OT:Ghana Paragliding Festival (Charity/Fundraising)

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Hello Everyone,

Well, it is finally official. It took a lot longer than expected to get the official announcement, but I am indeed off to Ghana to help support a local charity event and introduce the local people of Nkawkaw to the power of flight through my tandem paragliding skills.

http://www.ghanaparagliding.com/index.html

In conjunction our group is working with The Cloudbase Foundation to raise money for local charity work.

http://thecloudbasefoundation.org/

To that end I would like to raise funds by donating my time by raffling off a day of instruction in one of the following areas:

1) Full day of ski/snowboard/telemark skiing.
2) Fully day of either solo paragliding instruction or tandem flights.
3) Full day of kiteboarding lessons.

A full day being five hours, and each five dollar donation counting as a raffle ticket.

I am fully certified to professionally teach all three of these options, and the cost of an all day private lesson in any of these would cost approximately $300-$400. The time frame to use my services would be one year from the date of the drawing, which would allow you to choose from any of the options. All donations will go directly to the selected project to benefit the local people.

Hopefully in the next three-four days, I will be able to send out more detailed information regarding the online donation process.

Meanwhile I am very honored to have been selected out of a very large and impressive filed of US Tandem Paragliding pilots to be able to travel to Ghana and participate in this event. Here is a link to an article in our National Paraglding/Hang Gliding Publication (USHPA). The Ghana article starts on page 26 and goes to 35.

http://issuu.com/us_hang_gliding_paragliding/docs/1007_magazine?mode=embed&viewMode=presentation&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

The article will give you a good sense of what the Festival is all about. I hope that this e-mail finds you well and in a charitable mood. Or, at least in need of a day of instruction in one of my sports! We are slated to leave around April 20th, and I will plan to host the drawing sometime right before leaving...

Sincerely, Jon Malmberg
2883 Son Rise Loop
Hood River, OR. 97031

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Hello Everyone,

Everything is now set for donations with The Cloudbase Foundation. My goal is too reach $500.00 for the Ghana Charity, and every little bit will help. To Donate, follow this link

http://thecbf.net/Donate.asp

When you donate please note on the special instructions within PayPal the following.

JON MALMBERG GHANA

This will allow them to track where the donation needs to go and the pilot (namely me) whose name you are donating in. When you will get your e-mail receipt of the donation (save for tax purposes), please forward that to me at jbamphoto@gmail.com and I will enter you the appropriate number of times into the raffle. My departure date for Ghana is April 20th and I will be running the drawing on the 18th and announcing the winner prior to my leaving. Here is an example of the donation receipt. Yeah, I donated to myself to make sure it works.

Every dollar counts, and I appreciate your support.

Hello Jon Malmberg,

This email confirms that you have donated $10.00 USD to The Cloudbase Foundation (thecbf@charter.net) using PayPal.

Donation Details

Confirmation number: 08A08840JS346160Y
Donation amount: $10.00 USD
Total: $10.00 USD
Purpose: The Cloudbase Foundation
Contributor: Jon Malmberg

Recipient information

Donations coordinator: The Cloudbase Foundation
Contact email: thecbf@charter.net
Contact Phone Number: 985-845-7901

Thanks,
PayPal

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Thanks for the Sticky Phil...

Whoa, already $630.00 in donations with still about five weeks to go. Guess I underestimated all you good peeps out there.

Thanks for the support, Jon Malmberg

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

There has been some questioning regarding my fundraising efforts... Please read through my response. It is unfortunately that there are some out there that are attaching any negative thoughts regarding my intentions.

Bueno Suerte on you charity. You say you're looking for $500 in donations, but isn't the airfare similar to $1500 from west coast USA? It strikes me as odd that you're asking for moneys whilst spending that kind of $$ on flights. Why not donate what you would have spent on airfare? (instead of $10 bucks).. that's how your offer reads to me.

sorry for the neg. feedback sir,

regards,
No Name to protect the innocent!

Xxxxx,

Yes... flights are expensive... But, the pilots that are participating have been INVITED by the country of Ghana and our transportation costs have been covered by the local government.

Part of the event, besides our local pilot fundraising, is highlighting the fantastic paragliding and tourism of the local area. Our role as invited tandem pilots is too fly and share the power of flight with the local people. We are not there to be on vacation and will be working very very hard as tandem pilots at the event.

Maybe you should have read through the link regarding the article on last years event.

Jon Malmberg

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Hello Everyone,

I am working on getting an update on donations from The Cloudbase Foundation, but in the meanwhile I was just sent the following Thank You letter. Small donationa will ultimately have large positive effects. This Thank You is directed at those who have already chosen to help out with a few bucks.

Thanks, Jon Malmberg

This is a link to my Facebook, where I will be posting updates as I get more information...

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=673630926

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Just a quick Ghana Fundraising update. The raffle prize is fully transferable, so if you don't need a day of instruction... maybe your significant other, brother, or mother might be interested?

Also, The Cloudbase Foundations seems to have a lot more donated than I have recieved in receipts. So, if you really want to get into the raffle... please forward me those confirmation e-mails. I will do my best to get all of the inforamtion from the Foundation, but to make sure... drop me an e-mail at jbamphoto@gmail.com

Thanks, Jon

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Here is a poster that I am circulating around the local Hood River business community. Hard to believe that our departure date of April 19th is coming up so darn fast.

HEY EVERYONE, DONATION TOTAL IS $1,130.00 and GROWING. Thanks for all of your support and my new GOAL is $1500.00 since you all helped to so easily decimate my initial goal of $500.00.

Please remember to send receipts to me for the drawing entry. The Cloudbase Foundation total is still way higher than what people have forwarded me for the raffle entry. I will do my best to get all the names from the Foundation for the raffle, but the best way to make sure your tickets get into the drawing jar is to forward me those e-mail receipts.

Thanks, Jon Malmberg

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

The new total is $1530.00 as of this morning...

My goal has been made and instead of making a new one, we will just see how high the end total ends up going. I will be doing the drawing on the 18th at Insitu to have it witnessed. I will be drawing the winner and two runner ups in case whoever wins passes on the prize.

Thanks again, and this week I get to go in and get all of the dreaded shots. Yikes, not looking forward to this...

Thanks, Jon Malmberg

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Hello Everyone,

Here is an interesting article from the Ghana Ministry of Tourism that might help explain why the government supports this Festival so completely.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=204426

Thanks, Jon Malmberg

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Fun day flying Adam Lapierre from the Hood River News on an afternoon sledder. Ghana and The Cloudbase Foundation will be making front page news tomorrow!

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Fun day flying Adam Lapierre from the Hood River News on an afternoon sledder. Ghana and The Cloudbase Foundation will be making front page news tomorrow!