On Tuesday, I had my first meeting with our Chinese nonprofit partner: CRDF. We have partnered with them to make HS a reality in Chengdu. They are a registered nonprofit of Sichuan, and will help us with administrative things, accounting, Chinese liasion-ing (can that be a verb?) and more; through them, we have official, legal standing in China. Sara and I were so excited about the potential of partnering with them, and it all became official just a couple months ago when Sara signed the official paperwork to become partners. Yay! Up until this summer, neither Sara nor I have lived in Chengdu consistently. So we haven't had the chance to really solidify this partnership or reap the benefits. On Tuesday, it all began! The director, HS's new project manager, accountant and I all sat down together to hash out all the nitty gritty details of what this summer will hold. I have to say, it was such an amazing feeling to be surrounded by other people who are also working towards making HS a reality. It is no longer just Sara and me. Blows my mind. Believe it or not, the day got even better than that. After our meeting, they gave me a detailed tour of the office. It's a wonderful place, and a great community of people. At the end of the tour, Candice (one of my coworkers and a new friend) showed me MY DESK. Yes everyone, I have a desk. Maybe I'm being just a little silly for getting so excited about that, but I was pretty much freaking out in my head at the prospect of having a desk in an office. Candice said, "Feel free to work at your desk for a little while now, and we hope you join us all for lunch in the break room at noon." I sat at my desk for about an hour before lunch, just reveling in the moment and soaking it all in. After lunch I went home, but Candice called me almost right away. She invited me to join CRDF at an event hosted by the Rotary Club of Chengdu. Talk about jumping right in. Some of you may remember, Sara and I presented HS to the very same Rotary Club two years ago. They were impressed with our project, but encouraged us to find a supporting organization to back us up. Cue: CRDF. I had no idea that in the last year CRDF and the Rotary Club have worked closely to do charitable work in the surrounding area. What a divine set up, that HS is now partnered with CRDF. Someone upstairs definitely enjoyed putting those pieces together. I joined five other CRDF staff members that evening, at a Rotary banquet in the Crown Plaza Hotel downtown. It was wonderful (albeit, nerve wracking) to mingle with everyone present and continue making connections with people. A couple Rotary Club members recognized me and were very glad that HS is now working with CRDF. Victory.
Thanks to everyone for all the encouraging little notes and comments in the last week! Keep checking back... the saga continues.
1 Comment
Kay McCarthy
6/13/2014 12:53:25 am
Thanks for the update, Rebekah. I was wondering about the picture at a desk:)
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A note from Rebekah...If you've ever wondered what it would be like to start a nonprofit from the ground up, to open a home for ORPHANS with special needs in Asia, you've come to the right place. Archives
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