Kathy Week 15: The Bubble and Splash Giveaway!

Yes, you heard right...The Skinny is hosting a giveaway this week! 

I know, I know, I'm supposed to post weight-loss numbers and photos...and while losing weight in healthy ways is important, there are some things even more urgent...like this giveaway, and what it can accomplish! (But if you really want to see the numbers and a photo, they're at the bottom of this post.)

Announcing...(drum roll, please...) 

The Bubble and Splash Giveaway!!

What is the "Bubble and Splash" giveaway, you ask?

The "Bubble" part of the giveaway is a chance for you to receive two  beautiful, handmade soaps, made by my artist friend Carol, here in Oregon. There will be four winners of these high-quality soaps! I love them. I've started using Carol's soap as my facial cleanser, because her handmade formula moisturizes while it cleans, and she uses only pure, natural ingredients and essential oils for aroma. Mmmmm...so frothy and soft! Keep reading for information on how you can win two bars of Eau Joy soap.
(Two bars of Eau Joy soap = $10.00 value! Check out Carol's art website here. If you want more information about Carol's ingredients and her beautiful soaps, just mention that in your comment or an email and I'll forward her fact sheet to you...if you give me your email address...)

The "Splash" part of the giveaway is the sound of water coming from deep beneath the ground, into a woman's water container. She might live in Africa. Or Southeast Asia. Or any one of the thousands of communities across the globe without easy access to clean water.

Did you know that...

• More than 1 billion people lack access to clean water,
• Dirty water and lack of hygiene kill 3.3 million people around the world annually, most of them children under age 5,
• In most countries where water must be carried by hand, it is the job of women to carry the water,
• In some villages, women spend up to 6 hours every day carrying water--as much as 50 pounds at a time, 3 times a day--to supply water for basic needs and livestock, and
• The women's skeletons can become compressed from the weight, leaving them in constant pain.

(This photo and the next one came from 
http://www.wowmission.com/Page/View/Chibanga)

And yet, when these communities are supplied with clean water, they are transformed. According to the most recent issue of National Geographic...

• All the hours previously spent hauling water can be used to grow more food, raise more animals, or even start income-producing businesses,
• Families spend less time sick or caring for loved ones stricken with waterborne diseases, and
• Since the need to fetch water, or to care for siblings while their mothers fetch water, is a primary cause for female illiteracy in many African communities, that means that,
• The freedom from water slavery allows girls to go to school and choose a better life.
• This video says it all.

Splish Splash! 

Helping communities have access to clean water can Change the World!

So here's the deal: I've decided to turn my upcoming Goat Mountain Gallop half marathon into a fundraising event, to help provide wells for villages without access to clean water. 

I'll be walking 13 miles up hill and down on Saturday, April 17. Will you sponsor me? 

I've found a great project, through the humanitarian services agency of my church, that drills wells in 26 different countries! 100% of your donations will go to the well projects, because the church uses other funds to cover administrative and fund-raising expenses, and volunteer water specialists help to design and implement the water systems.

It's a no-brainer:

• I walk the 13 miles
• You click here to donate some money to sponsor me
• Donations of any amount are welcome. Every donation, no matter how big or small, helps families have access to water.
• You leave a comment or send me an email telling me that you donated, and
• I enter you in the drawing for the soaps!
• For an extra chance to enter the drawing, help spread the word! Make a link to this post in your own blog or facebook or twitter. Then post a second comment telling me about that, so I will know to put your name in twice!
• You can donate $$ to this very worthy project any time, but the deadline for the soaps drawing is next Saturday, April 17, at midnight, when I will put all the names in a large water pitcher...and then...
• The first three names I draw out of the pitcher will win two bars of "Eau Joy" soap, and the fourth name will win one bar. International bloggers are welcome to sponsor me and enter the drawing!

Click here to sponsor me in the half marathon and join the Bubble and Splash giveaway! 

Don't forget to leave a comment or email me: haynieoregon@gmail.com.

Week 15 Stats:
Today's Weight: 140!
Last Week's Weight: 141
Starting Weight: 151
Total Weight Loss: 11 pounds
And I feel strong and fit - ready to tackle Goat Mountain next Saturday!

Ha ha - the only photo of me today is this one...I'm heading out the door for a six-mile training hike for the Goat Mountain Gallop. Yikes! Only one more week of training left...have a great week, everyone.


P.S. - Like my new training outfit? I won the shirt at my Curves Gym this week for (finally) completing 100 workouts. (Lame...I have been a member for over a year, so I have obviously not always been good about working out 3x a week.) And the shorts are some great REI hiking shorts that I found at Goodwill! I loved them so much that I bought them six months ago...Ha ha! That was long before I could fit into them...but now they do fit! Hooray!