In the last week

It has been one week since the Campaign kicked off and we've raised $4,782, which includes the corporate match. Thank you to the twelve donors who have stepped forward so far to say, "We Can Do This!" We've received donations from people I don't know, which means the message has spread beyond my own personal community. That is fantastic! That's the whole idea behind this internet-driven campaign.

Ninety-four people have joined the "Yes We Can Van Campaign" Facebook Group. The support is great and I'm trying to figure out how to leverage this membership into donation dollars, since a large number of members are international. That is, it's not as simple as filling out the online donation form.

Keep spreading the good word because each day the family still cannot fit in the same car.

Day 1: Networking and Facebook

After Day 1 of the Campaign, $3,050 has been raised. Thank you to those who got us going (you can see their names on the donor list on the right side)!

To give you an idea of the power of networking, I heard from a woman who received the Campaign Email and then forwarded it to a certain group of friends, who will send it onto their friends. Then she decided to send it to another circle of people, who will also forward it on, who will then forward it on and so forth. And along the way each person is a possibility for giving.

Here's another example: I created a Facebook Group in the name of the "Yes We Can Van Campaign." I invited my Facebook friends to join. As of date, there are 23 members of the group. Of the 23 members, 9 are people I never invited - others did. That's 40% of the group! And it's all from networking. So if you're on Facebook, thanks for joining the group. Would you consider donating at http://yeswecanvancampaign.blogspot.com/.

GBMI Makes Early Donation

Within 15 minutes of the Campaign email being distributed, George Bakalov Ministries International made a donation. The goal must have really resonated with that organization. Thank you GBMI for your gift!

Photographer donates time and talent

When I asked In His Image Photography to donate their time and talent to take pictures for the Campaign, their response was, "Tell me where and when." It would be hard to start a campaign without good images, right, in this age of media. Well, thanks to In His Image Photography, you can see Lorraine's family. Click here to view the slideshow.

Software company pledges matching gift

Thank you to Good Steward Software, a State College-based software publisher for making a powerful pledge to the Campaign. GSS will match every dollar that is donated, up to $7,500. And to start things off, GSS has given $2,500, which is the first financial gift. We look forward to watching this grow!

Help On Making An Online Donation

Thank you for getting help on making an online donation. Here are step-by-step instructions to keep your donation quick and easy:

Step 1: Click on Donate Button




Step 2: Fill in Donation Amount and click "Update Total."




Step 3: If you don't have a Paypal account, Click Continue. If you do have a Paypal account, Log in to your account.




Step 4: Fill in credit card information and click "Review Donation and Continue."




Step 5: Make Donation by clicking "Donate $ Amount Now."




Step 6: After making the donation, you'll receive a receipt in your email inbox from Paypal and a tax-exempt receipt from Current3.

Now that you understand how to donate using Paypal, why not donate now? Thank you! Can we do this? Yes We Can!