I'm pretty late to the game on this, but I wanted to promote World Water Week. I'll let UNICEF do the talking since they sum it up much better than I could.

"In 2007, the Tap Project was born in New York City based on a simple concept: restaurants would ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free, and all funds raised would support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world.

Growing from just 300 New York City restaurants in 2007 to over 2,300 across the country in 2008, the Tap Project has quickly grown into a national movement. Restaurants, corporations, volunteers, advertising agencies, community groups, local governments and everyday diners participated to save millions of children’s lives.

During World Water Week, March 22-28, 2009, the Tap Project will once again raise vital donations and awareness for UNICEF’s water and sanitation programs. For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days. All funds raised support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world."

Pretty amazing right? Charlotte has very few participating restaurants which I hope will change next year. However, numerous cities across the nation have lots of restaurants participating. You'll probably go out to eat this weekend anyway, why not do it at a restaurant that is trying to help make a difference in this world.

Seeing that yesterday was the anniversary of September 11, I didn't feel it was appropriate to be blogging about fun, materialistic things I covet. And today, we'll I'm just swamped with work and packing so it's not going to happen! :)

But, I did want to report about one thing I found out today. Remember the auctions I blogged about? Well they all together raised over $117,000, the vast majority of it coming from auctions in smallish increments of $50 to $100! I'm so thrilled Design Mom started this grassroots effort to help the Nielson's. Isn't it amazing what the power of the Internet has done?!

I don't know Stephanie Nielson and quite honestly, I've never read her blog. But the plane crash in which she and her husband were severely injured and their flight instructor, Doug Kinneard was killed, struck close to home for many reasons:

-Stephen is a pilot clocking hundreds of hours a year in the air. Any crash brings to light that his line of work has risks.
-Our family lost a cousin, Liz Johnson, this week in a plane crash in Guatemala while on a humanitarian mission.
-I have been to Falcoln Field where the Nielson's called home base for parking the plane. I've flown in those planes they flew. Arizona, where they call home, will always have my heart since it's where a large part of my family lives and where I grew up.

In an effort to help the Nielson family there are more than 300 silent auctions going on all over the web with proceeds going straight to the Christian and Stephanie Recovery Fund. For the most comprehensive list {and selfless, loving act of kindness} check out Design Mom. I'm sure you'll find something for yourself or your loved ones! I definitely did!

With all this news of sadness and destruction in Myanmar and China it reminds me of how in a single moment life as you know it can change. It is a reminder that something like this could happen here, to any of us. If you feel moved to do something but are unsure as to what, an easy step is to donate blood. After all, since you've started reading this post approximately 10 people have needed blood. {image via tea..}

How about giving a yearlong membership to the Arbor Day Foundation to your green-minded friend? When you register, the organization will send 10 free saplings appropriate to the recipient's region. To make it a cute gift, buy a trowel, write a note on a piece of card stock you stamp with an image of a tree and tie it to the trowel with a bit of ribbon. {via Good Housekeeping}

I get a ton of my news and general information from NPR. In fact, many of the topics you read about here, I heard on NPR. They inspire me to learn more about my community and world. WFAE, our Charlotte NPR affiliate, is hosting their Spring Fund Drive. If you're able, I encourage you to donate and keep Charlotte public radio alive. If you aren't in Charlotte, here is a link to NPR so you can find your local affiliate and contribute to that station.

Recently, I read about the lack of help for the families who suffer the loss of a service member. It seems like the majority of people are against what is going on in Iraq, but don't stop to think about the people who feel the consequences the most. After a death, there seems to be a lack of simple emotional support from both the military and the community. Additionally, many widows are left to care for families after receiving a very small "death gratuity." To help with this little known issue, Gold Star Family Support Center lobbies the government and is also a much needed support group for families.

Lauren Bush (yes she's related to that Bush... but clearly from the younger, more socially conscious generation) designed this bag to benefit the United Nations World Food Programme. Providing children with a nutritious meal during the school day, the meals not only give kids vital nourishment, they're also the incentive many need to attend school in the first place. The FEED 1 bag is a reversible burlap and cotton bag stamped with "FEED the Children of the World" and the number "1" to signify that each bag feeds one child in school for one year. You can read more about the program here and purchase the bag and feed one child for a year here.