January 23, 2008
Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to get off a quick note before
I head for the airport to go back to Mozambique. Wow - what a trip and
by the way, Happy Birthday Mom-
It's been a whirlwind, but exciting while I've been in Colorado. We have
set up trademarks and copyrights for our HIV training systems and for
our dolls; we have adjusted our name to AOSCI dba TIOS (AIDS Orphans Skills
Centers doing business as TIOS Training Internationally for the Orphans
Survival)- that means you can write your checks to TIOS if you like or
continue with AOSCI. It just makes it so much easier for me as I am always
working with and for TIOS and then once a year when I come to the U.S.
I have to remember our legal names is AOSCI, so it's an exciting change
for us. It's also better for building brand name.
Yesterday I had an interview with Colorado Public Radio and will let you
all know as soon as I am informed of the "airing date."
Dave and I have set up a new link to our website www.TIOS.US and if you
go there, it takes you straight to our normal website. So, you can email
me at agillespie@tios.us and it
roles right into my normal email which I am checking every day rather
than having to go somewhere else to check my mail. That's exciting!! Also,
we set up a MySpace account at http://www.myspace.com/tiosus
and if you are a member of MySpace you can see our photo albums there.
We had a great concert on the 19th with about 85 people there and good
food, art, music and fun. Canaan Vallejos performed and did an outstanding
job as well as Fairlight Moriah and Joe King. The music and atmosphere
were great as we shared with everyone about our progression at TIOS since
June, 2005. I have the only photos the photographer took in upright here
- as soon as I can copy them and turn them upright, I will get the album
on our website. Sorry for that - and thanks for your patience.
We've made big strides in coming to a place of starting to create an office
in Colorado Springs to support our work in other countries. We made a
new logo and completed new artwork for our Five Components of HIV training.
We've created appliques to hold the condoms on the dolls and for the girls
to sign the backs of the dolls. When I say we - I mean us and a company
here called Prince of Battle - wonderful group of guys doing silk screening
and embroidery and they are saving part of their set-up fees to raise
money for each of our girls to have a sewing machine at home.
Our B.O.D., has met twice and we have worked with a fabulous non-profit
consultant who's agreed to assist us this year in developing our vision
into being a greater and more stable organization. We also are working
with the Front Range Executives (FRESC) and the Center for non-profit
Excellence to improve our transparency so that we are more attractive
for donors. Sharlene and I attended courses on developing "our story"
and courses on how to write grant proposals.
We've completed our first proposal to Church World Services to work together
with them on the girls protection program and in sewing together. We finally
found an accounting software that should facilitate our U.S. and Mozambique
accounting from Quick Books Canada- we were having trouble finding a software
that handled multi-currency but now have that all worked out.
Three Ugandan's came to our concert (who were training at the Olympic
Training Center) and asked "When we would be bringing our programs
to Uganda as they were very necessary for the children there". and
the programs officer from the U.S. Embassy wrote to say, "Mozambique
is waiting for you" to return and continue with our lovely programs
there.
We've made some plans to hold some fundraising activities while I'm out
of country and to start building a larger B.O.D. with people who can really
give us a hand and starting to coordinate activities with our volunteers
so there are a lot of exciting things going on.
Meanwhile, I'm packing. I fly Saturday morning and arrive Monday Afternoon
back to Mozambique where it is summer and heavy rain season... unfortunately
with lots of flooding and malaria. But I'm ready to get back to food without
chemicals and ready for some heat. I would have never guessed I would
get so de-acclimated to the cold so quickly.
Thank you one and all for your continued support. We really need you talking
about us; as gaining notoriety and/or publicity will be one of the most
important factors in us being more sustainable and being able to set up
operations here in the U.S. to support programs in different countries
around the world.
Blessings from here and Happy New Year to all....
Amy and the kids
www.aosci.org
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