Okay, wasn't sure where to post this, considered the "Random Thoughts..." thread but that didn't seem exactly perfect either. I finally decided to make a thread & just do the pitch.

Below you'll see links for the FB page & website for a group called Trashwater. Here's the deal: one of the principals in this group is the husband of an old HS friend of mine. I don't know him beyond that but after getting reacquainted with her on FB I became aware of him/the group.

In my layman's understanding, they work in places like Egypt to help get clean water into areas that need it badly. Their website explains it far better than I could ever hope to.
trashwater.org : education > filtration > mobilization (http://www.trashwater.org/about.html)

I noticed earlier tonight that they're hoping to bump their FB "likes" up to 500 (from about 239) in order to help promote several upcoming events & such.
Incompatible Browser | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/trashwater)

That request was what prompted this thread from me. Here's the deal: anyone who knows me here has probably already concluded I'm not exactly what you'd call a do-gooder & I'm about as far from being an enviro-friendly (or whatever) guy as you're going to find. I don't know jack about clean water technology, villages in Egypt, or much else that their work involves.

Here's what I do know: my old HS classmate was always a class act. Smart, witty, talented, an all-around good egg. I can't imagine her marrying anything resembling a jerk. From following their work online for the past few months I've seen nothing that put me off on their efforts & I've gotten a sense that if they're anything, they're dedicated to the work & sincere in their efforts.

Here's what else I know: It doesn't cost me anything more than a few minutes to give them a scrap of free publicity here, and I think what they're doing might be of at least passing interest to a few FOFC'ers. Seemed like a no-brainer to give them a mention, hope nobody here minds.

Seemed like a no-brainer to give them a mention, hope nobody here minds.

Not in the least. :)

/tk

FWIW, my wife and I split our giving as follows:

5%--the 10,000-member whorehouse we belong to
2%--Young Life (worked for them for 17 years)
2%--the non-profit Christian adoption agency my wife works for
2%--an organization similar to the one above that provides clean water to places that don't have it

In other words, clean water is the one "secular" cause that we support. It's that's important. Great link, Jon.

:eek:

Happy to add a 'Like' FWIW.

Thanks folks, I know they appreciate it & I do too.

It's kinda funny really, how much a "like" actually translates into in actual/eventual tangible support is something that's difficult to quantify. But I see them working hard on both their projects as well as their effort to grow their project & I figure the least I can do is help them amplify their message by some tiny fraction. At the very least I'm confident that every person who takes the time to follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook is a morale booster for them & that costs none of us anything more than a few minutes.

Maybe it's bad form to jump in on this thread, but it's the same cause and I think there's more than enough need to go around.

There's another similar charity called Charity:Water. They build wells in villages around the world to provide clean water, that's easily available. If you're my Facebook friend you've probably seen that my oldest son, who's 7, was really struck when he found out that people in this world go without clean water, and that kids go without school because they're too busy lugging water from miles away.

He set up a project on Charity:Water this holiday season and raised $225 that's already been sent off to help start a new project. He's continuing his project in the new year. If you'd like to read what he wrote about his project, or of course donate, it's at this link:

http://mycharitywater.org/drewhelpsmore

Hope I'm not stepping on your toes, Jon, but I'm a huge proponent of clean water projects. Charity sometimes gets murky but I don't think anyone can think of a reason not to go in and give a village a well so they can spend their time on better things. I'll have my son take a look at Trashwater as well, I'm sure he'll be excited to see it.