People are really gearing up for the olympics…by buying goats! The goat-o-meter may even burst before the olympics at this rate! Thank you everyone so far for your interest in this cause. Your love has been overwhelming.
I am a bit behind on updating the media portion of our site, but we are on schedule to have a handful of coveted Goat t-shirts available soon.
If you missed it, Joel was on News 1130AM on Sunday morning, we have the recording here: News 1130AM Interview
Goat Canada Goat!
I have received some emails and comments from people who are curious as to how exactly the goat process works. I would like to do my best and summarize what happens after you click “purchase.”
Upon finding out that you can donate a goat for just $34.50, the first thing you might wonder is, “I’m no goat expert, but is $34.50 the going rate for a goat these days?” Well, after browsing Craigslist to see how much I could buy a goat for here in Vancouver, I found that prices ranged from $50 – $400 for a goat. The $400 goat must be the Ferrari of goats and come fully loaded. 2 horns, rear tail, 4 legs and all the other features. Maybe it’s even potty trained? Anyways, the Goat For Gold goats are purchased through the organization CRWRC. Judging by local goat prices, you will be happy to know that the goats are not purchased here and then shipped to Africa. Could you imagine the cost of stamps and shipping it would take to send a live goat to Africa? Not to mention the security threat of traveling with 2 horns. The goats are purchased in Africa, for Africa and are purchased as locally as possible. This way the money goes back into the local economy of a developing country. This also ensures that the breed of goat is well suited to the specific environment where it will live. The $34.50 also goes to having the goats vaccinated. Usually people from the CRWRC train people in the needy communities to help with the vaccination process. This equips them to do goat vaccination of goat offspring, etc. in the future. Local people are also trained to administer the program. They help with the goat distribution and coordinate things like rotating male goats around for breeding, and facilitating the “pay back” program where people give a baby goat to another family in need. This, again, builds up local leadership and equips the program to continue after the CRWRC has gone. There is a careful selection process that helps determine who receives the goats. The local community helps to identify the families most in need. Those families must agree to build a shelter for their goat and attend training in animal care. They also agree to abide by they “pay back” structure. After that, they can receive a goat.
I hope this helps to clarify the process and answer any questions people had. After reading this information I also hope it is clear how solid the program is. There is much more to it then just handing needy people a goat and letting them figure out the rest. The way the program is run makes for a very sustainable and beneficial goat for those who need it. The “pay back” program is a very cool feature of the program. The goats truly are the gift that keeps on giving. And hopefully with the vaccinations they are the gift that keeps on living.
4 goats have already been purchased for donation and Canada has not even won a gold medal… or a silver medal, or a bronze medal, or even began participating in the Olympics. I love it! The opening ceremonies get under way in about a month and already people are getting their goats. I like the “who cares about the medal, I want to buy a goat now” mentality that a few people are showing. Keep it up and we could explode the goat-o-meter before the Olympics even begin. Awesome. The more goats, the merrier. And hairier.
A few people have emailed and asked how to purchase a goat. To purchase a goat, click on the purple icon to the right of where you are reading this. Click on the icon with the Canadian flag if you live in Canada, or the icon with the American flag if you live in the USA. If the $34.50 is too much to afford, donations for smaller amounts can be made using the PayPal icon. This money is pooled together to buy as much goats as possible after it is donated. You may also browse the CRWRC gift catalog here: http://www.crwrc.org/pages/crwrc_giftcatalog.cfm and find a less expensive alternative to making a difference. None of the people that help out with Goat For Gold make any money and all time is volunteered. So thank you very much to everybody who is helping make this possible. And thank you to the people who are supporting Goat For Gold in any way at all. The 4 goats that have already been purchased will make all the difference in the world.
Found a few more articles online, I love the images of goats people use:
Langley Advance, Make Good, Vancouver Sun and the Montreal Gazette!
Seems like we are going to be able to help a lot of people during the olympics this year, so thank YOU in advance!
This morning, you may have noticed, that we are on the front page of the Metro! You can check out the article here!
We will be posting all of the articles and interviews on our “In the Media” page. I decided to leave the Canucks ones up for the time being, but these will slowly be replaced (hopefully) by some new ones!
Thanks again everyone for your support, the new goat-o-meter will be up today…
What can $34.50 get you these days? A dinner at a nice restaurant. A few double ristretto venti nonfat organic chocolate brownie frappuccino extra hot with foam and whipped cream upside down double blended drinks from Starbucks. A night at the movies with a bag of popcorn. Or a goat. Yes, a goat.
With Canada set to take home a record amount of medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, it would be fun to celebrate each medal by doing what Canada does best (other than play hockey): help others out. After the success of Goat Canucks Goat, it is exciting to think how many goats could be raised with the entire country on board. Contrary to common belief, goats are good for more than eating anything in sight and ramming small children at the local petting zoo.
When disasters or conflicts occur, families are often forced to flee, leaving everything. Sometimes they live in camps for years. Unfortunately, all too often the conflict or disaster that destroyed a family’s possessions also destroyed their livelihood. One of the most precious commodities can be livestock. Provide a goat to help a family resettle in their land; give them a head start in rebuilding their lives.
So what’s the plan? To purchase a goat for donation for each gold medal that Canada wins at the Olympics. At the last winter Olympics Canada won 7 gold medals. 7 gold medals x $34.50 per goat = $241.50 and 7 goats. Or just buy a single goat. One goat, two goats, three goats, green goats. Any goat is helpful. Well… maybe not green goats.
The best part of this website is the “goat-o-meter.” And the funnest thing is watching that goat-o-meter rise! So get the word out and get your goat!
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