Can You Help Me Make A Splash?

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I'm turning the BIG 4-0 in just under a month. It’s a big birthday and I really want to make a splash, but not the party kind. :)

Will you help me make it happen?

OK. First, let’s figure out what I'm asking for…

Here are some hints: 

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  • It’s clear.
  • It’s valuable.
  • It’s abundant.
  • It’s beautiful…

No, I don’t want a diamond :).

Here are more hints:

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  • It’s fun.
  • It’s cold.
  • It’s hot.
  • It’s solid.
  • It’s liquid.
  • It’s invisible...

It’s also comforting, community-building and life-saving. It’s often free but sometimes it’s more expensive than fuel and, though it’s everywhere, sometimes it seems to be nowhere.

Have you guessed it yet? 

 

It’s water. Clean, life-sustaining water.

More accurately, I want to give the gift of water to people who need it more than anything else on this blue planet of ours.

Did you know that a BILLION people don’t have access to safe drinking water?

As I’ve said before, I can’t believe how most of us take access to clean drinking water for granted. Water's ubiquity makes it harder for those of us who live in developed countries to appreciate that so many people around the world don’t have the resources to address this most fundamental need. 

Can we even fathom what it might be like to have to walk up to 3 hours a day for water knowing it will likely be unsafe to drink? Knowing it might make a family member ill or worse?

So What’s a Drop In the Bucket?

In this case, a drop in the bucket would be a positive statement. A drop in the bucket would mean $20.00. Thanks to Charity: Water, twenty dollars will give one person access to a source of clean, safe drinking water. 

When we think about how life-changing that gift can be, the benefits associated with this investment are self-evident: less disease, less time spent getting access to water, and a better & brighter future. I can’t think of a better gift to enable others to be free to pursue their dreams and aspirations. 

Best of all, 100% of the money donated goes towards water projects. Now that’s impact!

Can We In the FIRE Community Make It Rain?

I've set a goal of $400 USD. I'm sure that with your help we can easily surpass it, but it's a start and it will make a tremendous difference in 20 people's lives.

Whatever amount you choose to donate, I will be gushing with gratitude. And, according to happiness research, so will you! 

UPDATE: We were able to raise $106.00 USD. Thank you to all who donated. Your generosity is appreciated and your hard-earned money is going to a great cause. At least part of the funding is going to support a project in Malawi.

Sheepish admission: Three years ago, this is what I wanted for my 40th birthday. Though I bought it at age 37 and still love it and haven't purchased anything so lavish since, it it doesn't hold a candle to what this gift can do…for all of us.

Image credit/copyright: Vichaya Kiting-Angsulee, Mister GC and dan (3) / freedigitalphotos.net