Here's a Vote We Can All Agree On

A couple of wonderful friends of mine are on the board of Ethiopian Orphan Relief, a group dedicated to improving the conditions for the children who remain in Ethiopia. We privileged to be a donor for EOR and the work they do is amazing.

They are competing for a Classy Award in the category of Most Innovative Use of Social Media By A Charity. Please take a minute and pop over to the
Classy Awards website
and scroll down to
"Most Innovate Use of Social Media By a Charity"
and vote for them.

Here's more about the project:

Ethiopian Orphan Relief’s Project Gena Makes Holidays Merry

Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. launched the Project Gena 2010 campaign in September of 2010 through various social media platforms. Supporters were asked to make Christmas merry for a child in Ethiopia by filling a backpack. In a 3 month window, 156 backpacks were stuffed and shipped to the orphans of Children’s Heaven and Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (two of the 5 orphan care centers EOR serves).

While the primary goal of Ethiopian Orphan Relief is to to ensure that every child in Ethiopia has a warm bed, a loving influence, and sufficient education to better their lives. EOR’s focus on infrastructure (facilities, meal programs, health clinics, etc) sometimes makes it difficult for donors to feel connected to the orphans we serve. Sending backpacks filled with toys, clothes, school supplies, and letters gave donors an opportunity to connect with the children in a very immediate way. While the logistics of transporting the backpacks to Ethiopia (no direct shipping means that we rely on travelers to bring our donations to Ethiopia) made it impossible to send backpacks to every orphan care center we serve, there was no end to the support and enthusiasm for this project. Ethiopian Orphan Relief, like Edmund Burke, believes, “Nobody made a greater mistake than one who did nothing because he could do little.”

Project Gena 2010 made it possible for even small-scale donors to make an impact, and as a result, these donors felt more invested in the work of Ethiopian Orphan Relief, increasing the likelihood that they would give again during the year. We kick off Project Gena 2011 in August of this year. It will be annual event, bringing joy to people on 2 continents. Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. appreciates all of its donors, both big and small. Every gift is a generous one, no matter the size.