Congrats!!!!

I would like to congratulate Sharon Nevius who is the raffle winner for the $100 Pizazz It! gift certificate! The results of the fundraiser are in: We raised $621 in raffle tickets and Pizazz It! donated $379 to make it an even $1,000 raised. From the donation jar we have collected approximately $50. Enough supplies were donated to fill two entire 55 gallon containers and thanks to donations collected, I have purchased enough to fill three more 55 gallon containers. These five containers are set to be shipped out in a few days so that they will arrive in time for my and Basirou's arrival in The Gambia (West Africa) in December. Congrats Sharon and happy shopping!

The Gambia 101

The Gambia is Africa's smallest country, completely surrounded by Senegal (other than the ocean line), located on the western side of africa along the Atlantic Ocean. They are colonized by the Brittish therfor their countries language is english

however most are unable to speak it. You will find 4 different languages being spoken there which are Wolof, Mandinka, Fula and Serehuli. Most Gambian are able to speak 3 out of the 4 local languages but only 1 being their primary language.

You know how here in the States we get our own plate along with silverware can choose from eating a large array of foods and usually end up eating it in front of the TV, well in The Gambia it is for the most part completely opposite. All lunch and dinner meals consist of rice accompanied by some sort of sauce, cassava and okra, as far as meat is concerned you don't really eat it often, it is a luxury to have it. With that said they do eat fish

a lot, since they are right along the ocean and there is a river in the middle of the country that runs almost completely across there is plenty of fish to go around. The food is served in a large communal bowl, typically women eat with other women and men eat with other men. When eating you do use your hands but make sure to use your right hand only!

So you think you've never heard of The Gambia? Odds are you have somewhat heard of it, remember the movie ROOTS or Kunta Kinte? Well if you haven't already figured out where I am going with this, yes, ROOTS is based off of Kunta Kinte who is from The Gambia. The picture to the left is an island called Juffure Island, also known as James Island. Kunta, along with many other Gambians were held captive on this island until ships came to get them. They were bought and sold as slaves to Europe, Haiti, Jamaica and America. They have kept the island in the condition that is was in 200 years ago, it is really a touching experience to see the African side of the slavery that went on.

So, I know none of this was really about school supplies or anything that my actual project is for but I thought it may help to get a bit of the Gambian background, for you to understand where The Gambia is and what they are known for. Hopefully soon I will do a "The Gambia 102" for you because this does not even cover half of what makes The Gambia!!

A discount & book bags!

Pizazz It! Scrapbooks, a wonderful store that I have mentioned before, is offering a 20% off discount on your entire purchase to those who bring in a donation of school supplies!! This has gone over wonderfully, I have had the small collection container there for about 3 weeks now and have emptied it about 4 times!! I know I say it in every blog entry but THANK YOU to everyone who has helped, I really cant say this enough.

If you are in the central Ohio area and love to scrapbook bring in a donation of school supplies for your 20% discount, this is going on until September 19, 2010.

This project originally started as a personal project, I wanted to be able to help out a school or 2 full of children who really needed it. I ended up opening up and extending this project to those who also want to help. I know personally I have always wanted to donate and help children but never knew which organization I wanted to choose and where exactly everything I donated would go. For that reason I started the blog, I want those who donate to see how happy the children are when receiving what you gave them, I want those who give cash to know exactly where it is going (you can even tell me specifically what you want it to go toward, IE: shipping, supplies, sponsoring a child to attend school). This week I went out with my stash of cash I had set aside and bought some book bags! Book bags are a pretty big deal to have there so I am really excited to see their faces on these!

And The Countdown Begins

Time is moving faster and faster each day! Only 4 months and a couple of weeks and I will be arriving in The Gambia, I cant wait! I have enough items to start packing my 2nd container, I plan on doing that next weekend. I will begin shipping the containers around the beginning of October so hopefully they will arrive around the same day that I do. My plans for when the containers get there are to meet up with Ian a peace corps volunteer leader over there who has been living in The Gambia for a little over 2 years now, we will be separating the school supplies and clothing donations I have shipped so that they can go to several different schools in multiple villages. I also have purchased chalkboard paint to repair and paint new chalkboards for the schools, I will be visiting one of the schools (if I'm lucky more) to help repair the chalkboards and visit with the children.

If you would like to donate or have any questions about donating feel free to e-mail me! Or if you would like more information about sponsoring a child to attend school for the year, suggestions or just comments please e-mail! I want to hear what you have to say future4gambia@yahoo.com

First Container, Packed and Ready!!

I am excited to announce that I have collected enough items to get the very first container packed full of school supplies! Baz & I separated, counted, organized & packed it all away. The containers we are shipping are 50 gallon containers, and do hold a good amount of supplies. I cant say enough how grateful I am for all the donations I have received from all of you very generous people, Thank You!

Above: A picture of the container from a direct view so you can see how tall & wide it is, for a better visual I am 5'2 and the container comes up just shy of my shoulders!

Below: A birds eye view of the packed container.

I had so much fun going through packing the container, I cant wait until we have enough to pack up the 2nd one!! I cant believe how far I have been able to come in such short amount of time, I know this wouldn't be possible without your help, so again, Thank You all so very much!

Off to a good start!

July has set in and back to school sales are already starting!! Walgreen's started off the sales with 10count packs of pens and pencils for only 19cents. So, over the weekend I went out with 3 of my wonderful friends to start stocking up. I have received $20 in cash donations so far (that is not including the raffle at Pizazz It! Scrapbooks) and we used $16 of that cash to purchase some of those items. So far we have collected 50 packs of pencils and 83 packs of pens. If your doing the math I know, I know, that was a bit over the $16 budget, but I couldn't help it, I used my own stash of money that I have set aside for this project to make up for it, the kids deserve it!






I was contacted by a wonderful lady on the north side of Columbus who had some packs of paper that she would like to donate, when I drove there and had seen that there were 5 full boxes of paper packs I couldn't believe it! It was a wonderful surprise. I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed in any form so far weather it be giving actual school supplies or clothing, purchasing a raffle ticket or donating cash. It means a lot to me and even more to the children who will be receiving it. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have or if you have anything you would like to donate. future4gambia@yahoo.com or if you just want to donate cash and you are not from around the Ohio area there is a paypal donate button on the right, 100% of money donated goes toward this project and will be for the children in The Gambia. Don't ever feel like any donation is too small, a pack of pencils or a simple $1 makes all the difference!!

A little more about me

So I’ve already told you all about my project that I am working on but I have neglected to tell you about myself. So here goes - My name is Ashley Rock and I am just short of 24 years old. I was born and raised in Ohio (Go Bucks!) and my favorite color is Whirlpool, which to a scrapbooker means light blue!

You might wonder what drives me to do this project. The answer comes from a large combination of events in my life but to keep it simple I will share a few of the main reasons. In the movie, Pay It Forward, a kid gives help to people in need and in return asks only that they help three other people. If you haven’t seen this movie, I really recommend watching it because not only is a great story line but it is truly inspiring! My concept is similar to the movie in a way because I feel as if my life has been blessed with so many people who have been there to help me when I have really needed it. For example, when I bought my house two years ago I was only twenty-one and used every last penny purchasing the house. While I celebrated my achievement, I had nothing left to spend for anything to put in the house I had just purchased… and by nothing, I mean that sincerely. If it weren’t for my wonderful family members, friends and co-workers pulling together to help me then I don’t know how I would have been able to pull everything together. I was given couches, end tables, a tv,a kitchen table set, a bed, dishes, lamps, etc. I'm talking the whole nine yards! I didn’t expect anybody to lend a hand to help me but they did and not only will I NEVER forget but I will be forever grateful. It showed me there are so many good people who touch our everyday lives and never ask for anything in return.

When I went to The Gambia in March of 2009, I knew that was where I wanted to “pay it forward.” The people there were so happy despite the poverty that they live with everyday. From our perspective, it would be considered poverty for many Gambians it is just life. Their situation is all that they have ever known so they have just learned to live happily within their means. One of the most striking things is that there are very few options for them in terms of jobs. Most everyone is a farmer/entrepreneur and barely makes any kind of profit for all of their hard work. Despite the hardship that could produce bitterness in just about anyone, these were the kindest people I have known. The thing about Gambians is that they have a strong desire to learn and to know what is out there to know but most do not have the resources or finances to enable them these opportunities. That is what many people involved with the Peace Corp there in The Gambia are trying to do for them. They are teaching the youth how to use the land to cultivate more profitable crops, how to make honey by keeping beehives and most importantly, educating everyone on the importance of prenatal care and the care of newborns. These are just a few of the strides that the Peace Corps are making towards a better tomorrow for Gambians.

Where do I come in? Myself, I have many talents but teaching is not one of them. I may not be able to teach and do everything that people in the Peace Corps are doing for the country but I can put my own talents to use for a good cause. If I am able to collect enough school supplies to be shipped there and distributed to the children with the most need then I will have put my talents to good use. I know the value of quality education and I want these children to have the opportunity to know its value as well. With knowledge there is opportunity and with opportunity all things are possible. As Americans, we take so much for granted without ever realizing it. One very common question to ask our children is “what do you want to be when you grow up?” to which you will have a list of replies so long and so varied that it could make you head spin. In Gambia, the options are so limited and without education the list of opportunities will never get longer. Naturally, I don’t expect everyone to jump on my band wagon and want to donate or support the cause but if you can find it in your heart to give then every penny or every item will make a difference in the life of a child. The famous W.B. Yeats once said that “education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.” Every single person who steps up to help the members of the youngest generation pursue education is lighting a fire for a flame that will burn further into the future than many of these children could ever have hoped. You have been lucky enough to feel the warmth of a fire lit for you and now I ask – Will you help light the way for the next generation?