Today I received permission from my principal to run a fundraiser at school which we are calling: "Change for Babies" I was thinking along the lines of diaper changes, change=money.. okay it was late at night when I came up with the name.. ANYWAY...
Starting tomorrow the classes in my school (38 in all) will begin bringing in "change" (although I assured them dollar bills worked just fine too) to donate to my trip to Tutova Clinic. We will raise funds through October 10 and the class that raises the most money will receive a pizza party from my dear friends, Phil and Nicole of StoneHouse Pizza--the best pizza this side of LeConte! ;-)
I am so excited! Also, Phil and Nicole are hosting a benefit spaghetti dinner on Wednesday, October 8. Spaghetti, 2 breadsticks, and a fountain drink for $7... kids for $5...
Things are really beginning to look up! Oh BTW I also applied for my passport yesterday!!
Woo, woo -- 88 days until I arrive in Romania!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Daughtry Video
A friend of mine (hi, Nicole!) sent me a link to this Daughtry video, "What About Now"
http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1549668&vid=255602
This video/song goes right along with my Romania service project.. check it out!
http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1549668&vid=255602
This video/song goes right along with my Romania service project.. check it out!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Deposit Sent! Yipee!
Just hit the submit button for my initial deposit... unfortunately the fundraising isn't going very well :-( I'm just not sure what more I can do! I have only sold 2 of the window embellishments -- I really thought those would be hot sellers through the local sports teams... guess I was wrong :-(
Just keep praying for me! This trip is so much more important to me than anyone realizes!
Just keep praying for me! This trip is so much more important to me than anyone realizes!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Letters to Former Students
Again.. let me know what you think OR if you would like to contribute and have a book given in your child's name let me know!!
September 18, 2008
Dear Families,
During Christmas break, I will be going to work in a failure to thrive clinic with babies and toddlers in Romania. This has been a lifelong dream! I am so excited about going! The cost of the trip is quite expensive – around $4500. I have been doing fundraising to help offset costs. I would like to talk to you about something special I would like to do.
The children in Tutova Clinic in Romania are placed there for mainly 2 reasons - their families cannot afford to take care of them or their families literally abandon them. The youngest child at the clinic is 1 month old. The oldest is a 6 year old. Typically after the age of 4 the children are moved to another clinic or orphanage. There are only 4 staff members and 1 nurse on duty during day time hours. At night there is typically 1 staff person on duty. At this time there are 26 children at Tutova Clinic. Unfortunately this means unless there are volunteers working at the clinic the children must remain in their cribs with little mental stimulation or adult interaction.
Most of you know how important I feel reading is – children who have the opportunity to explore books and hear stories read aloud from an early age are extremely fortunate. Studies show that language development which occurs before the age of 3 strongly influences later reading success. In addition to purchasing items for the children’s physical needs I would like to purchase several board books – at least one for each child to have as his/her own and several for the clinic to keep even after these children move on.
If you feel that you could donate any amount of money to help me with this effort I would greatly appreciate it. For each $10 donation I will make sure there is a book plate which lists your child as the donor. You can send donations in an envelope labeled “Terri Williams” through your child’s teacher or mail donations to my home address: 1630 Sam McCarter Way, Sevierville, TN 37876. Please make checks payable to me.
Thank you in advance for your support!
*** This is not included in the letter I am sending home with former students BUT my friend Cindy clued me in on this awesome digital scrapbook site which allows you to make mini-books at a relatively reasonable price... What I would really love to do is contact previous volunteers and request pictures of the kids -- then make each child's individual book that they will get to keep forever be a book full of pictures of themselves! One of the most important things about reading is making it relevant to the child -- think about how much your kids love seeing pictures of themselves -- wouldn't a practically indestructible scrapbook be such a cool gift that would stay special forever?!? There are lots of pictures of the kids out there on the web already so I think that part would be easy... just pray that I raise the funds to make this happen!!
September 18, 2008
Dear Families,
During Christmas break, I will be going to work in a failure to thrive clinic with babies and toddlers in Romania. This has been a lifelong dream! I am so excited about going! The cost of the trip is quite expensive – around $4500. I have been doing fundraising to help offset costs. I would like to talk to you about something special I would like to do.
The children in Tutova Clinic in Romania are placed there for mainly 2 reasons - their families cannot afford to take care of them or their families literally abandon them. The youngest child at the clinic is 1 month old. The oldest is a 6 year old. Typically after the age of 4 the children are moved to another clinic or orphanage. There are only 4 staff members and 1 nurse on duty during day time hours. At night there is typically 1 staff person on duty. At this time there are 26 children at Tutova Clinic. Unfortunately this means unless there are volunteers working at the clinic the children must remain in their cribs with little mental stimulation or adult interaction.
Most of you know how important I feel reading is – children who have the opportunity to explore books and hear stories read aloud from an early age are extremely fortunate. Studies show that language development which occurs before the age of 3 strongly influences later reading success. In addition to purchasing items for the children’s physical needs I would like to purchase several board books – at least one for each child to have as his/her own and several for the clinic to keep even after these children move on.
If you feel that you could donate any amount of money to help me with this effort I would greatly appreciate it. For each $10 donation I will make sure there is a book plate which lists your child as the donor. You can send donations in an envelope labeled “Terri Williams” through your child’s teacher or mail donations to my home address: 1630 Sam McCarter Way, Sevierville, TN 37876. Please make checks payable to me.
Thank you in advance for your support!
*** This is not included in the letter I am sending home with former students BUT my friend Cindy clued me in on this awesome digital scrapbook site which allows you to make mini-books at a relatively reasonable price... What I would really love to do is contact previous volunteers and request pictures of the kids -- then make each child's individual book that they will get to keep forever be a book full of pictures of themselves! One of the most important things about reading is making it relevant to the child -- think about how much your kids love seeing pictures of themselves -- wouldn't a practically indestructible scrapbook be such a cool gift that would stay special forever?!? There are lots of pictures of the kids out there on the web already so I think that part would be easy... just pray that I raise the funds to make this happen!!
Donor Letters
Wish me luck! Tomorrow (um, I guess actually today since it is 3:40am LOL) I am mailing out donor letters to friends and family. Here is the letter --let me know what you think!
September 16, 2008
Dear Friends,
As many of you know in December I will be leaving for a 3 week journey to volunteer in a "failure to thrive" clinic in Romania. I am writing this letter in hopes that you can help me fulfill my dream as well as help the children in Romania.
As a young teenager I vividly remember seeing the horrors Romanian children were experiencing in orphanages across their country. At that time I knew that I wanted to do something to help those children. Finally I have the opportunity to do so! Global Volunteers (GV), a non-profit organization, has been sending volunteers to Tutova Clinic for the last several years. Fortunately today the condition of the orphanages, now called "clinics," is no longer quite so bad. One of the main obstacles the Clinic faces is having an adequate number of adults to care for the children living there. The volunteers from GV assist the clinic staff (1 nurse and 4 staff during the day, 1 staff during the night!) in caring for the 26 infants and toddlers currently in their care. The staff have the responsibility of cooking, laundering, and cleaning everything -- including those 26 cloth diapers that need changed every 3 -4 hours! With all of these responsibilities it is virtually impossible for the staff to take the time to cuddle with the babies, read them a book or basically interact at all! This interaction falls to the volunteers. When the volunteers leave the clinic at 4:30 in the afternoon the babies are placed back into their cribs. They remain in their cribs (other than diaper changes) until the volunteers return at 9:00 the next morning! Can you even imagine?
The total cost of this trip is going to be approximately $4500 depending on airfare. In addition to the $4500 I hope to raise additional funds to purchase needed items (cloth diapers, diaper ointment, fresh fruits and veggies) "in country." With airlines charging such outrageous overage fees on baggage I think buying supplies for the clinic upon arrival is a better usage of the money. Luckily there is a Metro store - similar to a Sam's Club - located between the clinic and the area where I will be staying!
I am so excited about this trip! Being able to rock babies and show them 3 weeks of unconditional love is going to be such a blessing! My "baby" (12 year old Emily) is excited for me as well and counting down the years until she can head to Romania to rock babies. If you could donate $25, $50, $100..any amount I can assure you it will be put to good use! I will bring back plenty of pictures and hopefully video to share my experience with all of you!
Love,
Terri McCarter-Williams
1630 Sam McCarter Way
Sevierville, TN 37876
Email: teresamccarter@sevier.org or EmsMomme@gmail.com
September 16, 2008
Dear Friends,
As many of you know in December I will be leaving for a 3 week journey to volunteer in a "failure to thrive" clinic in Romania. I am writing this letter in hopes that you can help me fulfill my dream as well as help the children in Romania.
As a young teenager I vividly remember seeing the horrors Romanian children were experiencing in orphanages across their country. At that time I knew that I wanted to do something to help those children. Finally I have the opportunity to do so! Global Volunteers (GV), a non-profit organization, has been sending volunteers to Tutova Clinic for the last several years. Fortunately today the condition of the orphanages, now called "clinics," is no longer quite so bad. One of the main obstacles the Clinic faces is having an adequate number of adults to care for the children living there. The volunteers from GV assist the clinic staff (1 nurse and 4 staff during the day, 1 staff during the night!) in caring for the 26 infants and toddlers currently in their care. The staff have the responsibility of cooking, laundering, and cleaning everything -- including those 26 cloth diapers that need changed every 3 -4 hours! With all of these responsibilities it is virtually impossible for the staff to take the time to cuddle with the babies, read them a book or basically interact at all! This interaction falls to the volunteers. When the volunteers leave the clinic at 4:30 in the afternoon the babies are placed back into their cribs. They remain in their cribs (other than diaper changes) until the volunteers return at 9:00 the next morning! Can you even imagine?
The total cost of this trip is going to be approximately $4500 depending on airfare. In addition to the $4500 I hope to raise additional funds to purchase needed items (cloth diapers, diaper ointment, fresh fruits and veggies) "in country." With airlines charging such outrageous overage fees on baggage I think buying supplies for the clinic upon arrival is a better usage of the money. Luckily there is a Metro store - similar to a Sam's Club - located between the clinic and the area where I will be staying!
I am so excited about this trip! Being able to rock babies and show them 3 weeks of unconditional love is going to be such a blessing! My "baby" (12 year old Emily) is excited for me as well and counting down the years until she can head to Romania to rock babies. If you could donate $25, $50, $100..any amount I can assure you it will be put to good use! I will bring back plenty of pictures and hopefully video to share my experience with all of you!
Love,
Terri McCarter-Williams
1630 Sam McCarter Way
Sevierville, TN 37876
Email: teresamccarter@sevier.org or EmsMomme@gmail.com
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Slowly but surely...
I feel like for each step I make moving forward to get ready for Romania there are about 3 or 4 things that shove me back... The Kids Night Out idea fell through for the month of October. I didn't get my request in to the school board in time for them to approve my usage of the building. The next meeting isn't until Oct 13. Payment in full is due prior to that :-(
I have been working on another idea... 
What do you think? If you'd like to order just send me an email!! :-)
Ugh, I wish it would let me enlarge the order form even more... I am hoping that a couple of friends will take this to their kids football practices. I am also planning to distribute them to teachers at my school, Emily's school, and hopefully a couple of other schools in the county where I have friends working. Let me know if you guys have any other ideas!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Preparing
I have been talking and thinking about this trip to Romania for quite a while. In January instead of making my many useless resolutions I made a list of 8 things I wanted to accomplish in '08. Volunteering in a Romanian orphanage is the only thing on my list that I remember -- the only thing that has stayed with me throughout the last 8 months. I have been visiting the Global Volunteers website frequently since January. Since I couldn't sleep I decided that it is finally time to get a blog out there and make some concrete plans.
Step One: Create a blog to let everyone know what I am planning
Step Two: Create fundraising flyers
Step Three: Apply for a passport
Step Four: Apply with Global Volunteers
Okay, I think 4 steps is all I will list at the moment because I am starting to feel overwhelmed! LOL
I am getting more excited and more nervous with each decision I make. I spoke with Dr. Williams (the principal at my school) earlier this week about when I am planning to go (December 27). I created some "dummy" fundraising flyers for her to check out and see if I can follow through with my ideas. The money is due in full by October 3. Oh my gosh, truly panicking now... Since I am honestly broke this is becoming a bigger challenge than I originally believed. If worse comes to worse I will take out a loan. I am determined that I am going to work with these children this year!
Oops! I didn't even tell you about the orphanage -- technically it isn't an orphanage. It is called a "failure to thrive clinic" -- officially Tutova Clinic. The children there are not technically orphans or even necessarily abandoned. Most are there because their parents cannot afford to give them the care they need (the average Romanian salary is supposedly around the equivalent of $500 a month). As a volunteer I will get to go in and play with the babies and toddlers EVERY DAY! Woo woo! How's that for fulfilling my dream??
There are some precious youtube videos from previous volunteers -- and a few blogs. (Hm, can I link someone else's youtube video to my blog or do I have to get the creator's permission??) I cannot wait to get there and meet these precious children!
So dear friends, I need your help! If you can make any kind of monetary donation I would greatly appreciate it! If you think I could come speak at your church, civic group, etc, to solicit donations I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me know!
The cost for a 3 weeks volunteer opportunity is around $2800. Airfare is going to be another $3000. And mainly I want to raise enough money to purchase needed supplies for the clinic when I arrive -- diaper ointment, fresh fruits, clothing, bedding, basically anything they feel they need.
One blog I read stated that they brought over $900 along just for supplies! I would love to be able to do that! There is a store nearby the clinic that is similar to a Sam's Club where I can buy loads of goodies. I will keep you updated on fundraising and any info I hear about the kids!
Send up lots of prayers for this venture!
Step One: Create a blog to let everyone know what I am planning
Step Two: Create fundraising flyers
Step Three: Apply for a passport
Step Four: Apply with Global Volunteers
Okay, I think 4 steps is all I will list at the moment because I am starting to feel overwhelmed! LOL
I am getting more excited and more nervous with each decision I make. I spoke with Dr. Williams (the principal at my school) earlier this week about when I am planning to go (December 27). I created some "dummy" fundraising flyers for her to check out and see if I can follow through with my ideas. The money is due in full by October 3. Oh my gosh, truly panicking now... Since I am honestly broke this is becoming a bigger challenge than I originally believed. If worse comes to worse I will take out a loan. I am determined that I am going to work with these children this year!
Oops! I didn't even tell you about the orphanage -- technically it isn't an orphanage. It is called a "failure to thrive clinic" -- officially Tutova Clinic. The children there are not technically orphans or even necessarily abandoned. Most are there because their parents cannot afford to give them the care they need (the average Romanian salary is supposedly around the equivalent of $500 a month). As a volunteer I will get to go in and play with the babies and toddlers EVERY DAY! Woo woo! How's that for fulfilling my dream??
There are some precious youtube videos from previous volunteers -- and a few blogs. (Hm, can I link someone else's youtube video to my blog or do I have to get the creator's permission??) I cannot wait to get there and meet these precious children!
So dear friends, I need your help! If you can make any kind of monetary donation I would greatly appreciate it! If you think I could come speak at your church, civic group, etc, to solicit donations I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me know!
The cost for a 3 weeks volunteer opportunity is around $2800. Airfare is going to be another $3000. And mainly I want to raise enough money to purchase needed supplies for the clinic when I arrive -- diaper ointment, fresh fruits, clothing, bedding, basically anything they feel they need.
One blog I read stated that they brought over $900 along just for supplies! I would love to be able to do that! There is a store nearby the clinic that is similar to a Sam's Club where I can buy loads of goodies. I will keep you updated on fundraising and any info I hear about the kids!
Send up lots of prayers for this venture!
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