Sustaining a Village Everyday (S.A.V.E.), a non-profit charity organization founded and run by six teenagers from Murfreesboro, will be holding one of their largest fund-raising events of the year on November 12th. Chaired by Tony Allen, the S.A.V.E. Christmas Art and Craft Bazaar will take place 10am to 6pm inNorthsideBaptistChurch inMurfreesboro. The event is intended to be a family-friendly event that will spread Christmas cheer while shopping to raise funds and awareness for the malnourished people ofHaiti. There will be a vast array of items for purchase including: handcrafted jewelry, fine art canvases, accessories, home décor, clothing, candles, photography, and various other arts and crafts. The art and craft fair will include live music, various activities for the children, door prizes, as well as a baked goods portion of the fair for those with a sweet tooth! The entry ticket that will place you in the drawing for door prizes will be $5. Proceeds will go towards the organization’s overall goal of raising $25,000.
In January of this year, Tayllor Cochrane was urged to action by an episode of ABC’s 20/20 to raise $25,000 to change the lives of those in avillageofHaitiby feeding them for an entire year. Several friends also jumped to the cause and soon formed the S.A.V.E. leadership team, including Tony Allen, Brock Baker, Laura Bean, Shelby Hardison, and Mary Cate Ownby. Kristi Cochrane and Melissa LaDuc also rose to the challenge of being the adult supervisors.
Being enrolled at two different schools and being members of six different churches, the leaders quickly brought together many different interests to accomplish Tayllor’s mission. The team promptly realized that it would make more sense to provide the people with the knowledge and resources to sustain themselves long-term rather than simply feed them and leave them hungry at the year’s end. With the help of missionary Fred Wall, they were able to quickly identify the village, Boukeron, and its various needs. He informed the team of the projects that would benefit Boukeron the most, including: the construction of a water well, new livestock, and a pond of naturally producing tilapia, among other things.
With this newfound mission in mind, S.A.V.E. developed a fundraising plan to fulfill it. So far, they have raised over $21,000 through a letter campaign, 24-hour famine that raised awareness of the physical and psychological effects of hunger, car wash, 5k fun run, and local business sponsorships, all of which were chaired by different S.A.V.E. leaders. Events left on the agenda include the S.A.V.E. Christmas Art & Craft Bazaar, a teen worship night, and the end-of-the-year banquet to celebrate and honor those that have contributed to the success.
S.A.V.E. is very grateful for the support of the community, family, and friends that have partnered in their mission for one common goal. With God and their support, S.A.V.E. can truly change lives inBoukeron,Haiti.
