Thanks so much, Lindsey!
I'll be in the office between 9 AM and 1:30 PM when they lock the doors downstairs.
- Thread starter La Profe_1
- Start date
Make a Difference to a Child
Thanks so much, Lindsey!
I'll be in the office between 9 AM and 1:30 PM when they lock the doors downstairs.
Things are going so well, I am really pleased. Some progress has been made this week!
1. Thank you letters for donations received up to yesterday have been prepared, signed and sent. Some were emailed as scanned digital files. For those for whom I had physical street addresses, letters were mailed on Thursday. They might take a little while, however, depending upon how quickly INPOSDOM operates.
2. We have over $47,000 RD, almost enough for five months, available. That is not promised donations, but money actually in hand.
3. I will be sending emails or PMs to people who indicated that they would donate monthly to get that started for those who have not already done so.
4. Someone has offered to order a growth chart from the US so that Isaida's photo can be taken next to it periodically and the increases easily noted. Hopefully, that will be here before the end of the month.
5. Someone I work with is checking into the possibility of obtaining the medication at a discount. If that works out, the cash will go further, of course. Right now, we are waiting for a response.
6. The Excel sheet has been updated. You can see it here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Donation and Medicine Purchases - Accounting.xls
For people who will be donating monthly, sending a check is an option, but PayPal is really better. I say this because I generally have to be in the US in the summer because my injured leg doesn't handle the summer heat here very well. So, not only the address for sending checks, but the payee would change. The cambio I use in the DR requires that checks less than $1,000 US be made out to the "Banco de Santa Cruz." So, checks sent to me here need to be made out that way and sent to my Business Mail address.
When I am in the US, checks can be made payable to me, but the mailing address changes.
I would have to notify each person which address and payee to use, each time it changed. PayPal, on the other hand, works fine no matter where I am.
I have arranged back-up coverage for the medication purchase for the time I have to be in the US. Receipts will be scanned and emailed to me so that I can post them.
1. Thank you letters for donations received up to yesterday have been prepared, signed and sent. Some were emailed as scanned digital files. For those for whom I had physical street addresses, letters were mailed on Thursday. They might take a little while, however, depending upon how quickly INPOSDOM operates.
2. We have over $47,000 RD, almost enough for five months, available. That is not promised donations, but money actually in hand.
3. I will be sending emails or PMs to people who indicated that they would donate monthly to get that started for those who have not already done so.
4. Someone has offered to order a growth chart from the US so that Isaida's photo can be taken next to it periodically and the increases easily noted. Hopefully, that will be here before the end of the month.
5. Someone I work with is checking into the possibility of obtaining the medication at a discount. If that works out, the cash will go further, of course. Right now, we are waiting for a response.
6. The Excel sheet has been updated. You can see it here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Donation and Medicine Purchases - Accounting.xls
For people who will be donating monthly, sending a check is an option, but PayPal is really better. I say this because I generally have to be in the US in the summer because my injured leg doesn't handle the summer heat here very well. So, not only the address for sending checks, but the payee would change. The cambio I use in the DR requires that checks less than $1,000 US be made out to the "Banco de Santa Cruz." So, checks sent to me here need to be made out that way and sent to my Business Mail address.
When I am in the US, checks can be made payable to me, but the mailing address changes.
I would have to notify each person which address and payee to use, each time it changed. PayPal, on the other hand, works fine no matter where I am.
I have arranged back-up coverage for the medication purchase for the time I have to be in the US. Receipts will be scanned and emailed to me so that I can post them.
La, Profe-
My computer tells me that the Excel document is encrypted and cannot be opened. Am I doing something wrong?
Lindsey
My computer tells me that the Excel document is encrypted and cannot be opened. Am I doing something wrong?
Lindsey
It is not encrypted, but it is locked so that only I can change it.
Let me see if I can download it here.
Edited to add that it downloads and opens fine for me. Do you have Excel on your Mac?
Second Edit: I emailed an unlocked version to you, Lindsey.
Let me see if I can download it here.
Edited to add that it downloads and opens fine for me. Do you have Excel on your Mac?
Second Edit: I emailed an unlocked version to you, Lindsey.
Last edited:
Interesting that you should ask that!
BermudaRum was in my office today and offered to have someone either collect cash from the Cabarete/Sos?a area and bring it to me (a golf buddy, I think).
We also discussed briefly my reluctance to open an account since I would have to declare it on my income tax return to the US Internal Revenue Service. He offered to accept donations in his local account.
BermudaRum was in my office today and offered to have someone either collect cash from the Cabarete/Sos?a area and bring it to me (a golf buddy, I think).
We also discussed briefly my reluctance to open an account since I would have to declare it on my income tax return to the US Internal Revenue Service. He offered to accept donations in his local account.
Thanks, Profe. I downloaded some new software that allows my Mac to open Excel documents. Was able to see the spreadsheet. Looks great.
Thanks for taking on the worthwhile project. Looking forward to seeing the results!
Lindsey
Thanks for taking on the worthwhile project. Looking forward to seeing the results!
Lindsey
Small Update
We have purchased the first two months of medicine for Isaida. The scan of the receipt for the purchase can be seen here:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Receipt - First Purchase of Saizen.PNG
I also updated the Excel sheet. The link is: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Donation and Medicine Purchases - Accounting.xls
Some people have begun to send the second month's donation. I would like to ask everyone to please hold off a week or two. I have a group of university dentists arriving tomorrow and will be working with them for the eight or nine days. I won't have internet access, so won't be able to know about donations or acknowledge them.
Rubio and CBMitch, I did receive your PayPal donations and am sorry not to have acknowledged them. Was in over my head with preparing for the free clinic and with getting customs clearance for the dental equipment, supplies and medication.
At this point, I would ask that no one send donations to the Florida address, I am leaving for the US the second week of July so sending the donations to my Business Mail address would not work very well. Please hold off until I send a general email with an address to use.
Thanks so much, everyone who is working with me on this!
We have purchased the first two months of medicine for Isaida. The scan of the receipt for the purchase can be seen here:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Receipt - First Purchase of Saizen.PNG
I also updated the Excel sheet. The link is: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Donation and Medicine Purchases - Accounting.xls
Some people have begun to send the second month's donation. I would like to ask everyone to please hold off a week or two. I have a group of university dentists arriving tomorrow and will be working with them for the eight or nine days. I won't have internet access, so won't be able to know about donations or acknowledge them.
Rubio and CBMitch, I did receive your PayPal donations and am sorry not to have acknowledged them. Was in over my head with preparing for the free clinic and with getting customs clearance for the dental equipment, supplies and medication.
At this point, I would ask that no one send donations to the Florida address, I am leaving for the US the second week of July so sending the donations to my Business Mail address would not work very well. Please hold off until I send a general email with an address to use.
Thanks so much, everyone who is working with me on this!
Good work la profe_1, I also know a gorgeous little boy from my partners barrio who I believe has the very same condition as this little girl. He is 8/9 years old and is a similar size to most of the 4 year olds in the barrio, but such a lovely boy with a kind heart and beautiful soul. If only we could help all of these little angels! It still distresses me to see such things going on over here. Especially when you know if they lived anywhere else in the world their condition would have been treated long ago.
This is another way to fundraise online:
Raise Money for YOU! How to raise money on your donation website!
Raise Money for YOU! How to raise money on your donation website!
Some people there request funding for most unbelievable things, like this one
Greece or Bust!! by Virginia Kotler - GoFundMe
she wants to go to Greece but has no money, so she asks for them...and people actually send her the money, over $1200 dollars in a week's time!
OK, where do "I" want to travel? Let me think and post a request there...July's coming, I will think of some nice copy, and my next vacation is free...whuah...what a world
Major Update
First of all, I'd like to apologize and explain to the donors that I have not updated in some time because of a death in my family. Because of that, I was in the US for an extended time, and unable to arrange the monthly purchase of the medication.
However, five ampules of the medication have now been purchased for Isaida. The purchase receipts can be viewed here:
1. Purchase of 2 ampules for May and June 2012 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Receipt - First Purchase of Saizen - May-June.PNG
2. Purchase of 1 ampule for July -https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Medication Purchase - July-August.pdf
3. Purchase of 1 ampule for September -
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Medication Purchase September.pdf
At that point, the person I had left checks with to purchase more medication each month was unable to cash them - not sure exactly what was going on at RUSA in Puerto Plata. I was supposed to return in October, so it would not have been an issue, except that the death occurred.
I returned to Puerto Plata on Feb. 25 of this year. Another ampule has been purchased. Unfortunately, the price has increased. The receipt for that purchase can been seen here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Medication Purchase - March 2013.pdf
The first photo of Isaida that I posted can be seen here.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Photo - Isaida age 11.PNG I took a photo of her yesterday and it is here.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Photo - Isaida March, 2013 - Age 12.jpg
Isaida is now twelve years old. As you can see in the photo on the growth chart (thank you, Lindsey Kaufman), she is now exactly four feet tall. Her earlier photo shows her as three feet, eight inches. The five ampules have enabled her to grow four inches! I hope we can help her grow another twelve inches with the growth hormone. If she does, she will be five feet tall. That isn't extremely tall, but is normal. Unfortunately, for girls the growth centers in the long bones begin to close at age fourteen. So, we have two years left to assist her.
I have an Excel spreadsheet listing donations received, in both pesos and dollars. It also contains a running balance of donations and the amount remaining. I have not deducted costs, such as the Pay Pal fees for credit card payments deducted from donations or the cost of telephone calls or trips to pick up donations. Those costs are part of my donation to this project. The spreadsheet can be seen here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Isaida Naomi - Funds Accounting.xls
As you can see, the donations dropped off last summer. I have about $425 left of the original money received. That is enough to purchase her medicine in April, but I don't have enough for May and the following months. Would those people who have promised donations please get in touch with me?
Currently, I am in the DR. Paypal or Caribe Tours are most likely the easiest way to get money to me, unless you happen to live in Puerto Plata. Bermuda Rum had offered the use of his bank account to accept donations from other parts of the DR, but I need to check with him if that is still an option.
If you need PayPal information, please PM me. We are making a difference for Isaida, can we continue to do this job together?
First of all, I'd like to apologize and explain to the donors that I have not updated in some time because of a death in my family. Because of that, I was in the US for an extended time, and unable to arrange the monthly purchase of the medication.
However, five ampules of the medication have now been purchased for Isaida. The purchase receipts can be viewed here:
1. Purchase of 2 ampules for May and June 2012 - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Receipt - First Purchase of Saizen - May-June.PNG
2. Purchase of 1 ampule for July -https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Medication Purchase - July-August.pdf
3. Purchase of 1 ampule for September -
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Medication Purchase September.pdf
At that point, the person I had left checks with to purchase more medication each month was unable to cash them - not sure exactly what was going on at RUSA in Puerto Plata. I was supposed to return in October, so it would not have been an issue, except that the death occurred.
I returned to Puerto Plata on Feb. 25 of this year. Another ampule has been purchased. Unfortunately, the price has increased. The receipt for that purchase can been seen here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Medication Purchase - March 2013.pdf
The first photo of Isaida that I posted can be seen here.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Photo - Isaida age 11.PNG I took a photo of her yesterday and it is here.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Photo - Isaida March, 2013 - Age 12.jpg
Isaida is now twelve years old. As you can see in the photo on the growth chart (thank you, Lindsey Kaufman), she is now exactly four feet tall. Her earlier photo shows her as three feet, eight inches. The five ampules have enabled her to grow four inches! I hope we can help her grow another twelve inches with the growth hormone. If she does, she will be five feet tall. That isn't extremely tall, but is normal. Unfortunately, for girls the growth centers in the long bones begin to close at age fourteen. So, we have two years left to assist her.
I have an Excel spreadsheet listing donations received, in both pesos and dollars. It also contains a running balance of donations and the amount remaining. I have not deducted costs, such as the Pay Pal fees for credit card payments deducted from donations or the cost of telephone calls or trips to pick up donations. Those costs are part of my donation to this project. The spreadsheet can be seen here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25690614/Isaida Naomi - Funds Accounting.xls
As you can see, the donations dropped off last summer. I have about $425 left of the original money received. That is enough to purchase her medicine in April, but I don't have enough for May and the following months. Would those people who have promised donations please get in touch with me?
Currently, I am in the DR. Paypal or Caribe Tours are most likely the easiest way to get money to me, unless you happen to live in Puerto Plata. Bermuda Rum had offered the use of his bank account to accept donations from other parts of the DR, but I need to check with him if that is still an option.
If you need PayPal information, please PM me. We are making a difference for Isaida, can we continue to do this job together?
Hi Profe, The bank option in my name is not available as I moved away from the north coast last year during the time you were away. However, please PM the pay pal details, and I will forward my commitment to you ASAP.
Does the medicine now cost $425 a month? Did I understand that correctly? If so, wow.
Will bring another donation to you within the next couple of weeks, a contribution from my charity group Strength for the Journey.
Thanks for taking care of this. Glad you are back.
Lindsey
Will bring another donation to you within the next couple of weeks, a contribution from my charity group Strength for the Journey.
Thanks for taking care of this. Glad you are back.
Lindsey
La_Profe, I again commend you this undertaking, and for the transparency of your record keeping.
PM me your Paypal info so I can catch up on my pledge.
PM me your Paypal info so I can catch up on my pledge.