Donations

A few posts ago I mentioned that we were trying to decide which non-profits we wanted to donate to this year with our annual "5%" donation. Well, there are so many great organizations out there that we couldn't decide on just one. So we are splitting it up between three very worthy organizations. First is the Entrepreneurship Program at Wake Forest University. We both feel that small businesses are critical to our country. Not only do they employ over half of the workers in our country (and growing!), but they provide more options than if we just had a few big countries. Peopoe who work for small companies are usually passionate about what they do and in touch with their customer base in a way that sometimes isn't possible in larger companies. Small businesses, like ours, are started by entrepreneurs. And Wake Forest's entrepreneurship program educates and supports entrepreneurs. In fact, The Unique Sheep might not even exist if it weren't for the program. They gave me (Laura) my first financing, lots of (free!) classes on all manner of business matters which were completely foreign to me before the program, and the opportunity to give The Unique Sheep a chance. So thats why we chose them as one of our non-profits. 

We continued the education theme by donating to a local Montessori school. Montessori schools provide education to young students using unique and alternative techniques. Unlike regular public schools, they focus on different learning styles and the potential of each child as an individual. Our future rests with today's children, and Montessori schools are one way to prepare them to become tomorrow's leaders. Though the Montessori method isn't for everyone, Kelly has seen how positive it can be in the lives of friends and family. 

Our third non-profit is also related to children-- Victory Junction! This one was recommended by my husband, who has classmates (medical students) who have volunteered and worked there. Victory Junction is a camp for children with chronic medical problems or serious illness and their families. It gives kids the freedom to be a kid and enjoy all the normal camp activities- arts & crafts, horseback riding, swiming, canoing, hiking, etc., tailored to meet their individual needs. Whether a kid is confined  to a wheel chair, needs daily medical treatment or is the "sick kid" in his or her every day life, at Victory Junction camp he or she is just a normal kid. A fully functioning clinic makes daily medical care easy, and if an emergency occurs several world renowned hospitals are nearby. When I was growing up I went to summer camp almost every year and, like most kids, took it all for granted. I spent more time complaining about the food or itching at my mosquito bites than being thankful for being healthy enough and physically able to go to camp. Now that I'm a little older, I can see how fortunate I was. Every kid deserves to be "normal" and have fun getting muddy and sunburnt for at least one week a year! Oh, and everything is completely free for the campers-- their families have enough expenses with all their medical treatment. Donations, like ours, pay for everything.