WE DID IT!

With your help, I raised over $3,500 (!!) towards our inaugural Access to Success trip!!! Thanks SO much for all of your support — financially, mentally, emotionally, physically. Once again, I am overwhelmed by your generosity.

I'll be switching my focus now from this blog to the trip blog on the Access to Success site. Some of our six team members have already begun to share their pre-trip hopes for the trip, and we will be blogging daily our activities in Benin City and Lagos, Nigeria starting on June 27. Come on over...

AND AGAIN... THANKS!

TRIPLE DIGITS!!!

Thanks to the generosity of SO many friends and family, I now only need to raise $957.50 to meet my fundraising goal of $3,500!!

We leave for Nigeria in just over 26 days (AHHHH!!!) and have so many things to get accomplished before we board the plane. The team is busy preparing a children's program, planning the itinerary and looking forward to seeing old friends and making lots of new connections that will be the foundation of A2S Nigeria in the future.

Sometimes what we are doing is overwhelming, and we certainly can't save the world in 10 days, but I can't wait to get to Nigeria again and make even the slightest bit of progress. Thanks for your contributions, and please know you are a part of this process!

The team will be blogging our experiences over on a2sfoundation.org and a couple of our team members have already shared their post-trip expectations. If we are lucky like last time, we will have a computer and internet access throughout the trip, so should pretty much be able to update the blog daily.

And don't forget, I still need to raise $957, so if you HAVEN'T given or are able to give more, that'd be AWESOME.

love you all!

Tipping $2,000!

I made it to $2,000!!! Thanks so much to all those who have contributed... no matter HOW great or small, your donations are GREATLY appreciated! To date, I only have $1,457.50 left to raise!

If you haven't yet contributed, and you think you might like to, use the secure paypal link on the left <<<<------- or mail a check to my attention at Davidson College, Box 7158 Davidson, NC 28035 (addressed to Samaritan's Feet w/my name in the memo line).

As we prepare for our trip (48 days and counting!), we have had two trip meetings so far. Our first meeting was mostly a chance for us to get to know each other, with myself, Andrew and Claire taking the call from my office and conferencing in with Morgan and Eloise in DC. On the second call, we processed our Nigerian visa applications. Today, Andrew and I are headed to the Samaritan's Feet office in South Charlotte (you would think being in the same city it's close, but you'd be wrong...) to turn in the team's passports, visa applications and some of your checks!

When I began this undertaking, again, I was often overwhelmed by the task of fundraising $3,500 individually, on top of all the preparation we are doing for the trip as an A2S staff. But just as in 2009, and on every relief trip I have taken before, I have been blessed by the generosity of so many who have given, even when giving isn't always the easiest thing to do. I hope that you are blessed back, and please know that without your support, none of this is possible for me.

Keep checking this blog for personal trip updates up until we leave, but the team will also be blogging from our A2S site (once we get that organized! so much to do! so little time!), so don't forget to check that out at A2Sfoundation.org.

Thanks again for your support, and if you haven't yet given, please consider doing so.

Have a great Monday!

Closing in on SECOND $1,000!

Hi friends!

Thanks again to those who have donated toward my June trip to Nigeria! Currently, I'm only $55 away from my second $1,000 of my $3,500 trip cost.

If you could spare $10 or $20 to put towards my trip expenses, I would be greatly greatly grateful (how many other ways can I use the word great?!)

You can use the secure pay pal link to donate or as always, you can mail a check (addressed to Samaritan's Feet with my name on the memo line) to P.O. Box 2436, Davidson, NC 28036.

If you haven't checked out the Access to Success foundation website, please do! It will give you all sorts of information about A2S and what we plan on accomplishing on our June trip to Nigeria.

We had our first team meeting last week, and we are starting to put together our itinerary and all the team members (myself, Andrew Lovedale, my sister Lindsay, Morgan Clark, Claire Asbury and Eloise Gross) are busy making preparations (and getting shots!!). We have put together a great team and are going to make huge strides in the future of A2S over our 10 days in Nigeria.

Think you could help change some lives forever?

Thanks in advance.

Closing in on the first $1,000!

Hey Friends!!

Thanks so much for your support so far. To date I have raised $775, but that is still quite a ways away from my goal of $3,500.

The good news is I am only $225 away from my first $1,000. Think you could spare $10 or $20 to help me get there? Use the secure Pay Pal link to donate today!

OR if you need a mother's day card, think about buying one of these: http://a2sfoundation.org/Access_2_Success/Shop_A2S.html

Thanks again for all of your support!

and remember, "we can do no great things. only small things with great love." (mother teresa)

Back to Nigeria!

I first met Andrew Lovedale when he was a­ star forward on the Davidson men’s basketball team, grabbing rebounds to help the Wildcats into the Elite Eight. Along with the rest of the Davidson community, I soon learned that there was so much more to him.

Born in Benin City, Nigeria, Andrew got the chance to play basketball at a prep school in England, and eventually, at Davidson College. As a freshman, he began quietly taking his teammates’ discarded practice gear and basketball shoes home and continued to do so every summer. Eventually, Andrew’s story energized the entire Davidson community, and in 2009 “Kicks from ‘Cats: The Andrew Lovedale Shoe Drive” collected 10,500 pairs of shoes and raised over $15,000 dollars.

That June, I was a part of a 15-person team, including Davidson staff, alumni, fans and Nigerian native men’s basketball players Andrew and Frank Ben-Eze, that traveled to Benin City and Lagos, Nigeria, to deliver the shoes and run basketball clinics. That trip changed the course of my life, and along with Andrew and other 2009 team members, I helped incorporate Access to Success in September out of desire to continue our work in Nigeria and share Andrew’s philosophy of sports, faith and education with under-served youth everywhere. We are hoping to receive our 501(c)(3) status by the end of this summer!

After executing the third annual “Kicks from ‘Cats” event in February, I will be returning to Nigeria this June in conjunction with our continued partners at Samaritan’s Feet! On this trip, we will conduct important research and begin to lay the groundwork for establishing long-term A2S operations in Benin City while delivering equipment, running basketball clinics, and education youth on health and wellness.

I need to raise $3,500 to cover travel expenses, food and lodging. A2S exists because of the support of friends like you, so please consider helping A2S establish its roots this summer by becoming an official A2S Friend and making a financial contribution. With your contribution you will receive the A2S quarterly newsletter and special event invitations in the future.

More specifically, we plan to: 

-Teach supplemental educational courses for under-served youth, run various sporting clinics (with a focus on basketball), and implement youth-driven and youth-led community service projects.

-Develop an A2S model in Benin City, Nigeria and establish partnerships, through official volunteer training during our visit to Benin City.

-Establish A2S Benin City operations by June 2012 with an official office and classroom.

-Work with local churches, specifically in Benin City.

-Implement the A2S model in other cities in Nigeria and beyond, as deemed necessary and appropriate.

-Provide this service for no charge to our youth participants.

-Share Christian values, but open programs to youth of all religious affiliations.

THANKS FRIENDS!