Hold a Fundraiser
There are many ways you can support JWOC beyond simply making a donation yourself. Planning and conducting your very own fundraiser for JWOC is one of the best ways you can help us meet needs here in Southeast Asia. This is a great way for you and your friends to not only learn about the challenges faced by communities throughout this part of the world but also play a significant role in helping others overcome these challenges.
You can do something as simple as having a "JWOC Project Party" with friends and family, or for those of you seeking more of a challenge you could run that marathon you have always thought about running and raise money for JWOC as you train. Just think of what you do for fun and how that might be used to support JWOC and our work. By having your own fundraiser you bring a crucial awareness to the problems of poverty, disease, and lack of education in the developing world.
Below are examples of guests and donors who have gone above and beyond to help make JWOC possible.
Regina, Rebecca and Sarah – California, USA
We are three sisters who live in the Bay Area of California. Our mom’s friend helps out at a charity called Journeys within our Community. She thought that it would be a great summer project to try and help this organization by raising 350 dollars to build a family well in Cambodia.
We brainstormed many ideas on how to raise this money and finally came up with The Three Sisters Sitting Service. As our family stuffed our neighbors’ mailboxes with flyers we made about our sitting service, we were excited to raise money to help build a well in Southeast Asia. Our sitting service provides babysitting, house sitting, and pet sitting services. Soon after we put out this flyer, we got many requests from friends and neighbors to help them. We also decided to hold a bake sale during our family garage sale. By the end of the summer, we ended up earning enough money to build a well. We will keep trying to raise money for Journeys Within Our Community. We want to thank Dawn Johnson for giving us support.
Leah Petty and Claire Miller
Bake Sale in Newburyport, M.A.
Hello, Our names are Leah and Claire. We have been friends since growing up together in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
On July 3, 2007, Leah moved to Singapore. In the time that Leah has been in Singapore, she has gone to many different places, such as Bali, India, Thailand, and Beijing. But of all her trips, her trip to Cambodia has affected her the most. During her trip, she mostly took temple tours, and saw historical sites. However, she was most impacted by the poverty. She saw men and women without arms, legs, or sight, due to the Khmer Rouge and active land mines. She saw children begging instead of going to school. Their clothes on there body were covered with filth. She took one look at a starving baby in a poor mother’s arms and knew she had to help in some way.
When she got home a week later, she e-mailed Claire telling her about everything she saw. After the first e-mail, we knew we were going to make a difference in the world together.
When Leah arrived home for the winter, we headed straight to work. We first asked a storeowner named Lori, who they have gotten to know and become good friends with, if they could hold a bake sale in her store. She kindly agreed. Then, over the next two days, we made brownies, cookies, rice crispy treats, and more for the big bake sale.
By the end of the bake sale, we had raised $150.00, just enough to buy a well, so we did. We bought it through JWOC, and was extremely pleased when they sent pictures of the well.
Then, summer arrived and Leah came home again. We decided to hold another bake sale at Lori’s. Only this time, we would have face paint, and car magnets, and even a raffle of over $100 worth of stuff donated by stores. We hung up posters all over town and spread the word threw our neighborhood. By the end of this bake sale, we had earned exactly $498.30. We bought one well, a teachers salary for a month, and gave the rest to Leah’s mom who would give it to a village where she was going to build new houses.
We are so happy that we could make and donate even this little amount of money for a good cause. We will keep on holding sales in the future summers, and hope to make a big change in the world!
Selling Hand-Made Cards
Quite recently, Leah and Claire spent the time crafting cards using photos they had taken themselves of their travels in Southeast Asia, and sold them at a local farmers market in Newburyport to raise money for JWOC!
Philippa Nigg
Board Member, Truckee, CA
I was moving house again - the second time in a year so didn't have much to get rid of but enough to wonder if somehow JWOC could benefit from it - not enough for a garage sale.... unless...
An e-mail round robin later I had 4 friends spring cleaning and donating their cupboard clean-out to my JWOC Garage sale. I had everything from maternity clothes to curtains, power tools to toys. With a free ad (because it was for charity) in the local paper and help from another friend, it was all spread out on tables, along the driveway and I settled back in the shade thinking I'd be lucky to make $500. Gas was $5.00 a gallon, would people really come out for bargains at that cost? I had my doubts, but after extending to Sunday I had $1,000 in the kitty - a pile of books which I sold thru a second hand book shop, and still enough "stuff" to drop off at the Thrift Store... so we all won out and $1,000 can do a lot in the hands of the JWOC Team in Cambodia.
Will I do it again this year? No I'm living in a different area, really have cleaned out the cupboards after yet another move so am looking for the opportunities that offer themselves here... I've found one already - I'll tell you about it below...
Truckee Summer nights opens the main street to local merchants to put up stalls and show off and sell their wares. Halfway thru the summer I realized this was my next opportunity - sitting in my garage was a box of scarves, handbags and jewelry from Cambodia - so once again finding, as a non-profit, I could participate for free I headed down to the High Street with a table and my wares. What fun it turned out to be! As soon as I said, "Everything on this stall is made in Cambodia and all profits I make go to a non-profit we have there" people stopped to chat, and sometimes buy! I had brochures for people to take away with them, and when they told me their purchase was a gift I automatically put a brochure in with it so the recipient would know that not only had they received a gift but someone in Cambodia was benefitting from the sale too. It was a total win-win situation and this year I'll be down there from the first night they open to the last and hopefully do even better than the $1,500 I raised last year.
So here's the challenge - what opportunities are there in your life to have fun raising funds for JWOC? I'll bet you there's something out there - you just have to see it and go for it!
Mindy and John Spicer
Seattle, Washington
This is a letter that John and Mindy sent to friends and family after their trip to Cambodia. Just letting people know about JWOC allows JWOC to grow...
“As you all know we are back from our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. It was a journey that will stay with me for the rest of my life. We saw so much and met many wonderful people. We were moved by the kindness and generosity of spirit of both the Vietnamese people and the Cambodian people. The company that we booked our tour through- Journey's Within- also known as Journey's Within Our Community (JWOC) is amazing. Not only for the thought and time they put into our journey, but more importantly for what they are doing to help the people of Cambodia. Their slogan is "See a Problem.....Solve a Problem. And they are!
One of the villages we visited "Kaoktnout"-- the Palm Tree Village--is a village in need. Our driver and guide both live in this village. The people were so warm, kind and welcoming to us. One major aspect of Journey's Within is to help supply clean drinking water to these villages. I quote from their brochure "We witnessed the common practice of rural villagers drinking from pools of standing water and streams contaminated with waterborne disease and polluted with waste. JWOC initiated the 'Clean Water Project', installing hand pump water wells providing roughly 30 people with a safe water source.
John and I are sending money to purchase a water pump--it's $100 and will help close to 30 people in one village. What we are asking you, our friends & family, is to donate what you can. My goal is to be able to send enough money for 5 pumps (but would love to do more). That equals only $400 more. Whatever you feel you can spare, the cost of a latte, the cost of a pedicure, a tank of gas, whatever you can do, will change the lives of these very kind people. I will be mailing a check (or sending the money on line) by April 30th. If you feel you can help, please send your check or money directly to me (made out to me) and I will send it as a lump sum. (John & I will also purchase a sign that will be put in the village--saying From Your Friends in Seattle, Washington.)
Please visit the website: www.JourneysWithinOurCommunity.org and see how your money will help these wonderful people. Every penny will go directly to building the wells. Every Penny! You'll read that a photo will be sent of the wells and the people using them. I will forward all pictures and info from Journey's to all who support this cause. Brandon & Andrea Ross are 'real' people doing 'great' work to help others. I DID not tell Brandon and Andrea that I was going to try and raise money, it's just in my heart to do this. Please help in any way you can. It will be deeply appreciated by John & me, but more importantly by the people of Cambodia.”
Rajiv Bhagat
San Jose, California
In very simple terms, Jonna and I founded Starfish Dreams with a goal of providing small targeted donations of money or time to needy and deserving individuals to help them take steps towards self-sufficiency. We figured that big well-organized groups were addressing the really big problems (cancer, hunger, poverty, etc.), so we would focus on the mainly unmet needs of people who were not necessarily part of any disadvantaged group, but could use a little help. We are not driven by any particular political or religious agenda (we had asked John Walsh not to include any flags on the signs for the water wells we sponsored). However, we are both passionate about education/literacy and the environment, so those interests are well represented in initiatives we have supported.
I became interested in JWOC after my Cambodia trip in 2004 (has it been that long?) during which I volunteered at the language school you supported at the time. I think your approach fits well with ours in that you are ultimately helping folks help themselves by providing language skills, a university education, access to micro-loans, etc while also enabling them to use their own skills and motivation to better their positions.
Gary, Amy and Sachi Uyemura
Sent to us by the Uyemura Family, who didn't forget what they had seen while here in Cambodia, and wanted to help...
“Dear Andrea,
My family was ‘touched’ by our vacation and have decided to make the trip into a bigger experience. Here is a copy of the letter to our friends explaining what their present is. Happy Holidays, Amy”
Ho Ho Ho!
We Ho Ho Hope you don’t mind…rather than a traditional holiday gift, we have opted to donate PART of your present to help humankind.
After our trip last holiday season to Cambodia, we witnessed a lifestyle that is very different from our own. Imagine living in a village with no running water, that means no sinks or toilets the electricity comes from car batteries; there is no garage because there is no car; the streets and paths are not even paid! Some villages share a community well is there is one, otherwise they dig a hole and try to harvest the rainfall. Without a well, villagers expose themselves to contaminated water and unhealthy conditions.
We have asked the nonprofit organization, Journeys Within Our Community to build 3 wells in Cambodia. We instructed them to post signs next to these wells saying that the benefactors are “Friends of Gary, Amy and Sachi”. If you would like to learn more about this wonderful program please check out their website: www.journeyswithinourcommunity.org.
In this season of giving, we thank you for this opportunity to help strangers and hope that this spark of kindness will kindle into greater kindnesses. We feel blessed to have you as our friends.
Gratefully Yours,
Gary, Amy and Sachi
December 2008
Here are photos of the Uyemura Family in Cambodia and the wells:
