The 12 Month HOPP

If you’ve been following us, you know that we just went on a volunteer trip to Mongolia. It was something that everyone on the team enjoyed and helping people is something that we all wanted to do. But, a few weeks prior to the trip, we were sitting together having a team meeting and our leader said something that made us think. “How can you say that you have a heart to serve others but you don’t do anything in the country that you’re in?”

It’s a legitimate question, if I’m being totally honest with myself.

That night, a few of us got together and we started talking about it. We had all been wanting to do something but weren’t sure where to start, and honestly, we were all a bit scared to start. Being a teenager in a foreign country can be scary when considering volunteering or working.

We talked about things that had been on our hearts for a while and started looking into organizations and things we could do to help around Bangkok, Thailand. We found a lot of good things but nothing really stood out quite yet. So, we prayed. In the end, we decided that since our trip was so soon, we would go, and then we would look into more details and more organizations. If you want to learn more about the trip, read here.

It was after a couple weeks of ideas being thrown around that we finally came up with an idea.

The 12 Month HOPP- Helping Other People Project

We found that with so many different ways to help others, it was hard to choose only one. We came up with this idea for a few reasons. We hope to use this as an opportunity to challenge other people, regardless of age, to help wherever they can. In order to do this, we have put together a 12 month project that allows us to do 12 different things, and help with several different organizations. We are hoping that it provides ideas for other people to help around their community and that other teenagers can see that it’s not too early to start making a difference.

Here are a couple different ways that you could help.  

• Spread the news around and share this and upcoming events with the people that you know.
• Get a group of friends together and each month, follow along with us and try to make a difference in your community.
• Support us here by donating as much or as little as you feel. This is a good way to get involved if you find that you’re busy or can’t find any organizations near you, and it is greatly appreciated on our part.
• Pray that we’ll be able to make a difference in at least one persons life.

 

Below is a brief description of what we have planned for each month as of right now. When the months approach, things may change and we will provide more details of why we chose what we did and how we plan on accomplishing our task.

1) May – Feeding the Homeless

We’ll make and deliver food to the homeless people in Bangkok on one weekend and on another weekend we will go out and feed the stray animals in Thailand.

 

2) June – World Vision, 40 Hour Famine

World Vision is a charity dedicated to providing relief to those struggling and do long term developing communities projects. 40 hour famine is an awareness challenge in which you go without food for 40 hours and we tell those around us. We’ll need people to sponsor us, which means that all money used to sponsor us would go towards helping provide education, toilets, and food to those in need.

 

3) July – House Cleanse

We, and as many people as we can convince, will be cleaning out our houses and giving our stuff to those who can’t afford the things they need. All things that are still usable will go towards those who aren’t able to buy their own necessities.

 

4) August – The Slums of Bangkok

We are still figuring for sure plans for this, and it might change if we aren’t able to make a good time with the people who run the organization. We’re hoping that we will be able to go and talk with the people who live there and help them with any needs that they might have.

 

5) September – Prison/Detention Center

I know, it sounds scary, but I promise you that it isn’t. Basically, all we would do is go and talk to the people in the facilities and be a friend to them. It’s something that both parties enjoy immensely and a lot of times is very eye opening.

 

6) October – Giving Blood

We’re going to get as many people as we can to donate a pint of their blood to the hospitals around Bangkok. We will also have chosen an organization that provides medical relief to those who can’t afford it.  

 

7) November – Still in the Works

November is one of our bigger projects that we will announce later once we put together some key details. It will be more gospel related and we will hopefully be able to talk to people and answer any questions that they might have about God.

 

8) December – Christmas!

We will be raising money to buy necessities and practical items, such as toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, etc, for those that don’t have access. We will package them nicely and go out and deliver them. We’re hoping that in the process we can spread the word about why it’s Christmas and what it means to us.

 

9) January – Scavenger Hunt

We will be hosting a Bangkok scavenger hunt! We have set up a picture game that takes you all around bangkok with clues. The goal is to use all the money raised to buy school supplies and give them to the smaller schools in Bangkok.

 

10) February – Women’s Awareness

This month we will be finding a charity that supports women’s rights, health, and education. Right now we are still looking into a few and praying about them. We are also hoping to hold a small event but it’s still in the makings.

 

11) March – Helping a Friend

We are going to help the people who need our help. More to come when the month approaches.

 

12) April – The Biggest Project

We can’t say much about this one yet, but it’s gonna be big. Keep and eye and ear out for what we’ll be doing a year from now.

 

So that’s all for now. As we develop the ideas more we will send out more updates and provide you with ways that you too can get involved. Please please *please* share this post and if you are the praying type, pray about helping us and pray about doing your own thing to help your community. Remember, it doesn’t have to be big. Something as small as talking to people can help even just one persons life. #TogetherWeCanDo

Lots of love,

Jaynee, Brodie, Justine, and Sherry

 

P.S. Here are some photos from previous fundraisers that we have done. The one with the flowers was a valentines fundraiser where we made and sold over 200 cookies. The one at the concert sign was one where we made and sold headbands with the album cover and the lead singers head on them.