Money, money, money, it's a rich man's world!

Oh, thank Goodness!  All my money woes are solved - this week I have been given $1.5 million from a TNT Director, and $2.5million from the Blackberry Internet Promotional Draw (actually they had to remind me twice about picking this up), then there was this lovely chap who wrote to say that this firm had the best money-lending rate I'd ever hope to find.  Last week was the same, Sani Mohammed wrote to me from (wait for it) the G20 meeting held in France recently to say that they had nothing better to do than hold a ballot for lucky beneficiaries and this time I'd won $1.2 million.  On the very same day, as luck would have it, the United Nations of International Oversight Services emailed me to say I had a compensation payment of $9,000 (but they wrote in words alongside that it was actually nine thousand, five hundred American dollars).

I'm so happy about this, and, although I'm really sorry for Miss Elena Kojawa's terrible loss of her father in the Ivory Coast, I'm utterly overjoyed to think that she has thought carefully about the 8.5 million dollars her father left in a bank deposit and is prepared to offer me 15%.  A local bank has emailed me to say I have a tax return of $173.50 to pick up, but since it's such a small amount, it's hardly worthwhile bothering about, is it, really?

Now... I know this is all a huge joke and it amuses me no end to receive these spam emails, but the truth of the matter is that in these uncertain economic times, the hardest hit are the charitable organisations all around the world who are desperately trying to continue their work with very limited budgets.  Understandably there are many of us in the same boat, and IPWSO is just as hard-pressed as every other charity to find an income source. 

The difficulty for IPWSO is that it is a global charity, it is not operating in just one country, but world-wide.  That means applying for funding is even more difficult as most funders prefer to see their money spent for the benefit of their own country.  IPWSO has to rely heavily on donations from people like you and me; and from our member countries.   This month we are going to celebrate our Emerald Anniversary - it is 55 years since PWS was first 'discovered' by Professors Prader, Willi, and Labhart.  We are using the symbol of a bridge, with candles to help light the way.  Each time we receive a donation another candle will be lit.  We are looking forward to presenting you with this creative concept for fundraising, and we are hoping that, unlike our Spam friends above, you really will be able to help us cross that bridge!