The $5 Philanthropist

Since the beginning of Project Ecuador we have been very fortunate to have the help of GiveMeaning.com, and especially its founder Tom Williams. Everything they have done for us, from collecting donations, to spreading the word about our project, to lending some helpful advice whenever we needed it - everything has been amazing.

Gavin recently collected a cheque from Tom for all the raised money through GiveMeaning.com. Tom posted an article about it on his blog, which is titled The $5 Philanthropist. I encourage everyone to check out Tom's thoughts. Not just on OA, but on the state of the world as he writes about it.

A massive thank you to GiveMeaning.com and to Tom Williams, Project Ecuador could not have reached the level we are at without your help. Everyone at OA wishes you all the best.

Packing Day!

(picture is animated, click for slide show)

On Sunday, the day finally arrived to clean out the OA Victoria headquarters of all collected equipment. So, with a U-Haul truck, all six traveling members of OA, and some heavy lifting, we packed 1347 soccer balls and 854 pairs of cleats and running shoes. Now we have completed a major step in Project Ecuador's timeline.

On Monday, we all traveled over to Vancouver to transfer equipment from our truck to the generously donated Maersk Line shipping container. In the process, BC Ferries covered our expenses on the crossing (both ways), and we all shed a few tears of joy. This is the beginning of seeing everything we have worked so hard for come to fruition. For all of us, it was a pretty symbolic moment.

A massive thank you to Maersk Shipping for entirely covering our shipping costs - this would have been the biggest cost to PE, but now that money can go to the kids of Chimborazo. Another massive thank you to BC Ferries for covering the ferry costs, it is so great to see people everywhere wanting to help out.

The departure date for the crew is fast approaching; Brownlee, Roberto, and Brenden all leave today with Gavin following on Friday. Duncan and myself will hold the fort until mid-February when we join up with the crew in Ecuador.

Huge push sets new GiveMeaning goal.

Wow. A massive surge by some very generous donors has shattered our previous goal of $5000. Their generosity has allowed OA to set a new goal of $15,000 - and we are already 80% of the way there.

The new total at GiveMeaning.com is $11,975 - unbelievable, but so very inspiring.

With our departure date closing in rapidly we are hoping to reach the new goal before we leave. Please, keep the donations coming, tell everyone you know, and visit our page at vicsoccer.givemeaning.com.

Maintain the aim.

Enjoying the spoils of victory.

Bays United's U13 Boys team enjoyed the successes of their hard work after winning a competition held by the club and OA. The challenge was to collect as much equipment as possible for Project Ecuador, and the boys were the clear winners. The prize was a pizza party courtesy of Hothouse Pizza.

The team used their prize to have a pre-Christmas team party, which included a parents versus kids soccer game. Thanks for all the hard work guys, and thank you to Hothouse Pizza for graciously donating the prize.

Blog is back, and better than ever.

Now that it is crunch time around OA headquarters, expect the blog to be updated more frequently than it has in the past.

A quick catch up on where we are at:

• A second collection from Spinnakers Brewpub brought the total collected to $205. The third collection, completed today by 3 OA members, brings the new tally to $297. Thanks for your continued support Spinnakers.
  
• We have had our first phone conversation with our man in Ecuador, Antonio Inga, he gave us a lot of detail on the region of Ecuador where we are going to be doing the majority of our work.
  
• Also, OA is deep into talks with the Vancouver Film School regarding proper documentation of PE while we are in Ecuador. Look for more on that soon.
  

More to come, so keep your ear to the ground.

PE Blog will make mid-January revival

Hey all.

Sorry for the lack of updates, but with Christmas and then holidays, time for keeping up the blog has been minimal.

Don't worry though, the blog will be resurrected mid-January with all the filler you missed while I was away, plus a complete rundown on the timeline for Project Ecuador.

See you all soon.

Maintain the aim.