Extortion never looked this flamboyant.

A toilet, spray-painted pink and decorated with flowers, has recently been making the rounds in front yards across Nevada County.

Homeowners who find the porcelain throne stuck in their yard can choose to pay $10 to have the toilet removed to a friend’s lawn, and an additional $5 to make sure it never appears on their property again.

The gimmick is the design of Bear River sophomore Emily Dyer, a 15-year-old south county resident.

She is participating in a hunger fundraiser sponsored by the youth group at her church, Sierra Presbyterian. She got the toilet from Habitat for Humanity and spray-painted it bright pink.

Dyer’s father transports the toilet from location to location, and so far she’s estimated the plan has raised more than $1,200 since they began in May.

Proceeds from the toilet removal service (victims can opt out if they don’t want to play along) go to an organization called World Vision, which feeds starving children in Africa.

“Hopefully, we’ll keep it going until the end of summer,” said Dyer.

Students in the youth group have been working on a hunger initiative recently, which included a 30-hour fast in order to better understand the effects of hunger, she said.

You can contact the church to find out how to help at (530) 265-3291.

Source: http://www.theunion.com/article/20110701/NEWS/110639974/1001&parentprofile=1053

The youth group at a Waterloo church is using rain water at a fundraising car wash on Saturday as they raise money and awareness for water conservation projects in Africa.

Organizers at Waterloo North Mennonite Church had collected more than 3,500 litres of water as they prepared for the event, storing it in several donated rain barrels and two large storage cubes on the property at 100 Benjamin Rd.

But things have gotten even more interesting in recent days with the discovery that someone came along and dumped the water out of seven of the barrels before taking them.

That’s right. Someone actually drained out, then stole, seven rain barrels. From a church.

“It is kind of bizarre,” said the church’s interim youth co-ordinator, Paul Koop. “The money wasn’t the issue. It’s the whole irony of them being stolen and dumped out, and we’re trying to raise money to help people collect rain water.”

Koop came up with the idea to use rain water when he decided he didn’t want to waste clean municipal drinking water on cars. “Other countries have a finite supply of water. They don’t have faucets to turn on.”

Church families came through, donating barrels and bringing in their own rain water as they collected it at home. The theft left the congregation “shocked that it happened at the church,” Koop said.

Undaunted, he’s pushing ahead. Although he estimates they lost about 1,200 litres of stored rain water, the thief left behind the two storage cubes hooked up to the church’s downspouts, along with one “ugly” blue rain barrel.

They’ve still got plenty of water on hand for the event, which begins at 8 a.m. Donations are being collected in exchange for a wash, and money raised will support the Mennonite Central Committee’s water projects in Tanzania.

One of the initiatives is the construction of sand dams, where walls are built across seasonal riverbeds. When it rains, sand builds up behind the wall. The sand acts as both sponge and filter, retaining large quantities of water while filtering out impurities.

They’ll also be holding a bake sale and a silent auction for the two water cubes, and there will be water-related displays set up inside. The event goes rain or shine, and volunteers will wash cars until they run out of water.

Source: http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/542116–unique-church-fundraiser-undeterred-by-theft

To further enhance such emotional bond, here are some useful ways in which churches and religious groups can express gratitude towards their supporters:

• Custom pewter medallions and coffee mugs, which can be crafted to showcase the representative image of your church or religious group and its specific message.
• Engraved or personalized bricks, which can be arranged around a special entryway or sidewalk. They can even be used in landscaping the building or garden of your church or religious group.
• Brass plagues and wall displays, which can be mounted against a polished wood backdrop in high-traffic areas for everyone to recognize the contributions of your supporters.
• Gift plants or memorial trees, which can be erected both indoors and outdoors. Gift plants are three-dimensional sculptures of plants whose leaves are engraved with the names of your supporters. Meanwhile, trees can live for years and help reinforce the bond between your church or religious group and its supporters.

Remember, there is no better way to thank your supporters by publicly recognizing their contributions. Indeed, all of us can do with some faith in certain power “behind the scenes” that sustains us through life’s hardships. Our faith enables us to appreciate the strengths of those around us. Only when we have faith in our fellow people can we have faith in this world.

Package your sunflowers into a Sunflower gram for extra value! Mothers will love that personal touch.

Things You’ll Need:

• Vase (optional)
• Mother’s day card or note
• 3-4 sunflowers for a bouquet, 1 sunflower for a single gram

Instructions

Step 1:

After ordering and receiving your sunflower fundraiser, select sunflowers that are able to hold their heads up with ease. Sunflowers have very heavy blooms, and older flowers will begin to droop on the stalk. You want to find those that stand tall and firm on their stems.

Step 2:

For  a single gram, take one flower and tie with a ribbon near the head of the flower, to create an impressive and cheery Mother’s Day gift.

For a bouquet, simply use three or four flowers.

Step 3 (optional):

Choose a tall, slim vase in which to package your gift of sunflowers if you would rather not sell them in a hand-held bouquet. Sunflowers are very top heavy, so make sure any vases you buy can hold the flowers steady (the water in the vase will help to stabilize it somewhat).

Step 4:

Attach a card that mentions the sunfloewrs with a ribbon to the stem on the bottom of the bouquet or the flower head. You can create a variety of card messages that supporters can choose from.  Sell each sunflower gram for $4.00 or a bouquet for $10.00.

Why burden yourself out with financial issues when there are much more important things to focus on? Of course you could ask your congregation for money that they would happily donate, but it would sure be awesome if you could give something back in appreciation of their generosity.

And beyond that with our fundraising programs you could also reach out to people outside your congregation!

Church Fundraising Tip #1:

Inform your friends and supporters and to ask them to help
because beyond any monetary donation, their help in advertising your cause and financial need will reach farther than you could ever do alone. It’ll just be another excuse to enjoy the company of your friends, and plus a lot more comforting to have someone with you as you ask complete strangers to contribute to your cause and goals. We know, we’ve been there too!

Church Fundraising Tip #2:

Setup a Table
On days when your church meets, also occasions when you don’t feel like moving around too much, all you need to do is set-up a small table to present your merchandise. You then wait and then talk to the passing people about your cause, your monetary goal, and how far you have until you achieve it. Playing a game between you and your friends will attract more people, no need to mention here how much fun you’ll be having. Playing a game and raising money?! We told you it’d be fun!

Church Fundraising Tip #3:

Divide into Teams
To make this endeavor even more fun, divide up into different teams and choose a reward for whoever can make the most sales on tours of your neighborhoods, or walks around the park. [For younger fundraisers we suggest you bring along an older person you trust] As for the reward, we suggest a harmless pie into the face of the losers by the winners. It’s both entertaining … and yummy! Mmm. But feel free to create your own ideas, because this will be your adventure!

What else are you waiting for?