Tomorrow, my friends, is the day – the day to leave your shoes behind …
And it’s all to help TOMS Shoes raise awareness. Life without shoes, you see, is difficult. Take Ethiopia – in Ethiopia, some one million people suffer from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in the volcanic soil.
So tomorrow, join the cause. Go without shoes, for an hour or all day. Buy a pair of TOMS; help provide a pair for someone in need. Be one person doing something little – so together, we might do something big!
In keeping with my apparent theme …
As you may recall, last year – around this time – I decided to join an exercise group. For however-many months I lumbered through pilates, nearly broke my neck attempting yoga poses, and was otherwise every degree of pitiful. Caycee was one of the regulars. We would finish a particularly grueling something-or-other and I’d be cursing the wretched fates that would cause such pain and misery, while Caycee exclaimed something along the lines of, “That was awesome!” In other words, where I was the rain cloud, Caycee was the ray of sunshine.
For this reason alone, Caycee is deserving of a little something. But there’s more …
I recently found out Caycee and her family have started the adoption process for a little girl in Ethiopia. Now I have many friends who have adopted – and each journey to a little someone is nothing short of a miracle. But this story especially touched my heart…
Addie is working to bring her little sister home and, once that’s done, continue to bless Africa. There are several ways you can help: 1) donate bottle caps; 2) donate your own bottle cap magnets; 3) purchase a bottle cap magnet (when available).
I think you’ll find Addie’s Art for Africa is an exciting opportunity for us all. After all, little hands have a miraculous way of doing great things …
{Click pic to learn more about Addie's Art for Africa}
Seems like everywhere you turn, there are options for giving to Haiti. Before you choose a charity, I recommend checking out their rating on Charity Navigator. In addition to rating charities, Charity Navigator provides tips for giving.
There are countless ways to give – and it doesn’t have to be a lot:
- Text. Text ”90999″ and $10 will be added to your cell phone bill; money that will then be donated to the Red Cross.
- Donate. Some reward credit cards are allowing you to donate a portion of your accumulated rewards. Check with your credit card company for details.
- Shop. That’s right, you can shop and give at the same time. If you haven’t a clue where to begin, The Bright Side Project can help. This week they will be featuring one business, per day, that will donate a portion of sales to the relief efforts in Haiti.
Many charities decided to give a portion of their sales to charity – even before the catastrophe in Haiti. Bee Wise Bags is one example. Ten percent of all sales are donated to Heaven’s Gate, a home in India for children with AIDS. What a wonderful way to do business - with a business that gives back. Wouldn’t you agree?
One week ago today, people around the world were going about their individual lives. We were going to work and going to school; we were rejoicing in our own celebrations and lamenting our own sorrows. We were not, for the most part, thinking of a poverty-stricken country in the carribbean called Haiti.
And then the earthquake.
As so often happens, tragedy brings us together - rich and poor, young and old, black and white – for one moment in time, we are the same. We are human. We’re husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. We laugh. We cry. And the heartbreak of one, hurts us all.
Yet we cannot truly understand.
Unless we are there in the midst of the pain and destruction … walking the rubble, smelling the stench – trying our best to help, while fighting roadblocks, despair, fear, and rage – we can view all the photos there are to see, and still not understand.
So it will be that days will turn to weeks, and weeks months ; the photos will lessen, as will the reports, and we will return to our individual lives.
And we will forget.
Yet we musn’t. We must continue to pray for those on the ground – for compassion in the face of resentment; for strength in the face of bone-deep weariness; for wisdom in the face of logistics; for integrity in the face of rebuilding; for hope in the face of utter despair. And we must continue to give – both our finances and our time – not only to Haiti, but all those in need.
Perhaps the Irish say it best, “It is in the shelter of each other that people live.” We each have a part to play. For some, money, others sweat, still others, tears. And we must continually work together – not only when we are hit with a monumental crisis – but always. We must be the voice for those who have none. We must share our wealth, our wisdom, our love – our hope. When we are strong, and our neighbor weak, we must stand up and be his shelter. It is the only way some will dare survive; it is the only way we all can truly live.
For my U.S. readers, Father’s Day is Sunday … just in case it slipped your mind. And if you don’t know what on earth you’re going to get him, how about a goat? A goat is one of many alternative gift ideas offered by World Vision. Is your dad a sports fanatic? Donate a couple soccer balls. A fisherman? Donate a fishing kits. A health nut? Donate some fruit trees. What could be more simple – or meaningful? In one fell swoop you can give a gift to a member of your family, and a family on the other side of the world. It’s perfect for the dad who has everything … for the dad who taught you it’s better to give than receive … for the dad who is no longer here on earth, but whose memory lives on …
Interested in this charity?
World Vision received an overall rating of 3-Stars from Chartiy Navigator. You can read the full report here; or, you can click the link, above, to visit World Vision’s site directly.
