Alas, October is here and in a few short weeks one of the greatest days in human history will be upon us: my birthday. Now ordinarily I dislike asking/receiving birthday presents. The whole exchange is awkward to me. I will throw a few hints at my mother since she seems to enjoy lavishing me with gifts, but I usually don't request anything.
But this year is different. I have decided that I would like everyone I know to purchase a gift for my birthday. Notice I said "for my birthday" and not "for me."
What I would humbly ask everyone to do is pick a charity and donate to it. Make sure it is for a organization that upholds strong, christian ideals and truly works for the service of others. Then, when you have contributed, pass this request along to someone else. We are so fortunate in this country to be blessed with everything that God has given us and we owe it to the less fortunate to help.
For those of you not sure of where to donate or support, I've done some research and become rather fond of several great organizations doing really great work. I would highly recommend supporting any of these places.
www.toms.com
Toms shoes work with the one-for-one philosophy. For every pair of shoes you buy, they donate a pair to a child in a third world country. How cool is that! Not only do you get to change the life of child, but you also get a little something in return.
www.miir.com
Miir water bottles work on a very similar premise as Toms shoes. For every water bottle you buy, they donate $1 towards clean drinking water in countries that don't have it. That one dollar will provide clean, healthy, safe drinking for someone for an entire year.
www.onedayswages.org
One Days Wages is just how it sounds. You donate one days worth of your yearly salary, they use it to fight global poverty. And one day's pay is only 0.4% of your yearly salary.
www.bloodwatermission.com
Founded by the band Jars of Clay, blood:water mission does awesome fighting Aids and providing clean water to people. They have lots of ways you can help. Check out their website.
www.charitywater.org
Another great organization working to provide clean drinking water to people who need it most. They have lot's of easy ways to donate too.
So in conclusion, yes my birthday really is in a few weeks, but please do not buy me anything. Don't even donate anything for me. Donate because you want to share the blessings that you have with others. And don't be selfish. Tell others about what you are doing and get them on board as well.
God Bless,
Eddy
