To commemorate Michael's birthday on August 29th, fans from all around the world are making a donation to a charity in honour of Michael. Fans nominate their favourite charities and of these, three finalists will be chosen. Everyone then takes a vote and donate to the charity with the most votes. Click on Previous Posts on the right to see what we have done in past years.

1 September 2011

Thank you!

We have received all your info and forwarded it to the charity. Here is the card that they sent to Michael’s children. The picture on the front is one of their favourite photos of the orphans.

Front of card

Inside of card

They have also sent a thank you card to us! This card is from their HopeArt collection, which is designed by their orphans.



This card comes from all the wonderful people at Orphan’s Lifeline.

If you would like to keep a full-sized version of these cards, you can download the PDF file at Scribd.com. (Click 'download' on the grey bar on the right.)

Many thanks to everyone who donated, supported us and helped to spread the word among your fellow fans and family members. Your contribution will go a long way to help children who have no-one else to care for them. Orphan’s Lifeline’s founder said it best in the card, “Through you, Michael’s love for children lives on.”

A special mention to BMJ Publishing of Canada - Brenda Jenkyns and Kathy Gerren, the author and illustrator of this beautiful book, have donated a portion of the proceeds in support of our project.



For every book sold, they donate 20% of the selling price to children’s charities in Michael’s name. If you would like to get a copy of this beautiful picture book, please go to their website above. The book is not sold in bookstores. It makes a wonderful present for children (and adults too!). You can also order a print or canvas of some of the beautiful artwork to put up on your wall.

Thank you, Brenda and Kathy, for making such a beautiful book for us to enjoy, and for carrying on Michael’s legacy by supporting charities in his name.



A big thank you to Larisa Krasnoscheck from Moscow, Russia, who donated US$1,000 to Orphan’s Lifeline on behalf of the Russian fan club, Myjackson.ru.
I don't know what to say... just...... Photobucket

The orphans will know a better future from your kindness.

The same goes for everyone who donated, including those whose names do not appear in the card.

And now, for the goodie that we promised you earlier - a print of artist Eliza Lo’s beautiful artwork, which goes to one lucky donor who donated $25 or more.

The winner was randomly chosen via Random.org. And the picture goes to... Agnieszka Gocek from Poland!

Congratulations, Agnieska! Directions are in your email on how to contact the artist.





If you not the lucky winner but would like a copy of this or other drawings by Eliza, she will soon be publishing a book of her art. Proceeds will benefit children’s charities. You can connect with Eliza on Facebook and stay in touch. Thank you, Eliza, for donating a copy of your beautiful artwork for this project!

Thank you to everyone for your generosity, for carrying on Michael’s legacy, and for keeping his memory alive. It is so heartwarming to see his fans from every corner of the world continue to carry on his spirit to make the world a better place. I hope that together, we can do this for many more years to come.

If you would like to continue donating to Orphan’s Lifeline, you can do so at their regular donation page. Charity does not have to end just because Michael’s birthday is over. You can also continue to write letters to the orphans anytime (details in the post below). They would love to hear from you.

We hope to see you again - same time, same place next year. :)


(P.S. - We may be doing a charity art auction in aid of Somalia before the end of the year. We do not have definite plans at the moment, but do please follow us on Facebook or Twitter for updates.)


6 comments:

Nicke said...

The effort, commitment and organizational skills that have gone into making this a reality leaves me SPEECHLESS. Congratulations to Jo and everyone involved. So proud to be an MJ fan when I see the difference we are making.

Mary said...

Many thanks for the update, I'm happy to have been a small part of this.

Irma said...

Thank you so much for creating this lovely cause!

Seven said...

Yours is one of the charities listed on the 'Charity' tab of my website:

http://www.mj-777.com/?page_id=8412

When you started this effort last year, I expressed what a wonderful idea it was and once again this year you've made us all proud to be MJ fans! So very well done! I know Michael is smiling as well, wherever he is. This is the perfect birthday gift for him. ♡

I think the auction for Somalia is a good idea. These people desperately need all our help. I learned that much of the food aid sent to them is stolen!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/15/somalia-famine-aid-stolen_n_927126.html

Regardless the obstacles or despair, I know Michael would try to do something for them.

Love,

Seven

Michaels Susie said...

Congratulations to Johanna and Martha for the wonderful work you are doing. You are much appreciated by so many. In doing this you make sure that Michaels legacy continues on, while helping to show continual love in his name. God Bless, Sue Nichols

Johanna said...

Thank you all for your kind words. Nicke - Martha worked on this too, not just me.

Seven - I read about that right after I sent a donation to the World Food Programme. I was very disappointed as that money was hard to come by for me. A 10% loss would be understandable, but 50% is not acceptable! So until the UN cleans up their act, we would likely donate to a non-UN group like Medecins Sans Frontiers.

Thank you for listing us on your website. You've been supporting us from the beginning and we appreciate it very much. What we do is just a small drop in the ocean, but we do what we can. It makes me happy that so many people participated this year and that Michael is not forgotten.

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