Greetings, my name is Jake, and I hail from a small town in northern Maryland called Westminster. A few weeks ago I applied to go abroad to Brazil for the entire 2011-2012 academic year through the American Field Service (AFS) inter-cultural student exchange program.
In Brazil, I will be living with a host family and attending school. It is my hope to not only learn another language but also another culture and discover some things about myself that I would otherwise not have known. It is my hope that this experience will in turn make me a better person and will open my eyes to other people, interests, careers and ways of life than those I may see in the small eastern coastal town I call home.
However, I need to raise some money in order to realize this dream. I hope to raise at least $8,000 to cover the cost of the trip that my family cannot already cover. This includes international airfare and emergency medical coverage, as well as other assorted costs, such a two-week trip to the Amazon during my stay. I have several fundraisers planned for the next few months to assist in raising money, but I still need some help in order to make this happen. Thank-you for taking the time and interest to read my blog and learn about my aspirations. To help me raise money, please click the ChipIn button on the right side of this blog to made a non-tax deductible donation through PayPal. Whatever amount you are able to give, no matter how small, will help me reach my goal. I would be grateful if you could share my blog url with others whom you think may be interested in helping me achieve my goal. You can forward the link http://abraziliancycle.blogspot.com/.
For those of you without Paypal, you can always mail a check to my home address. We will put the money directly into the fund.
Thank-you.
Jake
