A little goes a long way: Your donation makes a difference.

It’s a new year and the Rising Above the Storms leadership and committees are busy planning events, creating a new website, and keeping up our fundraising efforts, among other activities. There has been a lot happening with RAS, and we wanted to highlight some new initiatives in the works.

First, we wanted to thank everyone who donated to our Merry and Bright Amazon Wish List over the holidays. We collected nearly two thousand dollars of goods for the children through this donation drive. The school supplies, backpacks, and clothing will all be put to excellent use this coming year!

We are also working toward finding more ways to convey the impact that our donors have on the lives of the kids at the Center. That’s why we’ve decided to share this giving list in the blog; we want you to see that your gift truly makes a difference. Your donations go a long way to help us change lives, one at a time. Here are some examples of the impact your gifts have on the RAS Center and children:

• $1 – $100 = masks, gloves, 8-10 books for the library, hygiene kits
• $100 – $500 = field visits, 2 months of skills training, monthly soccer coach
• $500 – $1000 = one month’s worth of groceries for 30 kids
• $1000 – $1500 = 12 months of sports activities for the kids

This list is just the beginning. We hope it gives you an idea of how far your generous donations go and that, with help from all of you, we are keeping kids off the streets, fed, counseled, learning new skills, and playing lots of soccer.

As we move into 2021 (and month 12 of the pandemic!), we wanted to say how grateful we are for all of our supporters, staff, and volunteers. The next time you’re considering a gift to RAS, we hope you’ll take a look at this list we put together. Seeing how far your gift goes shows the impact that you are making on RAS and the children in Rwanda.

Stay tuned for video updates from some of the kids at the Center in next month’s blog.