6:30 had come and gone and I was just returning to Deborah and Dan’s house to change my clothes and go back to the gallery to actually attend the fundraiser I had spent the past six weeks planning. As I had hurriedly showered, changed clothes, and sucked down a glass of white wine I was truly looking forward to attending the event. More than the fundraiser, however, I was looking forward to the coming days when I could leave behind the world of caterers, art galleries, and printing costs and focus on writing grant proposal, reading reports from the field, and becoming more involved with Lifeline’s various programs. Sounds a little crazy right? Fortunately, I don’t think that I am alone in this sentiment. Lifeline is made up of a group of people who would rather talk about how long it takes a fuel-efficient stove to boil water and how many boreholes in Uganda need to be visited and repaired than catering menus and event programs.
That being said, there is no us without you. We wouldn’t be able to sit in our office in DC and celebrate the latest figures from Haiti (our institutional stoves have the capacity to save schools with 1,000+ children $20/day) without the people who support our programs. 300 stoves couldn’t be distributed every month in Dadaab refugee center without those of you who have attend Lifeline’s fundraisers. 4,500 families in urban camps in Haiti wouldn’t have stoves without those of you who have donated. Nearly 40,000 people in Northern Uganda wouldn’t have access to clean water without those of you have told your friends about the work we’re doing. There would be no Lifeline without your support and for that we are forever grateful.
For those of you who were unable to attend, the fundraiser was a blast. As we joke at the office, we may not be great businessmen (and women), but we know how to throw one hell of a party. There was dancing, drumming, singing, drinking, eating and what kind of non-profit event would this be without speeches? We heard from the Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs David Sandalow, author of the best-selling book Slave Hunter Aaron Cohen, and of course our founder and the man who makes it all happen, Dan Wolf. Around 10:00 as the guests trickled out, the wine stopped flowing, and we all hurriedly cleaned up before the gallery kicked us out, we all breathed one large, collective sigh of relief. Despite the fun we had had, the message we had been able to broadcast, and the money we had raised we were all ready to buckle down and get back to work. That’s just our style at Lifeline. But, like I said, there is no us without you, and for those of you who attended this year’s fundraiser or who have been able to donate, we thank you.
As the lights were turned off and the last person exited the gallery we unanimously decided that next year in an effort to raise more money and reach out to more people, we would hire a professional event planner.
Rachael Reichenbach
HQ Intern
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