Statue of Responsibility

17 inch, Table Top Statue in Stainless Steel

Donated By Statue of Responsibility Foundation and Ken Sharrar
Valued at $5000
Buy Now Price $6250
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org 

Young Automotive 2013 Kia Optima

2013 Kia Optima SX-L family sedan
Donated By Young Automotive Group
Valued at $33,149
Buy Now Price $41,436
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org 

Small Business Dental Care for 20

One year of basic dental service for 20,Small Business

Donated By Jason Barton
Valued at $7000
Buy Now Price $8750
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org 

Family Dental

One year of basic dental service for family of 6

Donated By Jason Barton
Valued at $2100
Buy Now Price $2625
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org 

Murcia, Spain

10 day trip. Includes visits to Madrid, Toledo, Grenada, and the beach.

Donated By Matthew & Sabina Casto
Valued at $5000
Buy Now Price $6250
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org 

Green River Rafting

5 day, 4 night for 2. Includes all food and lodging
Donated By Western River Expeditions, Brian Merrill
Valued at $3000
Buy Now Price $3750
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org 

Cabo San Lucas

·       

            One week in a 2 bedroom, 3 bath condo sleeping 6. 

Donated By Harold Koch and Barbara Pence
Valued at $2400
Buy Now Price $3000
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org 
MUST BE USED NOVEMBER 16-23. 

St George

Friday-Sunday rental of full house. 4 bedroom, 4 bath.  NO HOLIDAYS
Donated By Jennifer Stewart
Valued at $600
Buy Now Price $750
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org 

Lava Hot Springs

One week in a new A-frame cabin. 2 bedroom, 3 bath. Sleeps 16
Donated by Darrel Trost
Valued at $2800
Buy Now Price: $3500
To Buy Now, contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org

Thailand

One week in a condo for 2 travelers. $1000

Donated By: Rachot Vacharothone

Valued: $1000

Buy Now: $1250

To Buy Now Contact Lynn Merritt

Lynn@ascendalliance.org

Brighton Summer

Friday-Sunday rental. 4 bedroom, 2 bath. Sleeps 12-18. $1000
Donated By: Jen Stewart
Valued at: $1000
Buy Now Price: $1250
To Buy Now Contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org

Hoi An, Vietnam

5 nights in 3 bedroom, 3 bath. Sleeps 8.
Donated By Jen Stewart
Valued at $2500
Buy Now Price: $3125
To Buy Now, contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org

Coronado, California

One week  in 1 bedroom, 2 bath condo. 
Donated By Doug and Vicky Mortensen
Valued at $1500
Buy Now Price: $1875
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org

Zion Ponderosa

Enormous 6,000 sq ft lodge. 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms. Sleeps 35 Comfortably
Donated By Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
Valued at $5000
Buy Now Price $6250
To Buy Now contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org

Bushman Safari

7 Day Bow Hunting Trip for 10.
Donated by Bushman Safaris
Valued at $5000
Buy Now Price: $6250
To Buy Now, contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org

Brighton

Friday-Sunday rental. 4 bedroom, 2 bath. Sleeps 12-18. 

Donated by Bushman Safaris
Valued at $2000
Buy Now Price: $2500
To Buy Now, contact Lynn Merritt
lynn@ascendalliance.org

What Motivates Each of Us to Be a Humanitarian? by Samantha Tacy

Inside each of us there is an inner humanitarian waiting to be found. One way in which Ascend Alliance is striving to help others find their inner humanitarian is through this year’s Annual Gala Fundraiser.

Through trivia questions, video presentations, performances, speeches and auctions guests will have a better understanding of the many different ways in which one can be a humanitarian. Humanitarian work is more than donating money or going on service expeditions to other countries.

Different ways to find your inner humanitarian:

Humanitarian Effort:                   Event/Activity:

   Monetary Donations                     Silent Auction and Project Table

   Volunteer Time Globally                Expedition Signup Table

   Volunteer Time Locally                 Live Service Auction

   Get Involved on a Business Level       Become a Member of SRB Community

   Participate in the Magic               Learn about Internship & Ambassador Opportunities

Throughout the course of the evening guests will have the opportunity to truly Become the Humanitarian They Are Meant to Be.

YourCause, a non-profit organization did some research in 2011 that addressed the Top 5 reasons of where and why people donated their time and money. 69% of what motivated an individual to fundraise was because they felt a personal or emotional connection with the cause.

Individuals donated the most to religious causes and then education, social services and hospitals.  Their studies also showed that they wanted issues of economic development, environment, human rights, poverty and hunger and education to be addressed.

There are so many ways to become a humanitarian, and we encourage you to find your path. And here is the fun part, we know that as much as you give, the returns are always more! 

  

eBay Summer of Giving 2013

You may have heard of the excitement of the Summer of Giving 2013 kicking off at the new eBay building grand opening on Friday, May 3^rd.  It is a great celebration for eBay’s growth and for the state of Utah as well. We are very proud and excited that Ascend Alliance has been selected to be a beneficiary of this significant event!

Part of the celebration activities is the eBay Summer of Giving 5K race in the afternoon at 4:30 that day.  eBay has organized this race as a 100% donation to each Summer of Giving participating nonprofit organization, as eBay is paying the race fees and tshirt costs.  Upon registration, each runner will select the organization they want their donation ($10 minimum) to go to and then make their donation via PayPal. Ascend Alliance is called "Care Package Event" in the organization selection drill down, please select us if you have the opportunity to participate in this exceptional event!

The race is only open to the first 500 registrants, so don't delay! 

·         Click HERE  (http://www.active.com/running/draper-ut/ebay-summer-of-giving-5k-2013) to begin registration.
·         Follow registration information
·         Enter code for free registration for 5K :  EBAY5K2013
·         Enter code for free registration for 1 mile fun run : EBAY1MILE2013

o   All fees will be waived with these codes

·         Go to www.paypal.com to enter your donation.  You will need a PayPal account to do this.  If you do not have a PayPal account and do not wish to open one, please let me know and we can arrange a cash donation.
·         Send donation payment to slcevents@ebay.com on the PayPal website.
·         Print your receipt and bring when you come to the race.
·         You may pick up your race bib, timing chip, eBay Summer of Giving race tshirt and other goodies at the following times.  You may pick up for the whole group if you’d like.  You will need to show ID for yourself and the PayPal receipts for each participant.  Packet pick up is at the eBay offices at 583 W eBay Way in Draper.

o   May 1 from 8am – 12pm

o   May 2 from 12pm – 4pm

o   May 3 from 2pm – 4pm (just before the race)

It will be a fun event and memorable event, and we hope to see you there!

Memorable Service Experience by Ariel Allen

I loved the culture within the small community of Jechvo, Chiapas. 

Their beautiful, handmade clothing with all its vibrant colors and floral designs, I knew it took the women countless hours of dedicated devotion and concentration to create them. 

The men, women, and children all wore these unique articles of clothing with pride and beaming, smiling faces. 

I was mesmerized when we arrived at the village that first day. Every person was there waiting to welcome our team of volunteers. Some were holding signs with handwritten words of welcome to each individual in our group. 

As we headed further into the village, we were seated in the kindergarten courtyard as little children performed number after number of dances they had prepared for our arrival. 

Each dance was associated with an outfit, no doubt handmade by their mothers, that was unique to each performance. It warmed my heart and I felt so blessed to be in that moment, experiencing their culture and acceptance of our group. 

I loved when we gathered all the small children together and taught them colors and numbers in English. It was so endearing, and hilarious, to see them spout off broken English as they repeated  the words "blue" and "brown" while color-cards flashed before them. I went around from child to child and, in my own broken Spanish, tried to help them learn basic words in my native language. 

The children were so full of energy, and you could tell they were ecstatic that we were there in their village to teach them. I felt we were all learning from each other.

I learned and experienced so many things, from listening to an archaeologist about recent Mayan findings, to visiting actual Mayan ruins, to singing a made-up song about numbers in English to the little children while they waited to see a local dentist. It was a trip I will never forget and will hold dear in my heart forever.

xxoo,

Ariel 

Muyu Juntasqua Project in Amaru, Peru

Hey, it's Brenda and Ashley here from expeditions at Ascend Alliance! 

We are excited to share today  about one of the projects we are working on for this summer! Were heading to Cusco,  Peru where we will be working in a small community called Amaru.  

Amaru is located on a beautiful hill near the Andean Peaks. They are very traditional in their native dress and most speak in Quechua which is the indigenous language of the Andes.

Amaru has about 1,500 people  that live in extreme poverty living on less than $1.50 per person a day.   Agriculture is the primary economic means,  but lack of irrigation systems prohibits year round farming.  Typically men seek work as porters for the Inca trails which brings challenges of long times away from home and family, backbreaking labor, and poor nutrition.

Trash is a growing problem in Amaru, and without effective means to dispose of in-organic waste, it is deposited in an exposed pit where it contaminates the ground and is blown away by wind.  We are excited to work with Amaru to help solve this problem with a recycling center!  This will be a community project called  "Muyu Juntasqua" which is Quechua for full circle project.  The recycling center will allow them to:

• ·         Separate Bottles, tin, batteries, plastic bags and paper   for re-use.
• ·         Sell the bottles
• ·         Make recycled paper
• ·         Make reusable plastic bags

What an opportunity to be a part of empowering others to better their lives and community. 

Meet Yeni from Amaru

Expeditions give us the opportunity to help others see the change that we can make in the lives of others around the world.  The movement to change, empower, educate, and love those who aren't given the opportunities that we are given.  The miracle about change is not only what it does for them, but what it does for us.  These moments lead us to create change.  We are empowering for change.  Lift others lift yourself.

For more information on the expedition to Amaru on August 2nd email us at brenda@ascendalliance.org!

Hasta Luego,

Brenda and Ashley