Dear friends and supporters of IT Tender,

2024 is a big year for our charity.

By the end of the year, our plan is to acquire a larger building with three stories just down the road from our current center. For 16 years, IT Tender has rented its humble little drop-in center and made it a haven for urban poor students to grow and learn. But we have outgrown this space. Our capital project to purchase a bigger building for IT Tender is called the "Big Leap Project".

The impact of the new center on our staff and students will be immediate. This building will allow IT Tender to accommodate many more children and youth at one time - allowing triple the number of preschool students/classes and five times the number of tutorial students and sponsor children that the current drop-in center can accommodate.

Most importantly, the new center will be a safer, better equipped, and more supportive learning environment where holistic transformation happens. Not only will the quality of our current services improve thanks to bigger and more beautiful spaces for the preschool and after-school programs, but we will be able to enjoy new spaces for a proper music/dance studio, a computer lab, a library, a training room, a sustainable garden, and a large space for worship services.

Thus far, we have raised $117,000 CAD of the total $470,000 CAD needed (includes cost of renovations and fixtures). In US Dollars, that means we've raised $87,000 USD of the total $350,000 USD needed. We're basically one-fourth of the way there, and we've only just kicked off this capital campaign! We want to thank everyone who has already donated towards the new center.

And now for the really big news for the Big Leap Project...

‍During this month of February, ALL NEW DONATIONS WILL BE MATCHED by a very generous donor! ...yes, you read that correctly. For any donations given during this "love month", your compassionate support will be DOUBLED as you give to help us reach our target to purchase and renovate the new building for IT Tender.

So if you are considering making a donation in 2024 towards the new center, this month is the best time to give generously! Let's take this opportunity to leave a legacy through a center that will empower and educate urban poor Filipinos for generations to come...

Take advantage of our donation matching drive (for the month of February) by donating to IT Tender using the links below.

All one-time donations in February will go towards the new center, plus your donation will be matched by a generous donor!

‍CANADIAN DONATION (select "IT Tender - Philippines")

‍AMERICAN DONATION

‍It's worth noting that once we raise another $83,000 CAD ($62,000 USD), we will already have enough funds to move into the building and begin renovations! With your support and prayers, we hope to begin renovations before the end of 2024.

In December, we kicked off the capital campaign with a charity gala here in Manila. At a beautiful hotel ballroom, we shared the vision for the Big Leap Project. Former sponsor children and university scholars of IT Tender shared stories about the impact IT Tender has made in their lives. Also, our students of all ages displayed their talents through various song and dance numbers. We are so grateful for the unforgettable evening we shared. Our generous local donors really stepped up to set the bar for giving.
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On June 8th, we will have another charity dinner, this time in Waterloo, Ontario. Aside from a lovely meal, some live music, and stories from our students via video, we will hold an auction to raise funds for the Big Leap Project. If you would like to consider donating an item for the auction, please email John Coffey at johndlcoffey@gmail.com (popular items for an auction may include tickets to sporting events, trips or getaways - maybe at a cottage or timeshare you own, artwork - comissioned or already made, gift baskets, memorabilia...and of course we are open to anything else you may want to give to help this good cause!).

In other news, it's been a busy season at IT Tender since our director John Coffey became the Chairman of a network of licensed charities and government offices across six cities in Metro Manila. This is an incredible opportunity to establish new partnerships with other organizations and to strengthen our relationship with the local government. IT Tender organized and led a general assembly for the network of organizations attended by 140 leaders and workers in the social service sector. We also shared a presentation on how charities can apply for government grants.
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At IT Tender, we value spending time with the families of our students. We check in on them regularly. It was a special honor when two visitors from our partners at Extreme Response (ER) in the US came along with our staff for a community visit. Thank you Brad McKenna (President of ER International) and Ty Stakes for joining us as we caught up with and spent time in prayer with some of the families of our students at IT Tender.

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Lastly, we want to leave you with pictures of some of our adorable preschool kids and their latest work of art. Enjoy!
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Thank you for all of your incredible support. Below are the current prayers and praises of our team in Manila.

- The Tender Team
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• Continue to pray for the Big Leap Project. Our next target is to raise another $83,000 CAD ($62,000 USD) for IT Tender to be able to acquire the building and begin renovations.
• Pray for two student interns coming from our partners at the Philippine Christian University who will lead a project to identify and help struggling students at IT Tender to improve their grades.
• Pray for the renewal of IT Tender's accreditation certification with the local government.
• Pray for the safe pregnancy of our beloved community worker Lovely who is due to give birth in June.
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• We are thankful for the success of the charity gala in Manila and the general assembly of our network of charities. We look forward to more events like these in the future.
• Many of our staff were under the weather in December, but they are now healthy and well. We are grateful for a new year with restored energy and great excitement for the plans ahead!