charity: water

A little disclaimer right from the start, this blog post has nothing to do with Celiac Disease.  Instead I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to an organization that I learned about last September called, charity: water.  

Can you imaging giving this "drinking" water to your child?  Would you drink it yourself?  Would you even give it to your pets?  Clean water is something that we take for granted Every. Single. Day.  We spend millions of dollars each year to buy ourselves the best water we can get via water softeners, special sink faucet attachments, purifying water pitchers and bottled water.  To have clean, drinkable water that won't make us sick is a basic human necessity.  Yet for countless men, women and children around the world, the ONLY drinking water they have is filthy, polluted, insect infested and disease ridden.

photo from charity: water's website https://www.charitywater.org/

Pastor Edgar from New Hope Church in Moville, Iowa brought us his message, "To Infinity and Beyond: Giving is Good" yesterday.  In September, he shared with us a video for charity: water that touched my heart so deeply. In fact, I remember that I had a Starbucks specialty coffee drink with me that I ended up not being able to finish and had to throw out because it tasted sour to me after watching the video and seeing so many beautiful little children and their families who were drinking filthy water because this is the only water available to them and here I was with my specialty coffee. These people were contracting diseases, having tumors grow in their bodies and dying simply because the water they have to drink is so filthy and not fit for consumption.  The founder, Scott Harrison, seen in this video, not only explained about charity: water and how it came about, but told the stories of these amazing children here in this land of plenty we live in, who were fundraising for charity: water by donating their birthdays and asking others to do the same. I knew right then and there that I wanted to do this. 

Three months from today, I will be turning 50 (April 29th).  I can't think of any better way to celebrate half a century on this Earth than by giving back and helping others by donating my birthday to charity: water.  I also decided to give up my specialty coffees because of the thought of how much that money would be able to do toward bringing clean water to those who need it. I usually end up with a specialty coffee drink about once per week. I am saving the money from that to add to my donation for my birthday. By my birthday, I will have saved around $200 just from giving up one of my favorite indulgences each week since September when this organization first came to my attention.  Between now and April 29th I will be including the link at the end of each blog where you can donate to charity: water.  I am doing this because I'm going to ask anyone reading this to 1 - watch this video all the way through and 2 - even if you can't donate my birthday, will you donate yours? 

I am starting a fundraising campaign through charity: water for charity: water because this is a cause I feel so incredibly strongly about. Clean drinking water is something we take for granted here. We don't give it a second thought.  Since first learning about charity: water last Fall, it has stayed with me - I can't forget about it. This organization actually uses 100% of ALL donations to bring clean water to areas where it is so desperately needed. Watch the video, it explains what they do and how they take care of their overhead costs separately from the donations made.  I'm not posting this to say, "hey, look at me - I'm doing something great for someone else." I'm sharing this post because I believe that once you watch the videos and check out charity: water for yourself, you will want to give, too.  I want to bring this organization and the wonderful work they do to the attention of as many people as possible. In this world we are met daily with a barrage of hatred and violence via the news, television shows, social media, print media, video games, movies and music.  Even in the way we speak to each other, not respecting differing opinions, pushing our agenda so much that we fight to talk over the "other guy" to be sure our message is heard over theirs.  We've too often forgotten to do simple acts of kindness and treat others with respect and compassion, putting another's needs before our own.  By giving to charity: water and encouraging others to do the same we can turn social media into a tool to help others around the world. We can set the example for the next generation. Will you join with me in this? #charitywater 

To learn more about charity: water, click here