My super cool, amazing, inspirational sister! (We all know I have two of these. This happens to be about the older one.)

READ THIS MESSAGE FROM MY SUPER COOL, AMAZING, INSPIRATIONAL OLDER SISTER ERICA!!!!

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Dear Friends,

As some of you know, over the past year I've been working on founding a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing outstanding pregnancy, childbirth and new baby education to families of all income levels. Due in no small part to the advice, support, and encouragement I've received from so many of you, I am proud to announce that Birth Education Beyond the Ordinary (BEBO) is now an incorporated not-for-profit organization in the state of New York!

Our mission
To empower women and families to play an active role in the birth of their children by providing affordable and comprehensive pregnancy, childbirth, and new baby education and support. At BEBO, we envision a world in which women can approach childbirth feeling confident, well-informed, and free from intimidation.

Childbirth can be a complicated process, and sometimes requires that important decisions be made under intense and unfamiliar circumstances (like labor!). By being familiar with her options prior to decision time, the mother and her partner can increase her chance of having a positive birth experience.

So what's the need for BEBO?
Well, childbirth classes offered by hospitals rarely cover a full range of labor and delivery options. They can also be expensive. Independent childbirth classes cover a wide range of options, but are cost-prohibitive for many families. By offering independent childbirth classes on a sliding-scale basis, BEBO hopes to fill the current void.

Things are coming along wonderfully. We have a terrific pool of certified childbirth educators as instructors, and our first class will take place December 8. For details, please check our website - www.beboinc.org.

Now for the tricky part... funding.
I'm writing today to ask for your support. Starting out is difficult; foundations can be reluctant to give grants to organizations with limited programming history, and to get our programming going, frankly, we need money. If you are interested in supporting this brave young organization, please consider making a contribution at the $50 level or higher. If $50 is too much, but you'd like to show your support, please do! Any donation you can make today will contribute to putting BEBO on solid footing for the future.

To make a secure contribution by check or credit card, please visit www.beboinc.org/Contribute.html and click on "PayPal/Donate". You DO NOT need a PayPal account to make a credit card donation. To donate by mail, send a check made out to BEBO to BEBO, 103 Grove Street, Mt Kisco, NY 10549. If you have any questions about the tax-deductible nature of donations to BEBO, please contact me. If you have any questions about BEBO at all, contact me! I'd love to talk more about our plans.

Warmest wishes,
Erica

erica@beboinc.org

P.S. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested!

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GIVE HER MONEY, OR AT LEAST FORWARD THIS ON TO PEOPLE WITH MONEY WHO MIGHT WANT TO GIVE HER MONEY!!!!

And an update with that elephant from the last post - Lek raised enough money to buy her and she's now at Elephant Nature Park. So that's cool! You can read a report about it here...
http://www.bring-the-elephant-home.nl/en/index.php