An opportunity to help Ordinary Women Inc.

Hi friends of Ordinary Women, Inc.

 

OWI is now participating in Ralphs grocery store Community Contribution Program.  This means that if you will register your Ralphs Rewards card, a small percentage of the amount of your shopping order will be donated to OWI each time you shop at Ralphs and swipe your card (or give them the phone number linked to your card).  There is no cost to you and this does not interfere with your personal award points.

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PROCEDURE TO REGISTER YOUR RALPHS REWARDS CARD ON LINE

 

1) Go to:  www.ralphs.com website

 

2) Hit the red SERVICES tab at the top of the page

 

3) Hit Community Contribution option

 

4) To link your rewards card with Ordinary Women, Inc.:

        Under Participant, Hit the ENROLL button

 

5) Sign in or create an account if you don't have one by clicking on:

        Get Started, Sign up Today in the Create an Account section and follow the step-by-step instructions

 

6) After you create your online account, then link your account with Ordinary Women, Inc. by editing your

    Community Contribution Information . 

 

7) "Find your organization":

    Enter 93234 or Ordinary Women, Inc. then hit SEARCH

 

8) Ordinary Women, Inc. will come up as an option - select it and hit SAVE CHANGES

 

9) That's it!  If you go to My Account and select Community Rewards you should see Ordinary Women, Inc.

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After you link your card to OWI, your purchases will begin counting for OWI within 72 hours.  You will know your Ralphs card is registered successfully because within 7-10 business days you will see on the bottom of your receipt the following blurb:  "At your request, Ralphs is donating to Ordinary Women, Inc."

 

This does not interfere with your individual rewards points. 

 

Do you have a Ralphs Rewards Card but don't remember the number? - call (800) 660-9003.

 

Please read the FAQs for a better understanding of the program and more information on how to register your card on line.

 

If you need any help registering your card please contact Ralphs at 1-800-443-4438

Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

 

Thank you so much for your support, we really appreciate it!  The proceeds will benefit the children in the Orphan Program.

 

ORDINARY WOMEN, INC.

Judy McCoy

 

 

If you would like your name taken off the OWI contact list, please hit REPLY and put REMOVE in the subject line.

OWI Kenya Update, September, 2011

Hello Family and Friends of Ordinary Women, Inc., (OWI)

It has been about a month since my return from Kenya.  I can't believe it, time has gone by so quickly.  We had another great trip to Kenya this year, and I want to share the highlights with you.  Each year I go, the trip is very different.  It is exciting to see what is going to happen every year.

This year, our team of 22 people consisted of nurses, doctors, social workers, therapists, educators, housewives, entrepreneurs, a high school student, and retirees.  We were such a diverse team coming together in unity for the people in Kiminini and the surrounding areas.  Each person that goes, pays his or her own way and/or raises the support needed for the trip.  In these difficult financial times, I know it took a lot of faith just to get to Kenya, even before the trip started.

The medical team partnered with medical staff from Kenya and went to two different slums neighboring Kiminini.  They worked tirelessly for two days, offering a free medical clinic to anyone who walked in.  They saw some extreme cases and saved some lives!  It was exciting hearing from them each day they returned to the house in the evenings.  I think in those two days they saw around 3000 people!  The second day I heard they finally took their lunch around 5pm.  We had a very dedicated team of medical volunteers this year.

While the medical team worked in the slums, I took a social worker and therapist from our team to meet with our Kenyan social workers and Ordinary Women, Inc Kenyan members.  Our US team members told me they loved the enthusiasm of our Kenyan social workers, and their desire to learn more to continue to help our orphans.  We provided trainings for the social workers, and the second day, we discussed some of our orphans who may have learning disabilities.  There is no testing in the Kenyan schools for learning disabilities.  How they handle this issue in Kenya is by the "stick" (this is what I'm told). 

On our team this year were two educators from the US who have their PhD's and their specialties in learning disabilities.  They met with us the second day to educate the social workers on learning disabilities, assist them in the process of talking to the Kenyan teachers about our orphans who may have learning disabilities and to talk about options for our orphans.  I went away from this trip with hope for these identified orphans and a plan to assist them.

Also, we got to go with these two educators to meet their orphans (that they sponsor in our program) for the first time in the orphans' homes.  They got to meet not only their orphans, but the orphans' guardians and families as well.  There was not a dry eye in those houses.  We all cried with joy in these meetings.  Then, we went with the social worker from the US, and her daughter who is a junior in high school in the US, to meet the orphan they sponsor at his boarding high school where he lives.  The high school has about 120 boys that live there.  They were all on the soccer field watching some of them play when we got to the school.  They stopped the game while Paul, the orphan walked from the field to meet his sponsor, Margarita and daughter Jada for the first time.  Again, another very moving and tear filled union of big hugs between Paul and his sponsors.  Each month, these sponsors, just like you, send their sponsorship to support their orphans, and they trust we are doing what we say we do with the money.  And when a sponsor gets to meet their orphan in person that they are sponsoring, it is a very emotional and joyous time!  This was a great afternoon together!

Each year, the ladies in Kiminini ask for a women's conference.  This year, they asked for a conference on how to handle stress in their daily lives.  Some of the nurses and doctors on our team shared some ways to lower stress, and then a lady from our US team who grew up in Kenya shared a message on handling stress in life.  The Kenyan women shared how they were blessed from the day, and I know I was blessed and encouraged by sharing this time with these strong Kenyan women.

The next day, we had the medical clinics for the yearly checkups for our orphans in our Orphan Program and for their guardians and their families.  This was one of the highlights of my trip.  All of our orphans are healthy!  This is the first year that none of our orphans had to go to the hospital.  There were a few who were ill but just needed (and were treated with) antibiotics.  They all look very healthy.  And, the guardians look healthier and younger than I've seen in previous years!  The guardians continue to tell me what a positive difference this Orphan Program has made in their lives, and I saw it in them physically this year.  It was amazing to see with my own eyes!  I praise God for this!

We also got to visit the OWI Cyber Cafe that opened in January, 2011 as a sustainability project for the Orphan Program.  It is up and running with a great staff there to teach internet classes and to assist people in surfing the internet.  All three times I visited the Cafe, it was full of people using the computers.  It is getting to the point where it is self-sustaining, and our hope is that soon it will begin to bring revenue to the Orphan Program.

We ended our time in Kiminini with going to church with our Kenyan partners and friends on Sunday.  In the afternoon, I was invited to an area church to speak in a surrounding village where we drilled one of our deep wells.  They had the official opening ceremony of the well (even though they have been using it since it was drilled) while I was there and gave me a drink of the fresh water.  It tasted so good!  It was a privilege for me to spend the afternoon with the people of Big Tree and to see what a difference in that little community the well has made. 

After seeing the majority of the team off to the US, Marjaana, Debbie, and I (three of the Ordinary Women, Inc. board members) stayed in Kenya to visit other programs that are a step or two ahead of us, so we could catch more of the vision for the direction ahead of us.  It was such a wonderful trip, and we got so much more accomplished than we could have ever imagined!

And this is all thanks to you, because again, without you, our sponsors, none of our programs in Kenya would be possible.  No fresh water wells would be dug, no medical teams would be able to go (the medicines and medical supplies used in the medical clinics are all donated), and we would have no Orphan Program.  So, thank you!

If you are interested in supporting one of the orphans in our Orphan Program for just $35 a month, please go to our website at www.ordinarywomen.org where you can choose your orphan from the profiles.  Or you can write to us at:

                                                          Ordinary Women, Inc.
                                                   26861 Trabuco Road, Suite E#146
                                                         Mission Viejo, Ca. 92691
 
Joining Hands for Global Change,
Darla Morfin
Ordinary Women, Inc.
Executive Director-OWI Orphan Program

If you are no longer interested in receiving emails from OWI, please put "Unsubscribe" in the subject line and reply to this email.  Thank you.

TBN taping - September 29, 2011

Hi friends of Ordinary Women, Inc.

 

Would you like to learn more about good health and how to take care of your body?  The next TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) taping is Thursday, September 29^th, and the guests will be talking about taking care of your health.  Come and join us as part of the live audience.  This is an enjoyable way to spend an evening and TBN will make a donation to OWI on your behalf – there is no cost to you! 

 

The proceeds benefit the children in the OWI Orphan Program in Kenya, specifically school uniforms and food.

 

    Thursday, September 29^th – Taking Care of Your Health

            Hosts:      Matt & Laurie Crouch

            Guests:  Dr. Scott Hannon (Chiropractor), Dr. Thomas Barnes, Dr. Jordan Rubin (Nutrition),

                        Dr. Richard Boener (Dentist)

*****Here are some answers to questions you might have*****

 

Yes, I want to come – what do I need to do?

            Reply to this email or directly to Judy at judykmccoy@cox.net to put your name on the list to reserve seats for you and your family/friends.  Feel free to forward this email to your small groups and friends. 

 

How much will this cost me?

            There is no cost to you, this is a freebie!  TBN will pay OWI a $20 stipend for each person in our group. 

 

Where am I supposed to go?

          Trinity Broadcasting Studio, 3150 Bear Street, Costa Mesa, CA  92711 

            The studio is on the second floor of the ornate white building near South Coast Plaza.

            There is ample free parking through the white gates in front of the building.

 

What time should I arrive?

          We need to be seated in the studio by 5:00. 

            The seating in the studio is limited and is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.  

            Late-comers will be seated in the overflow room.

 

What if I cannot arrive until after 5:00?

            If you will let Judy know you are definitely coming but will be late, she can save you a seat in the studio.  Our telephones must be silent in the studio but you can text Judy at (949) 233-5340.

If you arrive after the studio door is closed, knock softly on the door - a TBN staff member is posted at the door to let you in, just say you are with Ordinary Women.

 

What time does the actual taping begin?

            The actual taping is from 6:00 PM to 8:00PM

 

Can I cut out early?

            Ordinary Women, Inc. will receive from TBN a $20 stipend for each person that stays until the end for a group picture, so we ask that you please stay for the picture.

 

Can I invite my family, friends and small groups?

            Absolutely!  We encourage this - but let Judy know their names as we must provide TBN with a list so they know how many seats in the studio to save for our group.  We must turn in the list by September 22nd.

 

What If I do not have my name on the TBN list and decide to come at the last minute?

            You are welcome to come to the taping even though your name is not on the list.  

            If you arrive by 5:00 you will be seated with the group in the studio.

 

Who do I contact to add or remove names from the TBN list or to ask questions?

            Feel free to contact Judy McCoy at judykmccoy@cox.net or call Judy at (949) 233-5340.

            We really appreciate your support!  Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

If you would like to be taken off the OWI contact list, please reply to this email with REMOVE as the subject line.