thanks to everyone that has donated so far and for those still promising to donate. I really appreciate it and I can't wait to be able to share photos and stories of where your money has gone to help (this blog will surely get more interesting then too..hehe!). :)

148 days.... eek!!

Aaahhh...So there are only 148 days left until I turn 30.... that means there are just 133 days until I start my placement in Ghana.... I will hopefully be booking my flight soon and getting those all important jabs... ouch!

I have been a little slack on the fundraising lately what with moving house and changing jobs etc but I'm hoping to get back on it fully again soon. Ive put a couple of collection tins and notices at work and have had some donations that way. I've also had a few more online or in person bringing my current total to...... wait for it...... £350!!!!!!!! I am also going to start writing to companies and magazines etc to see if I can raise any funds that way. Fingers crossed I'll make even more for the orphanage. Not so long left to go now. Time is flying by!

I will hopefully have more to update you with soon!

Many thanks all for all your support :)

223 days....

So.. there are now 223 until I turn 30 but only 208 days until I start my volunteer placement in Ghana.... i'm excited but no doubt excitement will become nerves nearer the time!

I have now made a total of £298 towards this appeal. I am really really grateful to everyone who has donated and those that have promised to donate soon. I'm so pleased to have done so well so quickly but I do hope to make a lot more so please keep donations coming in.

Now I have recieved my fundraising booklet I shall be trying some other fundraising ideas too. As I am a fully qualified Massage Therapist I am offering a discounted rate of £20 for a full body 1 hour massage at my house in Clapham Junction (or £30 to come to your house to cover travel costs). All profit will go to this appeal so please get booking if you want a massage!!

I shall hopefully be holding a hand made jewellery sale in the summer too and have my thinking cap on for other fundraising ideas. Please please get involved if you can! Any advice definitely welcome :)

Thanks again everyone for donating and keep checking back for more updates!

236 days

Today I recieved my confirmation letter of my fundraising so anyone that may have been doubting whether I am legitimate here's your proof...any questions email me or the co-ordinator on the confirmation letter... made another £10 in the last couple of days but still got a long way to go!

Will update more as and when I have something new to tell you!

Have a good day :)

239 days... and counting

There are now 239 days until the BIG 30!! It’s been a week since I first posted my idea online and the response has mostly been brilliant! I was meaning to update this more often but work, job hunting and preparing to move house have made things extra busy for me at the moment so hopefully I will get on here at least once a week to update but not daily.

So, where are things at right now? Well, it’s been a busy week with quite a few developments…. Firstly, I’ve made a total of £276 so far so I’m well on the way to my first target of £330…. I shall be starting my volunteer placement on November 15th for a total of 3 weeks. My initial fundraising target was an estimate for 2 weeks volunteering but as I’ve now agreed to 3 weeks I need to increase my target to £430 to cover the fees. Any extra will go direct to the orphanage to buy supplies and things for the children. I have managed to now confirm my place on the program and I have paid the initial registration fee to hold the place for me. I am going to be going to an orphanage in…. wait for it…… GHANA. I don’t have the exact location yet but it will be somewhere near Accra. I shall be going with International Volunteer HQ which places volunteers all around the developing world in places where they need support.

Now there seems to have been some confusion as to what it is I’m actually doing…some people seem to think I am asking for funds to pay for a holiday for my birthday… I can’t stress enough that this is not the case. I think my attempt to be light hearted and to suggest ideas for donating instead of birthday drinks etc has been taken the wrong way. I am doing this because I want to help and make a difference for at least one other person less fortunate than myself. I want to do what I can to help those children and I chose to tie it in with my birthday as a way of giving some focus and to make people think about what they normally spend on themselves and that it doesn’t take much to help and change things for someone in need. I am not sure I’m explaining this properly but my intentions are definitely all for the right reasons and this is in no way to give me a birthday holiday. I have done my fair share of travelling and if it was a holiday I wanted then I have a ton of other destinations where I could have a great birthday holiday… living in poor conditions and working 5-7 days a week is not what I’d call a holiday.

As for paying fees to volunteer, anyone who has done any research on volunteering will know that nearly all volunteer programs require a fee (and usually they are very expensive!!). You can not just offer your time or show up in a country expecting to volunteer etc without any sort of planning, organisation and administration. This planning costs money as does accommodation, getting to the volunteer placement which can sometimes be in very rural areas, and food. All of these things are what the fee is for. The reason I could not offer gift aid for your donations is because IVHQ is based in New Zealand, not the UK so gift aid is not applicable. They are also not a charity but are an organisation which recruits volunteers and arranges all the program details, links to the in country charities, checks the area etc out for the safety of volunteers etc etc..

Now that I have officially registered and paid the initial registration fee I can link you to the company I am volunteering through
( http://www.volunteerhq.org/faq.html ). They explain more about the fees and the programs etc on their FAQ page. I am now waiting for my volunteer information booklet to arrive with my official ‘fundraiser’ letter and ideas booklet. I will make a copy of the letter to go on here once I receive it to prove I am legitimate.

Anyway, enough of all the explaining. I hope you all now realise what it is I am doing and why and are happy to go ahead and donate. I am very thankful for the donations so far and for getting so close to my target but the more I can make the better.

I am also trying to get donations of supplies like pens, pencils etc for the orphanage. I have had a possible donation of a few books to take with me but any other donations are welcome.

If you have any more questions, doubts, comments, anything then please do get in touch and I’d be happy to answer you. You can either leave a comment on my blog, facebook ‘event’ or email me on corrie.kay@gmail.com

One more thing, for those that were a little confused with the ‘event’ on facebook. I’m not having a birthday event… I will be in Ghana volunteering by then. I only sent it as an event on facebook as a way to reach all my facebook friends and get everyone to look at it. This whole thing will be taking place around my birthday (hence linking it with my birthday initially and confusing people) and I am doing it in place of a big 30th birthday party so anything you would have spent on party drinking can be donated to the appeal instead. I hope that makes sense.

Thanks for reading and do keep checking back for more updates. As things progress they should hopefully become more interesting and once I get back in December I will update this with all my stories and pictures from Ghana.

Thanks all. I appreciate your help.

Cheers

Corrie

246 days

So... there are 246 days until I turn THIRTY..... ouch!!.. Where have the years gone.. time has flown by and I didn't even notice!... now's the time to start thinking about the future and settling down and being a real adult as opposed to pretending to be an adult.. no more excuses... no sir... time to grow up for sure!... so what have I got to show for my 30 years on this planet??? Hmm....

Now... what should I do to 'celebrate' turning 30? The usual obligatory drinking and waking up hungover in the morning? That doesn't sound very grown up to me! No.. I want to do something different.. something meaningful... something worthwhile... I want to give back and be thankful for my 30 years of a western upbringing... are you listening carefully?... This is where you come in...

I would like to volunteer abroad at an orphanage for 2-3 weeks... I have found a program I would like to participate in but I need to raise enough money to do so. As you may know, I have not exactly been flush this past year after being made redundant etc so I am hoping to raise enough money to take part in this program and do something to help these children whilst learning and having a memorable 30th birthday.

So, instead of the birthday party or dinner I would have had I will hopefully be abroad assisting with caring for children at an orphanage. With it being the big 3 0 I would like to raise a figure to include that number so I am setting a target of £330 to start with...this covers the cost of the program but not the travel to get there... but if I exceed £330 then I will set a new target (maybe £3330!!!!).. this is where I need your help. Those of you that would have maybe bought me a gift or a drink or joined me for dinner in November please donate whatever you would have spent that night to this appeal instead. For those that wouldn't have done any of that, please donate anyway... the more I can raise the better! If I raise more than I need to participate in the program then I will donate the extra to the orphanage to buy supplies etc.

I know it's a difficult time for everyone with the recession etc but just think about your spending....If you usually have 5 pints on a friday night have 4 instead this week and donate the cost of 1 pint.... or if you treat yourself to a chocolate bar each week miss a week... not only will you be helping me achieve my goal and help these kids but you will be helping your figure also :) Whatever you can give be it 30 pence or £30... every little helps! I only have a few months to reach this target and am grateful for any help you can give.

Please either send me a cheque (email for my address) or a paypal gift payment to corrie.kay@gmail.com

I will use this blog to update you on my progress and to fill you in on my experience once I'm out at the orphanage.

Thanks in advance everyone... a little goes a long way :)