Raising Money for Children in India

We’d like to give thanks to Carly Shankman for holding a succesful fundraiser in San Diego for the Malnutrition Inititiative in India.  Here is the blog she’s written about the fundraiser and her upcoming volunteer trip to India with RMF

By Guest Blogger, Carly Shankman

I was introduced to the Real Medicine Foundation through Michael Matheke (RMF India Programs Coordinator) about 4 months ago.  It was at that time I decided to leave my life in San Diego and take the journey of a lifetime backpacking through India.  Even greater than my desire to travel and learn for my own personal growth, I wanted to contribute to the people and communities of India. My passion in life is to see, do, explore, meet, live, love, appreciate and experience everything I come across on my journey. I believe in contributing to the greater good of the world and leaving the world a better place than when I arrived.  RMF provided the platform for me to do this.  After reviewing the website I immediately resonated  with the malnutrition eradication program and the work they are doing with children.

I spoke with Michael and expressed my desire to volunteer on-site. After the plans were set for me to stay onsite with RMF I started to brainstorm fundraising ideas to make a monetary donation prior to my arrival.  Since I am traveling with 3 other girls to India, Bri, Kayla, and Laura, I wanted to do something we could all work on together.  We ran the idea of having a car wash at the restaurant with our GM, James Stephenson, and he was completely on board.  He even allowed us to advertise the event to all our customers that came in.

The car wash was held on Saturday, July 10th and it was a complete success! We were a little concerned because the carwash was being held on the 4th day San Diego had been really overcast and cloudy and thought it might deter people from coming.  Right after we were done setting up the sun came out and the cars started lining up. We had a steady flow of 3-4 cars at a time all day long and all our friends stopped by with cars to clean, snacks to share and the DJ kept the music jamming all day.  There were approximately 15 volunteers helping to wash cars and collect donations and nearly 50 people stopped by to support us. The event went perfectly and thanks to LJ Strip Club, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Vons, Einstein’s Bagels, Trader Joe’s and all the amazing volunteers that came out, we raised $750 for RMF!

The opportunity to raise money to directly enhance the quality of someone’s life is truly a gift.  It’s amazing that I will be able to see my fundraising efforts put to use in person when I arrive in India.  I am grateful to Martina, Sarah, Michael and Real Medicine Foundation for allowing me the opportunity to assist and make a difference. Thank you!

Learn more about our Malnutrition Initiative in India: http://www.realmedicinefoundation.org/initiative/malnutrition-eradication-program-madhya-pradesh-india

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