On yesterday's blogpost, I was excited to announce a new fundraising drive for Kelby's Kids.

And as part of the campaign, an anonymous donor has challenged us to raise $500 by the close of the day on Saturday the 21st of July (my birthday).   

This email is meant to be an encouragement to help us raise $500 in new funds so the donor will match it and turn it into $1,000 — which will give us a jumpstart in raising funds this summer to buy a vehicle for the ministry in Haiti.

Please consider a donation today! Share this with your friends, your church, your social network!

Also, if you'd like to participate in the fund-drive through your own matching funds campaign, email me and we'll schedule it and announce it to the list. There are many ways you could make a tax-deductible challenge grant; anonymously, publicly, in the name of your business, in memoriam of a loved one, and more. Thank you for your consideration!

Beneath the donation button is a repeat of the portion of yesterday's blog where the fund drive is introduced. 

—Kelby

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from the blog ...

My goal is to have a vehicle by my two-year anniversary. Today I'm starting a vehicle fund drive to help cover the cost. 

How big is my financial goal? I would love to give you a dollar amount, but I'm still looking into the options available. 

Everyone in Haiti has a story about the best way or place to get a vehicle. "Get it in Haiti." "Ship it from the US?"  "It needs to run on gas." "It needs to be a diesel?" "Get a new car." "Buy it used, for sure." "Manual!" "Automatic!" And on and on.

I am so blessed by the willingness of many of you to use your hard-earned money to support the work of Kelb’s Kids in Haiti. I want to be a good steward of the funds that are given, both now and in the long term. 

Gas engines are cheaper than diesel but diesel lasts longer.  Cheaper vehicles, while less expensive,  often start incurring maintenance costs soon after the purchase. Used vehicles in Haiti are  overpriced. It’s common to find a 10 to 12-year-old vehicle for $8,000.00 or more. And the conventional wisdom about wear-and-tear is that "a year in Haiti is like five years in the US." 

So, a 12-year-old vehicle has a comparable 60 years of wear-and-tear on it! If I buy a used car I need to be careful of the fact that many available vehicles were actually salvaged from being underwater in the recent hurricanes in the US. 

Decisions, decisions! There's still much left to consider, but one thing's clear — I need to start to raise funds now. 

I need to get a vehicle. And the funds available will also determine my options.  If you would like to make a donation to the Vehicle Drive please put a note in comments section on Paypal, or in the memo line of your check.  I know God is faithful and will provide what I need — even though I don't know how much I need! 

JUMPSTART

To give things a jumpstart, an anonymous donor has issued a challenge. If we can raise $500 between now and 11:59pm Saturday (my birthday), the donor will match it with another $500!Your gift this week can be doubled for Kelby's Kids Vehicle Drive.  

Help us raise $1,000 in one week! Make a donation today! Thank you!