One Week, Baby
December 27th, 2007
I know. It’s like, Ok, we get it. You’re going to India. Would you just leave already and stop yapping about it?
Some people have even assumed I’d already gone and come back. In fact, cousin Suzanne asked the very thing at Christmas dinner. (Ahem…maybe a little less PerezHilton and a little more JoannVolunteers, Suzie?) But this is also the cousin who turned to a young Polish guest at the dinner table and asked, apropos of absolutely nothing, “Do you shave lines in your eyebrows like Soulja Boy? (He blinked back at her. None of us knew how to say “soulja” in Polish).
Anyway. Back to the point, yes? Yes!
So, looking back at this strange fundraising experiment, I have to say I’m totally in awe. That I was able to raise over $2,900 largely by selling donated odds and ends? That’s kinda crazy, if you think about it. So many of your generous monetary donations gave me a huge boost; but a bulk of the funds came from the slow, steady sale of housestuffs and furniture in the $10 to $50 range. It was a lot of work. It got annoying — fast. And I got some funny looks from people when I explained how (and why) I was raising the money that way. But I’m a believer in this method — so many people were able to clear their homes, offices and basements of accumulating, energy-sucking junk for a good cause. It’s a positive exchange of energy, really. I think it’s totally cool. And, as many potential “customers” flaked on a purchase or didn’t show up to look at the item they were desperately interested in on e-mail, it was really fun when you’d meet someone who was so thrilled to find the (fill in the blank) they had been searching far and wide for.
I mean, really. Who knew someone was actually on the hunt for a large, purple fleece cloak with decorative trimming?
So, thank you all. I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help — and especially without my mother and my sister playing the roles of my sales associates in New Jersey and New York. They really jumped in when I needed them.
So, if all goes technologically as planned, I’ll be posting some dispatches over the two weeks and hopefully photo and video, too. If it doesn’t go as smoothly, or if time doesn’t really allow for it, I’ll post it on my return. (If you don’t already know about this site, check it out. It’s fantastic. And it’ll give you some idea of how this will work. www.WhereTheHellIsMatt.com)
*An important note about any items not yet sold. Most have, indeed moved (a fact my father and his basement are thrilled about). The plan is thus: any items sold between now and next week go toward (more) gifts and supplies for the children. When I come back, I’ll do a final push for what’s left and send that to one of Global Volunteers’ projects. If it doesn’t sell, I’ll donate what’s appropriate to Salvation Army.
