The start of something really cool!

Dear Generous Ones~
If you are reading this, it's because you have contributed in some way to making this project possible. It may have been financially, although it could have been some other action, or idea that you contributed. No matter how that contribution showed up~ Thank you!

Our project, and this is OUR project, launched out to you all on September 27th via email. From that day on, the response was like a waterfall of abundance! We have collected $1475.00 USD, 6 massage tables, and a lot of excitement! Kudos.

A special shout out goes to Wayne Dawson, massage instructor at Harris School of massage here in Wilmington for organizing a fundraiser with his students. They combined chair massage and pizza sales over a 3 hour night class to raise nearly $300. Great team work!

The tables were shipped off, with the help of Mark Rosenblatt (in the photo below) and his crew, to the FedEx depot in New Castle, DE and made their way to Miami, FL by truck. Then they were shipped by cargo freighter to the port in Managua, Nicaragua. From this point they will soon be picked up by Gaia and Paul, owners of InanItah: http://www.inanitah.com/ where the training will come to life.

The dates of the training are scheduled for the weeks of November 22-December 3. I will be doing my best to take pictures, write about the class, and if possible take video footage for you to experience the process virtually.

Where has the money gone so far? It cost about $675. to ship the tables FedEx. I have received word that the tables are being held at customs for the sum of $650. additional. Fortunately, you have contributed just enough to cover this unexpected cost. This is a learning process. None of us expected to be charged so much in customs fees. However, we will still have enough to purchase sheets, lotions, holsters and perhaps have a little extra to help pay for lunches during the course. More on the customs issue as it gets resolved.

In order to continue to receive updates on this blog, it's easiest if you will create a user account and "follow" the blog. If I'm doing this correctly, it means when I post something new, you will receive an email letting you know. I have one week left until I ship myself off to Nicaragua (or fly, rather) on November 14th. Till then, sending you lots of gratitude for being an empowering force in my life and the lives of all those I will teach, and the lives of all those they will touch.
~
Valerie Hope