Guys, I don’t know about you, but the world has felt like a rough place since January 20th.
Refugees being turned away from our doors. Leaders in the highest ranks firing people for dissenting opinions. The very real potential of net neutrality being dismantled. The richest of the rich with no qualifications or experience being placed into positions of power that jeopardize the most voiceless of our population: Disabled children. The very nature of reality being questioned–not by philosophers, but by our government.
It’s enough to send you into a panic attack.
Despite my attempts to avoid this constant stream of bad news, it keeps on filling my feed. I have to admit, I’ve occasionally engaged with it. Because I have a hard time keeping silent on things that matter so incredibly much.
In a world full of bad news, I feel like we all deserve a little good. I think we all need the opportunity to do a little good so we don’t fall into the dark madness that has been the past few weeks.
A powerful way we can fulfill that need is through our monetary resources. A powerful way we can curb our despair is by recognizing how fortunate we truly are, despite our struggles.
Without further ado, here is the good news.
Ladies in Media Charity:Water Drive
I’ve teamed up with several amazing women in the personal finance media space to raise money for communities around the world that don’t have water. Every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.
As far as public projects go, a surprisingly small amount can change this situation for an entire community. For just $10,000, a community or school can have access to clean water via drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters.
Am I asking you to donate $10,000?
Psh. No.
But if you’re looking to do some good in the world, I would ask you to consider donating a much smaller amount that fits into your budget. Because with our powers combined, we can tackle this problem.
There are 13 women participating in this drive, and if each of us have 16 readers who contribute $50 within 60 days, we’ll not only reach our goal–we’ll exceed it.
What happens after we reach our goal?
The operational costs of Charity:Water are fully covered by private donors. That means 100% of the $10,000 raised will go directly to this project.
After we reach our goal, Charity:Water will send us photos and GPS coordinates of the community we helped, which I’ll be sure to include here. (So bookmark this page!)
This won’t help solve the crazy political problems we’re facing right now, but it will help a school or community in desperate need get access to clean water.
If the order is reinstated and we start turning people away again, at least we’ll be able to help those who aren’t as fortunate as we are to live in a community with clean water–the most basic of all basic needs.
Okay, I’m in. Where do I donate?
Thanks, rockstar. People like you restore my faith in humanity.
You can donate here. You can use this same page to track our progress.
That’s so awesome of you and the other PF ladies! Good luck reaching your goal!
Thanks a ton, Tonya! And thanks so much for sharing!
LOVE what you are doing! Thank you for this opportunity to help spread good! 🙂 Just made my donation.
You rock, Amanda! Thank YOU!
I am trying to cut down on our spending, but man, with a cause like that, how can we not donate?
We just chipped in a bit. I really hope you guys reach your $10k goal!
Thank you so much, friend! Will be sure to let you know when we’ve got the GPS etc when (I’m hopeful here—avoiding if’s!) we meet our goal!
I am right there with you! Despair, panic, heartbreak. I have tried to find positive stories because I don’t want to lose hope. Charity does wonders for a person’s outlook and ability to see the good in the world. Bravo to you- this is really wonderful.
Thanks Linda–and I’m sorry you’re going through these things, too. It’s really hard not to be. Yesterday was another really rough one for me. Let’s go do all the good things to combat it! 🙂
I love that you guys are doing this.
Also…just because it’s there , doesn’t mean you have to read it. Take care of yourself, too.
I know you’re watching out for me. 🙂 Trying to watch out for myself, too…reading that article EVERY. DAY.
I know the feeling. I’m trying to stay focused but it’s an ongoing challenge with the onslaught of bad things. Thanks for thinking of something positive to work on to combat it.
My money is on lockdown right this second but I will have a better idea what things look like in a few weeks and as a reminder to myself, I’m adding this to next week’s link love.
EXACTLY. And then I feel compelled towards hypervigilence so I’m prepared for whatever inevitable bad thing is around the corner next. Because when good (wo)men do nothing…
It’s not healthy. But it’s also not irrational. It’s sad that we, as a democracy, have allowed things to go this far. And at certain junctures, even endorsed it.
I think we’re better than all this, though, so let’s do those good things! Thank you so much for sharing in the roundup! I truly appreciate it!
I agree with all of this. But I think if we build our networks, with each other, with others who are working toward the same aims, we can find a little bit of peace knowing that we have solidarity.
Yes. One hundred percent, yes.
It’s so great that you all are doing this. It can be very discouraging to hear the news and things going on in our country right now, and doing some good in the world is one way to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness. I hope you reach, or better yet exceed, your goal!
Loving that analogy! Thanks, Gary!
What a wonderful idea to combat all the negativity we regularly see. Good luck!
Thank you for sharing, Jax!
You remind me of that Mr. Rogers quote: When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Thank goodness it’s usually true.
As a child of a certain era and a Pittsburgher, you have no idea how humbling it is to remind someone of Mr. Rogers. And that is a wonderful quote—something reassuring to the kids, and something we need to remind ourselves of as adults, whether we become the helpers or need to seek one out.
I agree that it is good to refocus on the things that we can actually influence and contribute to. Thanks for providing an opportunity to help others in need!
No problem, TPO! And that’s exactly why I like this project—so much can be done with a relatively small amount of money—especially if a bunch of people contribute.