We enable people without access to traditional banks (including many women) to expand their businesses, educate their children, save for the future and raise themselves out of poverty. Through Kiva, a non-profit organisation working with microfinance institutions, you choose a borrower to support with a loan of just $25. Similar loans by other lenders are combined until the required total is reached. As your money is repaid you can withdraw it or lend it to someone else. Money that is loaned over and over again does more good than a one-time donation. Join 'Genealogists for Families' - together we are making a difference!

15 March 2012

Meet the Team: Kelli Taylor

This week's guest post is by Genealogists for Families team member Kelli Taylor from Alberta, Canada.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a mother of 2 teenage boys and wife of a very supportive husband. I have a Communications degree and enjoy research, reading and writing, which fits well with my passion for genealogy. I have helped my dad with our family history research for about 15 years. I live in Calgary, Canada and I love my surroundings, with the prairies to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west.

How did you hear about the Genealogists for Families project?

As a relative newcomer to Twitter, I was fortunate to connect with Joan Miller, who promotes the Alberta Family Histories Society via social media. As a family, we've been with KIVA for a few years, and it's made our involvement more interesting to be part of this group.

What do lending and participating in this project mean to you?

So far our investments have been related to our personal interests, such as motorcycle transport. We generally loan to people in places we have traveled to, such as Kenya and Ecuador. I may make a few adjustments now, based on some of our team members' loans.

Did you choose particular borrowers because their occupations or situations have some significance in your family history or your own life?

So far, no. There are no loans available in places related to my heritage.

Do you have a strategy for raising funds or saving for your $25 loans?

Usually we roll our coins about every 4-6 months, and that is the money we use to offer loans. We have given KIVA gifts to family and friends for birthdays, Christmas etc., and have encouraged people to find their own connections in order to determine who to loan to.

Web address of your Web site or blog?

http://donandkellijourney.blogspot.com/

Your main family history interests?

Smith (Switzerland), Taylor (England/Ontario), Waite (England or Ireland), Sundell (Sweden), Arnold (England), Lockerbie (Scotland), May (Ireland), Hay (Scotland). We are now using DNA to break down brick walls for Smith and Waite. Fingers crossed!
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Join Genealogists for Families. Together we can make a difference!
Posted by Judy Webster

2 comments:

  1. Judy Webster15 March, 2012 06:53

    Kelli, thanks for being part of Genealogists for Families and for telling us about your involvement with Kiva. And on a personal note - thanks for the helpful tips you have sent me via Twitter or email. I do hope I can meet you in person in the not too distant future.

    ReplyDelete
  2. M. Diane Rogers24 March, 2012 13:11

    Hi, Kelli, nice to meet another Canadian here. Good luck with your Smith and Waite research. Hope the DNA points the way for you.

    ReplyDelete

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