Supporting our own Kids to the parks – Rwanda and other Rwanda organizations
Dear Friends and Fans of Intore Expeditions,
Can you believe that 2017 is just around the corner? Intore Expeditions, is planning for next year and our Kids to the Parks Program calendar. This initiative allows us to provide an educational experience for underprivileged Rwandan youth, by taking them to the National Parks.
This is a labor of love and one that needs your support.
Our calendar is a beautiful collection of our own images that showcase Rwanda’s national parks. We believe it is also important to note that our calendar has Christian, Jewish and Muslim holidays, United States and Rwanda holidays are also listed, giving you even more opportunity for planning and learning.
Through the amazing support of Seattle Country Day School’s, Inzozi z’u Rwanda – Dreams of Rwanda Club, we had one especially fantastic Safari expedition to Akagera National Park. It was an extraordinary example of our program in action. Witnessing kids from the United States and Rwanda learning together was a dream come true for Intore. We look forward to more of these collaborative safaris.
This special safari gave us useful insight into how we can do a better job towards deeper learning. We will now be developing educational activities about the park and the animals to further the understanding of conservation. This new effort will be a collaborative effort with the Inzozi z’uRwanda Club. We are grateful and excited by their continued support and commitment to our program.
On another but related note we have seen the need to grow our program within the city as the result of a large tree just outside our yard being chopped down. This tree was home to a very large nest for a Black Kite family and many weavers. The loss of this tree and nest broke our hearts. Our hope is to grow our program into smaller sessions within Kigali to teach about the importance of conservation and the local birds. We believe that educating the youth is the hope for a new mindset towards conservation.
There is also amazing news to report direct from Akagera National Park. Just one year ago, lions were reintroduced to Akagera. This was the first time in a decade lions have had a home in Rwanda. The seven lions that arrived last summer have acclimated well and have produced seven cubs that we know of, doubling their population. We have been lucky to have seen some of the lions on several occasions. This year was also our first time to see a leopard. The next on the list to be reintroduced in Rwanda are rhinoceros. With the great work already being done for the lions we have no doubt that we will see similar success with the rhinos. Intore Expeditions is always proud to support the efforts of Akagera and the other Rwandan national parks.
In order for us to keep our program going we are again asking for your help. The annual cost of operating Kids to the Parks – Rwanda is $8000. This includes the cost of printing 300 calendars plus shipping 2/3 of the stock to Rwanda, and providing trips for up to 60 kids annually. With the support from Seattle Country Day School we will also be able to add learning materials to our programs.
Our donation levels represent our love of the animals and what their collective group names. We hope you will consider helping us continue to take the youth of Rwanda to the parks and be a part of the Intore Team.
The Park Guide, Lion Pride and Zebra Zeal are our premium donation levels. These levels will give you or your company a special Thank-You on one month of the calendar along with your company website address. There are only 12 months, so don’t miss out on our first-come first serve offer. All other supporters will be listed on the back of the calendar with their names and websites. Commitments made by September 25th, 2016 will be on the calendar, so don’t delay.
Below is an example of how your page might look.
Park Guide – Individuals, schools and organizations that commit to a minimum of 75 calendars or give over $715, you or your organization will be named on one month’s page as a Thank-You for supporting Kids to the Parks – Rwanda.
Lion Pride – Individuals, schools and organizations that commit to selling a minimum of 50 calendars or give a minimum of $500, you or your organization will be named on one month’s page as a Thank-You for supporting Kids to the Parks – Rwanda.
Zebra Zeal – Individuals, schools and organizations that commit to selling a minimum of 30 calendars or give a cash donation between $250 – 499, you or your organization will be named on one month’s page as a Thank-You for supporting Kids to the Parks – Rwanda.
Elephant Parade – Individuals, schools or organizations that commit to selling a minimum of 20 calendars or give a cash donation between $100- $249, you or your organization will be named on the back page of the calendar as an Elephant Parade supporter for Kids to the Parks – Rwanda.
Giraffe Tower – Individuals, schools or organizations that commit to selling a minimum of 10 calendars or a cash donation between $50 – $99, you or your organization will be named on the back page of the calendar as a Giraffe Tower supporter for Kids in the Parks – Rwanda.
Vervet Troop – Individuals, schools or organizations that commit an in-kind donation of up to $49, you or your organization will be named on the back page of the calendar as a Giraffe Tower supporter for Kids in the Parks – Rwanda.
Pre-orders – Calendars are a great year-end gift for anyone. We recommend pre-orders to ensure you don’t miss out. We do a limited run, and once they are sold they are gone until next year. Individual calendars are $20 within the Seattle are and $25 including shipping outside of Seattle. International shipping rates differ. The price is $20USD or 15,000RWF. We will happily mail calendars as gifts before the 2016 holiday season.
Any gift no matter how small will make a difference.
This is a one-month campaign so don’t delay. Donations or commitments to help us sell the calendar made by September 20, 2016 will have their Thank You and website printed on the calendar.
We would also like to invite you to share with us groups in Rwanda that may be interested in participating. We are always looking for new groups to incorporate and share the beauty of Rwanda.
For more information or submissions for school groups, please contact us via email at info@intoreexpeditions.com
How to donate
Donations can be made either by sending in a check or cash to:
Intore Expeditions & Business Tours
3970 Evanston Ave N. Seattle WA 98103
Or via our online link
http://intoreexpeditions.com/fundraising/make-a-difference-fund-a-field- trip/
2016 has proven to be a good year for our program and with your continued support we can continue to take kids to the parks and enhance our pre and post safari education. We would like to thank you
our partners – Akagera National Parks, Inzozi z’uRwanda Dreams, Inema Arts Center and you for your support and for allowing us to share the beauty of Rwanda with the future leaders, tour guides and conservationists of tomorrow.
Murakoze Cyane – Thank you very much
Shelly Anne Rosen & Paul Karemera
Here is a sneak peak at a few of the 2017 Calendar images.
