Cupcake Necklaces Have Raised over $500 to Support She's the First!

Purchase a STF Cupcake Necklace: 75% of proceeds
Go directly to She's the First!

Thanks to the generous and fabulous supporters of She's the First over the holiday season, I've actually surpassed the next few tiers of my goal to help raise $1,600 to this great organization with cupcake necklace sales with a whopping $500 donation that was made in 2012: and I can't thank all of my customers enough!

With Valentine's Day soon upon us, I thought this would be a great time to show how through a cute cupcake necklace purchase for your best friend or little sister, you can help support girls' education in the developing world during the season of love :)

If you look on the She's the First website, $500 is enough for an essential sponsorship for the Selamta Family Project in Bethel, Ethiopia.

Holiday Sales Raised over $500!

About the Selamta Family Project

“Selamta” means “be at peace.” in Ethiopian Amharic: the goal of this project is to help orphaned children regain the sense of peace they lost when they lost their family. The Selamta Family Project protects Ethiopian orphans, vulnerable children, and marginalized women by establishing permanent, stable family homes and providing access to continuous medical care, education, and social safety nets. Selamta works to maintain the cultural connections that sustain healthy families, neighborhoods, and communities - so that loving families may build strong citizens.

Selamta has several family homes located in Bethel, a suburb of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. To reduce the stigma that often plagues orphans, homes are dispersed throughout the neighborhood, allowing kids to be easily integrated in the larger community. Each family is organized around a permanent, stable Selamta-trained mother, who assume parental duties and provide respectful, loving care for her children. The Selamta staff support the mother in every way to ensure her successful parenting, and the staff is responsible for sustaining her healthy living arrangement.

All of the school-aged kids receive an amazing education at the Alpha Keranyo School, a private school located in the Bethel neighborhood. After-school tutors provide extra support to help children succeed. Despite the fact that many children could not attend formal school before joining the Selamta Family, many kids excel at the top of their class.

What Does This $500 Do?

There are several tiers for this sponsorship, ranging from $360 to $800. This $500 amount can cover the following:

STF Cupcake Necklace, $20

• Continuous education at a rigorous K-12 private school
• School supplies including uniform, backpack and notebooks
• After-school tutoring programs
• Sports and soccer registration fees
• Summer enrichment programs
• Small budget for birthday and holiday celebrations
• Small savings account each child

Interested in helping to sponsor a girl in the Selamta Family Project, or any other girl around the world? Here's how to help!

1. Give the Gift of Awareness for yourself or a friend for this Valentine's Day: 75% of these specially designed Ash Tree She's the First Cupcake Necklace go directly to She's the First
2. Explore the Directory on the STF website to read more about girls who need your help
3. Organize your own Bake Sale to sponsor a girls' education in your school with these great tips from She's The First.

Thanks again to all my customers for your support - I look forward to posting another fundraising update soon for 2013!