An Incredible 2021 & Matthew Speaking at "TrekTalks"

Echoers!

Happy New Year! I sincerely hope that 2022 is off to as good a start as possible for everybody.
I have some exciting updates!

First of all, 2021 was one of our most successful fundraising years. But it didn't look like it was going to be at first. You saved us.

Admittedly, I was pretty thrown off by changes to my own life through 2021. Struggles in planning and organization meant we were one fundraiser behind by the time Fall of 2021 came along. My hope was to try to close the gap with my 40th birthday fundraiser. And wow...you all really, really came through. Between Facebook and our website donations, you gave 7000 dollars in a single campaign. We've never raised that much at once before. Your generosity means that we are able to cover expenses of the Women in Action Development Project until Fall of 2022 - a whole other graduating class. I spoke to many of you personally of my gratitude for your donations. But let me thank you all again for making 2021 an incredible year for Esther's Echo. I am truly humbled by your generosity.

Secondly, I've been asked to moderate a really cool discussion at an online event that I wanted to invite you to join called TrekTalks!

TrekTalks is a Star Trek themed telethon running all day today, January 15th from 12pm Pacific Time to 7:45pm PT, to support an organization called the Hollywood Food Coalition. As many of you already know, I'm a big space/Star Trek geek. Star Trek depicts a future where humanity has begun to explore the galaxy while working to end poverty, disease, and war on Earth. My whole life I've been inspired by this positive view of the future. In a way, my work with Esther's Echo is to honour that inspiration – trying to make the present a bit more like that future.

Because of my work with Esther's Echo, I was asked to moderate a panel called "Trektivism" which invites several actors from Star Trek to share their own social change initiatives ranging from access to vital medicine to tackling climate change in addition to Hollywood Food. The panel begins at 5:34pm Pacific Time (8:34pm Eastern). I'm REALLY excited about this because I get to hang out with some of my favourite Star Trek actors online and I'll have the opportunity to talk a little about Esther's Echo with the Star Trek fandom – my two worlds in one place!

You can tune in here:

I also wrote about the event in the space news magazine I write for, Universe Today, here:

Thank you all so much again for making 2021 amazing. Here's to 2022!
-Matthew

Happy New Year! It Was Our Best Giving Season Ever!

Dear Echoers

Happy New Year!!

Between Giving Tuesday on November 29th and Christmas, you helped us fundraise $1,507 US. This funding marked the most successful giving season we’ve had to date. More importantly, the donations put us 7 dollars over the target we needed to clear the deficit in Esther’s rent on her new building in Freetown. We have already wired the donations and are now waiting on confirmation that they were received at the bank in Freetown. 

We have an exciting start to 2017. First, Mulgrave Secondary moved its Action for Esther fundraiser to early this year on a result of a snow storm in December. I haven’t seen this much snow on the West Coast in the six years I’ve lived here. The snow was beautiful but also caused a number of school closures. However, the delay means that we can get 2017 off to a great fundraising start thanks to the efforts of students and staff at Mulgrave. Secondly, I am eager to hear the results of the Roddenberry Foundation Prize which I’ve been told by the foundation should be made available in February. Esther’s Echo was one of over 600 applications submitted so there is certainly competition. I am proud of our application and have hope! If successful, we could receive between 150K to 400K US in funding. If you didn’t catch the video entry we made for the Roddenberry Prize, you can find it here.

Thank you all for your generosity in 2016! You have my sincerest gratitude. Here's to an even grander 2017 as we continue to help Esther and the staff and students of the Women in Action Development Project.

Sincerely,

Matthew