Mom's View: Curse the Money

Looking to his future with determination.

If only ballet were the sole focus of this grand adventure!  Alas, it is not so.  Tuition and room and board for the Bolshoi Ballet Academy is €2000 per month, paid in two installments.  The current exchange rate is about €1 = $1.40.  Therefore, in order for Isaac to continue in Russia, he has to pay for February-June by January 15th; a sum of $14,000.  This, of course, does not include the thousands of dollars required for medical tests, travel documents, travel itself and Isaac's basic expenses while in Russia.

To earn the money for the first half of the year, we begged for donations at a local street fair, sold AVON, Isaac danced at several local dance schools, held a spaghetti feed with Isaac as the as the night's entertainment, Isaac was interviewed by several news organizations to help spread the word, established a web site and a Go Fund Me site, I swallowed my pride and sent an email to friends and family asking for money, Isaac spoke at the local Lions Club, and Justin and I (and his five siblings) have given as much as our budget could possibly allow (we are still living in a 1970's single-wide trailer, for instance).

Our friends and family have been unbelievably generous!  People who have no business giving money, have given money.  Others donated tediously earned airline miles to transport Isaac to and from Moscow.  Friends have (and are) giving time, that ever valuable commodity, to aid in making Isaac's dream come true.  We have tapped out all of our known resources and have just accumulated enough to pay through January.

The great untapped source is businesses and corporations.  Most want to give to a not-for-profit charity so they can get the tax benefits of their donations.  You might be surprised to learn that it is rather expensive to receive that tax-exempt status.  We thought it was beyond us until my sister discovered a scholarship that provides an opportunity to put your organization under their tax umbrella.  We read through all of the qualifications and thought we were a shoe-in for the fund.  I'm afraid I placed all of my hopes in that basket--knowing we could solicit businesses would have made a huge difference for our fund-raising efforts!

Opening my email tonight, I discovered a reply from the organization.  With a quiver in my heart and a deep breath, I opened the email.

Isaac's request for non-profit status was denied.

My hopes are dashed.  I have no more ideas and really no more money.  Isaac's dreams of dancing at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia are about to come to a screeching halt--unless we come up with another idea.  If it is the Lord's plan for Isaac to have had a taste of Russia and then come home to other things, we'll trust in Him and get used to the idea.  But, in so many ways, we feel like Isaac is having to leave just as he is getting started!

Please, does anyone have any more ideas?

What I need most of all, is hope.

Thank you!

Emily

PS  I know that most of you who follow this blog have already given all that you can and we are so thankful for your sacrifice!!

**Update:  We have received a massive private donation.  Though, we are still short of the required total, we have hope!!**