Bright Horizons
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Good news!!!!! SEDC finally has a new, permanent Board of Directors and a permanent Executive Director. We recently got our new Board of Directors in April, and we just heard the news about the Executive Director yesterday. Having permanent leadership will help the organization to move forward. Basically, a lot of donors don't like to give money to an organization that doesn't have a permanent ED because that makes it look unstable. Now that we have a permanent ED, hopefully we will be able to receive more funding.
Also, I have a new idea for a way that SEDC can help clients to earn some additional income. My idea is that SEDC should open a store and sell Cambodian, Lao, Hmong, and Vietnamese items created by the clients. SEDC can take a 10 or 15% cut (we actually have to for legal reasons), and the rest of the profit can go to the clients. It would be kind of like the store Ten Thousand Villages that offers fair trade to people in other countries, only with people in America. I've already seen some birds they made for one of the caseworkers, Thida, and the birds are really amazing. I'd buy one, and I think other people would, too. I asked two caseworkers if they think their clients would want to do this, and they said yes, definitely.
One caseworker, Toua, had an idea that we could have classes at SEDC where the clients teach other people how to make the birds. He said we could charge a registration fee for the classes and use that money for SEDC's programs. I think it's a great idea! I plan to bring up both ideas at the next staff meeting and see what people think.
The only downside to the store is who would be in charge of running it? Would we be able to pay someone? Would the administrative assistant be able to do her own work and run the store too? Or maybe we could find volunteers to run it? I will bring up these questions also at the staff meeting and see what everyone says.
Also, here is a link to a video I put on You Tube of a volleyball tournament:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKFPtk-B3Ow
Unfortunately, right after this game the students on the losing side tried to beat up the students on the winning side...well, we are trying to teach them good sportsmanship, but it's a work in progress!
