How you can help Africa (Donate for a free t-shirt scarf and a chance to win a necklace!)

I have mentioned here a few times that I am running a half marathon in January and a full marathon in March to raise money to provide clean water for people in eastern Africa. Have I also mentioned that I spent the entire month of November sick? And that I ran a total of four times (if I'm lucky? Because I could be totally over-exaggerating there. I tend to do that).

I am not running because I'm one of those Runner Moms. You know the ones. You see photos of them on their blogs balancing small babies on their chiseled bodies with medals around their necks. You see their Facebook updates about the "Awesome, amazing, easy ten-miler" they did at 5 am! WHEE!

No.

This is not me.

I am the slobby mom who barely showers. Who barely keeps the house moving forward. Who is constantly lost in the swamp of dirty bathrooms and laundry and keeping kids from hurting themselves by flinging themselves head first off of the couch (I am looking at YOU, Sydney). I am the mom who runs errands constantly while her three-year-old is at preschool. Who barely makes it to pick her kid up on time and runs right back out again or home to vacuum or cook dinner. I can't keep up with it all. And now I'm adding RUNNING MILES to the mix? DUDE. Clearly I have issues.

And yet when I lace up my shoes and push the jogging stroller a sad three miles while grunting and groaning most of the way? I wonder why it took me so long to just buck up and DO IT. I spend the first fifteen minutes of each run practically yelling at myself about how freaking NOT HARD this really is. That it's ok for me to take the time to do something that ... just takes up time. That the laundry can wait. And the floors? They are just going to get dirty again. And when I run there is a payoff, see. And it's not just that I'll be able to run a 13.1 mile race and then a 26.2 mile race (OUCH) without looking like a total idiot. If I run these races? It might change someone's life. I'm not just going to meet my own goals ... there will be a provision for someone else.

It costs $50 to provide someone in Africa with clean water for the rest of their life.

The thing is, I need help. I will run the miles. I will push the stroller and I will pray for Peter Paulo in Tanzania and Kareman in Kenya. But I need people to journey with me. I need you to pray for me as I struggle through each mile and I need you to pray for these people who literally have nothing, not even clean water to drink. I need you to join with me as sponsors. My goals are this: To personally raise $655 for the half marathon and $1300 for the full marathon.

Here's what I'm asking: Consider donating $26.20. A dollar per mile. This is the cost of ONE drive-through meal for a family of four at most fast food places. Would you consider sacrificing one night of eating out to partner with another person to change someone's life?

And here's another thing! I like it when someone asks you to support them and you get something in return ... something tangible. And because I freaking love my blog-friends? I'm prepared to sweeten the deal.

If you decide to donate $26.20 or more to Team Nomad on my behalf for either the half marathon or full marathon? I will send you one of these:

A handmade (by me!) recycled t-shirt scarf!

My friend Kristie told me that she's seen these scarves on sale at craft shows for $75 or more. Which I think? Is a total crock because they don't cost anything to make. But! I think $26.20 is a pretty good deal and your donation goes directly to Africa. I keep nothing! And if you donate before Dec. 14, you will have your scarf well before Christmas!! If you donate $50 or more I will send you two scarves!

So here's what you do. Click over to my Team World Vision page (here for the half marathon in January, here for the full marathon in March), enter your information and make a donation. THEN! Send me an email at insidedog[at]gmail[dot]com with your name and address and the amount of your donation (I will be able to see that you donated at my TWV site but I won't have any of your personal information). You can also comment here with a valid email address and I will email you and get your information. At that point, I will make and mail your scarf.

And! As a bonus, anyone who contributes $10 or more by Dec. 14 will be entered in a raffle to win this handmade necklace (the heart will be in East Africa)!

African Love necklace from Lola & Cash on Etsy.

(Thank you to Vikki from Lola & Cash - located in South Africa - for generously donating the necklace for me to raffle! Check out Lola & Cash for more gorgeous handmade jewelry!)

So! In summary, here's what you do:

1. Donate here:

Half marathon.

Click on the button that says "make a donation."

Full marathon.

Click on the button that says "make a donation."

-$10 or more enters you in the raffle for the necklace. Entries will be accepted until Dec. 14 at midnight (PST). Winner will be announced on Dec. 15!

-$26.20 or more gets you a scarf (colors and designs vary. Donate by Dec. 14 to get your scarf before Christmas).

-$50 or more gets you two scarves (colors and designs vary. Donate by Dec. 14 to get your scarves before Christmas).

Remember ... $50 is enough to provide one person with clean water for the rest of their life. And because you are donating on TWV's site, your donation is tax-deductible. Not one cent of your donation will be touched by me personally. I will cover the shipping for the scarves!

2. Comment on the blog and/or email me at insidedog[at]gmail[dot]com with the following information:

Name

Shipping address

Special instructions if you have them. If you're super sweet I might even (sloppily) gift wrap your scarf if it's for someone else. :)

**UPDATED! The raffle entry has now been extended until Friday, Dec. 16!! Anyone who donates $10 or more by midnight on that date will be entered in a drawing to win the African Love necklace (first prize) and a box of Meyer Lemons (second prize).**

More ways to get involved:

-If you live in Southern California and are interested in running either race and fundraising with my team, please sign up!! We are running the LA 13.1 on January 15, 2011 and the LA Marathon on March 18, 2011. Each team member is responsible for raising their portion of the team's goal amount, buying his or her own orange jersey, and paying their own race registration costs. We train together and encourage each other. It's a lot of fun and very rewarding!

-Sponsor a child through World Vision. For $35 a month you can change the course of someone's life. We sponsor two children and enjoy writing to our kids in Africa as a family. It has been a tremendously humbling experience for my husband and I as adults and an amazing platform to teach our children about what it means to help someone.

-Make a holiday purchase through World Vision's Gift Catalog.

Thank you so much for participating with me in this awesome project! I am so, so excited to see the heights we can reach together and the lives that will be changed. If you have any questions or comments or concerns please let me know.

-Manda

***A side note: I am not being compensated to blog about Team World Vision, World Vision, clean water projects, or child sponsorship. World Vision has no idea who I am other than the fact that I'm married to John, who works with Team World Vision. I am writing about this issue because its on my heart and important to our family (which is why my husband does what he does). I am running these races and raising this money as a volunteer for a cause that is important to me personally.

More info about donations to TWV and links about their financial responsibility.

Comments

[alex]

This could be off-topic, but if you're anywhere in or near LA, there are a lot of fundraising events for the benefit of the less fortunate where you can participate in. Donate your clothes and shoes like what Greenopolis.com did and be rewarded for your actions. http://youtu.be/jk1mH9JvRr0