Hello fellow ferret friends,
 
I am looking for someone who can help me with the following situation.  I
know this is an extraordinary request, but it means the difference between
having to give up my ferrets and cats or not.  I can't bear the thought of
giving up my precious fuzzy children, even though I would be doing it to
help feed, clothe, medicate and love someone else's abandoned or orphaned
"naked" (human) children.  I am in no position to pay someone to care for
my babies, for several days, much less, two weeks, and I dread moving them
out of their environment, where I know they are safe and happy, to one
where I can't be sure of anything.
 
I am going as a volunteer, (provided I am able to raise the full amount
of my travel expenses in time, post marked by December 3rd), to Russia,
Belarus and/or the Ukraine, (from January 22-February 4th or 5th, depending
on where I am sent) to hand deliver Winter Survival Kits filled with food,
medicine, books, teddy bears, clothes, and much more, to orphaned,
abandoned, sick, cold, hungry and love-starved children.  I am doing this
because the need is so great and my heart was touched so deeply by the
plight of these precious little children.  Many of these little kids have
cancer or other illnesses as a result of the Chernobyl Nuclear accident.
 
I am raising my own support, since I don't have any savings, and am,
myself, barely surviving and caring for my pets on my limited disability
income.
 
I don't know if I will have enough time to do everything I want to do to
raise money, before my cut-off date of December 3, 1999, but I have a lot
of fabrics on hand that I thought I could turn into ferret blankets,
hammocks, tubes, etc.  I am hoping to convince some local fabric stores to
donate some fuzzy fleece fabrics as lining material, and then I plan to
start sewing and baking around the clock.  I am thinking of making ferret
shaped cookies, with my ferret cookie cutter--maybe gingerbread, decorated
with a little bit of frosting or something, and seeing if some of my local
petstores would let me sell them there, or something.  I am also trying
to sell some of my nicest clothes, books, some costume jewellry, and
anything else I can think of, in hopes of making some money that way.
Unfortunately, I don't have much of value.  If I had anything truly
valuable, I'd sell it in a second.  I joined iGive to get donors for Winter
Survival Kits, but it doesn't help me pay the very expensive transportation
costs, so I am looking for a lot of different options to raise the funds
to pay my way.
 
What I am wondering is if anyone would be interested in purchasing the
ferret hammocks and stuff from me, if I put the time into that?  There
are other things I can do to raise money, but every one of them involves a
huge amount of time and effort, and I don't have any time to waste.  I've
thought of trying to find people who sew and do crafts and are really good
and fast at these things, who would be willing to take my supplies, maybe
adding a few of their own, if they want, and turn them into stuff for
ferrets or other products, to sell and raise the money.  The only problem
is, I don't have a website yet, and I don't have the time or money to
create one right now, or have someone else do it for me.  It won't be easy
selling a lot of ferret stuff around here, (Seattle area) and while I think
there's a huge market on the internet, I don't know if I could sell enough
to make it worthwhile.  I've seen other people selling this stuff on the
internet to raise money for ferrets, so I thought of this as an option.  Do
you think I have too much competition or that this is a dumb idea?
 
Since I am working almost around the clock at raising money, and writing to
get others interested in my cause, I don't have time to read the FML right
now.  Any responses would be really appreciated, at my e-mail address.  I
check e-mail several times a day.  Thanks for your advice and thoughts on
this.
 
An important note: My pets are more than well-cared for.  They are pretty
much "my life", and I do whatever it takes to keep them well-fed, seen by
the vet regularly, their shots, etc.  They have more toys than many
children do, and they are loved and spoiled more than most people are.
So even though money is so tight I can't figure out how to pay someone else
to care for my pets, I care for them very well, and they aren't suffering
at all in my care.  I have even turned down a free trip to Hawaii, rather
than be parted from them when I couldn't find a petsitter I could trust.
Because my trip to Russia is not a vacation, but a working humanitarian
mission only, I am hoping that someone who loves ferrets will have the same
vision I do, and be willing to donate their time to watch my babies.  I
would be willing to petsit, housesit, etc.  for whoever does this for me,
in exchange for their help, when they need it.
 
I will anxiously be awaiting a response and will provide more information
to anyone who is interested.  Thanks so much everybody!!!
 
Sincerely,
 
Alecia
 
P.S. I live in Kirkland, Washington, a suburb of Seattle.
 
You can help me raise money for suffering children and orphans in the
former Soviet Union through Josh McDowell's Carelift 2000, AND, if you
wish, support a charitable cause of your own choice, simply by following
the link for more information.  Thanks!
[Posted in FML issue 2865]