The blog will feature a day-by-day chronicle of events in Peru. The following is the first installment by Joeann Fossland, WWGC Founder.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Last year around this time, I saw a mention by Peggy Northrop, editor of MORE Magazine of their intent to raise $1 Million Dollars for the humanitarian organiztion, CARE. She announced they were asking Giving Circles for their support and would award to the Giving Circle that raised the most money a week long volunteer trip to Peru with CARE and the MORE editorial staff. I immediately knew this was a challenge I wanted to be part of. So, I contacted many friends and we formed the Web Women Giving Circle. We brainstormed, contacted others, and shared with our friends, in real estate, coaching and the general public. You bought premium packages with donations from many great sponsors, bought paintings and gave us money. In all, we raised almost $24,000 and won the prize!
Copyright 2007 Peter Frey /CARE
(Shown left to right: Peggy Northrop, Editor-in-Chief, More Magazine; Franny Elder, Coco Fossland, WWGC;  Julie Mahoney, Marketing Director, More Magazine; Molly Gordon, Shaboom, Inc., Joeann Fossland, WWGC founder; Dawn Yellott, WWGC; Frances Flynn Thorsen, WWGC and Managing Editor, RealTown.com; Carol Moore, Marketing Alliances Manager, CARE USA; and Amanda Bolster, Media Alliances Manager, CARE USA.)

Last week, this culminated in an amazing trip for me and 4 members of The Web Women Giving Circle, Frances Flynn Thorsen, Molly Gordon, Coco Fossland and Dawn Yellott. We were accompanied by Amanda Bolster and Carol Moore from CARE and Peggy Northrop and Julie Mahoney from MORE and Peggy's 13-year-old daughter, Franny. We are wearing our CARE "I Am Powerful" T-Shirts in this picture while visiting a water treatment facility at Huamachuco, Peru outside of Huaraz at about 10,000 ft elevation. But...now, I am getting ahead of myself!

Web Women Giving Circle Members, Amber Riviere, Beth Cross, Jean Mabry, Laura Kovacs, Elayne Beyer, Paulette Long, and our Aussie Inspiration, Karin Hanna choose not to go on the trip but were all part of the reason we were successful. We knew they were with us in heart and spirit. We want to share with you and them a day by day overview of this extraordinary trip, so you can have an idea of the incredible work being done by CARE and an example of how your $20 contribution was actually able to help change lives.

Copyright 2007 Frances Flynn Thorsen
We flew in from all over the country to Altanta to fly to Lima. Delta Airlines supports CARE and we were flying on SkyMiles tickets. Coco went in early to see Machu Picchu, and the CARE contingent, Amanda, Carol and Peter, our photographer, flew in the day before to prepare for our arrival. Molly flew in from Seattle, Fran from Pensylvannia, Dawn and I from Tucson and Peggy, Julie and Franny from New York. Most of us were meeting in person for the first time, but the experiences we shared over the course of the week have led to a special friendship. Our flight to Lima was almost 6 hours and it was around 11 PM when we landed. Several other international flights landed about the same time and it was slow going through customs, but we got stamped and to the other side where we were greeted by Kique Bossio, the Cross Cultural Solutions Country Director and a driver. Excited and tired, we took in the sites of Lima as we drove to the Home Base in Surco where we'd be staying for the next 3 days.  We begged that our day begin with breakfast at 8 instead of 7 and our wish was granted. We settled into our bunk beds and were soon fast asleep. -- Joeann Fossland, Founder, Web Women Giving Circle