Meet the Team: Fiona Basile

This week's guest post is by Genealogists for Families team member Fiona Basile from Queensland, Australia.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Currently I'm a full time parent to 3 teenage boys. I live on the Gold Coast in Queensland. My hobbies, apart from annoying our ancestors, include craft activities and catching up with friends.

How did you hear about the Genealogists for Families project?

I was researching family history on the Internet, landed on Judy Webster's site, and the rest is history!

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

I've always liked the idea of giving those in need a hand up, rather than a hand out. I love watching the progress as the borrowers benefit from their loans.

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

I don't have a particular method of selecting borrowers. Often it will be something in their profile that strikes a chord. For example, I grew up on a dairy farm and one of my loans is to a farmer. Another loan is to a mother, trying to educate her children. That's something of a priority in my life too.

Is there a borrower whose success story inspired you?

They all inspire me!

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

I decided I would make four loans initially, then would finance more as these were repaid. Well, the first payments came in, amounting to $15, and I couldn't wait! My saving strategy is to go without something, say a café coffee, and watch the savings build.

Your Web site or blog?

Dance Skeletons (http://danceskeletons.blogspot.com/).

Your main family history interests?

My main interests at the moment are Tasmanian Convicts and Quakers. Surnames include Hortin, Pearson and Taylor.
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Meet the Team: CeCe Moore

This week's guest post is by Genealogists for Families team member CeCe Moore from California, USA.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a Southern California native and live by the beach with my fiance and my seven year old son. I am a former professional singer/actress, but am now behind the camera working with my partner producing commercials for our company StudioINTV. My genealogy activities include serving as the Southern California Regional Coordinator for the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG), the co-moderator of the ISOGG DNA Newbie mailing list, as a genealogy advisor for DNA testing company 23andMe and writing the blog 'Your Genetic Genealogist'.

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

It is a forum where I can contribute in a small way and see exactly where that contribution is going and what it is accomplishing. Many charities seem to be too weighed down by bureaucracy and it is difficult to know how the money is really being spent. Although I cannot do a lot, I like the idea of many people working together to help a specific individual or family to better their lives.

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

Not so far, but I do tend to focus in on women who have small children. In the future, I would like to loan to individuals in the United States whenever that is possible because I believe we have many who need help right here at home. I plan to get my son involved in choosing the borrower to teach him about actively helping others.

How did you hear about the Genealogists for Families project?

The wonderful and inspirational Joan Miller invited me to participate.

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

I have taken the advice of Judy and enrolled in the survey sites. It is slow going, but I have finally earned enough to make a new loan.

Your Web site or blog?

Genetic Genealogy blog (www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com/), and my personal genealogy blog (http://mytangledvine.blogspot.com/), and the business Web site (www.studiointv.com).

Your main family history interests?

I am an active genetic genealogist who strives to help others understand and utilize the fascinating application of DNA testing to family history research. I am the volunteer administrator for the Proctor DNA Project, the Travis DNA Project and the Hemings/Jefferson autosomal DNA Project.
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Meet the Team: Kerry Farmer

This week's guest post is by Genealogists for Families team member Kerry Farmer from New South Wales, Australia.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I live and work in Sydney, although I did live for a few years in London and also in Tokyo, in the years when I was a computer programmer and systems analyst. I started teaching 'Family history, using the Internet' in 1997 and later joined the GenClass group of instructors teaching online courses. Since 2010 I have been the Director of Australian Studies with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, responsible for developing the Australian Records certificate, and writing many of the courses. 

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

My parents have always been heavily involved in community projects and fund raising for charity. Through Rotary International and Indigenous Community Volunteers, my Dad has organised or been involved in major international and Australian community projects, using his skills to help people help themselves. For me, getting involved with Kiva seems a great extension of that.

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

As a mother myself, I tend to be drawn to women borrowers who are trying to help their families. Sometimes a particular occupation or location or even a name attracted me to want to help a particular person.

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

When repayments from previous loans start getting close to another $25 I top it up to make another. So far one of my loans has been funded by surveys I've completed. Another couple came about when I was paid a small amount for giving a genealogy talk to a community group. They apologised for the small payment and I told them that I would use the money to make a Kiva loan. When I described what Kiva was about, in both cases people in the audience donated for their own Kiva loans.

Your Web site or blog?

http://kerryfarmer.info is my main website; http://famresearch.wordpress.com is my blog.

Your main family history research interests?

ETHERINGTON in Australia and southern England. Others include BENNETT, BOND, CARTER, KELLETT, LYONS, MILLS, MOORE, SCRIVEN, SHUTER in England and Australia, McKENZIE and McNEILL in Ayrshire (Scotland), EVERETT in Ireland, SHUTER in Poland and KELLETT in South Africa  plus a line in Asker, Norway with patronymic surnames that change every generation.
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Meet the Team: Roger Moffat

This week's guest post is by Genealogists for Families team member Roger Moffat from Caledonia, Michigan, USA.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a very proud New Zealander who considers Christchurch his home town, even though I haven't lived there in more than 20 years. I'm retired, but was previously Manager of New Zealand's Scott Base in Antarctica, preceded by four years at New Zealand's Campbell Island weather station in the Southern Ocean. I've been pursuing family history since attending a family reunion in 1989. I'm active in the Clan Moffat Society in the USA, and with the Western Michigan Genealogical Society, whose databases website I run.

How did you hear about the Genealogists for Families project?

I joined Kiva in 2011 after seeing some publicity about it on Facebook. Prior to that I had been aware of the organisation and looked over information sent in the mail, but hadn't become involved.

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

It's such a small amount that means so much to those who receive it, and unlike many groups which take your money and then immediately ask for more, with Kiva you get good feedback on the progress of 'your' dollars. And when it's done, you have 'your' dollars back to then lend to someone else.

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

Both of my parents were born on farms in New Zealand, so I tend towards those looking to improve their situations in a farm setting.

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

No, I started with one loan, and when that was half paid back added enough to make another loan. I expect that by the end of a year I might have four loans going.

Your Web site or blog?

Roger's Ramblings (http://LisaAndRoger.com/). It isn't as up to date as it could be as I've tended in the last year or more to use Facebook as my blog - a habit I tell myself I must break.

Your main family history research interests?

My Dad's ancestry is (seemingly) entirely Scottish, and my Mum's is predominantly English, with a line or two of Scottish. Six generations are shown on the pedigree chart on Roger's Ramblings. The surnames of my 8 great grandparents are Moffat, Stoddart, Dewar, Breingans, Lineham, Lansberry, Scarlett and Mulvey/Mulvay.
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Meet The Team: Gary Barton

This week's guest post is by Genealogists for Families team member Gary Barton from Arizona, USA.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Retired Xerox Corporation Marketing Director. I reside in the sunny desert community of Mesa, Arizona, USA (with 100 days of 100ºF temps last year). Since retiring from the editorship of our family association's quarterly newsletter I've become happily involved in the Guild of One-Name Studies (a UK based worldwide organization) and am the Guild's Regional Representative for eight mountain states in the USA.

How did you hear about the Genealogists for Families?

Through Dick Eastman's Newsletter. Hopefully my email signature will reach others (Make a Small Loan, Make a Big Difference! Learn How at www.kiva.org/team/genealogists).

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

It's a meaningful way to 'make a difference' on a limited retirement income.

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

I loaned to a USA borrower recovering from the results of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana. I did so because I wanted to start at home. Unfortunately $25 is a small amount but it was amalgamated with others to reach the borrower's desired $10,000 USD. She's repaying on time.

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

My demographics don't match most Profiler Surveys, but the funds are accumulating slowly.

Web address of your website or blog?

www.garymbarton.com and www.bartondatabase.info and www.one-name.org/profiles/Barton.html.

Your main family history interests?

I'm lucky to have identified 29 of my 32 great-great-great-grandparents, many back 10+ generations: (Denmark) HANSEN; (Germany) STIEGELMEYER, HINNENKAMP, SCHUTTE, OTTE, ZIES, SEVERINGHAUS, MTEZGER, PFAU; (Netherlands) VAN COUWENHOVEN, SCHENCK; (England) STUBBLEFIELD, LOONEY, SKAIFE, GRANGE; (French Canada) LANGEVIN, RAVENELL, MALO; (Ireland) DOOLING, RICKEY.
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The How and Why of Auto-Lending (Tuesday's Tip)

Here is another tip for 'Genealogists for Families' Kiva team members.

Check your account settings now. Do they suit the way you use Kiva?

Many Kiva loans are repaid in monthly installments, but there may be times when you cannot check your Kiva credit on repayment day (for example, if you are travelling, ill or just very busy). To avoid leaving money sitting idle when it could be used for another loan, or to control what happens to your Kiva credit when you depart this life, you can, as a precaution, set up Auto-Lending.

(September 2013: Please see the updated instructions for auto-lending.)
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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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Meet the Team: Diane Rogers

This week's guest post is by Genealogists for Families team member Diane Rogers from British Columbia, Canada.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm now mostly retired, but busy. I regularly teach genealogy classes and I volunteer for the British Columbia Genealogical Society. I'm very interested in Canadian women's history and I do love to read, mostly history or mysteries.

How did you hear about the Genealogists for Families project?

I've been a Kiva member since 2008. I just recently happened to notice the Genealogists for Families Kiva project information on Judy Webster's website, while surfing the Internet for Australian newspaper information.

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

I hope in a small way I'm helping someone else to make a positive difference in their life.

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

I believe I've chosen all women borrowers or women's groups. I've been interested in supporting women's projects for a long time, through MATCH, for instance.

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

No - it's just me.

Your Web site or blog?

The main one is CanadaGenealogy, or, Jane's Your Aunt (www.canadagenealogy.blogspot.com). I also have a site about Newdale, Manitoba, Canada where both my mum and grandmother were born (http://newdalembgenealogy.wordpress.com/).

Your main family history research interests?

Researching family currently mainly in Canada, US, UK, and Sweden - Axner, Broström, Carmichael, Cox/Cocks, Eriksson, Gilchrist, Irwin, Löfholm, Rogers, Rydberg, Saggers, Staines, White, Zetterberg.
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Free Trial: new Kiva users get a free $25 loan

Please tell your friends that right now there is a FREE TRIAL offer that lets them join Kiva and make a $25 loan without it costing them a cent!

This is a great opportunity to introduce others to the joys of being a Kiva lender. Details will be on www.kiva.org until the free loans have all been allocated. Invite your friends to give it a try, but be quick!

Those who make a free loan are also welcome to join our 'Genealogists for Families' lending team.

Meet the Team: Carole Riley

This week's guest post is by Genealogists for Families team member Carole Riley from New South Wales, Australia.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I live and work in Sydney and have recently changed careers from Information Technology to genealogy. I've just finished my Diploma of Family Historical Studies at the Society of Australian Genealogists, where I volunteer on an increasingly regular basis.

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

I've been lending on Kiva since 2008, and have just made my 27th loan. It's gone from being a thrill whenever I get a repayment to being a normal part of my life. I think it's so important to help people help themselves; they are the ones who will succeed and help their families grow and thrive.

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

When I started I lent only to women, usually in countries I had been to. Now they all seem equally deserving and I don't spend much time at all choosing borrowers. There is usually little connection to my own life, unless you count gender; the majority are still women.

Is there a borrower whose success story inspired you?

I am most partial to the single mothers who are feeding their families as best they can. I grew up in such a household.

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

Not really. I relend when I get enough repaid, or almost enough, and then I kick in the difference. I have no idea how much money I have in the system. A recent Melbourne Cup win resulted in two more new loans!

Your Web site or blog?

http://caroleriley.id.au and http://heritagegenealogy.com.au.

What are your main family history interests?

My mother is Protestant Irish/Scottish and my father is a part-European Fijian, so my interests are many and varied!
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