[Valerie]

The Fundraiser is now IN PROGRESS! Just go here!

http://www.grobanite...n.org/index.asp

------------------------------------------

Hello, Everyone!!

This year's Birthday Fundraiser will be different from the usual Birthday Auction and is being sponsored by Grobanites for Africa! The proceeds from this fundraiser will go to The Josh Groban Foundation to be designated for The Batonga Foundation. Batonga’s mission is to support both secondary school and higher education for girls in Africa.

Many of you know about Angelique Kidjo, the amazing four time Grammy nominee who toured with Josh on his "Awake" tour in 2007. Angelique founded The Batonga Foundation which gives girls a secondary school and higher education so they can take the lead in changing Africa. Josh and his fans have supported The Batonga Foundation for the past few years, and last year, Josh was named to the advisory board of The Batonga Foundation!

The goal of this fundraiser is to request sponsorships to help with the educational needs for 83 girls in need from two schools in Sierra Leone in Western Africa (58 girls from Waterloo and 25 girls from Freetown).

In addition to the 83 individual sponsorships, we'll have some great auction and buy now items which were donated by Angelique, Josh and his fans. The proceeds for these items will go towards additional expenses to help the girls which are not covered in the sponsorships.

Similar to past auctions, we'll also have a special limited edition magnet which you'll be able to purchase and be entered into a drawing to win a prize! (There will also be a drawing for those who sponsor the girls.)

Note - You can team up with other fans to sponsor the girls, and in return, you'll receive information about the girl or program you sponsor (instructions will be on the auction site).

The fundraiser will run from February 13-27, with all auction items ending 9-11 pm Eastern Time (6-8 pm Pacific Time) on Saturday, February 27 (Josh's 29th Birthday). NOTE - The sponsorships for the girls (and buy now items) will run through midnight on Sunday, February 28.

Let's see if we can get all 83 girls sponsored in honor of Josh's birthday!! Just check back RIGHT HERE for the Fundraiser Site Link on February 13!

We'll be posting the auction items on this thread over the next week! (Note - There are not that many of them since it's a different kind of fundraiser this time!)

Val
GFC

p.s. The Blanket Drive for Siyawela is IN PROGRESS and the GFA Team needs more blankets! For more information go here: http://board.joshgro...ban-foundation/

[joella]

This is an AWESOME idea!!! GFA struck gold with this one!

Anyone who has heard Angelique speak of her experiences growing up in her home land cannot help but be moved by the plight of so many girls in Africa. Their lives are fraught with struggle and yearning for something more than mere existence. Here is our chance to help them receive a very basic and very necessary human birth right!

Let's band together and help Josh and Angelique give these girls a future...filled with possibilities! Possibilities fuel intellect, they inspire artists, they bring birth to dreams and help turn them into reality!

Here's to a great idea which will help so many wonderful girls and give Josh an incredible 29th Birthday present!

Hugs,

J

[cingris]

So wonderful.

[pattyib]

That's a wonderful fundraiser idea

Patricia

[pattyib]

I translated Val's post to Spanish and is on my Josh website now. If anyone needs it to re-post, you can find it here Birthday Fundraiser - Spanish

It is a great idea to have information about how the girls you are sponsoring are doing.

hugs from Peru,
Patricia

[jbarbosa]

This is a wonderful idea! What a great way to support two of the most incredible humanitarians of our time, while having the chance to participate in making a concrete difference in someone's life. Looking forward to hearing the details!

[sami]

Here's a sample of a sponsorship availability for one of the Batonga girls in the Birthday Bash for Batonga that will begin at 11AM EST Saturday.


Sponsorship for Isha | Conteh

In Waterloo, Sierra Leone (in Western Africa), Batonga currently supports scholarships for 58 girls with secondary school education packages.

By sponsoring this girl, you will be paying for a set of school uniforms, a school bag, a pair of school shoes, 9 core text books including English, business, grammar, math, social studies, and literature studies, a packet of 12 workbooks, a math set including pens, pencils and erasers, and school fees.


In return for the 1 year sponsorship, you will receive a Sponsorship Package which includes the following:


A photo of the girl you will be sponsoring
A brochure on Batonga
A Josh and Angelique magnet (the same one that is being offered as a "Buy Now" in the auction)
Periodic updates on the girl you sponsor
Contact information to correspond with the girl you sponsor (if you wish)
Here is some information about the girl you will be sponsoring:





NAME: Isha I Conteh

BIRTHDAY: 11th May 1993

AGE: 16 years

NATIONALITY: Sierra Leonean

LANGAUGES SPOKEN: Krio and English

MOTHER’S NAME Emma Conteh Occupation: Trader

FATHER’S NAME: Hassan Conteh Occupation: Electrician

NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 5 Boys: 2 Girls: 3

NUMBER OF SIBLINGS IN SCHOOL: 3

NUMBER OF MEALS PER DAY: 1

HOBBIES: Reading

[Valerie]

The fundraiser is now IN PROGRESS! Just go here:

http://www.grobanite...rityauction.org

A special thanks to Kim and Karen from the GFA Team for pulling alll of this together. They worked with Batonga and Angelique's team to create this very special project to help 83 very special girls in need.

Happy bidding (and sponsoring!)Let's give a birthday present to Josh by supporting his foundation and helping others in need!

Val
GFC

[Braziliangrobie]

WOOHOOO!!! the BRAZILIAN Grobies just chose the cute Humu Sesay  6876a6882D9b162D4aca2Db1052D2df9f65610b5HumuSesay.jpg (8.79K)
Number of downloads: 2 to sponsorship!!!! I'm... we are soooo happy to be able to help on this AMAAAAZING fundraiser!!!! and we are all also sooooo happy for this wonderful way to give back to Josh for all he gives us allllll the time through his music, voice, talent and most of all... his "himself"!!!!


HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY JOSH!!!! Thanks everyone who made it possible!!!!!

[cingris]

It is so heartwarming to go to the auction site and see a photo is removed (which means another girl has been sponsored). Look forward to the page getting smaller with choices. Very touching.

[joella]

I am so glad to see so many wonderful supporters of this incredible project. Kel, I completely agree with all that you said. And Linda, you are so right, we are changing lives! We are giving these girls the foundation they need for a life where they can make choices, and a chance to be anything they want to be. They are the next leaders of the world, and they are the ones shaping the future.

The Race to a Million Team has sponsored Emma and we do so with great hope that she will not only learn a great deal from the academics in which she will participate, but from also knowing that kindness and compassion still exist in this world...a world that can sometimes seem so harsh and unforgiving.

These girls have been dealt a hand that was not of their choosing...let's put the choices back into their hands!!!

Angelique has fought for her place in this world and she is using it to help others who would face the same fate...let's help her and Josh to continue to change the world...one child at a time!

[Song of My Soul]

I have always thought that to invest in girl's future is to invest in the world's future. When a woman has a child, she is their first teacher. Their very first lessons in life are given to that child from their mother or a woman. And by the time a woman had become a mother (if she is or if she chooses to teach another child), her childhood has shaped her outlook on life and will the be the base of experience on which she refers to for all her decisions. A child learns from example. A cycle or spiral. Wouldn't it be wonderful to make that spiral move upwards? Angelique is a perfect example of what one woman can do.

To be able to help a young woman to be empowered and to do one small thing that may help lift her and help her realize that she can be more than what she ever dreamed is a legacy we can all leave behind on our journey through this life.

That, right there, is something to definitely feel good about. Happy Heart Day, my dear Grobies. May you all feel warm and fulfilled this day for your good deeds.

[CrisfromBrazil]

I'm very happy to take part of this great humanitarian project together to other Brazilian grobies..

Happy Birthday Josh and Chris.

Warm hugs

Cris.

[NorthernStar]

joella, on 14 February 2010 - 02:00 PM, said:

These girls have been dealt a hand that was not of their choosing...let's put the choices back into their hands!!!

Joella, I love all the things you said in your post .... especially these lines. Thank you for sharing them.

This is such a wonderful idea. My husband & I are very happy to sponsor one of the Waterloo girls.

As of 10 am this morning (Monday the 15th), I see that 21 of the Waterloo girls have been sponsored, as have 5 of the Freetown girls. Way to go, everyone - keep up the great work!

And remember, if you don't have the resources to sponsor one of the Freetown girls by yourself, this $200 cost can be shared among a number of donors.

How about if we start a list in this thread of those who are willing to participate in a shared sponsorship?

Hope that's ok with the Mods - if not, please let me know and I will edit this post appropriately).

Ciao -
Cathy



If you would like to join this effort, just copy what you see below and add your first name, screen name and amount pledged to the list. You can pledge any amount you like. Once we have raised enough to sponsor a girl, we can coordinate the details via PM or email.

Grobanites Willing to Share a Freetown Girl Sponsorship:
- Cathy (NorthernStar) - $10

[sybil11159]

A good idea, Cathy. I have been dithering as to which or who
to donate to. So, I pledge the following:

GROBANITES WILLING TO SHARE A FREETOWN GIRL SPONSORSHIP

Sybil(sybil11159)- $20

[NorthernStar]

sybil11159, on 15 February 2010 - 05:59 PM, said:

A good idea, Cathy. I have been dithering as to which or who
to donate to. So, I pledge the following:

GROBANITES WILLING TO SHARE A FREETOWN GIRL SPONSORSHIP

- Cathy (NorthernStar) - $10
- Sybil(sybil11159)- $20

Hi Sybil - great to "meet" you - thanks so much!

I'll send you a PM so that we can discus other details.

OK folks ... who else would like to join in and sponsor one of the girls as a group effort?

Talk to you all later!

Ciao -
Cathy

[sami]

It's a thrill for GFA/GFC to let you know that your generosity, after 3.5 days of this project to honor Josh's 29th birthday, has been overwhelming. You have sponsored 42 of the 58 girls from Waterloo, and 9 of the 25 girls from Freetown. That leaves just 16 girls left in each program still to be sponsored. We're very hopeful that you will reach out to friends, neighbors, relatives, and other Grobies to team up and get these remaining 32 girls sponsored. That would be a truly amazing gift to Josh, and one that I know we all want to give him. Many thanks to each one of you who has participated with us.

[Grannybird]

My daughter and I would like to share in a Freetown Girl Sponsorship------$40.00 for the two of us. My daughter isn't a Grobanite, but is a fan and has seen Angelique when she toured with Josh. Let me know if she isn't qualified to donate.

Cathy

[VACarol]

Shannon (Pearcenalaska) on FOJG organized a group of nine of us to sponsor two Freetown girls. Each group member contributed what she could afford, so that different people contributed different amounts. This was such an easy and satisfying way to do this. Everyone can afford to contribute something; pool our individual contributions together and we can make a real difference.

[Noondarkly]

This is yet another wonderful idea and real people's lives will be changed... FOR REAL!!!
I am sad to not be able to sponsor a girl by myself but I am more than happy to share the sponsorship with anyone, if needed. I can offer $20 but I wouldn't like to be greedy so if all the girls can be sponsored individually, I will find a way to donate that money to the GFC later. So, I can help if there is need for it, or I can stand aside and let Grobies pay more. Whatever works best for those lovely girls!!!

Krisz