This is my 12 X 12 block for the Breaking Arts Traditions. The money raised goes to fight cancer. This block represents the people who raise the standards of living in other countries by providing water. Did you know that just $1 can provide an African with water for a year. Boy! That’s something to think about. Here are links to of these groups: Bood:WaterMissions at http://www.bloodwatermission.com and Lifewater International at http://lifewater.org

Words on quilt: “With one voice ideas trickle…. with one goal commitment streams…. to one community hope flows…. with one voice rejoicing surges.”

RIDE:WELL Tour VanThis past Thursday morning, I was blessed to ride with the RIDE:WELL Tour bike team as they rode out of Knoxville. The RIDE:WELL Tour is a ride from the coast of California to the coast of Delaware to raise money and awareness for the the Blood:Water Mission 1000 wells project.

This past Thursday morning,  I was blessed to ride with the RIDE:WELL Tour bike team as they rode out of Knoxville. The RIDE:WELL Tour is a ride from the coast of California to the coast of Delaware to raise money and awareness for the the Blood:Water Mission 1000 wells project.

I met the team at their host church, and then rode from there into the city of Knoxville and out towards Kingsport, TN.  I unfortunately had to turn around after 2 hours of riding so I could get back into work, but in the short time I spent with the team I tried to spend time with each of the riders and hear their stories of why they were riding.

I was blown away by their passion for the project.  Of the riders I spoke with only one, had really done any serious riding before this trip.  Most of them heard about the tour and their passion to be the hands and feet of Jesus meeting the needs of Africans drove them to be on the tour and put them in a place most of us will never end up – almost 3,000 miles on a bike seat for the summer.

So thanks to the team for letting me share part of your journey, and thanks for your examples of living by faith, so Drew, Margie, Jesse, Brianne Jessica, Jessica (Blocker), Joann, Jen, Matthew, Erin, Criselda, Mindy, Donald, Mike, Gregg, and David you inspire me!

RIDE:WELL TEAM

RIDE:WELL TEAM

RIDING

RIDING

We’ve also added the RIDE:WELL Tour as one of our non-profits, so you can now select them to donate to on your purchases!

Lulu came in at 11:30 (and she was sick to her stomach this morning)!!!!

Mommy came in at 14:48!!! And pushing a stroller!!!!

We rock!

(Just a thought:  ice cream not good on race days, even a one mile, even after the race!)

I can write a press release, just like all the other cool people. Wanna read it?

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Art for 1000 Wells Invites Shoppers to Buy Holiday Gifts Online, and Save Lives in Africa

Independent artists and artisans invite holiday shoppers to buy once, and give twice this holiday season with their upcoming eBay Giving Works charity art auction, Art for 1000 Wells, which will benefit Blood:Water Mission’s humanitarian work in Africa.

San Luis Obispo, CA — November 15, 2007

With the arrival of the holiday season, people’s hearts flow into their actions. You know the feeling–holiday decorations go up, and colored light bulbs turn on someplace inside us. We fight crowds as we tramp through malls and stores, and ride the waves as we surf online shopping centers, all in the quest of buying presents for those we care about. And when we find that one perfect gift–the one we know they’ll love–we feel a rush of excitement that just might compare to winning the Super Bowl.

As we give to those we know, our hearts also turn to those we don’t. Our checkbooks come out, and we donate to worthy causes–we feel the warmth of the holiday spirit, knowing that our contribution may improve a person’s life or put a smile on a child’s face someplace in the world.

Each experience is edifying. But imagine this–what if we could give both ways at the same time?

This is the concept that inspired Art for 1000 Wells, an international group of artists and artisans who are bringing their talents together for a 10-day eBay charity auction, which will run from Saturday, November 24th to the evening of Tuesday, December 4th. The goal of the auction: To raise funds to benefit Blood:Water Mission’s 1000 Wells Project.

Founded by the members of the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning band Jars of Clay, Blood:Water Mission is a non-profit organization which strives to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, through providing clean water solutions in African communities, supporting medical facilities, and promoting community and worldwide involvement. The goal of the 1000 Wells Project is to provide one thousand wells to one thousand African communities.

“We hold fast to the conviction that we are all responsible for being good stewards of our time, our resources and our compassion in a broken world,” quotes the Blood:Water Mission website. “Every person has something to give in return for what has been received.”

The 1000 Wells Project is connecting people from all across the globe, and Art for 1000 Wells is a perfect example of this. Hailing from several countries, the individual artists and artisans each have their own personal challenges in life, yet are still reaching out to help others.

Working with eBay’s auction and fixed price formats, the artists will offer their original work for sale online, and contribute a portion of the profits to Blood:Water Mission. From November 24th to December 4th, holiday shoppers may go to www.eBay.com, and enter the keyword term TWBW (Thousand Wells Blood Water) into the search bar, to find a wide variety of original items for sale at auction. The creations will include such one-of-a-kind items as artwork, fine-art photography, handmade crafts, and more. Each item will be as unique as the artist who created it.

Water is life. A thousand wells will save uncountable lives. Art for 1000 Wells invites shoppers to search “TWBW” on eBay this holiday season, and give the gift of original art. With one purchase, you will really be giving twice.

For more information about the auction or individual artists, please visit the official website at http://artfor1000wells.googlepages.com

Or contact:
Christine Taylor
805-474-8136
artfor1000wells@gmail.com

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After reading it—wanna copy and paste it on your websites and link to it from your blogs?? Ya wanna? …Please?

:)

The holiday season is right around the corner. In many places, it’s already upon us. We’ve begun searching for gifts for the people on our list. If anyone else is like me, they may be experiencing two distinct challenges about the holidays and shopping.

I’ve always wanted to find that one perfect gift for someone…since I’m giving a gift, I want it to be distinctive and unusual. I hope to express something special, a personal touch—but I want to be sure the recipient likes it. It’s hard to tell sometimes what a person may or may not want, specifically. Sweaters, ties, slippers, scarves…those are all safe bets, but too vague, sometimes. Too impersonal.

Another feeling I experience is a great desire to contribute to a worthy cause at this time of year. However, I’m not always able to give as much as I’d like. I want to give to both loved ones and strangers in need…but I wind up having to make an either/or decision.

That thought has been with me the past couple months as I’ve worked to plan an upcoming charity auction event on eBay. It suddenly came to me—what if it didn’t need to be an either/or decision? What if we could do both?

The result: Art for 1000 Wells. For ten days, right smack dab in the heart of the holiday shopping season, artists and artisans from all over the world will be offering their original creations for sale on eBay.com, with the common goal of raising funds to benefit Blood:Water Mission’s 1000 Wells Project. Paintings…drawings…fine-art photography…handmade photo albums…work that ranges from oils on canvas to watercolor on paper…from large wall art to miniature, collectible ACEOs.

The selection will be as unique as the artists and artisans themselves. Hailing from countries all over, these exceptional people are proving that it really is a small world…and there are many big hearts in it.

For these artists, their hearts are turning to Blood:Water Mission. BWM is a wonderful organization founded by the Grammy-award-winning band Jars of Clay. Through their 1000 Wells Project, they’re working to provide clean wells for clean water in a thousand African communities, and at the same time fighting against the spread of the AIDS virus. Blood:Water Mission asks challenging questions—Did you know that millions of Africans lack access to clean water? Did you know that people living with HIV/AIDS are dependent on clean water to survive? Did you know that $1 provides one year of clean water for an African?

Did you know that YOU can help save lives?

So many communities in Africa are suffering right now from poverty, disease, and violence. Yet one action on the part of others can help to make the world a better place. If one dollar can make such a difference, what about one blog post to spread the word…one phone call to a friend who is doing their Christmas shopping…one piece of original artwork, offered for sale for the cause?

Are there any artists reading this post? I welcome you to join in! Our group website has all the information.

Anyone doing their holiday shopping? I invite you to stop by eBay.com from Saturday, November 24th, to Tuesday, December 4th, and use our keyword search term–TWBW (Thousand Wells Blood Water). Perhaps among these outstanding original creations, you’ll find that one perfect gift for someone on your list.

And with one gift purchase, you’ll really be giving twice.