Study your Funk and Wagnall’s, gang.   It’s trivia time again!

Yes, our 3rd Annual Trivia Game and Silent Auction is coming up fast.  It will be held on Friday, March 30, 2012 at 7:30 PM*.  To accommodate the expected larger crowds, we are moving to a more spacious facility.  The fun will be at the Lowell Elks, 40 Old Ferry Rd, Lowell, MA.

Last year, we had to stop selling tickets when we hit 100 because space was limited.  Folks had so much fun last year, we expect them all to come back… and bring friends.  We’re aiming for 150 this year but we’re bound to sell out again! To see how exciting last year’s event was, visit this page.

To offset the cost of renting the new space (and to get more help for our Haitian friends) we are increasing the cost of tickets to $15.  We do not apologize for this increase.  The need is too great.  Besides, last year some people actually complained because they thought the cost was too low!

In 2011, the money went toward the construction of homes for Haitians that were still living in tents.  (Families are living in those homes today.)  This year, the proceeds will go toward our business development program, Biznis Pam.  With this money, Haitian entrepreneurs will be able to learn how to start and maintain a new business.  Then their efforts will be funded and supported by Servants for Haiti.  This is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

You can start ordering tickets today – $15 each or a table for eight for $120.  Just go to our ticket purchasing page.  We suggest you buy tickets early and often.  It’s likely to be a sellout again this year.  Tickets will be available at the door only in the unlikely event that we are not sold out. Best to get yours soon.

Then there’s the silent auction. We’ll have another terrific selection of items this year, including dining gift certificates, hotel stays, sports memorabilia and tickets, videos, books, arts and crafts, Haitian products, and more.  Bid, Bid, Bid! More specific details will be added to this page as they become available, including auction items and more.  Check back often!

A full cash bar will be open during the evening.  Free snacks will also be available.  To maximize your fun, bring snacks (or even a meal!) for your whole table.  Last year, everyone else looked on in envy as one table brought a pizza dinner!

We will update this page if and when more info is available.  Meanwhile, feel free to write to trivia@servantsforhaiti.org if you have any questions about the event.

---

*Our custom is to hold the Trivia fundraiser on the first Saturday in April.  This year we were forced to change the date because of the proximity to the Easter holiday and the availability of the new location.

Still trying to decide whether to go to trivia night this year?  Here are the Top Ten Reasons to go:

10. So you don’t have to spend a year being envious listening to your friends brag about how much fun they had.

9. The silent auction could offer a gift basket from Lowell Five.

8. To show off your breadth of knowledge of the courting customs of 16th century Lapland and other important trivia.

7. To meet and get autographs from actual SFH board members.

6. Mitt Romney may show up to demonstrate that he really does care about the poor.

5. Any chance to get inside the Lowell Elks is worth the effort.

4. To find out how much you don’t know.

3. To bid on football autographed by member of Super Bowl Champion Patriots.

2. Three words: Sully’s Ice Cream.

…and the number one reason to attend Trivia Night 2012…

1. It’s a wicked lot of fun!

This is the place to buy tickets for Trivia Night

To purchase tickets to Trivia Night 2012:

1. From the pull down menu below, choose the number of tickets you want to buy
2. Click on the “Buy Now” button
3. Step through the PayPal process

It’s that simple.  If you still have questions or problems, you can always write to us at trivia@servantsforhaiti.org.

Alternatively, you can send us a check at the address shown on the Donate Now page.  If you know someone on the board of SFH, you can give any of us cash or a check.  Online purchases are recorded on our attendees list.  Give us your name at the door and you’re in.  For people who want physical tickets, some will be available as needed.

Choose number of tickets

1 $15.00 USD 2 $30.00 USD 3 $45.00 USD 4 $60.00 USD 5 $75.00 USD 6 $90.00 USD 7 $105.00 USD One table (8 tix) $120.00 USD

If you buy more tickets than you plan to use, please let us know so that we can release tickets you don’t need.  We want as many people as possible to attend.  You can make a note of this fact in the PayPal message field.

NOTE: Your ticket purchase is tax-deductible.

Here’s your chance to combine two of your passions: Shopping and Haiti.  Two different fund-raisers are running concurrently where you buy stuff and SFH gets some money:

Check out this Wildtree fundraiser You’ll find lots of natural options for helping to provide your family with easy, healthy, all-natural meal options.  Lots of gluten-free options as well.  Share shipping with a friend to help cut your costs.  20%  of all proceeds from this sale will go to Servants For Haiti’s new business program, Biznis Pam.

Also, a part of all proceeds made from any Wildtree parties  booked though this fundraiser will be donated back to SFH.

Go to this site then click on the My Events button on the left side of the page.  For the event called “Servants For Haiti Fundraiser”, click on the “Shop Now” link.  This fundraiser will run through January 30, 2012.

And this Tupperware fundraiser This is just what you’ll need to store all those new herbs and spices that you bought from Wildtree!  Tupperware donates 40% of all proceeds to SFH from now through the end of January 2012.  Click here to go right to the SFH fundraiser page.

Your order for trivia tickets has been processed successfully!

Your purchase has been recorded.  Just check-in on entrance to the trivia game.

We look forward to seeing you on March 30.

Don’t forget to bring your checkbook to buy awesome silent auction items.

Return to Trivia Page

Return to SFH home page

Our Second Annual Trivia Night, held on Saturday, April 12, was a tremendous success.

We want to thank everyone who contributed to making this event not only a lot of fun, but profitable for the people of Haiti.  Next year, plan to be part of the excitement. Reserve April 7, 2012 (first Saturday in April again) for next year’s event. Watch our web site for updates as the date approaches.

We want to make this event one that people will look forward to year after year.  Your feedback will help make next year’s event even better.  If you were at this year’s trivia night, please fill out this evaluation form.  Thank you!

100% of the proceeds from this year’s fundraiser will go toward providing housing for Haitian families displaced by last year’s earthquake.  Most are still living in tents in muddy fields, subject to disease, violence, and bad weather.  We want to put as many as possible into real homes as soon as possible. We know that we can’t do it all on our own, but with your help, by God’s grace, we can make a difference one family at a time.

If you have any other questions about our trivia events, please don’t hesitate to contact us at trivia@servantsforhaiti.org.

---

We want to express our profound gratitude to the following people and organizations who made this year’s Trivia Night the success it was.

For their generous donations of items for our auction:

The Colonial Inn, Edgartown, MA

Boston Red Sox

New England Patriots

Boston Celtics

Boston Bruins

Lowell Spinners

Bertucci’s Italian Restaurants

Chili’s Grill and Bar, Wilmington, MA

The Java Room, Chelmsford, MA

Moonstone’s Restaurant, Chelmsford, MA

Pampered Chef, Sharon Leigh, Chelmsford, MA

Walden Media, Burlington, MA

Jeanne Conti knitted and crocheted goods, Woburn, MA

Nancy Kaelin, Chelmsford,MA

Capellini’s Italian Restaurant, Tewksbury, MA

Massage Envy, Berkeley Street, Boston, MA

Camp Cedarbrook, Alfred ME

The Haven and Beals families

Cricket Lomicka quilting, Chelmsford, MA

Laurae Richards Art, Westford, MA

Mahoney’s Garden Center, Winchester, MA

Tastefully Simple, Donna Nordquist

Cut to the Chase, Billerica, MA

Peregrine Outfitters, Williston, VT

Haitian craftspeople

For providing prizes for the trivia contest:

Sully’s Ice Cream, Chelmsford, MA

And a VERY BIG Thank You to Sterling Golf Management for the use of the Chelmsford Country Club and their generous auction donations.

Please support our supporters and tell them you saw them here!

Christmas is insane.  Pure and simple.

There is no way around it.  And everyone knows it.  Most people complain about the hassle of the holiday season.  Many pay lip service to the over-commercialization of Christmas. But nothing changes.

Some people adorn bumper stickers or pins proclaiming Jesus as the “reason for the season”.  Yet how can overspending, over-consuming, overeating, and overdoing be considered an appropriate way to observe the birthday of a Savior who was born into poverty, lived in obscurity and died in ignominy?  (Hint: It can’t.)

Advent Conspiracy is a movement that seeks to remind us what the Christmas season is really all about.  Watch this video then reconsider how you will celebrate this Christmas this year.

How will you mark the occasion?  Will you spend money you don’t have for gifts the recipients don’t need?  Will you ask the question, “What do I give the person who has everything?” Or will you ask, “What can I give to the person who has nothing?”

We at Servants for Haiti humbly suggest that there is a better way to celebrate Christmas – the way Jesus did, through sacrificial giving to those in need.  To be part of the Advent Conspiracy, visit our donations page.

Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All

Join the conspiracy.

Those of us who have traveled to Haiti over the years are continually impressed by the abundance and variety (and low price!) of the artwork and craft items we find for sale.  Wouldn’t it be great to share that creativity with our friends and help Haitian citizens earn a living in the process?

In an attempt to help bolster the Haitian economy – to paraphrase our slogan, “one craft at a time” – we thought it would be a good idea to try to create a small market for Haitian products like these.  Admittedly, it’s a minuscule step, but it’s a step.

We’d like to hear from you.  Do you know of any local stores or other outlets where we could sell some of these items?  If so, please contact us.  Since we travel to Haiti quite often, it would be easy to bring things back for sale.

Here is a very small sample of the kinds of things we could sell: (Click on a picture to see the full image.)

Serving Haiti is a marathon, not a sprint.  And Servants for Haiti is in it for the long run.  So is Lisa Clemetson.

Lisa is the adoptive mother of Roody, a current resident of Kingdom Kids Orphanage (KKO), one of our works in Haiti.   As any good mother would, Lisa wants the very best for her son.  But with Roody so far away, that’s a tough task.  She and her husband Todd visit their son as often as possible, but that leaves long stretches of time when he is beyond their care.  Her solution to the dilemma was to raise money so that SFH can hire another caregiver at KKO.  And she’s found a very meaningful way to do it.

Lisa is training to run a marathon and is enlisting sponsors for her trek.  As of this writing she’s only been at it for less than a week, but she’s already more than half way to her goal. With a recent promise of a matching gift up to $1200, that puts her way beyond it.

To learn more about Lisa and her marathon, go to her blog, “A Drop in the Ocean“.  There you’ll hear from a lady who is walking her talk.  More accurately, she’s running it.

Perhaps Lisa’s actions are prompting you to consider ways to raise funds and help Haiti in its marathon toward hope.  Talk to us.  We can give you ideas and practical help, such as setting up a payment system similar to what Lisa is doing.

As of right now, you can contribute to the work of Servants for Haiti online.  We have implemented an online donation process through PayPal, allowing you to make a cash contribution either through a PayPal account or with a credit card.

Go to the Donate Now page to make your donation.

Please note that we are not yet ready to accept your regular sponsorship payments through PayPal.  We are in the process of determining how best to do that.  Please watch our news posts for any updates to that situation.  For now, we ask that you continue to make your sponsorship payments via check as you have in the past.

Thank you for your support and generosity!