Give. Thanks. charity: water.

Thank you all so much for participating in my charity: water campaign! It was a long and very successful 3 months!

We started by asking people to give to charity: water for my 28th Birthday back in August. Since then we've learned a lot about the water crisis in Northern Ethiopia, charity: water's plan to help solve it, and how ordinary people like us can help. We sold things on craigslist and asked you to do the same. I gave away some hair clips on agirlandagluegun.blogspot.com, gave away some baby pants on myoverthinking.com, and have sold some of both on my etsy site! Thanks to everyone who made the giveaways possible and to those of you who entered! We asked you to give - and you did! Thank you so much.

Now that its Thanksgiving I find myself thinking back on the last three months with a lot of thanks in my heart. I'm so thankful for you - for bringing mercy to those who are thirsty, for bringing hope to the people in Tigray, Ethiopia. I'm thankful that you care about giving hope and life where there used to be despair and sickness. I'm thankful for your generosity to give towards this campaign - you are big hearted and full of kindness for people you don't even know. Its really gratifying to be a part of something so much larger than myself. The TWO rigs that charity: water is purchasing (Yes! They met the 1.2 million dollar goal!) are going to help so many people - so many more than I could help just by myself. 

I know that this campaign is really just a small dent in the global water crisis. It's not really enough to solve the big problem. I also know that the water crisis isn't the only problem facing people in our world. People around the world - heck, even in our own city - are hungry, searching, hopeless, homeless, lost, and struggling. I recently watched a very serious short video about the sex trafficking industry and it broke my heart because I know it happens here in the US too. And so again I find myself so thankful for you because you see these problems too. I'm thankful to God for giving each of you the compassion in your hearts that moved you to give to my charity: water campaign so that together we can do a small part to impact our world.

Honestly its hard for me to focus on one need when I see that there are so many needs and that the world is so big. Its funny thinking back on my life and seeing how this compassion in my heart has grown from when I was a little girl. My mom used to pray with me each night before I went to bed and I used to pray night after night for the poor people of the world. "Dear Jesus," I would say, "Please help the poor people. Amen." I keep praying that prayer - its a little more involved now, but it still has the same heart - and I'm going to keep finding worthy causes to support. So keep an eye out, this won't be the last time you hear from me!

Thank you again for your generosity and kindness and for giving toward this campaign!

Cholera outbreak among refugees.

Just looking at this picture makes my heart sick. As the drought in Northern Africa gets worse and Somalian refugees continue to make their way to Dadaab camp in Kenya, which is home to over 400,000, camp conditions are declining as well.

The article I read on the BBC said that the UN has clean water for these people to drink – but flooding of roads and safety issues for workers (2 were abducted last week) is keeping them from getting supplies to all parts of the camp. Already 1 person has died from a cholera outbreak and 60 more people are suffering from the disease.

Sometimes its hard for me to understand why one would resort to drinking this muddy, disease filled water when it is clear that there are clean water resources somewhere close by.

I know that part of the water problem isn’t just water itself, but its also hygiene education. Education about how disease spreads and what diseases are waterborne.

I love that charity: water doesn’t just drill wells and run away. They have a lasting relationship with the towns where wells are dug. They provide hygiene education, sanitation clinics, and hand washing classes. And they’re not just building wells either.

Two years ago, I gave up my birthday for charity: water and the money I raised (along with a bunch of other campaigns) built toilets and a hand washing station for a school in Northern Ethiopia.

The situation in Dadaab camp makes me so sad. So I thought I would tell you about it so you would know. Waterborne diseases are not just a myth. They are real.

Twelve days left on my charity: water campaign. Have you given yet?

http://mycharitywater.org/changeisgood

Training for a 5K

 

We started last week, as promised. Here’s the log:

Week 1
Day 1: 29 minutes, 1.15 miles
Day 2: 15 minutes, .93 miles
Day 3: 25 minutes, 1.64 mile

We’re only able to get in 3 days each week. But I’m hopeful that we’ll be ready by the time the campaign is over and the race is on!

As a former distance swimmer is humbling to have to start from 0. I used to be able to run a 5k for warm-up – before a 2.5 hour long swim practice. I know. I was crazzzzy.

I’ll take some pictures when we go on Wednesday to prove to you how we’re all getting bundled up in the dark, in the cold, out of our cozy little house, to train, in the dark, in the cold, before work.

Thanks again to those of you who donated over the weekend! 19 days to go on the campaign!

Happy trails!

A brief hiatus and new fundraising goals!

Excuse my brief abdication of my blogging goals. I had a birthday party to plan, parents in town, and lots of fun to be had. There was no time for blogging. Check out my family blog for updates and stories from the last two weeks of fun!

My charity: water campaign continues – with some new goals!! As promised we have matched every dollar given so far. And, as expected, my husband’s employer is going to match every dollar that we gave. This means that if you gave already your money has been tripled!!

With one more month to go and our original goal far exceeded I’ve set a new goal and I hope that you’ll help us reach it!

We’re going for the big 5K. And if we make it, David and I are going to run a 5K with jingle bells on.

Here’s how it’s going to go:

We started to train for the 5K today. (A worthy couch-to-5K program has been enlisted for this cause)

If you already gave, then I’m going to put your name and the number of meters you’ve sponsored on a bell that I’ll wear while I run the 5K. (Remember that because of all the matching awesomeness going on, if you give $5 you’re actually sponsoring $15meters!! If you give between now and the end of my campaign I’ll create a new bell for you that I’ll wear.

I would love to look absolutely ridiculous while running this 5K – please help cover me in jingle bells!!!

After the 5K is over, I’ll send you the bell with your name on it and you can hang it on your door, Christmas tree, banister, fireplace, ribbon necklace, or favorite holiday towel (or wherever else you’d like to hang it) so you can remember all the good that will come from your donation. 

I’m also still selling bows and custom baby pants on etsy for the cause so check that out too! If you buy a bow or a pair of pants the jingle bell rule still applies! So you can buy Christmas presents for your little ones, support a great cause, and you’ll get a bell.

The awesomeness just keeps getting awesomer. 

Tell me, should I stay here? Or do I need to move?

Well friends, we’re about half way through our campaign for charity: water and I’m remembering why I’m doing this. Change. Its inevitable and its not always easy. The most recent changes in my life have been hard – but good. Hence the reason I’ve called our campaign “Celebrating Changes.” Want to hear the whole story? Sure, you say, you’ve got nothing better to read, right?

Last year my husband and I were faced with some pretty tough choices. He knew he was going to lose his job and needed to find a new one. I had just found I was pregnant with our first child. The only job choice that presented was across the country - we had to decide if we were going to stay in NC with family and no job or move to Seattle with a job and no family or friends.

I remember buying a bunch of Third Day albums at Winter Jam in Greensboro and for the next two months straight listening to them on my way to work. The music really changed my life – I was having trouble trusting that God would take care of me and my family throughout all the changes that were going on. The line from the chorus of Revelation, "Give me a Revelation/Show me what to do/I've been trying to find my way/I haven't got a clue/Tell me should I stay here?/Or do I need to move?" was literally my prayer for months. It was only a two mile commute for me from home to the school where I taught, but I would sit in my car in the parking lot finishing the song and asking God for guidance every day. I know its cheesy, but its true.

We did end up moving. Our baby girl was born last October and turns 1 in a little over a week. We found a new church, reconnected with old friends, made new friends and praise God that He has been faithful to provide for us.

I realized that despite all these hard changes I still worry for very little. I have a safe home over my head, clothes on my body, food in my belly, and water at the tap. I am clean, fed, and warm every day of my life. Not everyone has that luxury.

Back at Winter Jam we decided to make a difference in the lives of three little kids by sponsoring them through Holt International – that’s a big part of the mission of the Winter Jam concert series for anyone who hasn’t been before. (There’s one in Tacoma in a couple weeks for any of you local Seattlites)

The yearning in my heart has always been to make a difference in the lives of other people – whether it was my students, these three kids we support through Holt International, or the people living in Northern Ethiopia who will get water through my charity: water campaign.

Change is inevitable, Please help me make change a good thing for people who need water.

http://mycharitywater.org/changeisgood

charity: water fundraiser update

 

First of all, I want to say

 Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! to everyone who has donated to the campaign or helped us publicize it so far - we're doing great!!! We set our goal at $1500 and we're already over 60% of the way there!!! Thank you again!!!

If you haven't donated yet, but you want to, go here: <mycharitywater.org/changeisgood>

We still have another 6 weeks to go and another $600 to raise so I wanted to let you know about our plan.

I've written a couple of the local newspapers in Seattle so see if they'll do a story on charity: water. I haven't heard back, but I'm hopeful. This year's September campaign is going to make a big dent in the water crisis and I want to get the word out to as many people as possible. Please let me know if you'd be willing to contact your local paper for me to see if they will run a story for us. I have a press release and a press kit I can send you if you're interested. The Seattle papers have already run several stories in the last month or so on a little girl named Rachel who's legacy has raised over $1.26 million. While my measly $1500 is a far cry from a million, I'm hoping that my cause centric city will keep running stories on the water crisis anyways. Check out a national news spot on Rachel's story here - <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/02/in-death-rachel-beckwith-_n_916501.html>

I'm also selling hand crafted hair bows, headbands, and custom baby clothes on etsy to help raise money. You can check out my etsy page here: <http://www.ribbonsforgrace.etsy.com/>

I'm particularly excited about the baby clothes because I'm using old t-shirts to make them and man are they cute (and environmentally friendly (-: !!!)

If you have a daughter, son, grandaughter, grandson, niece, nephew, goddaughter or godson who wears pants and want to buy them a christmas present that will bring clean water to someone else, then please let me know!! I'm custom making each item to your specs to make sure they're a perfect fit.

In bloggy news, I've had my cause featured on a couple of great blogs -

• First, a local mom and writer here in Seattle posted about my cause in September - <http://readingandchickens.blogspot.com/2011/09/frannie-tells-you-about-other-stuff-i.html> Thanks again Shalini!
• My bows were recently featured in a giveaway on a crafty blog I read - <http://kimboscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/09/giveaway-with-cause.html>. Its Soooo great that other bloggers that I don't even know are willing to get involved and help out! Thanks Kimbo!!
• And in November, another blogger is featuring my upcycled t-shirt pants in another giveaway. <http://www.raudenbushfamily.blogspot.com/> Thanks for helping us spread the word Kelly!

I know that some of you are working on getting your companies to match your donations. Thank you for doubling, tripling, and quadrupling our efforts!! And Please, please, please, make sure that if they are sending a check to charity: water that they are putting my campaign's URL (mycharitywater.org/changeisgood) on the memo line of the check. Otherwise it won't show up in my campaign!!!

Finally, in November I'm doing a virtual auction. If you can't give to my campaign financially but want to help in some way this might be the perfect fit for you! Do you have a skill? Are you an artist? A crafter? A musician? Do you have vintage items in your closet or attic that are taking up space? Are you planning on making some one of a kind christmas items, jewelry, or decoration? Let me know and I'll put your item in our virtual auction!! (More details will be on my blog in the next couple of weeks).
It would be really fabulous if we could totally blow my $1500 goal out of the water :-) (no pun intended....) Thank you again for all your gifts, your notes of encouragement, and for keep up with our hairbrained ideas!!

Cheers, 

Monica