I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in the
charity: water project I wrote about in February of this year. Whether you were able to actively donate to, read up on, or help spread the word about this honorable cause, I genuinely felt touched by the actions of every person who took the time to participate.
I got so many inspiring and heart-warming Notes from deviants far and wide -- from those who had just donated to those who had no means to donate monetarily but who happily spread the word to others. Many even selflessly pledged their own birthdays, asking for donations to this great cause in lieu of gifts. In a world where a lot of the news headlines are depressing and bleak, my faith in the power of good and caring was restored by the deviantART community.
Some say that one should participate in charity for charity's sake, and I fully believe this. I donated because it was a great cause whose results were so tangible and so needed by those who would receive it. Hardly a day has gone by in the past 5 months that I haven't imagined what steps in the well-building process the charity was currently undergoing. But I know the charity is busy spreading the word to others, tackling paperwork, and funneling all the generous donations to make this well and many(!) others a reality.
So I wasn't really expecting to hear back from
charity: water, especially so early in the process. I figured maybe I would log in to my page on their website a while down the line, find out where the well was built, and daydream about maybe visiting it someday. When I got an email today spelling out how the money would be implemented, the timeline, the part of the world, and the promise of detailed metrics as soon as the well is finished, I was reminded of why I wanted to donate in the first place.
Today, charity: water reached out to me to let us know where our well would be built, how long it would take, and some other really interesting statistics about how the future deviantART well is going to help out a small town.
These sorts of statistics are so shocking, I'm doing everything I can to raise awareness of something so many of us take for granted. If you're reading this Journal on a computer, it means you have access to an Internet connection, and more than likely can access water at the turn of a knob. We bathe in it every day, we freeze it to make drinks cold and heat it to cook our food and keep our homes warm. The thought of someone experiencing thirst and not being able to safely satisfy that feeling elicits such a strong emotion when I sit down to think about it. How often in our daily lives do we take for granted having such amenities often just a room away?
This email -- perhaps one of a few more -- pinpointed where this upcoming well was on its path to being completed. As I'm sure you can appreciate, the paperwork, training, architecture, and everything in between is time consuming, and it really brings to light the unsung heroes behind charity doors who do all the heavy-lifting to bring something like fresh water to a community in need.
At the bottom of the email was a linked example of the sorts of statistics we could read about in the future as soon as the well finished completion, and you can read all about how this real well in Ethopia helped a small town
here!
Giving to any reputable charity brings a feeling that's not really matched by anything else in the world. It's hard to describe, but it's a feeling of almost secret bliss. These people will probably never know any of the deviants who gave a small part of themselves to bring such a needed commodity to their lives. But I can picture a village, and the people living in it, and the difference this is going to make very soon.
I wanted to thank you all for making this possible, we did something really good here and I'm very happy. I also want to thank Charity: Water, you guys are fantastic!
I'll link to
charity: water one last time, in case you want to feel the same rush of giving you've felt before when donating. And it's true what they say -- every dollar counts, every penny counts, and spreading your awareness to others truly does leave a positive impact on the world we live in.
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#hq
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~jamie150741
Oct 27, 2012
amazing!!
`JaxBnice
Aug 6, 2012
Professional Artist
`anmari has been spreading her infectious positivity throughout our community for over 6 years. Throughout this time Ana has been at the core of all things devious, passionately developing an eclectic gallery, helping organise devmeets, participating in chat events and also recently completed dedicating her time as a Community Volunteer. We are absolutely delighted to bestow the Deviousness Award for May 2013 to `anmari, congratulations! Read More
Sta.sh
