In the March newsletter for Sweet Hope I titled the article something different.  I thought Warm Heads, Warm Feet was a little better.

There have been so many people across the country who have expressed interest in helping with the chocolate making, but cannot because really, who wants to fly to Washington state to make candy?  Ok, some of you.

I tried to think of a way that people could help the children in Russia in other ways.  I thought about the most basic thing that the children are lacking, hats and shoes.  My experience with Mirnoe orphanage taught me that many of the children cannot attend school because they do not have shoes.  The weather in Khabarovsk in the winter is so cold that they cannot go out without hats.  It is also a cultural practice that all children must wear hats outside.

When a children’s home only receives 24 cents a day per child to feed and clothe them proper clothing often goes by the wayside.

I know many people who are knitters.  I once knew how to knit (badly).  Knitting a hat is not that difficult, especially when you have one of those circle loom things.  Heck, even the trusty husband could knit a hat with one of those.  So why not appeal to people for hats?  While we’re at it, why not appeal for shoes too.

Sweet Hope is starting an on-going collection of hats (no, you don’t have to knit them) and shoes.  If you find hats and shoes on sale consider picking a few up.  Ship them to us and we will then ship them to a family traveling to Russia.

Why do this?  First, you’ll be helping children get to school.  Life is nothing without a proper education.  Especially for children who will be put on the street at 16 years old.  Second, families traveling for their first visit trips are usually expected to bring donations of items to their orphanage.  Going out to purchase donations is another financial hurdle in the already expensive process of Russian adoption.  By helping families with a portion of their donation they will be that much closer to bringing their child home.  After all, Sweet Hope started as an organization to help adoptive families.

The trusty husband and I will house all of the donation and ship them to the traveling families.  All you have to do is send them to us.  If you would like to donate shoes or hats please email me.  If you are a potential adoptive family preparing for your first (or second) trip to Russia and would like to take shoes and hats email me.

It has always been my goal to make Sweet Hope a totally legit organization.  And now some of you are going, “whoa, I bought stuff from her and she wasn’t legit?”  I assure you, 100% of the proceeds from Sweet Hope goes directly to our cause.  I benefit nothing from this endeavor.  My payment is simply the photographs of the children.  I promise I will share some of those when I get them scanned.  I have a few done, but not all.

What I mean by legit is a fully fledged non-profit business with a 501(c)(3) status.  That would mean that the money you spend on truffles and caramels would be tax deductible.  That’s right!  Buy candy and get a tax deduction.  It’s pretty much win win.

The problem with the full on non-profit is that it is time consuming, difficult and costs money.  Now I could have saved some of the money from our 2009 sales and used that to pay a lawyer to help us get all of this done.  However, I decided that I would send it all.  That leaves us with nothing in the bank for the pursuit of non-profit.

I also have one other small glitch.  I need a board of directors.  They don’t give tax exempt status to sole proprietors so we have to be a corporation.  A corporation needs a board.  A board could be 2 people (me and the trusty husband) but the eventual scope of Sweet Hope is much more than the two of us can do on our own.  I need help.  It isn’t very often that I admit that I need help.  This time I do.

If you have ordered from Sweet Hope in the past you may have received our monthly newsletter that gives a little update on our non-profit status.  Right now there isn’t much to report.  We’ve recruited 2 more people for the board, bringing the total to 4.  We can start with that, but I’d like more.  We also have a grant writer lined up.

All of this is very promising.  The goal is to get the board members together sometime this month to start on the initial formation of the corporation.  There is so much that needs to be hashed out that it could take some time.

I am still recruiting board members.  If you live in the Puget Sound area and would like to be on the board for Sweet Hope email me and let me know.  We need someone with financial skills and someone will legal skills would also be a benefit.  Or, if you know a lawyer who would be willing to donate their services also let me know.  We need one of those too.

There will be more updates to come about an upcoming Sweet Hope project and other fund raising events.

Yesterday morning I was mostly awake from 3:00 a.m. on.  Needless to say, I woke up crabby.  I went about my morning and then I got to the email portion of my day.  This was waiting for me in my inbox.

Dear Lisa and Derek, hello. Today I have sent to your address a package: 2 grateful  letters from Slavjanka and from the director of Orphanage; photos of children and of the doctor, entrance to the building  of Orphanage and things, which have bought: the clothes, footwear, some medical equipment, vacuum cleaner, camera (now director can photograph children per day of their birth and other holidays). Slavjanka (on her money) decided to buy photoalbums and to present to each child, that child collected the photos. And certainly director has bought chocolate and has handed over children. Slavjanka decided to take patronage above this Orphanage and to address to the rich people to help Orphanage. I am a little  ill and I shall be in hospital till February 15. When I shall come home necessarily I shall send e-mail.
With love, Galina

Now I’m trying to ignore that “I’ll be in the hospital” part.  Otherwise the rest is pretty awesome.  It so makes up for waking up at 2:55 a.m.