As the six of us embark on our third Project 320 Christmas Campaign, we must admit...
We are humbled. We are thankful. We are excited. We are scared. We are in awe.
That is the biggest thing, I think. We are in awe... of HIS almighty power. And of your heart to help!
Two Christmases in a row, we have been blown away by the beauty that is your hearts, outpoured in support of our dream. A dream that has grown to be so much more. A dream that is now joyful REALITY! Times three.
This year, the need is still great. And water is still very much on our hearts and minds. So it is with great anticipation and excitement, we kick off
Project 320: 2011
We are inviting anyone with a blog, be it one followed by millions or dozens, to host a giveaway. Handmade, vintage, or store bought. Freedom and creativity is the only guideline. It could be one pretty thing, or a whole bundle of fabulous.
Each $10 donation to the Project 320 well will count for one entry in one giveaway.
Each blogger is then individually responsible for choosing a winner, verifying the donation, and shipping off the prize(s).
Just think, it would only take 50 blogs with 10 entries each to fund one well.
Little things = Big changes.
Add your giveaway to the Linky below! And then GO. Post our button in your sidebar. Like our Facebook page. Visit all the blogs hosting giveaways and spread the word!! Let's do Christmas different this year. Let's use social media for good. Tweet, Facebook, Stumble, Chrome, Path, Pin, Insta-crazy each and every Gram out of this need. And above all....Pray. Watch HIM work. One week. One Well. Lives Changed.
$450 BILLION spent on Christmas?? Please watch this! And then commit to exchanging just ONE holiday purchase for something hand/homemade, and spending those saved dollars on WATER instead. Think of what could happen...
We want to start by saying how grateful we all are for your heart to help.
To buy water.
To change the future.
Last year was beautiful. Overwhelming. Humbling. Amazing.
We could not believe the outpouring of support for our little dream to build a well. The dream that was quickly expanded to yet another well.
This year we still have water on our hearts and minds.
We still want to do what we can to change lives half a world away.
Together we prayed, brainstormed, cried, stretched and came up with a new model for 2010.
Monday, December 13th will kick off Project 320 Giveaway week.
We are inviting anyone with a blog, be it one followed by millions or dozens, to host a giveaway.
Handmade, vintage, or store bought. Freedom and creativity is the only guideline. It could be one pretty thing, or a whole bundle of fabulous.
Each $10 donation to the Project 320 well will count for one entry in one giveaway.
Each blogger is then individually responsible for choosing a winner, verifying the donation, and shipping off the prize(s).
Just think, it would only take 50 blogs with 10 entries each to fund one well.
Little things= Big changes.
First thing Monday morning, a linky will be set up here for you to add in your giveaway post. Then use social media for good and spread the word.
Until then, think of what you would like to give away.
Post our button in your sidebar.
Write up a sneak peek post.
Pray.
Be ready to help change the world.
In a couple weeks we will be sending your funds to Ethiopia.
The construction will start soon, and we are ordering plaques to adhere to each water project site. For your project, we currently have:
Sponsored by: “Project 320”.
If there’s an alternate name you’d like to appear on your plaque, please respond to this email with an alternate by Tuesday, April 13th, 2010.
Also, if you would like physical photos of your completed water project in 12-18 months, please provide your mailing address.
Thanks again and I look forward to following up with you in the coming months on our progress!
Best, Kelly -- Kelly Gannon Fundraising Support charity: water / charitywater.org 200 Varick Street, Suite 201 New York, NY 10014 office: 646.688.2323 ................... 3.5 years. 2,406 projects in 16 countries. 1,081,612 people served. Water changes everything.
Thank you and God Bless to EVERYONE who made this dream a reality for us. It's my hope you feel a little something in YOU was realized as well. Wont it be exciting to see those pictures 12-18 months from now?! We can't wait!!
The outpouring of support for Haiti that we have seen throughout the blogging community is astounding. Everywhere we turn, it seems, another fundraiser... another campaign for aid... more hope for Haiti.
But what about the hundreds of thousands of orphans amidst the chaos? This is something very close to our hearts. Julie and I have both talked about our friend, Kristen Howerton, on our own blogs over the past week. You see, Kristen was actually in Haiti last week during the earthquake, visiting her son, who her family has been in the process of adopting for years. Like so many others who were nearing the end of this agonizing process, the future is now even more uncertain, as the government buildings processing adoptions have been destroyed. Can you imagine the devastation Kristen felt when she was finally evacuated home... without her son? Heartache.
[Here is a video clip of Diane Sawyer on the orphans in crisis. You can even see her holding the Howertons' son, Kembert (the cutie in the blue shirt), during a visit to his orphanage- Heartline- just after Kristen returned to the US.]
What hope do the families like the Howertons have? There may be an option for getting these kids safely home under humanitarian parole.
The next mission of Project 320 is to desperately spread awareness about humanitarian parole. We are so thankful for YOU, part of our amazing team of supporters & prayer warriors. We can potentially make a huge impact here, and here is exactly how YOU can help- RIGHT NOW! All it will take is a bit of your time. We can all afford to give a few moments of our time. Please help us spread the word in any way you possible can! Thank you, friends.
{most of the following taken directly from Kristen's blog...}
We need to make some noise to get our congressman and senators working on this. Please use any contact you have with immigration, attorneys, press, or anyone who might have influence to get our story out there and put pressure on the state department to intervene. The points are outlined below, followed by the contact info for some of our government officials. If you know of others, feel free to pass this along.
THE ISSUE:
The government buildings that were processing adoptions were demolished. Many government workers are feared dead. Orphans in Haiti are in grave danger, and yet have willing families in the US who can care for them. Children in orphanages are homeless. They are at risk of looting and robbery. Everyone in Haiti is at risk of food and water shortages and air-born disease due to the current situation. The local caregivers are focused on their own families, so the orphanage is short-staffed. Supplies are running low. The situation is desperate.
THE SOLUTION:
THE SOLUTION IS HUMANITARIAN PAROLE FOR ADOPTIVE CHILDREN. These children have willing families to care for them and can be brought to the US for care. While granting a humanitarian parole is outside the normal procedures, the United States government has granted them in the past (e.g. Cambodia and Romania). THIS IS NOT AN EXPEDITED ADOPTION. The adoption process is now completely incapacitated, but when it resumes the United States seeks to honor the adoption process established in Haiti. This is a humanitarian effort to care for these kids, and the adoption will be processed using the usual procedure at a later time.
THE BENEFITS:
Humanitarian parole for adoptive children benefits everyone involved. The kids are moved to safety. There is no cost to the government because these children have families ready to care for them. This frees up the orphanages in Haiti to care for more children. It does not circumvent the already established adoption process. It is ethical and compassionate.
Here are some people to contact:
The Honorable Barbara Boxer United States Senate 112 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-0505 202-224-3553 202-224-0454 http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm Twitter: @Barbara_Boxer
The Honorable Dianne Feinstein United States Senate 331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-0504 202-224-3841 202-228-3954 http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm? FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/
Raymond Joseph Haitian Ambassador to US embassy@haiti.org P: 202-332-4090 F: 202-745-7215
Kenneth H Merten US Ambassador to Haiti Tabarre 41, Blvd 15 Octobre Port-au-Prince, Haiti Haiti-earthquake@state.gov P: 509 22 29 8000 F: 509 22 29 8028
Hilary Clinton/Dept of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Main Switchboard: 202-647-4000
{The Howertons' story...}
{better grab your box of tissues before watching this...}
starbuck's cold tumbler (yes - the one with the candy cane straw!) - joy's hope tote bag - eli's lids "Holla!" shirt {size medium and super cute} - haus of girls dress - cupcream
Hi Everyone, I am Mel and you can find me over at The Larson Lingo! (My real name is Melissa, but my friends call me Mel) I am wife to Kevin & mommy to 2 little girls, Kate & Claire. They are my everything! I am a middle school math teacher & etsy shop owner. I am so thankful for my life. I am truly blessed.
I can't tell you how excited I am to be a part of Project 320.
When Julie first mentioned this idea to me, it gave me the chills & brought tears to my eyes. God was working in my heart. I knew I had to be a part of it.
Build a well? Raise $5,000? Can we do that? No we can't, but GOD can. And He will.
We have a big God who will do big things if we allow Him to use us for His glory!
Being a part of this project has caused me to do a lot of reflecting on my life. I have a very, very blessed life. A wonderful husband and 2 healthy & amazing girls.
The past few months I have felt like life is busy, chaotic & overbooked.
I complain that I don't have enough time in the day to get stuff done that *I* want to do. You know, things I had time to do before I had kids....sleep in, go to Target by myself, read a book, travel, go out to eat. How selfish do I sound? Yikes.
Did you know that each day 4500 moms just like me are worrying whether their children will live or die because of contaminated water. They have to walk miles and miles to get water for their children.
And, here I am complaining about wanting to sleep in or go shopping by myself when other mothers are burying their children because of the lack of clean water. Wow.I take my life for granted.
If that doesn't put things into perspective, I don't know what does. Let's celebrate this Christmas the way it was intended to be celebrated.... By Giving to others, giving the gift of water, giving life.
Sure, there are many things I WANT for Christmas. But there is nothing I NEED. I have everything I have ever needed. A loving husband, healthy children, a wonderful family, a home, a job, food and water. God has been SO good to me. I must give back. Give more. Do More. Be More. To the Glory of God.
We are just 6 ordinary women who want to make a difference in the world. But we need YOUR help! Will you join us?
Hey! I'm Heather G. You can usually find me over at Angel Face Designs. I have a sweet little girl, Leila - almost three, another little girl on the way - Gianna, due March 1 and the most amazing husband in the world. I am blessed in every sense of the word.
I am so lucky to have met five truly amazing women through the crazy and wonderful blogosphere, and am excited beyond belief to get to hang out with all of them in person in just a few weeks! My husband likes to make fun of the fact that I'm driving seven hours, and spending an entire weekend with my "blog friends" but what he doesn't seem to understand is what an amazing impact they have all had on my life and how they've touched my heart.
Right before Thanksgiving I was asked for a Christmas list by some family members and wrote down a handful of things that I've been wanting (definitely not needing) and handed it over. Nowhere on my list was water. We have it. It's delivered every other Thursday by the nice Alhambra man. It's running through our pipes for dishes and laundry and long, hot showers. It's something we don't even think about and take for granted. I am so grateful that my biggest worries lately have been which store to get to first on Black Friday, or which Christmas tree farm to stop at. I don't even think about the fact that everyday I have clean, fresh water to give to my family.
So many mothers don't have that luxury. 4500 children die each and every day from contaminated water. 4500? To me it's unimaginable, but unfortunately it's a fact. I was thrilled whenJulie threw around the idea of doing something big to somehow help. To build a well? Sure, it's ambitious but it canand will be done.
Please join us this Christmas season! Do what you can to help mothers who have to think about the unthinkable.
You can find me at Cookie Mondays, attempting to put a positive spin on finding balance in that crazy thing called motherhood.
Being a stay-at-home mom, surviving on one income is stressful! Throw Christmas in the mix, and some days I'm paralyzed with anxiety. Make ends meet AND have Christmas AND not go insane?
What? I'm not alone?
This year, I needed some perspective. Needed to join hearts with five good friends. To trade consumerism forcompassion, to make ahuge impact.
Today I...
Took a shower. Brushed my teeth. Filled the coffee pot. Filled the Christmas tree stand. Ran the dishwasher. Ran the washing machine. Used the toilet. Washed my hands. Did some more dishes. And lots more laundry. Rinsed salad greens. Ran baths. Topped off my iron. Fed my kids glasses of fresh, clean water.
Water, water, water...
Is it fair that today I whine & worry over trees & toys, when today 4500 moms just like me are worrying whether their children will live or die?
Over contaminated water?
When I think about how healthy and safe my family is, I have no worries. I need nothing. I am so blessed.
But those other moms need us. Together, we can relieve some worry.
When the six of us decided to get together for a crazy crafty weekend, I was thrilled! When Julie started throwing ideas around about a building a well, I jumped for joy! My favorite part of this season is the giving.
God knew exactly what He would do with the creative energy of six compulsive crafters.
But when I really stop to think about it, my list seems pretty silly. There is literally NOTHING that I need. Because I already have it all. This man I've been blessed with. These kidlets I've been gifted. Where ever we are, it's all right here.
So what do I do with it all? I'm not the kinda girl who can just sit back and enjoy the ride. I need to actively participate. I want to make, create, and BE in this life as best I can. What I have come to know in my heart, is that for me to feel remotely deserving of all I have been gifted, I must work to be the best woman, wife, mother, sister, and friend I can be.
Not recognizing my blessings. Not using my talents for something bigger and better than me...that would be sad. So wasteful!That is why I did virtual backflips when Julie asked me to join her and Project 320.
Is it really possible that 4500 mothers bury their children due to contaminated water...every day? That one in six people on the planet does not have access to clean water?That just $10 will provide one person in Africa clean water for 10 YEARS?!
YES.
It is really possible.
Is it really possible that 6 crafty, blogger, Twitter friends think they can come together and change the world...just a little bit? That these women need your help to build a collection of 100 handmade, heartfelt treasures?That just $10 will provide you with a chance to win these treasures (and make you feel AWESOME for changing the world too?!)
