The Shine On Project Recap and Thanks
Hello!
I am SO EXCITED to say that the Shine On Project has come to a close... and in three short months -- we brought in nearly
$15,000!!!
When I started this project a little over three months ago, I had hopes of maybe raising $2,000 -- and our amazing community blew that away! This means that about 800 new solar powered headlamps will be given to refugees in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda!
Refugees who are living in darkness without electricty will be able to walk safely at night, use less toxic and dangerous fuels in their homes, use lights to farm, sew and read! These small lights will have a large impact!
I may have started this project and been the "mouthpiece" (that's my dad's favorite knick-name for me) but I certainly do not feel like this is "MY" project anymore! It is the product of an amazing community!
THANK YOU: I had a lot of great friends do a lot of hard work. Wonderful Karla worked tirelessly to get us some major press coverage. My dear friend Adrienne taught a donation-based yoga class and raised $800! My friends Kassi, Laura and Nathan each had small private fundraising parties. They put a lot of time and energy into those parties and raised a lot of money! My good friend Darbiene asked all of her friends to donate in lieu of birthday gifts. She was an avid supporter - always checking in to see how "we" were doing -- and making homemade thank-you ornaments for her friends who donated! Just amazing. My friends Sarah, Kaha, Melissa, Nora, Paul and Amy all blasted their social media and contact lists. Tracy shared a photo a day for 12 days teaching others about the project. My friend Laura connected me with a fundraiser night at a local store - and her husband Brad and his company Tradition acted as a main sponsor.
Also - a special thank you to the good folks at American Refugee Committee. My project added hours of work for Jenna, Beth, Chris and Jon. They were so encouraging and wonderful to work with. And thank you to Kevin Kuster and Watts of Love for supporting this project and giving us access to their solar powered headlamps!
So many blessings have come from this project.
I've been able to witness the selfless, good-hearted intentions of so many wonderful people in my community. It was a joy to see my friends be supported by their friends. It really is a testament to their characters and our community! So much positive energy and good will!
There was also a large amount of donations that came from people around the world who learned about the project through social media channels and Kare 11 news coverage. I would like to say thank you to all who contributed! You are also a large part of this!
I hope to someday share some follow up stories about the lights being put into action in Uganda! I know there is ARC staff gearing up to travel there soon with several boxes of lights!
As far as the Shine On Project goes... it is closed for now. I am going to take some time to think about what to do next! Keep it going?! Start something new!?! It has been so much fun!
Thank you so much for supporting my project & helping refugees in Uganda.