Fundraising for Togo Orphanage

[bikinigirl]

OK peoples.

As most of you will know, one of members - Fishsdad - spent a couple of months volunteering in an Orphanage in Lome, Togo recently. He even had the kids singing songs (in French) about the Mariners youtube.com/watch?v=pG2UGc4zU7A

These kids love their football but their 'equipment' is lacking and we had a thought ... 'well if one bloke can donate a couple of months of time and effort - surely the rest of us could donate a little too'. Through one of our dedicated fans, these kids have already shown a passion for the Mariners so lets show them some compassion in return and really give them something to sing about!

As mentioned in the 'Mariners stuff ...' thread (http://www.ccmfans.net/community/threads/mariner-stuff-not-worthy-of-a-whole-thread.5672/page-2) the Club are willing to support our efforts as are the OSC. I cornered Tyson (from the Mariners office) at the pre-match function yesterday and he mentioned this drive and referred people to this ccmfans forum - so lets see what we can do.

As we all experienced last night ... a fast game is a good game, so lets see if we can get a 'care package' together quickly ... our next home game (vs Sydney on 31st October) is a target I would like to hit. Logistics is the one big issue and one that will require a bit of 'off the board' coordination between a few of us ... if anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.

All donations of funds (and some light goods) would all be greatly appreciated. Hopefully Fishsdad will be on shortly to clarify what we should try to include in anything we send.

Thanks Guys.

 

[Wombat]

Great work BG.
I pledge $50 and a cap and polo.
Let me know when you want them.
Cheers

 

[bikinigirl]

Great work BG.
I pledge $50 and a cap and polo.
Let me know when you want them.
Cheers

. thanks Wombat. I managed to catch up with Fishsdad at half time (near the merch tent) for a quick chat ... he may try to contact you soon re. a certain East Gosford based business

. i also took a generous donation from rbakersmith in the kendall pre-match (the response from the rest of the crowd there was somewhat underwhelming) ... but we are underway, hopefully we can build quickly

. i'll need to push a few people to get the word out i think

 

[ChosenChaos]

Maybe if we can get the video of the kids singing up on the big screen at CCS before the Sydney match and have people doing the rounds with collection buckets at half time and post-match, that might get a better response.

 

[Wombat]

OK. Anyone that donates $100 can have a FREE 1 hour massage at East Gosford Thai Massage (we are the best on the coast). We normally charge $70 so in effect you are only donating $30, doing a lovely think to help these poor kids and getting a very enjoyable experience and helping your body.

I cap it at the first 10 x $100 donations.

BG, let me know how many Gift Certificates you need.

Christmas is just around the corner so those Gift Vouchers will be very well received by your partners.

 

[bikinigirl]

OK. Anyone that donates $100 can have a FREE 1 hour massage at East Gosford Thai Massage (we are the best on the coast). We normally charge $70 so in effect you are only donating $30, doing a lovely think to help these poor kids and getting a very enjoyable experience and helping your body.

I cap it at the first 10 x $100 donations.

BG, let me know how many Gift Certificates you need.

Christmas is just around the corner so those Gift Vouchers will be very well received by your partners.

. maaaaate ... that is beyond generous - hopefully your generosity is rewarded by a big upswing in business

. my suggestion would be the first 10 to commit on here (i.e. forum members - new or old)

. i'll chuck in a $100 to get things started but i will forego the massage so that others may benefit

 

[Atomic]

It's a very generous offer, wombat. Put me down for $100. I'm going to take up the offer of the free massage as I've been meaning to get one for a while now. I will, however, be leaving your business a generous tip to show my gratitude

 

[Wombat]

It's a very generous offer, wombat. Put me down for $100. I'm going to take up the offer of the free massage as I've been meaning to get one for a while now. I will, however, be leaving your business a generous tip to show my gratitude

Thanks mate. Tip the therapist, they will be delighted.

Make a booking prior as they sometimes book out.

 

[Wombat]

. maaaaate ... that is beyond generous - hopefully your generosity is rewarded by a big upswing in business

. my suggestion would be the first 10 to commit on here (i.e. forum members - new or old)

. i'll chuck in a $100 to get things started but i will forego the massage so that others may benefit

Thats a nice gesture but i'd like you to have the massage (dont worry I wont be massaging you!). The girls really are great and 40% of our customers are women.

 

[Fishsdad]

I've said it before - your folks are legends! BG, thanks for all the work you're doing on this (having chatted with you, I know you have been VERY active). Wombat, your generosity is fantastic - put me down for a $100 gift cert.

What to donate:
BG and I agreed that if anyone wanted to donate actual goods, it would be great if they were light - the costs of shipping are weight driven and are very high.

In terms of what the orphanage could use, I have to be honest and say the one thing they have plenty of is clothing - because people are happy to donate old clothes, but time or money is more difficult. But I know that the kids would absolutely love Mariner's jerseys and caps, and any balls, whether they be footballs or just for throwing around. Tyson of the Mariners has pledged help with merchandise (thanks Tyson!). They have kids from a few months to 15/16 years (birth dates are not known for some of them) so a range of sizes of jerseys would be fantastic. They'll go crazy for this stuff - they don't get many things for 'amusement'.

'Çash is king'- I'm sure everyone knows the saying, and it certainly applies to the orphanage. There are many orphanages in Togo, but this one is unusual in that they take babies, and the expense is staggering. Medicines, medical care, nappies (they always run out, and with 8 kids in nappies you can imagine the result) all cost a lot, not to mention rent! There is a full time staff member, a lovely lady named Agnes, but she doesn't actually get paid very often! I really don't like asking for cash, but it is by far the most sensible thing to send if we want to help.

Where to donate?
BG, am I correct in understanding you will ask Tyson if people can drop things at the Mariners office in Tuggerah? And Wombat, are you happy to receive goods at EAST GOSFORD THAI MASSAGE (near Michael's restaurant and a few doors from the Elanora Hotel?)

Wombat, your business is not open at the times I drive past (I'm a Sydney commuter), but it would be great to speak to you offline. You can get my email from BG if you two are in contact, or from the MODS.

I am knocked out by everyone that has put up their hand to help - merci beaucoup on behalf of les enfants de l'orphelinat (the orphanage kids!)

 

[Wombat]

Hi FD

The shop opens at 10am and shuts at 8pm. People are very welcome to make donations at the shop.
I will let all the girls know what is going on.

Enjoy your massage.

I will pm you my mobile.

 

[true believer]

Maybe if we can get the video of the kids singing up on the big screen at CCS before the Sydney match and have people doing the rounds with collection buckets at half time and post-match, that might get a better response.

outstanding idea

 

[true believer]

Great work BG.
I pledge $50 and a cap and polo.
Let me know when you want them.
Cheers

BG

it's a great idea the collection is on for the Sydney game .
im happy to go a yellow one as well

but what else do you want / need ?
what do you want people to do ?

maybe a job things list .

I showed missus TB the clip and said . would you hang a flier up at the after school centre ?

if some genius could come up with something I could probably get it put up .

 

[bikinigirl]

Maybe if we can get the video of the kids singing up on the big screen at CCS before the Sydney match and have people doing the rounds with collection buckets at half time and post-match, that might get a better response.

. re. the video i will ask at MarinersHQ when i drop in next ... but i don't fancy our chances

. i believe each of the Band, YA & OSC have each tried and failed to get 'air-time' mainly due to tight restrictions and protocols imposed by FFA/Fox ... it won't hurt to ask though

. as for the collection idea, please refer to my next post

 

[bikinigirl]

BG

it's a great idea the collection is on for the Sydney game .
im happy to go a yellow one as well

but what else do you want / need ?
what do you want people to do ?

maybe a job things list .

I showed missus TB the clip and said . would you hang a flier up at the after school centre ?

if some genius could come up with something I could probably get it put .

. not that i think it is a bad thing, but this is starting to get beyond my expertise

. i'm happy to do a bit of running around, etc ... but organising other people is not really my thing

. i probably need to have more discussions with Fishsdad as to what we can and should be doing ... but in the meantime i think it is just a matter of getting the word out - i can collect contributions in the kendall pre-match and again at half-time (you can all run your own collections towards that if it suits)

 

[Wombat]

I was at Mariners HQ today and offered money for the fundraising for the orphanage and they didn't have a clue what i was talking about (lucky i went to buy a singlet and thongs).
Looks like we will have to drive it all from this website and already some people have been massively generous.

 

[bikinigirl]

. apologies for any confusion ... at this stage i have only spoken to the Mariners about their merchandise offer (very preliminary discussions with Tyson)

. when i get the chance i will talk to them further but there are a couple of other people i need to coordinate with first

. hopefully by the start of next week i will have a clear idea of where we are heading and how we might get there

. i will post up as i learn more

 

[bikinigirl]

. ok guys, i have just visited our lovely Wombat and he will be given me some voucher for the massages to sell, but i need some definitely numbers.

. i will be at Sidelines in Erina for the away game this weekend and will have them with me for collection.

. also the great man that he is, has also given me a very nice cash donation as well

. i have spoken with Tyson today and he states that they will NOT be taking any donation at the club , as this could become a very awkward thing for them to organise and manage.

. i now have to wait for Carly from the Mariners to return to work to sit down and see what the Mariners can do for us which maybe in a weeks time.

. so that is all i have at the moment

EDIT: Corrected location above ... sorry the rev-head side of my brain had temporarily taken over and got the name wrong

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

As someone who doesn't live in Gosford is there any way to donate? I would love to but can understand if it's too difficult to organise.

 

[Wombat]

You could send a money order (buy from post office) to the shop and i will give to Bikini Girl. Or you can PM your details and i can put it through the shop EFTPOS?

East Gosford Thai Massage
Shop 2
29 Victoria St
East Gosford NSW 2250

Or Fish's dad or BG may have another solution.

Regardless, thanks for your support.