For charity: water's second anniversary – which just so happens to fall around founder Scott Harrison's September birthday – the organization dedicated to bringing clean, safe water to communities in developing countries is asking others whose birthdays fall during that month to skip the gifts, and have their well-wishers donate to the cause instead…
Last year for Scott's 32nd birthday he asked friends and family that instead of going out and buying him a gift, they donate $32 to the charity he founded a year earlier. He also challenged fellow September babies to do the same. Ninety people did so and together they raised $150,000.
This year, charity: water identified 333 communities in Ethiopia in desperate need of fresh water, and it plans to use this surge in September fundraising to build a freshwater well in each and every one of them. To reach that goal, charity: water needs to raise $1.5 million, which translates to 150,000 new people having access to clean water. Plus, Running the Sahara, the new feature film produced by Matt Damon, and a group of other donors will match the first $400,000 raised by two-fold.
To reach the goal by the end of September, charity: water is asking fellow September babies to forego the gifts and ask instead for donations in the amount of their age. Even if Girlawhirl doesn't know a participating September baby, she can still donate directly to the organization with a $33 donation for Scott's 33rd birthday.
And Girlawhirl can track the program's progress with photos and GPS coordinates she can check out online.
The September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.
Girlawhirl's already challenged her Super Pals and readers everywhere to help build a well, but for the month of September, the girlawhirl.com campaign will be put on hold in order to allow readers who want to donate to charity: water to help reach Scott's "Born in September" goal.
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| Jun 17, 2008: | inspired by the o ambassadors, girlawhirl wonders if she can help build a well. read full entry |