At The Fearey Group we are committed to making a difference in our communities in a variety of ways. One of those ways is very special, and personal on an international level.
Our CEO, Aaron Blank and his wife Lacey, adopted their son Ermias from Woliso Ethiopia in 2013. To keep a connection to Woliso and attempt to make a difference for children in the community, Lacey and Aaron helped start a CarePoint site to serve some of the most at-risk youth in the village. They have helped find sponsors for the children to give 200 kids direct assistance for emotional, environmental, educational and medical needs and provide a place to learn, play and develop. At the time the CarePoint started, many people in part of that village did not have clean drinking water. Thanks to generous donations from Fearey friends and family around the world, funds were raised to install a clean water system and a latrine facility at the CarePoint. Beyond Aaron and Lacey’s personal efforts, The Fearey Group sponsors a child and sends one Fearey team member to Woliso every other year to volunteer and help run the CarePoint site for a week. This year I am honored to say I am the person who was chosen to go.
Previously, our Director Chris Guizlo traveled with Aaron and his family to Ethiopia. Much like him, I am nervous and not entirely sure what to expect. I have gotten my vaccines and have my malaria pills packed. I’m excited about a long layover I have Dubai that gives me enough hours to visit with a high school friend who lives there with her family, and possibly enough time to go up to the top of the Burj Khalifa (fear of heights be damned!). I’m most apprehensive about not knowing the languages spoken in Ethiopia and about leaving my family behind to travel across the world. While I won’t be seeing my kids for a week, I am most looking forward to helping make a difference in the lives of the children who are part of the CarePoint site by being as helpful as possible while I’m there.
This year Fearey has packed toys to bring to the 200 kids at the CarePoint site and we are planning on assembling care packages for their families once we are in Ethiopia. One of the days we are there we will be making about 200 peanut butter sandwiches for the kids, a task I am really looking forward to since I’ve been told this is quite a treat for them. I will also be reading each child the letter from their sponsor with the help of a translator.
This CarePoint site has not had any turnover in families since the last visit, which is a great sign that the services provided are extremely helpful in their lives. These services are focused on helping families in a way that allows them to keep their kids in school, a mission I can get behind.
My bags are packed and my projects are all just about wrapped up for my week of being unplugged, a difficult task for someone whose job is social media. I’m excited to head out and looking forward to reporting back on how it all went when I return. If you would like to sponsor a child at the Woliso CarePoint site and help make a difference in their lives, please visit their website for more information.
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