World Ark Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 44) Heifer Spirit Giving Resources, Giving Self Modesto Methodists Raise More Than $100,000 As Heifer International works to improve lives across the globe, there are a few things that can be counted on. Thousands of lives will be touched every year. A whole lot of llamas will be needed. And First United Methodist Church of Modesto will probably be involved. The northern California church has steadily supported Heifer from the start of it all, when one of its ministers served on the committee that ultimately became Heifer International. “This area’s been involved with Heifer right from the beginning,” said Bill Beck, a longtime Heifer employee and First UMC member. In recent years, the church raised money to buy multiple gift arks. The gifts’ $5,000 price tag pays for two each of the animals most popular at Heifer project sites around the world. Overall, the church has contributed well over $100,000 to Heifer. Usually, the money is raised in just a few hours or less with a living gift market, a fundraiser where attendees peruse different booths dedicated to a Heifer animal and pitch in money to buy one in honor of a friend or loved one. Last October, church members raised Oct $9,700 $9,7 in just one hour. While not every group can claim the same fundraising history—or speed—Beck said it’s not too difficult sp to copy his church’s success. “The mission of Heifer is so easily understood,” he said. “The concept u underst that providing an animal t enables families to feed e themselves and to share t animals with others, and to a have ha an ongoing source of food fo and income that is expanding, is pretty easy to exp sell. sel So, we just keep that in front fron of people.” Family Farm Fest Easily Topples Goal For decades, Nancy Handke tried to get her church to host a Heifer fundraiser. So when the Church of the Holy Nativity in Clarendon Hills, Ill., finally put on an event for Heifer that exceeded its $5,000 goal, Handke almost couldn’t handle it. “I’ve been a volunteer for 50 years, and I have been trying to get the church to do something,” she said. “When they announced that we made $12,000, I broke down. There were a lot of us sitting there crying. We just couldn’t believe we had done that.” Raising the money turned out to be lots of fun at the church’s September Family Fun Fest, which featured cake walks, a quilt raffle and a cherry pit spitting contest. Most of the congregation not only showed up for the fundraiser, but also helped plan it. “It turned out we probably had 97 percent of the parish working on it,” Handke said. People came for the contests and square dancing, but also to see the live animals—from llamas to honeybees—stationed at several booths in the church parking lot. Organizers handed out information about Heifer programs and children learned how the animals help improve families’ lives. Their parents saw where their money would go. Now Handke is at it again, pushing plans for another Heifer fundraiser that she thinks will draw even more people and donations. “We certainly did make a splash around here,” she said. “I think next year we’ll probably get twice as many, at least.” 44 March/April 2008 | WORLD ARK www.heifer.org http://www.heifer.org
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