In Reply to: Hi Helen posted by Allen on Friday, 23. March 2012 at 06:25 Bali Time:
I've missed our talks. Thanks to you and Paula from the Bali Street Dog Fund, I had the best mentors that I could have. I didn't have a clue about running a foundation and the thought of raising money, made me feel sick with fear. You both held my hand until I felt confident enough to go it alone. I'm sure that you remember the days Noel
You are right in saying I did it mostly on my own, that's spot on insofar as the admin and PR, but when I needed to build or buy anything at all, so many people joined in to help raise the funds. They are the quiet achieves and due to those wonderful people we did excellent things.
I hope the Bedding Fund continues, there still are thousands of families still sleeping on the ground through no fault of their own. The housing will continue, we has built or renovated 861 houses as of January. The kindest Indonesian and Australian business group who have always wished to be nameless, came on board about six years ago and took over the funding of the new houses and the small business loans. They have every intention of continuing. These wonderful men kept the funds coming even when things became very tough for them during the Financial Crisis a couple of years ago. When a house was finished then we supplies furniture and bedding to turn it into a home.
I hope PSHF continue to raise the money for the Bedding Fund, but also keep the Furniture Fund going too. Plus the monthly food deliveries to the elderly and the sick. All the proven systems are in place so I will keep my fingers:-)
It may sound that I have to cross my fingers and hope, I did offer to be their mentor for as long as they needed me, but they said they wished to "go it alone". I look back on what we have all achieved and I feel grateful to have met so many amazing people.