New Idea, New Year, New Way of Making it Happen

Jan. 3, 2013 - PRLog -- CONTACT:        Anne Carey          
         A Gift of Service
         970-744-0581
         anne@agiftofservice.com

NEW IDEA, NEW YEAR, NEW WAY OF FINANCIAL BACKING
Fort Collins, CO – Here’s to 2013! With it comes (as always) hope, vision and optimism for a new start. One woman is embracing this concept wholeheartedly with an idea and a new way to make it happen.

As many had experienced before, Anne Carey found herself unexpectedly laid off from a job she had held for almost 6 years. At the same time, there was a medical emergency in her family that sent all involved into a tailspin. Friends and family sent cards and flowers but there was still the question: What else can we do to help? From that question was born an idea: A Gift of Service.

When an emergency hits, the day-to-day things in life often slip: housecleaning, yard work, cooking. Small things in life can become worries, such as:

Who will watch the children when I am at the hospital?
Who will take my dog for a walk?
How will I keep up with the housework?

A Gift of Service is designed so a friend or family member who wants to help can choose a service or combination of services for someone in need. Online, they create a card with a customized message and add in the list of services they would like to give. The recipient can then redeem the services when they are most needed. Services include everything from housecleaning to dog walking to catering to massage, all designed to help support someone going through a difficult time.

Yet, in this economy, and certainly after just having lost a job, an idea, even a great idea, needs funding to make it a reality. After researching ways to get financial backing, Anne stumbled upon the idea of crowdfunding (also known as crowdsourcing). A relatively new concept, crowdfunding is an online platform for gathering small amounts of capital from a large number of individuals to finance a new idea or business venture. Of all the crowdfunding sites available, there was one that stood out as a perfect fit for A Gift of Service: MedStartr, a site designed specifically to fund healthcare projects.

After speaking with the MedStartr founders, making a video and creating compelling rewards for potential backers, A Gift of Service went live on MedStartr.com. One of several projects, Anne’s vision contributes to the theme of helping enhance healthcare by creating a support of services for patients and their families. The project and the video that captures the emotion and purpose of A Gift of Service can now be viewed at http://www.medstartr.com/projects/110-a-gift-of-service. Already gathering backers, A Gift of Service is taking an idea and turning it into a reality through hope, vision and the optimism that comes with the New Year. Happy 2013 to all!

For more information on A Gift of Service, contact Anne Carey:

970-744-0581         anne@agiftofservice.com          www.agiftofservice.com

View A Gift of Service on MedStartr at: http://www.medstartr.com/projects/110-a-gift-of-service.