Help provide clean water

In August, I have the opportunity to travel to Africa to visit a small village called Buliisa.Buliisa is a rural area in Uganda that has over 70,000 people spread out in an area the size of Western Washington.For the past three years, our family has sponsored a little boy through World Vision named Moses.Moses is nearly the same age as my youngest son, and comes from a family of five, just like us.Except that's where the similarities seem to end.Moses family struggles to provide even the basic necessities.Every day, Moses has to help his family carry water.Water that usually isn't clean and can make him and his family sick.My youngest son took a bath today.In fact he snorkeled in my bathtub.A bathtub full of clean water that Moses and his family would have been happy to have to drink!And yet we filled it up and drained it out not even an hour later.On May 10, our family has the opportunity to participate in the Walk for Water.An event meant to bring awareness to the daunting task of collecting water.
 Clean water can cut a communities child mortality rate in half.  It means food for families whose crops are failing due to drought.  It saves livestock.  It gives parents a powerful way to improve the health, hygiene and well being of their children and enable them to reach their God-given potential.

If you are local, please come join us!Event registration starts at 9:30 and the 5k fun run, with walk immediately following starts at 10.You can meet us at Marine Park on Ruston Way in Tacoma.The event is free!
Our family is accepting donations for our walk.Our goal is to raise $250.Enough money to bring water and sanitation to five people and change their lives forever!You can donate hereEvery dollar counts!I promise to share pictures of the children and families in Buliisa, Uganda that are the recipients of your donation.Please consider helping to donate.And if you come out on the 10th, come find me!
I would love to meet you!

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Pennies for Pillowcases another way to help with Paula's Pillowcase Project +$100 for your cause!

This week has been such a fun week crafting for a cause.

It's not too late to sew along with us and make pillowcases for kids with cancer.

But, if sewing isn't your thing, I have the perfect option for a way to help.

Recently, I learned about an on-line fundraising tool called Razoo.

Razoo is a place where people who make generosity a part of their everyday life gather.

Razoo allows you to donate, fundraise and collaborate to spread the word, raise awareness and support organizations, groups and causes all around the world.

For years, I've been a small part of Paula's Pillowcase Project.

I have spent a Saturday once a year sewing my buns off as Paula likes to call it.

I've stood side by side talking with moms about their kids treatments quietly thankful that the worst thing my kids have had to be treated for is a small gash in the head from a run in with the staircase.

I've pinned and ironed next to teenagers with frail bones and wispy hair talking about the excitement of graduation and their future college plans, all while having to be half cautious just in case their current treatments don't work.

I've sewn seams with cousins and siblings who have lost their playmates to cancer or who got a little too close to comfort knowing that they could have been lost.

I've rejoiced in seeing Paula's son Gary, who is now completely cancer free, make an appearance like any young teenager can at a sewing event.

Each year, Paula's Pillowcase Project grows.

Each year, we hear about how more lives have been touched by the simple act of a handmade pillowcase.

We meet families who have been recipients of the pillowcases and are now coming to donate their time to bless another child with a pillowcase.

Every year, as I sew pillowcases I am blessed beyond measure.

I share my day with you on my blog and always receive comments about people wanting to participate too, if only they lived closer, or if only they could sew.

Each year, Paula spends black Friday, in line at Joann's before daylight has even thought of breaking.

She hand selects bolts of fabric for kids that she hasn't yet met, but who she can probably guesses will like the airplanes, or the smiling penguins or sock monkey fabric.

She finds coordinating fabric to go with each and then stands in line for the bolts of fabric to be measured and cut.

When she gets to the checkout, she pays with her own money.

Recently, Paula has been receiving some donations to support the cause.

Each year a jar is set up at the event for "coins for cases", 

but those donations are just a small part of what it takes to buy the materials for this worthy cause.

This project was started and has sustained itself for years on money from Paula's pockets.

Thanks to Razoo, now you can help!

I've started a cause called Pennies For Pillowcases.
It was super easy for me to create an on-line fundraiser and with just a few clicks,
 I'm on my way to helping to make a difference.
You can find my fundraising page here.

It doesn't take me more than a minute to come up with a handful of social causes that I think are worthy of some attention.  I've spent years as a PTA parent, Razoo can help you create a no fuss fundraiser for your latest PTA project.  I've gone to countless garage sales people are hosting to help raise money for their friends international adoption.  I've stood outside the doors to our local grocery store collecting money and supplies for our local peanut butter and jelly project that makes sandwiches for our local homeless population each week. 

Razoo is a fantastic resource for these causes, allowing others to become aware of your cause and enabling the generous spirit of those around you.

I know that you probably have a cause or two {or more!} that you can think of too.

Razoo is donating $100 to one of my readers to help support their fundraising cause.

Just take a second to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
You will be well on your way to meeting your goal!

If you would like to help me meet my goal of providing funding for one year for Paula's Pillowcase Project {only $500!}, please visit my on-line fundraiser here.

You can connect with Razoo on Facebook, twitter and instagram

Check out some of the other Razoo fundraisers for a good cause. disclosure:This is a sponsored post on behalf of Razoo Fundraising.  All opinions are 100% mine and I fully support Paula's Pillowcase Project and it's cause. Everything is totally legit.

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Paula's Pillowcase Project sewing for kids with cancer

 Last week, I sewed my buns off for the third year at Paula's Pillowcase Project.You can read more about past years here and hereYou can read more about the project here
In a nutshell, my friend Paula's 10 year old son was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.While her son was at Children's Hospital in Seattle he had a scratchy stiff pillowcase.It didn't take long for Paula to see a need for kids with cancer andPaula's Pillowcase Project was formed.
Each year the amount of pillowcases that are made continues to increase as do the volunteers that are involved.This year the goal was to make 250 pillowcases for the kids at Children's Hospital in Seattle.
The event starts long before the project weekend.Donations are accepted and Paula and her son head to JoAnn's on black Friday buying bolts and bolts of fabricVolunteers wash and iron the fabricand on Friday, more volunteers come to pre cut kits that are sewn on Saturday
Here are the pieces of the kit all ready to be put togetherThere is one narrow pieceone wider plain pieceand a printed fleece that is the main fabric

People are cutting

Sewing 

and ironing

 Volunteers make a handmade card for each pillowcase with a sweet handwritten note inside

Volunteers young and old come out to help.

I was quite impressed with several young girls who came out this year to sew.

Both said they were taught by their Grandmothers

Such a great skill

It was also a lot of fun to teach this 10 year old boy how to sew

He really liked sewing more than he thought he would.

And just as I started helping him make a pillowcase from start to finish, my machine died on me.

Thankfully, Jenny was there to lend a hand and her sewing machine to help Seth out.

This year a decorative stitch was done on each of the narrow pieces of fleece.

I think it turned out great!

 Aren't they just adorable!

I am so thankful to have a part in making a little something to help the kids be just a little more comfortable.
 
I can't wait for next year.

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Walk for Water support me in my walk for World Vision

Did you know?

More than one in six people worldwide don't have access to clean drinking water.

To give water is to give life.  

Clean water can cut a community’s child mortality rate in half.  

It means food for families whose crops are failing due to drought. 

 It saves livestock.  

It gives parents a powerful way to improve the health, hygiene, and well-being of their children, and enable them to reach their God-given potential. 

This year, our church is partnering with World Vision
in a walk for water.

Last year, our family started sponsoring a little boy, through World Vision, named Moses who lives in Basila, Uganda.

In fact, our whole church partnered together to sponsor over 150 children in that area.
Several of our church members and leaders have already been able to visit and have seen first hand the work that World Vision is doing in their village.

To further that partnership and continue to help those families in rural Uganda, our church is hosting a walk for water on April 14.

Through the walk for water, money will be raised to build wells, treat contaminated water and provide water storage containers to save fresh rainwater for later use.

Each day villagers in rural Uganda are spending hours a day collecting water that can make them sick.

On April 14, I will have the opportunity to walk out to a water filling station, fill my buckets with water and return to the starting place raising awareness to the daily chore that is required for something I take for granted every day...clean water, accessible to me by the turn of a handle.

Last week Emily at Jones Design Company challenged bloggers to share a cause that they support and share it with their readers.

What perfect timing because our church launched this campaign that following Sunday.

I would love for you to support me in my walk for water.
I would be honored if you would help me by making a donation, even if it is just $1 to help bring clean drinking water to rural Uganda.
In the next few weeks, my goal is to raise $560, the cost of building and providing hand and face washing facilities to 20 families.

When communities have access to clean water, proper sanitation and hygiene, the child mortality rate drops by more than two-thirds. 


100% of your donation will benefit World Vision’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene projects in Uganda(UWASH).

You can donate by clicking here

Thank you!

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