What's it worth you?

It's Superbowl Sunday! To be honest, I seldom care much about NFL football; I'm a much bigger college ball fan. But I still enjoy watching the Superbowl each year. Because it means family, friends, community...and more importantly...FOOD! :) Cheese dips, bean dips, nachos, doritos, cheetos, OH lemme stop! And of course there's the commercials. I would love to be sitting with friends, watching the game on  big-screen TV tonight, indulging in every type of American food. :) We might try to rig up a Skype-showing tomorrow night. I hope so!

As I was thinking about the Superbowl today, I read a letter/blog entry from Brian Hixson, Chair of the ROC (Rwanda Outreach Community Foundation.) ROC partners with Rwanda to help complete its Vision 2020 by investing in people and property. Our school, KICS, and also our church, CCR, were developed by ROC. ROC works primarily in developing faith-based education and community projects. They have invested in the Peace Through Business program for Rwandan women, and also the Rwandan Presidential Scholars Program. Brian lives and works here in Kigali with his wife, Holly, who is a Chemistry teacher at KICS, and she also runs the Peace program. They have two daughters in 1st and 6th grade. The Hixsons are missionaries, sent by their church in Oklahoma. They also spend a great deal of their time at the church, coordinating worship band and pastoral duties. The Hixson really are integral to our school and our church, and I'm thankful for them!

I wanted to share with you Brian's letter today. As you can guess, it's Superbowl-themed. And just like Brian, I'm not begrudging any indulgence that you might enjoy because of the game today. We'd both like to be there, watching and eating with you! But his letter is a good one. Maybe it will cause you to think today as you're watching one of those infamous commercials. Cause you to think about something bigger, something greater than those 60 seconds. It's a long read, but well worth it!

Here it is...from Brian..


As I reflect on the culture of the Super Bowl and the millions spent around this event I wonder where it all goes and what part we play in that process. Many will enjoy the new advertisements rolled out by deep pocket advertisers. Of course they couldn’t invest at such levels without customers to return the investment. For just 3-million dollars you too can have your ad placed before 110 million viewers.



For the price of a 30 second add we could have a piece of property with a 2000 seat church built and likely fill it before the next 138 minutes of Super Bowl ads run.


For 20 seconds we could purchase a small apartment complex and house 2/3 of our teaching staff leaving all those resources used for teacher housing to apply directly to the education of children and in turn the blessing of thousands being served by the families of these children.


For 7 seconds we would have a piece of prime land and be able to build sports fields and accommodate needs of accreditation for our school. Additionally this would meet a need of a community that has no common fields or gyms for its citizens to gather around as families and friends enjoying competition that cost nothing more than the energy invested by the participants of the game on the field or court.


For less than 1.5 seconds we could purchase a home to care for orphan babies in an effort to deinstitutionalize orphanages and transition children into homes surrounded by loving families.


For 1 second we could build an office wing on our existing church building to accommodate our staff, or come close to purchasing a neighboring building to accommodate staff needs.


For ½ a second we could complete fundraising needs on a community park connected to our church, school, and neighborhood.


NOTE: All of the above reflects one minute of advertising


The financial needs of a ministry like the one we serve are substantial and well beyond those noted above. I simply used these items to demonstrate how much could be applied toward real needs. I was pleased to discover that in 2009 PepsiCo, a normal advertiser at the Super Bowl, decided to use those dollars to address real needs of real people and allowed its customers to vote on how those dollars should be allocated. I realize that there is still a major gain in this move by PepsiCo, but in the end there is benefit beyond just another Pepsi being sold.


Obviously, we are talking about figures that are much greater than most of us can comprehend in our pocket. Let me use another Super Bowl example. The last 20,000 tickets available for the game range in price from $2,400 – $23,730. I expect some small percentage of that will find its way into philanthropic hands of an athlete or owner’s cause, but most will not.


For that cheap ticket, 5000 people in Rwanda could eat today who will otherwise go hungry. For the expensive ticket 75 girls could have been afforded secondary education for a year. To park around the stadium you will pay $550-990. The vast majority of the world’s population lives for a year on less than the amount to park for a few hours. The going rate on a room at Arlington Super 8 Motel is $1,198 plus tax. A single bag of chips will cost you the same as the average income of four people in most third world and developing nations. That two-liter of soda would feed a family for a day. I will let you imagine how that pocket change for some could impact the lives of others.


In the 46 minutes of commercials that air during the Super Bowl $136,000,000 will be spent. That is a lot of money, but not near as much as those companies intend to gain from that investment. The advertisers know they will make that money back and much more. Enjoy your drink, chips, car, insurance policy, and whatever else is being advertised and pray that a fraction of your purchase finds its way to something meaningful. Better yet, buy one less bag of chips and do something meaningful. The opportunity to make a difference surrounds you.

http://www.rocfoundation.org/