| AIRO Joins the Ranks of International Aid Organizations May 18, 2005 AIRO has now successfully incorporated. We are now an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization and we now have our official IRS tax-exempt status number: 55-0896249! This is big news as it allows us to accept donations that are tax deductible. Additionally, this new status affords us the ability to submit project grants to private and public foundations, government entities and other international aid groups. AIRO’s potential scope and vision just got a lot bigger! The good news comes just as Aaron and Eddie are solidifying plans to return to Aceh to join Eric who has maintained project oversight in Krueng Raya since arriving in January. Our return to Indonesia will also involve considerable new project development work, up and down the hard-hit coast of Northern Sumatra. We have scheduled a ceremonial boat hand-off and appreciation dinner for the workers, their families, and other people who have been instrumental in bringing this project to completion. The date is set for June 18, 2005, at the AIRO boat-building site in Krueng Raya. If any of our readers are interested in attending this important (and fun!) event, please contact us. So what is next? Funding. AIRO now requires additional funds to continue its important tsunami relief work. We have identified several other villages with similar needs to recover their fishing industry through boat repair and construction, fish netting and general small-business development. We are ready to grow. We welcome ideas, leads and assistance in getting the AIRO story out there to combine general public education activities with on-going funds development. Got a group, a business or even an individual that wants to hear about it all and support this important humanitarian work? Just let us know. AIRO started out as a loose plan to "just go and do whatever we could to help". It has since grown to much more than that. What AIRO has accomplished to date is already among the most intense and most meaningful experiences any of us have ever had. Because of our success, we realize that we can be very good at managing project-based relief efforts by carefully managing scarce and precious resources. Most of all, we will continue to carry on with the important relief work we have started and will continue to have fun doing it. But this is only the beginning. Growth is an exciting challenge for us, one we are committed to. Your support is what got us through the hardest part – getting it all started. Thank you for your continued involvement, encouragement, and support as AIRO takes its next step into full-time international aid, rescue and relief operations. Building Hope and Dignity Worldwide, The AIRO Team |
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| USA: AIRO Headquarters 6112 Dedham Lane Austin, Texas 78739 USA Fax: 1-512-301-7154 USA Cell: 1-512-750-5096 Indonesia: AIRO Big Fish Headquarters Jl. Tgk. Hasan Kreung Kale #25 Penayong, Sumatra, Indonesia |