A magical feeling permeated the air at The Woods in Jupiter Thursday, evening Dec 1st. Entrepreneurs, business owners, and medical professionals gathered at the new Tiger Woods owned restaurant for the first Valiant Wealth Philanthropy Experience. The Florida event was raising funds for the Abōd Shelters Foundation to benefit projects in Africa.
Doug Vander Weide, Founder of Valiant Wealth, along with Paul Hassebroek, COO of Valiant Wealth, hosted the event. Doug opened the evening by sharing the Abōd Foundation’s purpose to be first to democratize housing for the world’s neediest populations, as over 4 billion people live in poverty conditions. Vander Weide has served as Chairman of the Foundation for the last year. He also shared his family’s experiences in philanthropy in Ghana over the past 10 years.
Valiant Wealth’s Ginny Shiverdecker shares, “This event was created for two reasons: first, to inspire acts of philanthropic giving at another level which support the giver and the receiver. Second, to raise funds for an Abōd Medical Birthing Theater in the heart of the Abōd Tiny Home Village planned in Mbuguni, Tanzania. The Tanzania project is operated by STEMM.org and will project breaks ground on January 1, 2017.
Abōd helped spark the trendy tiny home movement. Its distinctive design, based on the catenary arch, connects emotionally with people from all parts of the world. The design is the result of a competition among architects at BSB Design, a nationally recognized firm of residential and commercial developments. BSB Design is also headquartered in Des Moines with offices around the country.
The promise of this humanitarian home design is Abōd: One House. One Day. One Family.
The promise of this humanitarian home design is Abōd: One House. One Day. One Family. The Abōd is delivered as a kit. It is proven to be 50 % cheaper, 80 % faster to build, and last 100% longer than traditional block housing. Abōd Villages demonstrate a positive impact on the lives of those who desperately need shelter.
Abōd Villages are established in partnership with NGO’s in a growing number of Africa locations like Zambia where Abōds are devoted to dormitories for middle school age students and technology labs. In Ghana, Abōd homes are built for working families at a fish farm enterprise on Lake Volta, Asikuma. In Limpopo, Abōds serve as homes for children, teachers, and caretakers of a rural orphanage.
Guests generously donated after hearing the real stories of how Abōd projects positively impact children and women’s lives. Shiverdecker, who is Valiant Wealth’s Director of Marketing and Abōd Shelters Foundation’s Executive Director, said, “The birthing center is the first step toward saving lives as over 8,000 women die during childbirth in Tanzania every year. By providing clinical settings and educating Maasai women to elevated midwifery practices, we can change the death rate and help prevent the high degree of cerebral palsy in children who are born in such poor conditions. “
To help bring the Abōd Village concept to life, guests could try on the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Glasses by Facebook to see how each Abōd could be designed as classrooms, homes, medical facilities.
To enhance the authentic African fun factor, participants toured the highly sought after Tesla Models S and X with product specialists. Tesla is founded by South African born Elon Musk.
The personal stories of mission work in Africa and activities inspired guests to participate in the African Silent Auction featuring artisan jewelry, South African wine, tribal paintings and sculpture, and one of a kind handcraft creations.
In addition, guests were offered the chance to win an Abōd African Adventure Trip for two with Ty Pennington of Extreme Makeover fame, for a once in a lifetime learn, build, and safari experience. Pennington signed on as Goodwill Ambassador two years ago, believing the cause meaningful and to help build awareness.
When asked if Valiant Wealth would host a future event, Paul Hassebroek said, “Absolutely! Our intent is to start a conversation around our view on Valiant Philanthropy while building a community of like-minded people who care passionately about causes like Abōd Shelters. We received tremendous feedback on the quality of this experience and raised funds to build and furnish a desperately needed Birthing Centerin Africa. This enthusiastic response encourages us to create the next Valiant Philanthropy Experience.”
To learn more and donate go to www.abodshelters.com.
