Hey all!
First, this is a post by Mraz concerning World Water Day! It passed this March 22, but should still be celebrated! Check out more about it here. It is funded through the U.N. and a superb idea and awareness day. Second, is another :)
post from Mraz concerning YOU MATTERING! It is totally cool, so give it a good, good read!
1st:
“Water. It really is the kind of thing we as Americans sometimes take for granted. I mean, the average American uses between 80 to 100 gallons of water each day.
Can you imagine not having access to clean drinking water, or clean water to bathe with, wash with or even cook with? Instead of simply walking to the faucet and turning it on…imagine having to walk two or more hours to get to a source of clean water.
Nearly 900 million people in the world do not have access to safe, clean water,—and nearly half of those people are children. This is a stark reality.
In fact 24,000 children die every day from preventable causes—and nearly 4,100 of those children die as a result of diseases from dirty water. UNICEF’s goal is to reduce the number of needless deaths to zero.
The UNICEF Tap Project is a grassroots initiative built around World Water Day, March 22. From March 21st through March 27th funds will be raised to help UNICEF provide clean water to children around the world. The campaign invites individuals to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free at participating restaurants, to host a fundraising event, or to make a donation at tapproject.org.
Thousands of volunteers have mobilized for the UNICEF Tap Project, along with restaurants coast to coast, community leaders, ad agencies, corporations and celebrities, all joining in this effort to make sure that zero children die due to a lack of access to clean water.
HOW TO HELP:
Easy.
tapproject.org has all the info you need to donate your dollar or to find a local participating restaurant where you can donate, OR text “TAP” to “UNICEF” (864233) to make a $5 donation.
With $1 UNICEF can provide safe water to one child for 40 days, or forty children safe water for one day.
Through UNICEF your money will go to improving access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, and to promoting safe hygiene practices. UNICEF’s goal is to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation by 2015.
If you’re in Los Angeles this Wet Wednesday, stop by the Roxy in West Hollywood for the Tapproject Event.
Thank you for caring about health.
And thank you for sharing the wealth.
“
2nd:
“As you may have seen by following this blog, one of the things I decided to take on this year was being a possibility for activism. For years I’ve been asked to lend my voice to a number of causes. For years I was confronted about whether or not I was worthy of being a spokesperson for any charitable organization and for years I lived my life asking, “What does it matter?” or simply declaring, “I don’t matter.”
Most of us never act because we think we don’t matter.
Would you vote if you KNEW it mattered? Would you show up to every class? Would you be late to your meetings? Would you attend more community gatherings? Would you think different thoughts about yourself and others? Would you eat different kinds of food if you KNEW it mattered? Would you volunteer? Would you donate? How would you contribute?
This week I received a phone call from Haiti that was directly related to how I matter. Right after the earthquake tragedy, my awesomely talented friend, Mandi volunteered to take her nursing skills to Haiti. With the help of her friends and family, we pooled together the funding she would need to get there, live there and eventually come home. On the call, she shared in vivid detail the real mess this already poor country is facing. And, she shared of the spirit that continues to resonate in the lives of the people, how they burst into song despite the hardships of starvation and zero sanitation while living under a blanket held up by a few sticks. And best of all, she shared how her experience has directly contributed to individuals’ survival. On the phone she thanked me and connected the dots. Our sponsoring Mandi + Mandi gets to travel and spend long days at the clinic in Haiti = lives touched and saved.
Thank you, Mandi for all of your courageous and tireless work acts. And thank you for thinking to include us in the victory that is saving lives.
This is Mandi.
You may recognize her as our friend fromhttp://mandihoops.com/ who makes the Hula Hoops. And yes, along with medical supplies, she did take Hoop-making supplies with her to Haiti. We love her and miss her and are so proud of what’s she’s taken on.
And This is a picture of Mandi and I with our faces swapped. I kinda have a Kurt Cobain thing going on.
As I get my footing in this field of activism I’m learning which causes are best suited to my passions. Overall I want to live in a world free of disease, where we have unlimited access to good food and great teachers – a place where we are the solutions for each other. I wish to live in a world transformed – with clean air and clean water, free of war and violent conflict.
I am committed to being in action because I know I can make a difference.
I matter.
What can you do right now? Anything you want. Just google your favorite topic and I bet you’ll find a way to get involved.
You can also send in your Census. Your answers are important. Census results are used to decide the number representatives each state has in the US Congress, the amount of government money your neighborhood receives, and what money will be used for services for children and the elderly, roads, and many other local needs.
Guess what? You Matter.”
That’s it! Great post! I have so much I want to share with you all, but time is as time is. I will get all of it eventually. Still toying with how to share Mexico, I am thinking there will be many parts to it, some planned and structured, others rambling and spontaneous. I might do a video…or audio of some sort. I’ll let you know.
Much love to you all! Have a great day,
Mathew
41.457656
-72.809732
So of you may have heard of the Charter for Compassion, but I assume most of you have not. It is a charter that is truly beautiful. It came to existence thanks to Karen Armstrong with the help of the TED Prize. She was awarded the TED Prize in 2008, which allowed her to create her dream: the Charter for Compassion. Leader of compassion have joined the charter, such as Desmond Tutu and Deepak Chopra. You can share your own and read others acts of compassion, you can organise larger events, share it on a the web like me, and more. The goal of it all is quite simply, but extremely profound: Share the compassion. Here are some videos to help explain:
max
george
leah
mathew
Zork
al-donn
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