Since the earthquake, the What If? Foundation has been the grateful beneficiary of dozens of incredible fund-raising efforts. Schoolchildren have held bake sales, change drives, bazaars and walk-a-thons. Churches have dedicated offerings and arranged benefit dinners. World-class musicians joined together to play for Haiti, dedicating the proceeds of their concert to our earthquake relief efforts. Stores have held raffles and dedicated percentages of sales to benefit the foundation. The list goes on and on.

Please keep sending us stories, photos, videos, drawings and whatever else you want to share about your fundraisers. We appreciate hearing about every event, and the chance to share stories on this page. Thank you, to each and every one of you, for helping the Foundation to make a difference, little by little, one step at a time.

“A QUILT RAFFLE”

Karen Grady made this beautiful quilt, put it on display in the library and raffled it off to raise funds for the What If? Foundation. One of the librarians won the raffle!

“HAITI PLEDGE PROJECT”

A small group of people in the tiny village of Saxtons River, Vermont, wondered if their small donation to the What If? Foundation could possibly make a dent in the problems Haitians are facing and will continue to face for a long time. They decided to inspire others to join their efforts to help. They’ve been asking others to join them in helping to feed the children in Port-au-Prince by making a pledge to contribute to the What If? Foundation each month through December. They write: “You do not need to say how much you will contribute, just that you will. If you write Haiti Pledge Project on your check, or in the information box when you contribute online, the What If? Foundation will know you are a member of the group. Each month the Foundation sends the Haiti Pledge Project Committee a report of how many individuals contributed that month and the total amount raised by the group. Thank you for joining us!”

“BRACELETS FOR HAITI”

Students at Monova Grove High School in Cottage Grove, WI, made beautiful bracelets to sell to raise money for Haiti, and to send to children in Haiti. When they sent us the funds they raised through sales, they also sent us “190 bracelets for 190 wrists.” On their April trip to Haiti, Margaret and Caitlin had the pleasure of seeing the delight on the children’s faces when they received their new bracelets. Thank you to the Environmental Club at Monrovia Grove High School!

“HOPE FROM HERE TO THERE“ CHANGE DRIVE

Tiponi Tipton, a 4th grader at Suwannee Intermediate School in Live Oak, FL, was inspired to organize a two-week fundraiser at her school to raise  money for the food program in Haiti. She collected change in each classroom, created a video asking students to help, and helped count the change that was collected. What an inspiration she is to us all!

“SILENT AUCTION FOR HAITI”

Teens at The First Church in Salem, in Salem, MA, held a silent auction to earn money to support What If?’s programs in Haiti. They thanked us for helping them understand that “every act of love makes a difference.” We thank them for reminding us of the same.

Creators of the Hands For Hope Campaign!

The “HANDS FOR HOPE CAMPAIGN” flyer reads:

“Hello, we would like to help the children of Haiti. We think we should help them get money to save their lives. Ordinary kids like you and me don’t really feel the pain that the kids of Haiti are feeling so we’re starting a fundraiser to help feed the poor people of Haiti.

“We would like to ask you to donate $1 or more!!! to the What If? Foundation that helps feed people in Haiti. Our idea is to draw your hand on a piece of paper, write HANDS OF HOPE, sign your name on it and then attach your dollar (or more) and send it to our moms! Thank you so much for helping us to help them!      Makenzie, Kyle, Alex and Mateo

“THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST” THEATRE BENEFIT

In early March Murphy’s Irish Pub in Sonoma, CA, presented its annual very Irish drama production as a benefit for the What If? Foundation, and to set the mood for St. Patrick’s Day in Sonoma. A good time was had by all, including Margaret Trost, who had the good fortune to spend one night having dinner at the pub and seeing the show.

“HELPING HANDS FOR HAITI” COIN DRIVE

The Taylor Prairie Elementary School raised a lot of money for What If? by collecting spare change in their community. (See photo at right)  Thank you!

“RAISE THE ROOF FOR HAITI” Dance Party

A big dance party was held at the Center for Conscious Living in Madison, WI, to raise money for the What If? Foundation and the Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund.

“LOVE FOR HAITI” Dance Workshop

The San Francisco dance company Funkbrella created a dance workshop called “Love for Haiti”. Please check out the video below.