Dear friends,
(Please note that this was sent out or shared with selected Facebook friends but if you receive this and want to read on and be involved, that is most welcome)

Warm greetings!! After a somewhat successful personal crowdfunding campaign we did which you have supported (thank you very much), I was encouraged to do another crowdfunding campaign - this time no longer personal but for a worthy cause that benefits disadvantaged communities and families in the Philippines. This modest campaign is called Give the Gift of Light and it involves donating and distributing solar reading lamps / off-grid survival lights to individuals / families and communities living in remote areas where electricity is unavailable (called off-grid or off-the-grid).

We have partnered with development workers, pastors and missionaries who work directly with the communities so that they can help to identify would-be beneficiaries. Some of those we have partnered with include: Arnel Alvarez (working with the Lumads in Mindanao), Julian Barcega (working with the Aetas in Zambales and other indigenous groups & needy families) and Adriel Dave Alvarez (working in Camotes Island in Cebu). We are looking forward to partnering with other development workers, pastors and missionaries from other parts of the Philippines. They have been invited to form part of the Campaign / Fundraising Team.

You can learn more about the campaign here: https://assets.gogetfunding.com/give-the-gift-of-light/

This campaign was recently launched and to start the ball rolling, so to speak, we want to have some start-up funding (you will notice that Funds Raised so far is $0 in the campaign page in GoGetFunding - as of June 20, 2016 [Update: As of June 30, 2016, funds raised for the start-up or seed funds is now at $31 - thanks to the seed funding support]). The reason I am sending you this message is to ask that you be part of this initial or start-up funding to start the ball rolling. The target initial start-up fund (just to start the ball rolling - apologies for sounding like a broken record) is a mere $50 - $100 enough to fund 3 - 5 solar lights for initial distribution to needy families already identified through our partners. As mentioned earlier, sending this to “selected” FB friends numbering about 20 which means a mere $1 - $5 backing / contribution from each of these 20 or so “friends” (yes, that includes you if you received this message) will suffice to complete the start-up funding.

In GoGetFunding, the campaign is made public (ie seen by others to which the campaign link is not directly shared) if it has not yet reached $100 total contributions / backing so your backing towards the initial start-up funds will be important to make the campaign public as well.

And as a token of our appreciation for your backing / contribution for the initial start-up funding, we will “raffle off” one additional solar light / off-grid survival light (coming from the campaign team’s own pockets) which will be given to the chosen / selected (as a result of the raffle) initial backer. The lucky raffle winner can then have the light delivered to his address (we could split the shipping cost :)) or have the light donated to a family or individual of his choice under his name.

Remember, all we are asking is for you to contribute between $1 - $5 (but of course you can give more) to “kick-off” (raise an initial $100 to start the ball rolling) the campaign and at the same time have a chance to ‘win’ a solar light in the raffle.

For those of you who have contributed in the other personal crowdfunding campaign I did for my son, please don’t take this to mean that I am taking advantage of your generosity and asking for more. No pressure, whatsoever, backing up this campaign.

Lastly, we would also like to ask for your help and inputs in helping to identify families and communities who may benefit from the solar lights (for them to receive the donated lights) and / or help to identify other potential partners (groups or individuals) already working in those areas / communities.