The things people can do when they decide to help is, AMAZING
A year or so after the first Sticky the Kitty book came out, I received a message from a Spanish 3 teacher from a Christian Academy in Pennsylvania, USA. She had been following the Sticky story from the beginning and was wondering if she could use the Sticky Situation book for the final for her Spanish 3 class that year. The final exam would be to translate that book, into Spanish.
They ended up translating that book and we released the Spanish version on Amazon a few weeks later. Being a Christian Academy, they are involved in a lot of missions to poorer areas of the world and particularly to Orphanages. A Sticky Situation is about not being afraid to ask for help. Who needs that book more than orphans? They took a load of those books and the stuffy that goes with them, to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic and used them in their ministry and it turned out to work very well. Now, I will admit I had never thought of them being used in that way, but I DID intend for them to help and I LOVE that the books work in a Bible study setting and especially with those kids.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago and this same wonderful woman contacted me and tells me they are going on another mission, this time to an orphanage in Costa Rica. She asked if I could give them a deal on 50 books and dolls. We did some math and figured out we could help her more, if we donated 50 dolls and they bought the Spanish book through Amazon. We decided on that plan but when she went to buy the book, it turned out Amazon would only let her buy 4 at once. I had priced it so low that I wasn't making anything off of it and Amazon was only making money off of the shipping and handling part. So their math had somehow told them 4, was their magic number.
I contacted Amazon and explained that I had priced it that low to make it as accessible as possible to kids who really needed it. They told me to raise the price and they could release more. I told them they were fighting orphans for nickels, and they very politely told me to raise the price and they could release more. We didn't end that conversation pleasantly.
I told that story on Sticky's Facebook page and asked Sticky friends to buy as many as they could and send them directly to the school. I explained that they needed 50 but could never get too many as they were going to orphans. Unfortunately, there will probably never be a shortage of orphans in the world. Sticky's friends got to work.
Within days, the school received almost 400 books. That is 400 little ones who have never had a new thing in their lives and most likely feel forgotten and often alone, that will get a brand new book in their language, about not being afraid to ask for help. That is going to be a good day in the lives of little ones who don't get a lot of those good days. But now we had a problem. We had been ready to donate 50 dolls to match 50 books but we never imagined 400 dolls being donated and really didn't know how we could do it. Now, that IS a problem, but man it's a good problem to have. It seems when you're out to do something good; real good that will really make a difference in lives that really need a difference made in them - those kinds of problems have a way of getting solved.
A very kind and generous person who shall be known as, 'Uncle Leon' offered to donate a doll for every book that comes to the school.=) So that is 400 books AND dolls that will go to FOUR HUNDRED little ones, who really need some love. And THAT is what this whole thing was about. Helping those who could really use some help. It turns out this is how Sticky and I can help and we are so grateful to all of you who buy those books and that stuffy and support our projects. YOU helped out 400 kids who have nothing. Now they will have some hope. Nice job friends! Sticky says he's proud of you all! =)
