Challenges of Partnerships
People say, well, why don't you just go to the other places? Well, ah, we do, we do go to other places. We do want to partner with other places, and we are trying to build partnership with other places. We have been trying for 3 years. The only issue that we've run into for three years is that a people are hesitant because they A) just don't know us or B) they don't have the storage for our equipment and supplies.
Our Equipment is the biggest piece. We have dozens of telescopes, dozens of large equipment, dozens of bins of steam supplies, and Other items that we have to have when we're doing our program. And if they don't have the storage, then that means every time we go and do our program Mobily, if it's once a week, twice a week, three times a week, you know, for partnering with them, that is Carlos and I, because that's the main people doing it, loading, unloading, holding the class for a few hours.
then Loading, unloading again, and it's in our house. So we can't find half the stuff because it's a hot mess. And we are also have all of our other stuff in our house, event supplies, office supplies, other events, supplies for vendor events, fundraising events. So if we were doing that consistently. It would be very difficult, so people aren't quite understanding why we're not doing that, but the reason is the timing piece and the space..
The Importance of Volunteers and Space
We need consistent volunteers that show up and do what they say they will. and we have those. We just don't have enough and then we also need space. We have 4. Storage units. We have our entire house, which I would say is 85 percent full, meaning we have two rooms; my child's smaller bedroom not used, and my bedroom. Other than that, the entire house is used.
The kitchen's used. The two living rooms are used. The other 2 bedroom's .... used. The garage is used. The backyard is used. Everything is used for this Program.
Personal Sacrifices and Boundaries
So it's not that we don't have passion. It's that we don't have space and it's not that we don't have equipment. People give us tons of equipment all the time. this year we had $347,000 in in-kind donations. But we have ran out of space to put it,
We're to a point where we can't really even take much more equipment unless we're giving it right back out as a donation to a child.
So I just like wanted to talk about the nonprofit, the founding of a nonprofit and the difficulty and the, the hardships that we run into. And, you know, we, when we put all of our energy into a large fundraiser or any fundraiser, it's taking away from our running the mission.
It's taking away from our youth. It's take, because it's Carlos and I doing it. Running it and now we, you know,
I think just setting that stage of like, so people understand that Carlos and I wake up at sometimes 2 AM, 3 AM, 5 AM, and we go. Until nine, 10, 11,pm or 12, 1 a. m. And it's all reach for the stars. And my son who's 12 is finally starting it to get to a point where that's not okay anymore. And he's like needing me because he's in middle school and he has all the hormones and, you know, three years it's been okay, but now he's like. Mom, hello, you love all these other little children.
What about me?
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