Ray Menard's Tribute to Rena

October 2, 2014 In Memoriam. Rena Menard On July 31, 2014, the Cheetah Development family lost one of its own. Rena Menard, daughter of Cheetah founder Ray Menard, was just a few weeks short of her 28th birthday. She had been working with Cheetah in Africa for the past 3.5 years.   Below, Ray shares his thoughts on this tragic loss and how it reflects on the mission of Cheetah Development. "The mission of Cheetah must go on, Rena would have it no other way..."   Dear friends,   Rena had become ill in Africa. That is one of the risks inherent in our work. We managed to evacuate her from Africa but she collapsed in Amsterdam on the way to the States. At a hospital in the Netherlands it was found she had blood sepsis and acute liver failure, which resulted in a liver transplant. None of the hospital staff expected her to survive. Nevertheless, 10 weeks later (and several miracles by any estimation) she was alive, well and close to returning home. Unexpectedly, she suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and died suddenly. Rena is a remarkable young woman. It doesn't matter if it is a poor villager or a high government official, Rena is liked and loved by everyone she meets. Even seemingly casual acquaintances in the USA and Africa have insisted to me that she is not only a friend but a close friend. She knows how to love, especially people in need, emotionally or physically. And she could convey that love the first time you met her.   Rena leveraged her intellect and her business training for Cheetah, becoming our Tanzanian country manager over a 3 year period. For example, she created a systematic way to engage and promote our African staff from volunteer to intern to being hired as permanent employees. This created a new energy and level of commitment in our African staff and weeded out ineffective workers in advance. The mission of Cheetah will go on. Rena would have it no other way; she loved our work. African farmers frequently lose their children. We are helping change that and we must go on.   A beautiful young lady, Rena has a quick and ready smile, an energetic hug, and a fresh insightful view on life. As her father, I refuse to speak of her in the past tense, for she will be with us always. There is no answer to the question, 'Why?'  Yet now we pray for peace in the midst of inconsolable grief.    In God's peace that passes understanding, we remain yours,      Rena's Story Rena's story is a remarkable one. To learn more about this wonderful young woman, her life and her work, please view these links. Hastings Star Gazette article on Rena's life YouTube funeral tributes to Rena Sharing More Memories of Rena...  Ray will be sharing more reflections on the life of his daughter at the November 1 Symposium and Fundraising Reception. He hopes to see you there.

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Lives and communities changed!

December 18, 2013 Mama Sophia meeting the Cheetah Agronomist TOGETHER. SHAPING THE FUTURE. In November, Cheetah distributed input loans to potato farmers. We just expanded into four new villages that are receiving access to these kinds of loans for the first time! Listen to what Sophia Mandanda, a farmer and primary school teacher from the village of Luhindo, had to say about her engagement with Cheetah:    "There is big difference with the way I practice farming now [that I am working with Cheetah] and before. For example in the use of fertilizer, I used to mix-up different kind of fertilizers together i.e. DAP, NPK and ASP and then I apply them on my farm with the expectations of getting better results. At the end during harvest I didn't get good harvest as I was expecting. Also getting a better seeds of potato was another big challenge that I was facing, but now Cheetah has made it so easy with the loan of inputs that they are providing to us.   Through Cheetah's help of better seeds and agronomy training I have been able to increase my yield, because now I know how to use fertilizer properly,  how to plant the potato seeds on my farm (like what is the distance from plant to plant, and from one line of plants to another), and planting on time.   Now I have become more interested in farming because I have realized that if I focus more on farming I will earn more than I earn from teaching job, also the skills that I obtain from Cheetah I have been teaching it to my students in the extra curriculum activities."   Teachers are extremely poor in Tanzania so the chance to make income on their farm can mean the difference between staying and teaching or leaving. The attitude represented by Sophia is an amazing mindset shift. Farmers have been so persistently poor that people have tried to do anything else if possible. Cheetah's approach creates significant income and removes the traditional class shame by giving them real livelihoods.   Thank you Sophia!     Much More Just this week 300 more farmers are getting loans totaling around  $60,000! This is life changing for individuals and total shifts for entire communities. Please think of us in your year end giving. Many more families are waiting for help.  Online: http://www.cheetahdevelopment.org/cheetah/pages/donate.shtml By Mail: Cheetah Development 906 1st St. East Hastings MN 55033 Thank you!

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Preparing for Thanksgiving

The Giving Season - The Best Time of the Year   Dear Friends,   In the United States, the end of the year is the Giving Season. It's wonderful the holidays that come at this time, Christmas, Hanukah, New Year's Day - with start coming at around Thanksgiving.   Our staff in Tanzania is preparing for Thanksgiving, which comes on the 28th. It truly is a universal holiday that can cut across cultures and unite us in perspective - so we have imported it! Last year we shared a wide variety of both African and American foods, danced to disco music and paused with family and friends to remember what we each were thankful for. All the ladies on the staff filled our kitchen and were cooking. The entire floor was filled with pots and bowls. In the USA my wife has a turkey in the refrigerator for an early celebration this week. I invite you to join in thanks this year for a life of many blessings.   On Thursday this week it is "Give to the Max Day" in Minnesota. An anonymous donor has put up $1000 in matching funds to get you interested. Now wait, this is a lower income family with kids that is giving out of their generosity. Cheerful giving: that is a blessing to the giver and the receiver. You can find out more at http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Giving-Season   Even better, you can sign up to give monthly.   Also keep in mind that many companies have matching funds for donors and even volunteers. We receive a number of these gifts every year. See what your company can do and if you need to register Cheetah, just let us know. We are an approved 501c3 by the USA government. Finally, if you use the services of Thrivent, please contact them. Many donors are directing their Thrivent shares to Cheetah, multiplying their impact. And if you have other ideas to multiply your giving, let us know.   So get in the holiday mood! Start giving!   Over the coming weeks, we will let you know about the amazing progress we've made in Africa. Happily,   Cheetah Development Staff Join Our Mailing List!

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