charity: water

campaign: Paddle for Wells
raising the money: Josh Tart
raised so far: $2,185
campaign goal:$5,000
mission statement: “I’m paddling 6,000 miles for clean water. Help me raise $5,000 in the next three months to give clean water access to 250 people!”

How did you first get started fighting the water crisis?
I’ve been to really remote places, Peru and Guatemala, and I’ve kinda seen some of the water that people drink firsthand. Somebody told me about charity: water a month before I started the trip. I followed Scott and charity: water on Twitter. I was really impressed with how y’all manage the money that you receive and just how you show people what you do. I was coming out of my junior year of college and was thinking of something adventuresome to do. I actually put paddling for a cause and the water crisis together last March, then I opened up my campaign officially at the beginning of January.

What did you do to prepare everything for
your adventure?
There was a lot of preparation to get the right camping gear, fishing gear and all that stuff. When I first started it was just, “what do I think I need and what I know I need?” That’s changed as the trip goes. This is a learning experience. I’ve been making changes to my system. I’ve narrowed it down to the things I really need and what’s important.

campaign: Bridge to Bridge
raising the money: Tim, Clay and Isaac
raised so far: $300
campaign goal:$5,000
mission statement: “We love film, athletics, and just about everything in between, but we know unless you’re doing something positive to improve or change the world for the better then what’s the point really. To that end, we want to utilize the notoriety, and a significant portion of the proceeds, from the film, to generate and promote an organization we love called charity: water.”

So, Tim, how did you hear about the water crisis?
I lived the water crisis. I spent the last two years living in Mozambique. For four of those months, the apartment building we were living in did not have running water. My wife and I carried water bottles every day to our apartment from a local water tank. It was very difficult. We filtered the water every day with ceramic water filters, but fell ill many times, even though the water we were consuming was filtered. Many of the local neighborhoods have hand-dug wells that are not very deep and therefore full of bacteria and viruses. After consuming this water accidentally, I fell ill for two weeks with dysentery. Due to the economic situation of Mozambique, many people live below the poverty line and don’t have money to buy ceramic water filters. We were shocked when we saw the Mozambicans using muddy rain run-off to drink and bathe in.

What inspired you to start a mycharity: water campaign?
We wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. We thought that by doing something radical, we could attract attention. And then we could redirect that attention to serve a bigger cause. We have a passion to dig one well that will provide clean water for over 100 people — their children too, and theirs, on down the generations. This is the reason we are going to get in the water in San Francisco and start paddling south. Our motto tells the story: “Crossing Water to Bring Water.”

Clay, can you give us a basic idea of what a day of paddling will look like?
We’re training for the endurance paddle from the Golden Gate to San Diego’s Bay Bridge — that will be 20 to 30 miles each day. We’ll start at dawn and weather, wind and ocean conditions permitting, we’ll be done each day by one. We’ll come ashore to camp, eat, nap, stretch, work on the film and be in bed by nine. Most of our training has been in the ocean, and we usually try and paddle a minimum of ten miles. When we paddle in flat water, we do sprints and work on our paddle technique. When the waves get good, we love to surf our YOLO paddle boards as part of training.

Is there anything that has been surprising about fundraising for your campaign?
I am very surprised at how difficult it is to motivate people to donate for clean water. We are surrounded by luxury, water included, so it’s very difficult to convince our culture of the basic needs of life elsewhere.

People are sick and dying every day and one of the simplest ways to help prevent sickness and death is to provide clean water. With that said, I am excited to say we have raised over $300 for the campaign and we haven’t even started paddling. I think as we talk more in the community, it’s getting easier. We spoke at a local elementary school in February. Kelly Elementary has adopted our project and the charity: water fundraiser as part of a thematic school-wide educational curriculum.

Back to Tim — do you have any advice for people thinking about starting a campaign?
Do it! Start a campaign. The hardest part is thinking about it, so stop thinking, and just do it. You can make a difference. The smallest amount of money raised helps. You don’t have to do an expedition or a journey to raise money for clean water. Be a voice. Learn. Educate. Persevere. Start a campaign and show the world what people are going through.

campaign: Boston College Water for Schools 2012
raised so far: $7,111
campaign goal:$20,000
mission statement: “Bcharity: water is an initiative started by students whose goal is to bring awareness of the global water crisis while raising money to support the charity: water campaign.”

How did you hear about the water crisis and charity: water?
I heard about how incredibly vast the water crisis is through charity: water. I followed charity: water on Twitter to use their wallpaper for my background and very briefly researched them before my trip to World Youth Day in Madrid. My experiences in Spain on the Magis Pilgrimage prior to World Youth Day played a key role in fostering my interest in the world water crisis and charity: water.

What inspired you to start a group at Boston College to support charity: water?
It started after my seven-day pilgrimage across Basque country in Spain. During the 97-mile hike, my group suffered from dehydration and at times, heat stroke. Magis, meaning more, was a program for participants of World Youth Day from Jesuit institutions around the world. These experiences were meant to help participants find more in their relationship with God by encouraging seeing God in all things. I was all for this, but I had no idea I was going to be hiking for seven days. I thought it was a bus ride. Little did I know, I was in for a huge surprise.

The last three days of the hike were incredibly hot. It was blazing dry heat and no shade. We walked from pretty much 6 a.m. to 5 p.m… I was constantly thinking about the fact that, after the three days were over, I was gonna be back in Madrid having access to all this water — as much as I wanted. Before school started, I texted a friend who lived close by: “You know, maybe we can make a difference.”

Boston College is known for its social justice and equality movements, and it really encourages students to take initiative. We’re encouraged to be men and women for others. I showed my friend the Water Changes Everything video and he immediately supported the cause.

We chose to stick with charity: water and we came back to campus and pitched it to lots of people: Campus Ministry, the Carroll School of Management, our business school, the Office of Student Programs and many others were really supportive.

What are some ways you’ve been fundraising so far?
We wanted to kick it off with something very educational, but not so educational as to make people not want to go. It was a very casual kick-off. We had local restaurants donate food, there were performances and a student presented about the education system in Africa and how water relates to education. People were just with their friends, eating and learning a lot at the same time — not just about charity: water, but the global water crisis in general. We raised more than (I think) $500, even though our goal that night wasn’t even to raise that much money, it was just to get the word out there that we’re on campus.

Do you have other events planned during the campaign?
We have things like the Penny Pledge, where we encouraged faculty and staff to pledge or donate one penny for every dollar that our group donated. We hoped we could have faculty from all four schools at Boston College get together and say, “This is the cause that we all believe in and just something that we can all make a difference in.”

We’re also selling t-shirts, passing out Boloco burritos in return for donations, having a charity: water dance, having a show, and hosting benefit dinners.

The thing we all like about charity: water is that it’s very matter-of-fact. It’s very tangible and very relatable, so that’s the approach we want to take, too.

Have there been difficulties that maybe you didn’t expect?
Yeah, definitely. Becoming an organization on campus has been really hard. Right now, we’re an organization through Campus Ministry, but we don’t get funding. We are a start-up group and this is its first year at BC. We don’t know of any other group that has done this before, so we don’t really have anyone to ask for advice. We’ve received a lot of help, but it’s taken a lot of persistence to be able to get to where we are now.

Another difficulty would be selling the product. I think most of the people on BCharity: water’s staff are in the business school, and we know that even though these causes are very worthwhile and very important, it comes down to being able to sell the cause and sell how important it is.

Is there anything that took you by surprise doing this campaign?
It’s how generous people can be once they’re given the information, how much one person is capable of and how much eight people are capable of. I didn’t plan to have something this big. I was just thinking that I don’t want people, seven-year-olds, walking like I did — but for their whole lives.

My friends and I talk about the campaign a lot. Although it’s hard to believe that we’re making a difference, at the end of the day, we always remind each other that we are. The fact that we’ve already raised $7,000 amazes me. It’s far from our goal, but it makes such a difference. The numbers give me something to really hold on to.

So do you have a vision for the group going forward?
We’re hoping to reach our $20,000 goal and really get the word out there. Our tentative plan is to have a campaign every first quarter of each year. Right now, it’s a big boom on campus, because they’ve never heard of charity: water. We definitely do want to establish a club on campus where charity: water will benefit from it.

Any advice for people who want to start a campaign?
Do it because you want to do it. For me, I experienced that dehydration and witnessed the heatstroke: it touched me very personally.

There have been a lot of obstacles where school work is tugging at me on one end and the campaign is tugging me on the other. It’s something I really want to do. Know that someone out there is benefiting from your work. It’s hard to grasp but it’s true, it’s real, and it’s worth it.

campaign: Silas and Addie’s Water Project
raised so far: at least $315
has been fundraising since: January 17, 2012
mission statement: “After learning more about charity: water’s work, I know we can make a dent in the global water crisis. We would love to raise $5,000 to build clean water projects for people in need.”

First off, let’s start out by introducing your kids, Silas and Addie: 
Silas is six years old and in kindergarten. Adoniah (Addie) is four years old and goes to preschool. They love to be outside, play games and be with their friends and family.

Where did you first learn about charity: water?
I read about charity: water in Relevant magazine. When I saw the statistics and the desperate need for clean water in our world, I was moved. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to give my children water that was full of dirt and germs, but this is the only choice some have. It’s either dirty water or thirst. 

I tried to empathize with those parents, and when I did, I knew that I had to donate; even if it was only $20. When I went to the website, I realized that you can make your own campaign. My husband Michael and I had been trying to think of ways that our family could make a difference. Our goal is to have a non-profit farm and raise food for local charities that feed children; but we wanted a way for our kids to experience giving now. 

Our kids really have a lot, even though we live in a small apartment on Iowa State University’s campus. When I heard them ask for things they do not need (like more toys, different food, a bigger house) and listen to them whine when I say no — I realized that I had to help them understand that they have more than enough and that there are children in the world who struggle to even survive. 

Jesus asked us to love others, and I wanted them to realize that that love goes beyond just being nice to friends and being respectful to people: it means that we are to show them love by meeting their needs and caring for them. 

So what made Silas and Addie decide to try and help kids around the world get clean, safe drinking water?
After I saw that we could start our own campaign, I showed Silas and Addie the video “Water Changes Everything”. They were really moved by it.

They asked (and still ask) to watch it over and over again. I asked them if they would like to help raise money to give these people clean water and they said “YES!” They were very excited to be able to help.

I have already seen a change in their attitude toward what we have. The kids ask me to check the progress of their campaign every day, and Silas has talked about it at school. Basically, when they saw the video and realized there were so many children suffering because of dirty water, they really wanted to be able to help.

How have Silas and Addie spread the word?
Silas and Addie made a short video and we put it online. They love making videos together and watching them, and our friends and family always enjoy them. 

So we thought that making a video would be a fun and easy way to share their message and raise money for charity: water. We plan to make a few more over the course of the campaign. Basically, we are trying to get people to realize the need and respond with a donation. 

Ok, now Addie and Silas, why do you want to raise money for clean water?
Silas: “I want to do that because those people don’t have clean water and I don’t want those people to die. And also because those people have been made by God and He wants them to have healthy lives.”
Addie:  “Because its dirty water! It is so dangerous for the kids!”

What has been the greatest challenge of campaigning so far?
So far, a lot of people have shared the video because they thought it was really cute. We just hope that people look beyond the kids’ age and what they are saying and see the deeper message.  

Any advice for others who are thinking of fundraising?
Definitely do it! It is so easy. All I had to do was set up the page and start spreading the word. I would definitely recommend parents do this with their children. It would be very easy for children’s groups and schools to do.

Ok, one more question, this time for Silas and Addie… what would you say to the kids who will get clean water as a result of your campaign?
Silas: “I will pray for you. I hope you can go to school and maybe play soccer or something, too.”
Addie: “Hi, I’m  Addie. Can you go to school, too? Jesus loves all the kids.”

campaign: Alcohol Free for a Year!
raised (in three campaigns): at least $1,136
has been fundraising since: May 18, 2011
mission statement: “I am just like any other 20-something who likes to party and ‘have a good time’. But I always wanted to do something more. I am willing to give up alcohol for an entire year (May 18, 2011 to May 18, 2012) or by the time I reach $1,000, whichever comes first, for this great cause.”

So, what was it about charity: water that made you decide to start a campaign?
I first heard about charity: water in a Zappos All Hands meeting where Scott was a guest speaker. I was deeply inspired after his speech. I love that charity: water has the awesome idea of raising money due to an act or birthdays, which means anyone can do it! Plus the guaranteed that 100% goes to where it should.

Where’d you get the idea to go alcohol free for a year?
I wanted to do something challenging and special so that when I told someone about the campaign, they would be impressed and support me. Being a 22 year-old (I am now 23) guy living in Vegas working at Zappos, I immediately realized that alcohol is a pretty normal and given thing for me. Therefore, I wanted to challenge myself for this great cause.

Zappos is known for fun staff culture. What was it like to go to these and not be able to drink?
It was tough, really tough. It is not mandatory to drink at the events. However, it was my source of blowing off stress and having fun with my family (yes, my co-workers = my family). I had to constantly remind myself that I am doing it for a cause. Eventually I have gotten used to it, having fun at events while being sober, D.D. [designated driver], and the responsible one for my friends when needed. I swear, I am not an alcoholic; I don’t drink to be drunk. But still, as time goes by, it didn’t get easier.

You reached your campaign goal of $1,000 before the year was up: how did you do it and how long did it actually take?
When I first started the campaign, I told everyone — literally everyone — about it: friends, family, co-workers, Facebook, Twitter and text. A lot of friends supported me, but my circle is limited. It took me around six and a half months to raise a little over half of my goal.

As Christmas and New Years approached, half way-ish through the campaign, I started to ask everyone I knew who hadn’t donated yet to donate. And couple of my close friends at Zappos actually just started a “Get Timmy To Drink fund”. Their chain of thought was, “if we could raise another $400, Timmy can drink on New Year’s Eve.” And within 30 minutes of their help, more than $400 was raised and the goal was reached! It took seven months to reach $1,000. As of now, I’m at $1,136 raised.

So how did your friends actually start the “Get Timmy to Drink fund”?
One of them sent out an email to our tech email list, saying, “If you want to help Timmy reach his goal, come over to Jimmy’s desk and donate some money into the Hennessy bottle. Be sure to write the amount you donated since the top three will get to choose what Timmy drinks!”

They literally just grabbed the first empty liquor bottle here in office and started this thing. There was a paper to put a request of the shot I will be having with them as soon as I can drink. If you go to my most recent campaign (Part 3), some of the comments are shot requests, e.g. “I want you to drink Patron!”.

Did you do anything to celebrate?
Around 1 p.m., I hit the $1,000 mark — and I had to take a shot in front of everyone there at the office. And four or five more shot requests followed up… I didn’t really complete any work that day. And after work, there was a Happy Hour with my team and a bunch of friends to celebrate (more drinks).

Have you had a drink since that time?
I have only had one drinking encounter since at the office and a New Years party. That was when my friends were in town from out of the country.

Has the break from alcohol taught you anything bigger?
Oh, yes. It is not just about raising money. I love doing challenges where it is difficult and it is part of training my mental strength as well. It is a win-win situation; it benefits the world and me.

And now I think I have become a better and different person. I have seen both worlds: one is where alcohol exists to me, and the other, it does not. I used to drink to have fun, but now I realize that being sober can be fun as well in social events. To an extent, I see how it feels like when something taken for granted is taken away from me. Even though I can drink now, I barely do, and when I do, I act differently. I see the world in a new way now, I can’t really explain it but I love this new me.

Any advice for those interested in starting a campaign of their own?
My advice to those interested in starting a campaign is simply just do it! In my case, when I figured what I was going to do, it still took me a while to start it because I was scared. Then I talked to my mentor about it, and he literally said, “Just do it.” He knew that I just needed that little push to step my foot in it and commit. If you are thinking about it, just commit and do it. It was such a fun, exciting, and challenging commitment. At the end, the accomplishment feeling is amazing.