The Best of 2008 for An Orphan's Bright Star
1. Partnered with Buckner Foundation to provide nearly 1,000 pair of new shoes to children in 9 orphanages.
2. Partnered with ECO Club of Ukraine to insulate the windows in the Nova Borova Internat for special needs girls and L’viv Orphanage #2, and to install 3 boilers and a refurbished sewing room for Nova Borova.
3. Provided individual Christmas presents for each child at Green Forest Internat thanks to Natalie, her husband, Dana and his students. Each child also received a Christmas card, hand made by the children attending Bea’s children’s school in Madrid.
4. Provide new library books to Green Forest Internat thanks to Lidia.
5. Raised $1,000 for new sports equipment for Green Forest Internat. Special thanks to Bea for this one.
6. Over $1,000 was raised for a critical water supply project at Green Forest Internat thanks to Bea and her friends.
7. Raised money for purchase of 2 ALMA playgrounds at Svalyava and Kremenchuk Baby Houses, with installation scheduled for May 2009.
8. Raised funds and purchased new sewing machines and CD players at Potoki Internat.
9. Successfully launched vocational education programs for 20 teens at 2 orphanages – Green Forest Internat and Potoki Internat. These programs have been very successful - even inspiring, with other students seeking inclusion and motivating the next class of graduates.
10. Worked with Hope Haven to fund and provide custom made wheelchairs for 13 children.
11. Partnered with Friends of Svieta (svieta.org) to transport 2 children to Kiev for life-saving surgery, and to supply the Nikolajev Orphanage with Montessori educational items.
12. Purchased and raised money to ship 2 Bye Bye Buggies to Svalyava and Kremenchuk Baby Houses, as well as to provide each home with 2 quad-strollers.
13. Raised $1,100 for flood relief for the Nadvirna Baby Orphanage. Money was used to replace beds ruined in the flooding. Were happy to report projects successfully completed in this home organized by Lindsey and her Canadian partners to provide carpeting, toys, books, and clothing for Nadvirna.
14. Held a successful food booth at the LifeLite Music Festival in Sioux Falls, SD over the Labor Day weekend, raising $1,165 for OBS projects. Special thanks to Joan and her husband for their extensive work which made this possible.
15. Officially added two new sponsored orphanages: Green Forest Internat & Makiivka AIDS-HIV Orphanage.
16. Were featured in the June 2008 edition of the Trinity University AlumNet newsletter.
17. Partnered with Roman at Meest Boston to ship shoes, coats and numerous other items to Ukraine at a discounted rate, and with arrival in less than 6 weeks.
18. Participated in the Ukrainian Angels reunion, providing OBS packets for all in attendance.
19. Began ongoing support to provide medication and neurological medical services for Makiivka AIDS-HIV orphanage. Thanks again, Dana!
20. Received over $1,500 in matching donations and corporate giving from Wachovia and Verizon thanks to Crystal and Jenny.
21. Traveled to Ukraine multiple times obtaining photo feedback, needs information and to further develop our ongoing relationship with the orphanage staff. Trips were made by Jamie to Svalyava, Carolyn to Potoki, and Pascal and Vika to Makiivka AIDS-HIV.
22. Continued participation in iGive.com, Amazon.com and Amazon.uk associate programs, and with Goodsearch.com bringing in hundreds for the benefit of our organization.
23. Deployed a new web site for the organization, and continue to receive ongoing support for its maintenance through Todd with WebHeads, Inc.
24. Visited with the women in the Alpha Chi Lamda sorority at Trinity University to discuss OBS projects in preparation for a dorm storm by the group which totaled over $450 in donations.
25. Made it to Hollywood with our logo prominently displayed in scenes of the CW Network television show “Privileged”.
26. Accepted as a ModestNeeds.org organization, enabling the group to raise funds for US-based needs up to $5,000.
27. Were the proud recipients of over $1,300 donated by nine year olds, Domenick and Frank Ciminiello, who sponsored a birthday party fundraiser for An Orphan’s Bright Star.
28. Received over $360 for the playground project from an Eagles breakfast fundraiser organized by Kennita.
29. Continued our successful eBay and Box Tops programs deftly managed by Vicki, Ali and Joan.
30. Successfully registered as a charitable corporation in every state of the US, with the exception of Georgia and Michigan. Special thanks to the members who were willing to serve as registered agents for OBS as required by the states.
31. Enjoyed the successful delivery of a container filled with over $20,000 worth of medical supplies to Ukraine thanks to the collaborative efforts of OBS, John Kachelmann and Medshare.
32. Established an extensive presence on Facebook, with a membership to date of 912 individuals, raising $460 thus far for the Nova Borova Commercial Dryer project.
33. Provided Nova Borova Internat with numerous boxes of sewing, embroidery and other craft supplies per their request for these desperately needed items. Thanks Joan, Mary and to Dana and his students.