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WANT TO HONOR A SPECIAL MOM IN YOUR LIFE? Mother's Day is just around the corner (May 12), and what better way to honor a favorite mom than to support the Microloans For Mothers program with a tax-deductible donation? We will send a Mother's Day card to your special mom, letting her know that a gift was made in her honor, and we will include a photo of our featured mother in Cambodia that we've selected as our "Mother's Day Tribute Mom".
Sok Srey Leak, our 2013 Mother's Day "Tribute Mom", with her baby daughter
Simply visit our website donate page to make your donation in any amount. In the "comment box", tell us the name of the person you are honoring and her mailing address. Note: in order to ensure that the card arrive in time for Mother's Day, please be sure to make your Mother's Day special donation by May 5th. If you have any questions just call us at (760) 436-3729. On behalf of the mothers that we support through our Microloans For Mothers program, our sincere thanks for your support!
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Going Viral on Facebook
A new feature that we are adding to our newsletter is a link to one of the month's most successful posts that we placed on our MfM Facebook page. Social Media is fast becoming the standard throughout the world for keeping up with people, events and causes that are of interest to us as individuals. Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with the activities of MfM. It's easy, fast and convenient. Click this link and open Facebook (if you're not already on Facebook you'll be prompted to sign up). Remember, you can help MfM if you just "Like" us on Facebook. This month the "viral" post was the photo below, giving focus to the local MfM training program through which we give individual instruction to select clients who want to learn about the marketing potential in social media. In the photo we see MfM associate, Griselda Johnson, giving tips on the use of Facebook to mother client, Irma Morales, who is part of our lending group in Vista, California.
Griselda Johnson gives Facebook instruction to client, Irma Morales
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Wine Festival Fundraiser - June 1st
Save the date. We're starting to plan for our major fundraiser, the Encinitas Wine Festival. This year's event is set for June 1st, and we want to make it the best ever. The funds raised will be a big boost for our MfM programs, so please consider helping out in any way that you can.
Do you have access to some significant silent auction items that you could pass our way? Trips, airline tickets, hotel stays or time-share weeks? Give Niels a call at 760-436-3729 if you have connections to such items.
Also, there are lots of smaller ways to make a difference - restaurant meals and retail store merchandise gift certificates. Please do consider acquiring a few of these simple items for the event.
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MfM Theatre Night - June 6
Supporting a Sanitation Project in Cambodia
As reported last month, we're planning a special theatre night, now set for Thursday, June 6 at 8 pm (note this is a date change from what was announced last month). The play, Extraordinary Chambers, by David Wiener, is produced by the Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company. It'll be an inspiring evening for our supporters. Tickets are $30/person (with $18 of each ticket benefiting the Sanitation Project). Click here for the flier, and help pass the information to friends. The Sanitation Project: Through Microloans For Mothers, proceeds will support a Sanitation Project in rural Cambodia where families need latrines in order to improve the health and hygiene of their rural community. The program is managed by one of the non-profit organizations through which we work, Pathways to Development, and benefits families in the region where several of MfM clients live. Families receive a donated latrine, and then commit to digging and building the actual room and roof. Many on a waiting list are knowledgeable about the importance of good sanitation, and are excited about the possibility of receiving a latrine in the future. It's for these families we are raising funds.   EXTRAORDINARY CHAMBERS is a contemporary story about an American couple who travel to Cambodia for an innocent business trip, but become personally entangled with Khmer Rouge victims and survivors. The genocide, complicity, survival, and greed collide in this play that shines a light on the Cambodian experience and asks how far are we willing to go to survive? To purchase tickets ($30): Visit our donate page here, and write "Theatre Night" in the comment section. Tickets will be held at Will Call.
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A Home Visit in Vista
Recently we had the pleasure of being invited to the home of one of our mother clients, Irma Morales, who works at making bags, purses and jewelry. In the photo Irma is showing us the technique she uses in creating special key chains for women's bags. It's a clever design that makes it quick and easy for a woman to find the keys at the bottom of the bag. We had a warm and productive visit.
Irma Morales at work in her home
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Cause Marketing Partners
We are excited to introduce our Cause Marketing Project, a new concept that can give local small businesses an opportunity to increase their bottom line while supporting MfM.
This month we announce our first two business partners in the program. For information about their business, please click their links below and visit them on their websites:
A business becomes a partner with MfM, and, through consultation with us, chooses a means by which funds are raised at the business site. The strategy develops new customers who are attracted by the business' choice to support the MfM cause and make a difference.
MfM creates visibility for the business through various means, such as MfM logo signage in the store window, an informative "brochure", cross linking on the websites of the business and MfM, the business logo displayed as "sponsor" on MfM website, and periodic focus on the business in the MfM monthly newsletter.
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Hi Everybody!
It will soon be May, and time to honor our mothers. Our board secretary, Veronica Baker, suggested an idea last year that we will try again. It presents a good way to celebrate Mother's Day with a special project that enables people here to honor a mother in their lives by making a donation to Microloans For Mothers - a donation that will be highlighted in a greeting card that we will send to their honoree. The card will mention that a donation has been made in their honor, and will have a beautiful photo of one of our mothers in Cambodia posing with her child - our "Mother's Day Tribute" mother. You can see the photo to the left - a lovely shot I took of one of our clients on my last visit to Cambodia.
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One of the things I've been really busy with is getting myself up to speed on how to utilize Facebook to further our cause. But I'm not doing it alone. Luckily I've found a good found of MfM who is helping me. Chris Kavas is giving me weekly instruction on the ins and outs of this amazing tool. I can't thank him enough. Without Chris it would be so much more difficult and time consuming for me to catch on. He makes the lessons engaging and fun. Facebook is such a powerful social media platform. If you are there yourself please remember to search for MfM and "Like" us. Better yet, and easier, just click and see this viral post that Chris has helped me achieve. If you are not on Facebook, please sign up and "Like" us. It will really help a lot - more than you may think.
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For the past many years we have participated in the Encinitas Wine Festival as a beneficiary. And this year is no different. We're planning now for this popular garden party that does so well for our bottom line. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, June 1st. Hope to see you there. In the section to the left you can view the promotion video from last year (remember, the video is from last year). This year's event is June 1st.
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As I mentioned last month, we are planning a MfM Theatre Night to support a very specific program in Cambodia. One of the other NGOs that we work through, Pathways to Development, has a sanitation project that supplies latrines to many needed families in poor rural areas. This is a project that we want to support. It's the first time we're doing a theatre night, so I'm hoping many of our supporters will want to participate. The date has changed from what I announced last month. It is now set for Thursday, June 6. The play is a special production by the Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company that deals with the serious theme of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge period. As we know, Cambodia is a poor country still in recovery from that trying period in its history - one of the reasons MfM is there doing what we can to help the people. Take a look at the detail of the production to the left in this newsletter, and I'm sure many will be inspired to join us. We want to make the evening as comfortable as possible for everyone, so we are hoping to offer group transportation by van. You'll here more about this detail next month. For now, please save the date: Thursday, June 6 (8 pm). --------------- Our local Vista program is moving along very nicely, as well. Recently I had the pleasure of visiting one of our clients in her home to see the work she is doing. The photo is on the left. We've received funding from the Encinitas Rotary Club and the larger Rotary District here in our area to help expand the local program, and we're looking at possibilities in San Marcos and City Heights where a new groups could be forming very soon. Would you also like to assist this program? If so, please make a donation now. Remember, any amount will be very much appreciated. Please donate here. ------------ I have such good help from the members of my board, not the least of which comes from Verne Scholl. He's come up with a really creative idea for connecting MfM to local businesses who can in turn increase their bottom line. It's our new Cause Marketing Project. The success of a small business is directly dependent on its reputation in the local community, and one of the best ways to build trust is to clearly demonstrate support for a worthy cause. When customers are aware that a business is socially responsible it drives the bottom line. That's where MfM can help. --------------- All the best to everyone. Please spread the word on what we are up to. Just pass this newsletter on with the "forward to a friend" link at the top.
Take care for now. Niels Niels Lund Executive Director Microloans For Mothers |
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