January 11, 2011 WSI Family Made a Huge Difference this Holiday Season A Special Thanks to Everyone Who Donated to MCPH We would like to thank all those who made a donation toward our WSI MCPH Holiday Fundraiser. We are pleased to announce that we have surpassed our goal and as a result, many impoverished children around the world have experienced our care and generosity this Christmas! Here is a summary of what we have achieved: December 8: WSI Corporate staff raised $1,150 in only 2 weeks December 22: We challenged the IC community to match this donation December 29: The IC community collectively raised $1,130 in just 1 week December 29: WSI Corporate matched the total donations raised! $2,280 x 2 = $4,560 TOTAL - Thank you WSI family! The Difference WSI Made This Christmas! WSI's MCPH Holiday Fundraiser Covered 5 Elements of Poverty: Shelter - Food - Water - Health - Education $300 - Supplies for 6 classrooms $700 - Clean water for 7 families $400 - Mobile medical clinic for hundreds of children / families $300 - School desks and chairs for 4 classrooms $300 - Wood-conserving stove for 6 families $300 - Fish farm for 2 families $300 - 3 goats $240 - 6 piglets $550 - 22 hens and 11 roosters $600 - 1 dairy cow $150 - 15 fruit trees $400 - Agricultural pack & fruit trees combo for 4 families Thanks to all those who have participated and will take part in this initiative.

WSI Collectively Raised £5,000 for Haiti Relief

A Special Thanks to Everyone Who Donated toward this Cause

Many of you will remember that WSI launched the Make Child Poverty History (MCPH) Haiti Relief Fund last month to collect donations to provide much needed resources to those who were affected by the earthquake that struck Haiti in January.

We want to thank all those who gave from the generosity of your hearts toward this important cause. WSI Corporate matched the donations from the entire IC network, which means that WSI collectively raised £5,000 toward the Haiti relief efforts!

We immediately sent this contribution to our contacts at World Vision to further their efforts in providing food, water, medical suppliers and shelter to the estimated 3 million people who were affected by the disaster.

Here is a statement we received from World Vision:

"WSI has been a generous contributor to World Vision’s humanitarian efforts for years. With the recent crisis in Haiti, we needed immediate financial assistance to get much needed aid to those children and their families impacted by the earthquake. Without hesitation, WSI rallied up its franchise network and partners to raise funds for this purpose. I am so impressed with WSI’s dedication, commitment and hard work with their fundraising efforts. World Vision is thankful to have such faithful and committed partners like WSI." – Richard Chapman, Development Advisor, World Vision Canada

Update from World Vision as of 9th February:

February 9, 2010, Port-au-Prince - Nearly a month after the catastrophic quake, Haiti's survivors face more than just staggering physical needs such as food and shelter. More than 9 out of 10 people World Vision staff members spoke to had lost loved ones -- including friends, extended family, or close family -- and need to make time for grieving and establish normal routines in order to recover. Access to the basics of life and some sense of control is also an essential part of coping with loss.

World Vision spoke to 150 people across three sites in Port-au-Prince, where our teams are providing emergency supplies and services to children and families. More than 40 percent of people asked had lost an immediate family member, while 14 percent said multiple members of their immediate family had been killed by the quake.

To read the entire update from World Vision, click here.

Again, we appreciate the difference that the WSI community has made!