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Friends of Mongolia facilitated the collection of used clothes, toys, and books for orphans in Mongolia between October 1 – December 1, 2009, collecting many boxes of donations from around the USA. Bayarlalaa!” (Thank you!) to all our generous members and other donors from all over the country who supported this drive. This effort came at a particularly hard time in Mongolia as the country suffered through one of its coldest winters in a decade. This initiative was run primarily by Sarnai Gantumur, Abhilash Mathew, and FOM Board Member Ariel Wyckoff who organized, promoted, and publicized this drive as widely as possible. The response to the drive was enthusiastic with donations of books, clothes, and toys from members and other donors in California, Virginia, Nevada, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, and the District of Columbia. Donations also came from outside the FOM community. Ariel reached out to his local synagogue, Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington, VA, whose members embraced the effort by showing exceptional generosity. Nomadic Expeditions, Inc donated first aid supplies. AngloFreight Co, Ltd and Oyuntsetseg Surnee provided a 50% shipping discount. The Organization of Parents of Adopted Mongolian Children contributed clothes. P. Vijesh provide assistance with transport in California. And, J. Selenge and I. Myagmarsuren provided assistance in Mongolia. Most of the donations were shipped to The Lotus Children’s Center in Ulaanbaatar (www.lotuschild.org ), arriving on January 21, 2010. Donations received just a bit after the December 1, 2009 deadline for the drive were sent to the Sun Children’s Center in Darkhan, Mongolia, and they will arrive there in a few weeks. |
