Ashley Westrich loves to doodle. She’s a part of the creative team at charity: water and her doodles are sprinkled throughout our design. Last week, she launched a fundraising campaign for her birthday, promising that she’d doodle the name of every person who donated on her page. Just when we think fundraisers can’t get more creative, someone like Ashley thinks of something completely new. Want to see your name doodled? Just donate $29 on Ashley’s fundraising page.
Cubby Graham has been our friend for a while.Last year, he flew to NYC just to help us set up for charity: ball. Then, he gave up his 25th birthday for clean water. And now, he’s stepping up his commitment to clean water in true Cubby fashion — he’s grown a pretty epic beard, and he’s willing to cut it all off to help raise money for people in need. A few weeks ago, he started two campaigns on mycharity: water: one to save his beard, and one to shave it. The winning campaign (The one that raises the most money by December 9) will dictate what Cubby does with his face.
(By the way, Cubby’s mom would love for you to give to the “Shave” campaign. ☺ )
What goes around comes around, and that’s why Karma Koin is pledging to raise $250,000 for charity: water. They’ve always given away 1% of every purchase made with their prepaid cards, but when they found out about our September Campaign for Rwanda, they committed to funding an entire water project. If they’re successful, Karma Koin will help us build the whole Kirikumuryango Spring Protection System which can serve 16 tap stands–including two schools, a clinic, and a community center–and give clean water to 3,600 people in Shyorongi, Rwanda.
Way to share the love! Visit their campaign page here >>
campaign: A Village for a Village
campaign goal: $10,000
has been fundraising since: May 16, 2012
mission statement: “Our mission for this year’s water walk was to lay a strong foundation for our walk, and to document it in such a way that wanting to participate in future years will become contagious to anyone who hears about what we’re doing.”
You and your brother have fundraised for water before. How did you come up with this particular campaign?
Last year I ran the first half of the Peachtree Road Race carrying an empty Jerry can. At the halfway point, my brother filled it up, and I walked the remaining 3 miles of the race carrying the full 40lb. Jerry can. It was by far the most physically and mentally taxing thing that I have ever done. Oh, and I had clean water to drink at every mile marker, I was wearing nice running shoes, and I had people cheering me on the entire race. All this to say, I had to figure out a way to spread the word about the world water crisis.
What first motivated you to do something about the water crisis?
I was on vacation in Florida last June with my best friend’s family. When we ate out we always ordered soft drinks, and when we were at the condo we always drank bottled water because we did not like the sulfuric taste of the Florida water. On the way home, I had a revelation of just how blessed I was to be able to buy bottled water just because I didn’t like the taste of the tap. In the same breath, I realized just how ridiculous it was of me to do so, and I wanted to help bring water to people that struggle to get it every day.
What has been your biggest challenge and your best encouragement in this campaign?
Through this entire process, my biggest challenges were, without a doubt, organization and communication with 50 participants. One of my most memorable encouragements came when my mom handed me an envelope from my grandparents containing a check for $500 made out to charity: water. When I saw the amount, I thought to myself “Wow. I didn’t even ask them for a donation. But because they care about me, believe in me and what I am doing, they have made a legitimate sacrifice.” It was such an incredible feeling to have them want to be a part of this. Those two are prime examples of what it looks like to love others without condition.
So the event happened on July 4 and you had 50 participants. How do you think it went?
When I first started dreaming up this day, I dreamed of 250 participants. The goal was to have 250 Atlantans carrying water so that a 250-person village would no longer have to walk miles every day to retrieve dirty water. That proved to be a little ambitious for our first year, and we ended up with around 50. Turns out 50 was the perfect number to draw the attention of thousands of people at the race. [They also caught the attention of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.]
What advice would you give to someone starting their own campaign?
Do it. Be bold. Go for it. Don’t take no for an answer and, when you run into road blocks, do not be detoured. Keep your eyes on the prize and fight for the people in the world without clean water.
Now that your event has concluded and you hope to wrap up your campaign next month… what comes next?
Ground work: First off – visiting fraternity and sorority chapter meetings, schools, and churches, spreading the word of what went down on July 4th, and how we can continue! Planning: There are 5k and 10k races all over the nation. Who is to say that there can’t be a “Village” of people carrying water at each of these races from Atlanta to New York City to Los Angeles? We are hoping to be able to update our website, establish a team, and begin bringing “A Village For A Village” to other states! Starting with the University of North Carolina and Duke University area.
A few words from participants:
Carrying a toddler on my back and water in awkward jugs through the heat was a way for these people [in villages without water] to become a reality to me and those around me – strangers who are now someones we can no longer forget. – Callie Rich
As a mother, it is sobering to consider my three children’s probablity of survival if, only by chance, we had been born in a different part of the world. The Peachtree Road Race was my first active support of charity: water, and it has lit a fire in me and my family. – Nicole Bernard (participant from Durham, NC)
I thought I really believed in the mission of providing clean water to those without it, but after walking with five gallons of water just once, my heart was broken even further. I am honored to be a small part of the solution to this unacceptable global problem. – Christian Norman
My experience carrying water in the Peachtree Road Race was awful and amazing at the same time. I couldn’t imagine having to do that every day. – Paul Sanders
You may recall our post earlier this month about a couple of guys biking across the country, collecting mail old-school style, and raising money for clean water. They started out from the West Coast on May 14 and arrived in NYC last week!
To celebrate their arrival, Jon and Brian threw a party in Brooklyn and displayed some of the notes they collected along the way. They continued collecting donations for their mycharity: water campaign (only $1200 to go with two weeks left) and applied quite a few temporary Jerry can tattoos. The ink on Jon’s arm commemorating the trip, however, is very real.
DESIGNED BY
DEVELOPED BY
