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General updates

Just a quick update on a few things!

First, those of you that have been using GoodSearch – thank you! So far we’ve had 233 searches done with the HPS Network selected as the designated charity. I know that this search engine isn’t perfect for every kind of search, but if you use it even just once or twice a day, over a year it starts to add up.

Also, the big blog ad experiment. So far we’ve made $37.00 on the ad. We don’t get a check until we hit $100, but that’s not bad considering it hasn’t been up very long. About 10 percent of visitors click on the ad.

As for me, I’d hoped to write more this weekend, but I’ve had a really, really bad sinus headache. And, frankly, I was a bit run down. I slept A LOT on Saturday!

The HPS Network newsletter went to the printer Friday! The Spanish version might take a bit longer. I’m currently working on some marketing pieces for the Molter family fundraiser – and I’m feeling about as creative as a nat. I need to get inspired in a big hurry on that one!

I feel a bit bad though because I’m really behind on the grant front. We did several this spring, but didn’t win any of them. I’m really, really wanting to find grants to help fund expenses related to the conference.

The HPS Family Conference is growing about 20 percent a year. We’re busting at the seams! As many of our families don’t have a lot of financial resources, we try to keep the price down as much as possible. Many receive some type of financial help to come. We need funding to help offset the costs of flights for some families, hotel rooms for others. We’ve fed people sandwiches etc. in our hospitality suite thanks to donations of food from several local businesses. The problem is we’re growing so much that last year even with multiple suites, we were getting super crowded. We need funding to pay for meals.

We also need funding for translators. Sessions take twice as long as we’ve got to stop every few minutes to have everything translated. I know the technology exists to give our Spanish-only speakers headsets where they could hear the translator without us having to stop all the time. Not that we mind, but it slows down the pace and we’ve got so much to talk about! Wouldn’t be nice if we could get a grant to cover simultaneous translation!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Heather, I tried to email you at the personal account. I guess I had the address wrong, because it came back twice. I am now trying to find your work email, so I can use that. It said "relay delivery error".

Anyway, I hope you are feeling better! Rest in indeed rejuvinating, although I have to constantly tell myself that it is okay to rest! :-) I will pray your sinus infection goes away. With HPS, do you find you catch virsuses and bacteri easily? I really do!

Please let the people who have commented on my site (Estel, Sandy, Shareena ?, Donna, etc) have my email address. I just do not have the energy to track down their email addresses, because I have to go through a long process on the website to get it.

I think that is all the news. I hope I can get this email to work, because I was excited about writing to you.
Anonymous said…
P.S. I really could related to your "Do not tell me how to feel" post. Thank you for writing that information! I have received the kindest comments, but I still get "hurtful" ones from time to time. And your post helps me to be sensitive to others, as well.

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