Thank-You from Genesis Received

Click here to view the thank you letter from Genesis.

Thanks again to all who donated.

Stephanie

Wire Transfer Still Pending

So I said I'd be transparent, and I feel a little sick about the slow progress, so I'll just update you all.

I deposited all the money on Wednesday at 9am, then submitted the wire transfer through Western Union before 10am the same morning.

I logged into Western Union about 5 times each day until I realized nothing was happening. So I emailed them on Thursday night to ask what was going on. This is what they said:

Hello Stephanie,

Thank you for your email.

The incoming payment method selected for deal ID 22967734 is wire; therefore we are waiting for you to transfer the USD amount to our account. Once received the ZAR amount will be released to your recipient.

I can see that you have set up a USD account on your profile; did you intend to have the funds withdrawn directly from your account? Please advise if this is the case and we can amend the payment method from wire to Direct Debit.

A transaction from direct debit to wire normally takes 3-6 business days to complete. The time frame of 1-2 business days for a wire transfer is for one side of the transaction only. If you were to initiate a wire to our account the entire transaction would normally take 2-5 business days.

Please advise how you wish to proceed with this transaction.

Kind Regards,

Brandy Gladson - Shift Lead, Pricing
Western Union Business Solutions

In other words, I did it wrong. I'm efficient, but also idiotic. In my defense, I've never done this before.

So I emailed back on Friday morning, of course, yes, please change it right away. Then I called them, checked up that it had been changed, and asked how long that would take. The representative said it would take, just as the above email says, 3-6 business days. But since I switched the method on Friday, the process would probably not begin until Sunday.

I'll continue to keep you updated. I just checked online, and no money has been withdrawn yet. Rest assured, I feel sick still holding onto the money. Hopefully it will go on Sunday.

Wire Transfer Completed

This morning I deposited $2,106.50 into my account.

I just initiated the wire transfer to Genesis' account in the amount of $2361.67, which according to Western Union is R15,345.48 (rands).

When Genesis confirms the wire transfer, I will post that email here.

Stephanie

Concert Total

As promised, below is the total concert amount raised tonight.

At first I was fairly disappointed at the turnout, which was somewhere around 50-60 people. As my boss would say, all the people in Naselle were there! Some people said the turnout was because of the games in Ilwaco tonight. And there wasn't a whole lot we could do about that.

But even with a turnout lower than the last concert in 2007, we still managed to raise more than twice as much as we raised in 2007.

As requested, two adults counted the money before I touched it. April Zimmerman and Riann Schell counted a total of $2,001.50. This does not include the total cost of crafts, $355.17. After the money was counted, another person donated $5. This means that the total raised for Genesis' AIDS hospice in South Africa was $2,361.67.

Want to divide that by the number of people at the concert? That would be about $39 per person.

The support for Genesis' Care Center has touched me deeply, and I am tremendously grateful for all the help and work that went into putting this concert together. Deanna, Riann, Kelsi, Carl, Mona, Greg, Gene, and everyone who gave time or money to the concert - thank you SO much.

As promised, the wire transfer in the amount of $2,361.67 will be sent to Genesis tomorrow morning. Proper documentation will be posted here as soon as Genesis receives the transfer.

I will not be organizing another AIDS benefit again, but I am so glad I live in an area with such kind-hearted people. I know my friend with HIV, who inspired me to organize these events, will be pleased to hear that so much generosity could come from so few.

Thank you again.

Stephanie

How to Donate If You're Not Coming

Only fifteen days out and we're still working out financial details! I'm trying to figure out a way to keep me accountable if you are going to make checks out to me. That's all well and good, and it'll do for small-town fundraising, but we have to make sure there's a way to check that I did pay Genesis Hope as much as I collected.

For the time being, if you can't make it to the concert but want to donate anyway, make check out to Stephanie Wise and send to:

Stephanie Wise
PO Box 244
Naselle, WA 98638

To assist accountability documentation, make sure you put Genesis Hope in the Memo line.

Please send your check before Christmas to make sure it arrives in time to enter you into the drawing for the gift cards.

Know any businesses?

Hello everyone!

The concert is still set for December 28th, 6pm. Apparently, lots of rain is expected for that week, so that sounds like we won't need that backup date!

Preparation is coming along great. So far I've had the following gift cards donated:

Two $40 gift cards from Astoria Coffeehouse
One $25 gift card from Fort George Brewery
One $25 gift card from Fulio's Pastaria

Does anyone have any other businesses who might be able to donate either to the fund or a gift card? Let me know or ask them!

Eighteen days to go!

Just put up.

Give me a day to put something here. Thanks for checking in!

Stephanie