Operation2020 in the Advocate!
10/12/11 09:04
Be sure to read the Operation 2020 article on the front page of the People & Faith section of The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) today! Here's a link to the web version!
Operation2020 Brings Sight
We’re so excited for any opportunity to raise awareness about both Operation2020 and the intense need for eyeglasses in the third world, and we’d like to thank Journalist Mark Hunter for his excellent article.
To Donate
Please consider partnering with us this holiday season- our next goal, Project: Ghana, is coming up fast! To donate quickly and securely online, please visit our “Donate” page. And remember- just 5$ this Christmas buys the gift of sight!
Don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter and help spread the word!
Tweet
Operation2020 Brings Sight
We’re so excited for any opportunity to raise awareness about both Operation2020 and the intense need for eyeglasses in the third world, and we’d like to thank Journalist Mark Hunter for his excellent article.
To Donate
Please consider partnering with us this holiday season- our next goal, Project: Ghana, is coming up fast! To donate quickly and securely online, please visit our “Donate” page. And remember- just 5$ this Christmas buys the gift of sight!
Don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter and help spread the word!
Tweet
Project: Hait UPDATE
27/09/11 22:25
Project: Haiti was a tremendous SUCCESS!! A quick wrap-up of the trip by the numbers: 5 Operation 2020 Team Members, 6 days in Haiti, 600 pairs of adjustable glasses transported to Haiti, approximately 450 distributed and adjusted by hand, and 1 stomach ailment for every team member at some point during the week!
July 26th the Operation 2020 team loaded up in Baton Rouge and made the drive to the Miami Airport, where we departed on the flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Upon arriving there, we had planned to finalize our distribution game-plan for the week- however, upon arriving we were brought straight to our friend Bro. Willie Severe’s church where there was a group of about 50 people waiting there for the FocusSpecs! We got to see the glasses in action on people who truly needed them!
From there, the next day we caught a flight to Cap Haitien on the northern coast of Haiti, where we spent the next 6 days working mostly out of the church of our friend Bro. Mackson.
Over the next 6 days, we offered clinics to the people of the community- and it was so amazing to see. We got to witness some of these people see CLEARLY for the first time in years. We saw people in the church pulling out their glasses that we distributed- to read the Word of God. We even got to climb further up the mountain communities and do some “guerilla” distribution of glasses… and the Gospel.
While we got the opportunity to bring physical healing, we also got to take part in a work of spiritual healing in the Haitian community. One person’s story in particular stands out. His name was Adiasan. He cared for his community, bringing us to people he knew who needed these glasses. He brought us to house after house after house. Though, when we began to tell these people about Jesus, and His love for them, Adiasan spoke out against us stating how impractical it was for a Haitian to be a Christian. Before we left for the day however, his heart had changed, he accepted Jesus and began going to Bro. Mackson’s church that week!
That is what Operation 2020 is about- bringing hope and REAL lasting change to people’s lives. So we want to say, “THANK YOU!” to everyone who gave and took part in this vision with us. We are truly grateful, so thank you for your giving of your finances, time, and prayers.
HaitiBLOGupdated
July 26th the Operation 2020 team loaded up in Baton Rouge and made the drive to the Miami Airport, where we departed on the flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Upon arriving there, we had planned to finalize our distribution game-plan for the week- however, upon arriving we were brought straight to our friend Bro. Willie Severe’s church where there was a group of about 50 people waiting there for the FocusSpecs! We got to see the glasses in action on people who truly needed them!
From there, the next day we caught a flight to Cap Haitien on the northern coast of Haiti, where we spent the next 6 days working mostly out of the church of our friend Bro. Mackson.
Over the next 6 days, we offered clinics to the people of the community- and it was so amazing to see. We got to witness some of these people see CLEARLY for the first time in years. We saw people in the church pulling out their glasses that we distributed- to read the Word of God. We even got to climb further up the mountain communities and do some “guerilla” distribution of glasses… and the Gospel.
While we got the opportunity to bring physical healing, we also got to take part in a work of spiritual healing in the Haitian community. One person’s story in particular stands out. His name was Adiasan. He cared for his community, bringing us to people he knew who needed these glasses. He brought us to house after house after house. Though, when we began to tell these people about Jesus, and His love for them, Adiasan spoke out against us stating how impractical it was for a Haitian to be a Christian. Before we left for the day however, his heart had changed, he accepted Jesus and began going to Bro. Mackson’s church that week!
That is what Operation 2020 is about- bringing hope and REAL lasting change to people’s lives. So we want to say, “THANK YOU!” to everyone who gave and took part in this vision with us. We are truly grateful, so thank you for your giving of your finances, time, and prayers.
HaitiBLOGupdatedChristmas Donations
17/12/10 09:11
Christmas Update
This truly is the season of giving, and we wanted to take this time to thank each and every one of you who has given to Operation 2020. Whether it be of your money, time, or prayer, we sincerely appreciate your heart for bringing hope to a world who needs it.
John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, He gave...” And as we take this time at the end of the year to celebrate, we wanted to thank you for all you have done, and to encourage you to continue giving to the vision of bringing sight to the Third World.
Donations In a Loved One’s Name
As Christmas approaches, you can now give to Operation 2020 in a loved one’s name. Simply send us an email to Kirby’s email address kirbypearson34@gmail.com after you make a donation (include your name, address, and the person’s name for whom you donated) and we will send you a certificate of donation that you can give to your friend, family member, or coworker.
Again we greatly appreciate all that you have already given toward this goal.
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
This truly is the season of giving, and we wanted to take this time to thank each and every one of you who has given to Operation 2020. Whether it be of your money, time, or prayer, we sincerely appreciate your heart for bringing hope to a world who needs it.
John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, He gave...” And as we take this time at the end of the year to celebrate, we wanted to thank you for all you have done, and to encourage you to continue giving to the vision of bringing sight to the Third World.
Donations In a Loved One’s Name
As Christmas approaches, you can now give to Operation 2020 in a loved one’s name. Simply send us an email to Kirby’s email address kirbypearson34@gmail.com after you make a donation (include your name, address, and the person’s name for whom you donated) and we will send you a certificate of donation that you can give to your friend, family member, or coworker.
Again we greatly appreciate all that you have already given toward this goal.
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Mistletoe Market Update
14/11/10 20:38
Today we finished up at Mistletoe Market and what a blessing it was! Thank you to Mrs. Rene Crousillac for this incredible opportunity to be able to raise awareness about Operation 2020. The past few days have been a lot of work but it was worth it. We were able to raise about $1,300 dollars from our Operation 2020 booth alone. We had the chance to talk to people about our vision and Kirby was even interviewed for the news. For all of you that came out and helped us-thank you! The event was a success!
Jennifer
Jennifer
Mistletoe Market Time!
13/11/10 03:39
Well guys, there’s only 3 hours till Mistletoe Market officially begins, and we at Operation 2020 are so pumped for it to start! Every year thousands of shoppers come through this thing, and this year will mark our first booth on the show floor! We’ve pulled out all the stops too- games, prizes, t-shirts, and the official 6-foot wide Operation 2020 banner will all be making an appearance at our booth, so come out and support us tomorrow and Sunday! The Market hours are 8AM-5PM on Saturday, November 13, and 12PM-5PM on Sunday, November 14. It’s in the Belle of Baton Rouge Hotel in downtown BR, and we’d love to see all of you there! Stop by for a chance to win a free t-shirt, candy, and hear our heart for the people of Haiti. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Ben
Ben
Update 6
11/11/10 22:23
Hey everybody!
First, thank you so much for the outpour of support for this vision. For the people who have spread the news about what we're doing by word of mouth, to the people who have given of their time or donated financially, we are so grateful and so humbled to see how people can gather around a vision and bring hope to people who need it.
Secondly, we wanted to let everyone know a cool NEW way to get the word out and support Operation 2020 at the same time. We've designed the first Operation 2020 t-shirt! On sale for only $10, you can now purchase a t-shirt from the new Store page. This way you can donate towards bringing sight to the Third World, get the word out about Operation 2020, and look cool doing it.
So feel free to check it out!
Kirby
As always, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and help spread the word to your friends!
Tweet
First, thank you so much for the outpour of support for this vision. For the people who have spread the news about what we're doing by word of mouth, to the people who have given of their time or donated financially, we are so grateful and so humbled to see how people can gather around a vision and bring hope to people who need it.
Secondly, we wanted to let everyone know a cool NEW way to get the word out and support Operation 2020 at the same time. We've designed the first Operation 2020 t-shirt! On sale for only $10, you can now purchase a t-shirt from the new Store page. This way you can donate towards bringing sight to the Third World, get the word out about Operation 2020, and look cool doing it.
So feel free to check it out!
Kirby
As always, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and help spread the word to your friends!
Tweet
Update 5
10/11/10 00:23
It’s incredible to believe that it’s been a month since our last update here on the blog! Rest assured, however, that any lack of online activity has definitely not been mirrored in the day to day actions here at Operation2020. Following in that train of thought, the entire team would like to express our deepest thanks to those who have already given towards Project: Haiti. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response we’ve received from nearly everyone we talk to, and it’s only confirmed our strong belief in the worth of Operation 2020’s mission.
Now, in an effort to keep all of you up to date, here are just a few of the things we’ve been up to.
1) NonProfit 101 ~ Harder than any college course (that we’ve come across, at any rate, though I have heard conflicting theories about some of the chemistries), beginning a nonprofit here in the United States has certainly been no walk in the park. From state to federal filings, paperwork that all starts to seem suspiciously similar come page 36, yearly projections...needless to say it’s been a fairly steep learning curve for all of us. Having worked with a fair number of nonprofits myself, I have always been able to be the last leg of the journey- the volunteer who gets to see the smile on children’s faces, or the one handing food to a man who might not have eaten in days. Being able to see the other side of the curtain, however, the emotionless side that only houses paperwork and Uncle Sam, has brought a whole new facet to my idea of service. Well-intentioned nonprofits must still operate in a corrupted for-profit world, and we ask for your continued prayers as we continue to carve out our foundation on which we can serve.
2) We want to extend a huge expression of gratitude to the FCA at Walker High School and their sponsor Abby Devall! They’ve really grabbed the vision to help Haiti, and have committed to donating 5 dollars from every club t-shirt they sell to help Operation2020. I had the opportunity to talk with them about Project:Haiti in late October, and couldn’t help walking away from the meeting impressed. If high school kids with a thousand other things on their plates could have such a heart for Haiti, then I’m completely sold on the fact that we can reach our goal.
3) This past Sunday we officially announced Operation2020 to our home congregation of Victory Harvest Church-- and the results were more than we could dream of. From monetary gifts to volunteers to even just words of encouragement, we were swamped at the break by people who both loved and believed in what we are doing. One man even committed to 100 pairs of glasses for our April trip. The love of God for people is not dead in the US, ladies and gentlemen- and as churches from around Louisiana begin to support Operation2020, we see that more and more every single day.
Again, we would like to thank all of those who have given so generously in the past few weeks. We are committed to handling your gifts in a trustworthy and principled manner, and we continue to be dedicated to one cause- bringing sight to the third world.
Ben
As always, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and help spread the word to your friends!
Tweet
Now, in an effort to keep all of you up to date, here are just a few of the things we’ve been up to.
1) NonProfit 101 ~ Harder than any college course (that we’ve come across, at any rate, though I have heard conflicting theories about some of the chemistries), beginning a nonprofit here in the United States has certainly been no walk in the park. From state to federal filings, paperwork that all starts to seem suspiciously similar come page 36, yearly projections...needless to say it’s been a fairly steep learning curve for all of us. Having worked with a fair number of nonprofits myself, I have always been able to be the last leg of the journey- the volunteer who gets to see the smile on children’s faces, or the one handing food to a man who might not have eaten in days. Being able to see the other side of the curtain, however, the emotionless side that only houses paperwork and Uncle Sam, has brought a whole new facet to my idea of service. Well-intentioned nonprofits must still operate in a corrupted for-profit world, and we ask for your continued prayers as we continue to carve out our foundation on which we can serve.
2) We want to extend a huge expression of gratitude to the FCA at Walker High School and their sponsor Abby Devall! They’ve really grabbed the vision to help Haiti, and have committed to donating 5 dollars from every club t-shirt they sell to help Operation2020. I had the opportunity to talk with them about Project:Haiti in late October, and couldn’t help walking away from the meeting impressed. If high school kids with a thousand other things on their plates could have such a heart for Haiti, then I’m completely sold on the fact that we can reach our goal.
3) This past Sunday we officially announced Operation2020 to our home congregation of Victory Harvest Church-- and the results were more than we could dream of. From monetary gifts to volunteers to even just words of encouragement, we were swamped at the break by people who both loved and believed in what we are doing. One man even committed to 100 pairs of glasses for our April trip. The love of God for people is not dead in the US, ladies and gentlemen- and as churches from around Louisiana begin to support Operation2020, we see that more and more every single day.
Again, we would like to thank all of those who have given so generously in the past few weeks. We are committed to handling your gifts in a trustworthy and principled manner, and we continue to be dedicated to one cause- bringing sight to the third world.
Ben
As always, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and help spread the word to your friends!
Tweet
Update 4
13/10/10 14:44
Edit- it seems we had nothing to say in Update 4. I’m sure we were incredibly busy with something Operation 2020 related and forgot to actually type in the update. Our updates are always so awesome, though, so I’m sure you’ll have no problem filling in something with your imagination.
Update 3
01/10/10 22:57
Things are really starting to move here at Operation 2020, and we thought a few clarifications might be in order. The first is our current policy of excepting all non-credit card (or Paypal) donations through a church. We’re evaluating our options as far as becoming an IRS recognized 501(c)3 organization, but we wanted to offer donors the opportunity to have tax deductible donations from the beginning. Please feel free to email us with any questions you might have regarding this type of donation, and we’ll do our best to clarify.
Another interesting change concerns our budget. Our original plan has always been to eliminate any overhead cost- we are completely committed to using every dollar we collect toward purchasing glasses for the poor. We’ve recently received questions regarding our budget, however, so look for that to be added to our mission statement in the near future. We understand that transparency is key in maintaining trust among those partnering with us in this program, so we want to do everything we can to clearly share our vision with you all.
Keep up the great work everyone! Donations have already been received, and we’re extremely excited to see what happens next!
Ben
Tweet
Another interesting change concerns our budget. Our original plan has always been to eliminate any overhead cost- we are completely committed to using every dollar we collect toward purchasing glasses for the poor. We’ve recently received questions regarding our budget, however, so look for that to be added to our mission statement in the near future. We understand that transparency is key in maintaining trust among those partnering with us in this program, so we want to do everything we can to clearly share our vision with you all.
Keep up the great work everyone! Donations have already been received, and we’re extremely excited to see what happens next!
Ben
Tweet
Update 2
21/09/10 21:35
Hey guys! Joey and Ben here. It’s been amazing seeing the response we’ve gotten so far on Facebook- thanks for your support! These first few weeks are really crucial in terms of getting the word out, so keep inviting your friends and family! It really helps to explain the idea with people as well- what we’re doing is really simple, but it has such a huge effect on the quality of people’s lives. Thanks again for all the support- Project:Haiti is under way!
Ben and Joey
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Ben and Joey
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