Wait....so what is your name?
Oh man....we have heard this question so many times! The One Thread Project began 3 years ago after Amy and her Dad returned from their trip to the Congo. A new sewing center was opening, they needed sewing machines, Amy pitched the idea to me (Suzanne), then we pitched it to our friends and family, you all joined in and......voila.....the One Thread Project was born! It was so exciting to see what one yes after one yes after one yes could create. And that has really been the story of One Thread ever since.....one yes after another. Beyond saying yes to these women, the most important yes we made was joining the Reeds of Hope Organization. We saw the growth that was happening, the support that was continuous and growing, and of course, we saw the enormous need. We knew that we wanted to join in with an organization that had the same global like mindedness, heart, presence, experience, and 501c3 status. We wanted you to have your donations to be tax deductible. We wanted the local leaders to be strengthened. And that is just what we found when we placed our project under the umbrella of Reeds of Hope. I wanted to take the time to introduce you to the founder of Reeds of Hope. Holly graciously said yes to us and opened her hands to One Thread. We are so proud to be on this team. This June two representatives of Reeds of Hope's Eastern programs will be joining us in Kinshasa for the business training. We are excited to work as a complete team this summer!
MEET HOLLY MULFORD
Dear One Thread supporters,
My name is Holly Mulford and I am the director of Reeds of Hope. I wanted to take the time to introduce myself and Reeds of Hope to you. Two years ago, One Thread approached me about joining our 501c3 (charity organization)--Reeds of Hope. There were three main reasons for this request. One, One Thread was not a 501c3 and so didn't have tax exempt status as a charity and couldn't offer tax receipts for giving. Two, Reeds of Hope had been working in DRC since early 2009 and had a consistent record of integrity, organization, and strong partnerships with on ground ministries and programs in DRC. I lived and worked in Eastern DRC at the beginning of our work in Congo and feel that that has helped us to have a strong foundation in DRC. Third, and most importantly, One Thread and Reeds of Hope had the same mission and purpose in their work in DRC. Reeds of Hope current mission statement is to support vulnerable women and children in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by meeting their physical, spiritual, and educational needs through meaningful in-country partnerships, At the time that One Thread approached Reeds of Hope, we were only working in Eastern DRC, though we had been praying about ways we could start working in Kinshasa. We felt the timing was God's hand moving us in the direction we had been praying about for a long time.
Currently, Reeds of Hope has three main programs. Firstly, Family Bethlehem is a children's home we partner with in Eastern DRC. We send 50 children to school and we send 6 children to university. All of these children are orphaned or vulnerable children. Secondly, we also have a Family Reunification program in Eastern DRC. We move orphaned children living in orphanages into their extended families home and then help that family with business skills, training, and start up in order to break the cycle of extreme poverty of the family. Thirdly, One Thread works in Kinshasa with young, vulnerable women--this is the program you are familiar with and support.
When you give to One Thread, you must go through Reeds of Hope, as One Thread is a part of the 501c3, Reeds of Hope (so you would write your check to Reeds of Hope, for example). 100% of your giving is allotted to the One Thread program as all our U.S. staff are volunteers, including myself--so there is no organizational overhead that will take from your donation. Make sure to designate your donation (either through the form on our website or on the memo section of your check) to One Thread and it will get where it needs to go. Over this year, we will be continuing to explain this relationship and work to make One Thread more cohesive under Reeds of Hope.
Thank you so much for supporting our work in DRC.
Sincerely,
Holly Mulford
Director, Reeds of Hope