Project Update
790 words by agoins
I am almost finished with my project. I met with the youth minister of the Hattiesburg group who is going on the trip to Mexico in a few weeks. I asked her what kinds of items she was most in need of. She told me that she needed more suitcases and medicine. She said that her group has already collected a lot of clothes and they are not really in need of anymore.
I have made signs and decorated boxes to collect items to send to Saltillo, Mexico. I decorated cardboard boxes in colorful wrapping paper so they would be colorful and get attention. I placed flyers explaining my project and the decorated boxes around my small town of Poplarville, MS so the community could donate to my cause. At first I was going to leave them out the week before the youth group left but I did not think it would be enough time to advertise and it would not give the community enough time to donate. I have decided to leave them out for a couple of weeks so people will have a larger span of time to donate. I have been randomly been collecting the boxes when they get full and setting out new ones. I have collected more junk than I would have liked to. I was hoping to send only medication and suitcases to Mexico, but people have been donating old clothes and other random things that they are not using anymore. I have to call the church that I am sending the goods that I collect to. I need to see if they will be willing to take the clothing that people have donated. I do not think that they are in serious need of clothes, so I may donate them to Good Will.
Friday I will pick up the items that I have collected from all of the places that I put boxes. I will have to drive all of the boxes of items that I collect to a church Hattiesburg, Mississippi Friday. This church is the headquarters where the youth groups that are going on the trip gather for meetings prior to the mission trip. The youth will sort the items and pack them in boxes and bags the weekend before they leave. I believe the youth are sorting the items Saturday so I have to leave early Friday to bring them my boxes. I have a small car so I will have to get my friend to deliver the items. He has a truck so I should only have to make one trip instead of several trips in my car.
I am so grateful to all that have helped me. I am planning to send letters thanking the business owners for letting me use their stores as donation centers. I have requested for the youth group who will be traveling to Saltillo in a few weeks to do be a favor. I asked for them to take pictures of the goods being given out and to take pictures of the grateful recipients of these goods. When I receive their pictures, I will then send the photos to the business owners who permitted me to put my donation boxes in their stores. I wanted to make a scrapbook but I do not see how I will be able to make scrapbooks for about fifteen different stores. I think I may make a certificate or card thanking them and put the picture in the center. I want it to look nice but not be too time consuming to make. I also want the business owners to be able to display it if they desire to. I know a lot of business owners pride themselves in their community service and display gifts from those that they have made donations to like little league teams and such.
I hope that I can continue doing this each year. I was told by the youth minister at Sacred Heart in Laurel, MS that each year they get plenty of clothing and cash donations, but they are always in need of medicine and toiletries. I will have to remember this for the future in case I am ever able to do this again.
I want to continue to do this. I have heard the best stories from youth mission trips to Saltillo. I was blessed to go on the trip last summer. It was an experience. I was touched to see how grateful all of the citizens there were. I will always support this cause. I think it is wonderful.
Thanks all of you who have helped me with designing posters and boxes and setting up. A special thanks to the business owners who have been so helpful.
July 8th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Your project has taken a complete 180 degree turn from your original idea of getting donated fish dinners and selling them to your community as a way to raise money for the much needed Big Brother/ Big Sister program in Poplarville. I guess I can understand how plans can change due to the lack of resources or lack of organizations (resturants) willing to donate to the cause because they need to make money for themselves. It just sucks a bit because this new plan has nothing to do with the Big Brother/ Big Sister program which I thought was an awesome idea to start out with. Anyways it seems that this new project of donating suitcases and medicine is becoming a problem as well because your getting more things that you don’t need rather than things that you do need. Maybe you could go around to local stores such as Goodwill and Walmart and ask for donations in suitcases and carrying luggage that way you would be sure to get exactly what you need. Getting medicine is going to be tricky because if a random purpose gives it to you it could be contaminated and getting it donated is even harder because the amount of medicine in the area is low enough already. Your new project seems to present more problems than your last idea but I know you’ll figure it out and make it work in the end. Don’t give up!
July 13th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
I was really looking forward to having all my friends help me to prepare a benefit meal. I love to cook but I had problems getting the resources that I needed. The whole resturant catering thing was probablly a bad idea because I would not have made nearly the profit that I originally would have. I have still been in touch with the couple who runs the organization that I would have worked with. They thought that it was a great idea and are interested in starting a Big Brother/Big Sister prgram. I actually donated all of the stuff that I didn’t need to send to Mexico to Goodwill. Maybe they can make some money off of it. I only accepted medicine that was still sealed. It has already been sent off. The group in in Mexico this week.
July 15th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
Wow you are actually almost done! Good job! I guess I do not need to leave any suggestion for you since it seems like you got your project in the bag. Well keep up the good work.
July 17th, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Hi, I see you changed from your original idea and maybe that was a good choice because this idea seems to have worked out really well. I know that you have received far more goods than you asked for but that was good. I’m sure you can find an organization to which you can give the other items to. Congratulations on completing your project and making it successful!!
July 17th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
It sounds like you have everything under control and I applaud your enthusiasm. I noticed that you had made a post saying that everything had been sent already. This is just an idea of you plan to do this again…I am not sure how much in need of medicine they are, but I use to intern at a surgeons office in New Orleans East and he was originally from Cuba. Every few years he would go back and being that he was a doctor he became partial to the hospitals and pharmacy facilities that his home town lacked. For weeks at a time before he would leave he would go around to all of the doctor’s offices’ in the area and ask them to donate any medicine that they had received form pharmaceutical companies or that they were no longer using. I now this sounds horrible but the facilities that he donated the medicine to were so desperate that they were accepting expired medications as well! On the last trip he took 12 huge duffel bags of medicine. Some of them were donated directly form the pharmaceutical company. It would be worth a shot to look into something like this the next time they go on a mission trip! Great Job on your project!
July 17th, 2006 at 2:25 pm
I see that you have had to make some minor changes to your project for the original game plan that you had first advertised in your My Project of Week Three. In my opinion I feel that the changes are only for the best since you were unable to do the fish dinners that you had proposed previously i think that this idea is just as good with less expenses. I also think you have an advantage by you living in a small town you have better communication with the people in your community therefore you can get your message out there quicker and give it time to spread therefore you will recieve more donations and support with your project. I also see that you have recieved even more stuff than what you asked for just look at it as a blessing what another man’s trash is someone’s treasure so even though they didnt’ need clothing someone might. Especially in Mexico, I want to commend you on your changes and wish you the best of luck in the future
July 18th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Nicole’s story of the doctor who sent expired medicine shows how desperate some people are for medical help.. I am glad that someone else is aware of this issue. I never thought to go to pharmacies and ask for samples. I thought there would be some legal issues with that but if it worked for him, I guess I could try that. Thank you all for your remarks. I am so relieved to be done with my project.
July 19th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
YOUR PROJECT SOUNDS REALLY WELL THOUGHT-OUT AND ORGANIZED. THIS ALSO SEEMS LIKE AN ISSUE YOUR PASSIONATE ABOUT! I SAY THAT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO A TOPIC OR AN ISSUE IM REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT OR THAT I REALLY CARE ABOUT I GIVE MY ALL AND OFTEN TIMES GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH THIS PROJECT. MY ONLY SUGGESTION TO YOU IS THAT EVEN AFTER YOUR PROJECT REQUIREMENTS ARE MET FOR THEOLOGY, CONTINUE WORKING WITH THIS ORGANIZATION. IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY BENEFICIAL TO ALL PARTIES INVOLVED! HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!!
~~KAMMS~~
July 20th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Thanks for the compliment. I have become very passionate about this since my visit to Mexico last summer. I never really realized how big of a problem poverty is all around the world until I got to witness it for myself. Americans never see the people starving in other countries so they don’t worry about it so much. I never really new too much about foreign poverty issues before I went to Mexico. I new they existed but i never realized just how bad they were. I will definitly keep working with the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi and thier missionary work in Mexcio.
July 25th, 2006 at 6:59 pm
Great Job! I see that you changed your project around like most people but that did not discourage you and you stilll made a huge difference. Your project impacted people internationally, many people can’t say that. I hope you continue to do this and I hope you have more success with your project.
July 31st, 2006 at 4:51 pm
Awww it sounds like your project went along great. I love your idea to thank the business owners I’m sure they’ll love to see the pictures of what their generousity did. =)
August 1st, 2006 at 12:19 pm
Your project has changed slightly but you are still making a huge difference. This is the most hands on project I have ever had to do. You really have to change things to be successful with the implementation. What makes your project a true success is that you really enjoy doing what you are doing. It is great that you are donating needed supplies to Saltillo, Mexico. I could see you traveling to the countries one day on mission trips and helping with the needs of the people. It looks like you are going to continue with the implementation of this project and I think that that’s wonderful.
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:24 am
Really good job on your project. It’s great to hear that you are almost done with it! I can see that you did change your project but you are still making a hugemous difference. I can see that you have done a lot hard work on your project and actually making a difference for Saltillo, Mexico. I hope people appreciate all the work you have done for them. Good luck and keep it up!
August 3rd, 2006 at 1:47 am
Good job on being able to adapt to society’s changing needs and able to still help out but in a different way. This happens alot in the world but most people give up but you didn’t and adapted…Great Job!
August 3rd, 2006 at 8:56 am
Thank you all for your nice comments. Congratulations to you all on finishing your projects as well!