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Our Services
Our foundation supports
AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe
and books and gardens for Paraguay.
The Sustainable Living Foundation
Working and Learning Together
The mission of the Sustainable Living Foundation is to achieve
positive social change in the youth of Zimbabwe, Paraguay and the
United States by promoting service and compassion, healthy living,
self sustainability and education.
The Sustainable Living Foundation is a public nonprofit charitable
corporation. (501 C 3)
Date of corporation 10/21/03. Corporation #2562111. Tax I.
D. 73-1676980
Board Members: Ellen, Bill, Teresa and Will Clark and Dee Gibson
Web site: www.ZimbabweParaguay.org Ph: 650 941 9206
Address: 156 Marvin Ave. Los Altos, Ca. 94022
e-mail: info@zimbabweparaguay.org
Guarantee and Operating Procedures
By Ellen Clark, President of S. L. F.
The Sustainable Living Foundation was established
in response to the great poverty and disease encountered
by our son,
Will Clark, in the countries of Zimbabwe and Paraguay. Will
served
as a teacher of “school leavers” in the village
of Murombedzi Zimbabwe in 1997. Later on, from 2002 to 2003,
Will served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay-- primarily in
the barrio of San Lorenzo in Pilar. Today, Will teaches second
grade in a bilingual charter school in Watsonville California.
Although Teresa has not volunteered overseas, she has been
instrumental to the success of the foundation and supports
it in many ways. She is a physical therapist. The other members
of the board include my husband, Bill, who is the CFO and
our
great friend and neighbor, Dee Gibson. Our family has been
fortunate to visit both Zimbabwe and Paraguay and the friends
we have made in both countries have enriched our lives beyond
all measure.
The Sustainable Living Foundation guarantees that
all activities conducted within the foundation are done with
honesty and integrity.
Money raised for the orphans of Makumbi goes to the orphans
of Makumbi. Money raised for the gardeners of Pilar Paraguay
goes to the gardeners in Pilar Paraguay. Here are some general
facts about our operating procedures. Each year, after the
Run for Zimbabwe Orphans has been completed, (usually within
three weeks), the funds collected via donations are sent in
a lump sum to the orphanage via electronic transfer of funds.
The account for Makumbi is at CitiBank in NY and maintained
by Jesuit Missions. The director of the orphanage, Father Heribert
Muller, draws on the funds in increments rather than all
at once since there is tremendous inflation in Zimbabwe.
In
2007, $30,000 was raised as a result of the
Zimbabwe Run and
$30,000 was sent to Makumbi Children’s
Home. It costs about $350 to support an orphan at Makumbi for
the year. Therefore,
the 2007 run supports 85 children for a year. (3/06
to 3/07) T-shirts, balloons, awards and other race expenditures
are donated by generous members of the community. A donor may
specify where he or she wants his/her funds spent.
Donations to S. L. F. are, of
course, tax exempt. No one on the Board of Directors takes
a salary. We are volunteers. As to the philosophy of the foundation,
we invite you to read an article that was published March 2005
in the Mountain View Voice. The article
is titled “Two
Way Giving” (full article)
With regard to Paraguay, we operate in the same transparent
way as with the Zimbabwe Run. The Paraguay and Zimbabwe run
accounts are kept separate. We have a volunteer administrator
in Paraguay who distributes $275 per month. The $275 is
split among five gardeners. The grants are used by the gardeners
for their
college education; to maintain the demonstration garden plot;
and to sustain their families with produce. (learn
more about the Paraguay project)
To conclude,
no funds collected by S. L. F. are channeled through the governments
of Zimbabwe, Paraguay or the U. S. A. We have trust in Makumbi—a
home which has been in existence since 1936—that it provides
a loving home for the children.
Likewise, we have trust that
the Paraguay garden grants are used for their intended purposes.
Biannual financial reports are sent to S. L. F. from the
gardeners and we have the monthly bank statements from Heritage
Bank.
We believe philanthropy that is two way, direct and people
to people is beneficial to the world.
For more information about our foundation contact:
Sustainable Living Foundation
156 Marvin Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94022
Phone: 650 941 9206
info@ZimbabweParaguay.org
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