tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61882147567960748632024-03-05T03:54:49.933-08:00Thanks for Waterhelp end poverty by providing access to clean waterJudy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-37214712861108591792012-03-14T10:56:00.000-07:002012-03-14T10:56:56.733-07:00pi(e) day 2012Today is 3.14 - or pi. So today is pi day or pie day. In years past I have had a pi(e) party where people come over for pie and donate a piece of their pie to these water projects. We are not able to have an actual party this year, but I would like to invite everyone to donate some spare change or a piece of your "pie" today to Thanks for Water. Just $5 or $10 or any other amount from many people will go a long way.<br />
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Please check back to the blog for an update as Juan, the director for the projects in Mexico, is going to be giving me an update soon. They have stretched the money we have given so far - way beyond what I ever thought we could. I'm excited to see a progress report. I hope you will join me in sharing a piece of the pie. Thanks and Happy Pi(e) Day!Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-6481363624983706562010-12-22T11:45:00.000-08:002010-12-22T11:45:44.760-08:00lucky 13The work in Mexico has really boomed. They have completed a total of 13 water cisterns already and they are still going! They have really leveraged the funds that we have sent to build this many cisterns. We are still collecting funds to keep these cistern projects going in Mexico as there is a great need there and they are able to work efficiently to bring about these projects. <br />
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Thank you to all who have helped to bring the gift of clean water to other people throughout the world. Clean water helps to prevent many diseases that affect people in developing countries and is one of the first steps out of poverty.<br />
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Thank you for supporting these efforts and making life a little better for others. Click on the "donate now" tab for instructions and a link to donate. I will post some pictures from the latest projects soon.Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-14961473633204516892010-03-09T12:23:00.000-08:002010-12-12T15:43:50.314-08:00March 2010 UpdateIt is time for an update!<br />
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This is information on what has been happening on this current project(s):<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Juan (in-country director) is using “Thanks for Water” funds in the villages of Morones and Margaritas. Here are some of the details:</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal_664A473F_0127_1000_9FB2_C600379E4B6C_884"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">They build 3 cisterns at a time because the iron net and chicken wire come in rolls sufficient for three.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal_664A473F_0127_1000_9FB2_C600379E4B6C_884"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The cost of three cisterns is $1300.<br />
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Some of the “thanks for water” money went to build and repair cisterns in Morones (6 have been built so far). It will take $5200 more to complete the cisterns in Morones. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal_664A473F_0127_1000_9FB2_C600379E4B6C_884"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p>The other money has been deposited into a special account where the Mexican government can now deposit a matching grant. As soon as the government matches the “Thanks for Water” donations, work will begin in Margaritas. So, every “Thanks for Water” donation is being doubled! Once the money is in, Juan will be able to know how much money is still needed to complete all the cisterns in Margaritas. His guess right now is $4900 for phase 1. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal_664A473F_0127_1000_9FB2_C600379E4B6C_884"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-1363184773736083912009-08-05T11:54:00.000-07:002009-08-05T11:58:58.442-07:00Thanks for MarriageI'm getting married! to Greg Neil! on August 29th! You can find out all about it on our blog - <a href="http://theneildeal.com">The Neil Deal.</a> Since we both already have too much stuff, we are asking people to donate to this cause. We have already raised $1,660. We just need $5,840 more and we can get these villages in Mexico their water system. Any extra donations will go toward other projects. I will keep everyone up to date on what is happening. Hopefully we can celebrate the joining of our lives by helping provide a better life for other people.Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-26980734764094241102009-03-07T13:40:00.000-08:002009-03-07T13:46:25.508-08:00a piece of the piMarch 14th is pi(e)day (3.14) <br /><br />To celebrate I am having people over to my place to share a piece of the pie. I will provide various pies and ask others to bring pies to share as well as bring a $5, $10or larger donation (a piece of their pie) to share with our friends in Mexico to help them build this water project.<br /><br />If anyone is reading this and can't make it to the pie party, please feel free to donate that day in order to share your piece of the pie. <br /><br />I can't help but think of how much impact this would be if we combined our efforts and spread the word. I really want this to be about a lot of people giving a little. Think about how easy this would be - so far we have raised $1,315 and counting. That leaves $6,185 left to go. If $618 people donate $10 on March 14th then this project can begin! So please pass along the word. The information for donation is in the previous post. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment.<br /><br />THANKS! and happy pi(e) day!Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-85987516731753757932008-11-19T16:14:00.000-08:002009-03-08T14:27:20.245-07:002008 / 2009 = Mexico<span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,102,255)">UPDATE: the donation site is back up again! If you tried to donate on the site before and there was any kind of error message but it still said it went through - more than likely it has not. Let me know if you are wondering if your donation has cleared or not and I can check.</span><br /><br />I'm so excited to announce this year's project. We will be raising money for small villages in San Luis Potosi, Mexico called El Tecolote and Las Margaritas. This is a very dry area and water is scarce. They would like to build a project which would include 3 water cisterns and an animal corral structure with a large roof that will provide for a water catchment system to harvest rainwater. The estimated cost for this full project is <span style="COLOR: rgb(51,204,255)">$7,500</span>.<br /><br />The people in these villages are Huichole Indians - native to Mexico. They have their own language and culture. Here is some more information about them:<br /></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><a title="blocked::http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/huichol/huicholindex.html" href="http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/huichol/huicholindex.html"><span title="blocked::http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/huichol/huicholindex.html" style="font-family:Palatino Linotype;"><span title="blocked::http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/huichol/huicholindex.html" palatino="">http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/huichol/huicholindex.html</span></span></a><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype;color:navy;"><span palatino=""><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a title="blocked::http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichol" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichol"><span title="blocked::http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichol" style="font-family:Palatino Linotype;"><span title="blocked::http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichol" palatino="">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichol</span></span></a><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype;color:navy;"><span palatino=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a title="blocked::http://www.webspawner.com/users/bluedeer/" href="http://www.webspawner.com/users/bluedeer/"><span title="blocked::http://www.webspawner.com/users/bluedeer/" style="font-family:Palatino Linotype;"><span title="blocked::http://www.webspawner.com/users/bluedeer/" palatino="">http://www.webspawner.com/users/bluedeer/</span></span></a><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype;color:navy;"><span palatino=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">Once again - I want this to be a fundraising effort where many, many people each give a little to make a big difference. Please give what you feel comfortable with from $10 to $100 to $1,000 and then pass along this blog to everyone you know. We can make a huge difference just by spreading the word. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">to donate (your donation is tax deductible):</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">Click the link below to the CHOICE Humanitarian website to make a one time donation. Be sure to type "Thanks for Water" in the "comments" box in order for the money to go directly to this water project and so I can track the progress. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:180%;" ><a href="https://choicehumanitarian.org/donate/payflow_example.php"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,204,255)">ONLINE DONATION - CLICK HERE</span></a></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">or if you prefer to send a check you can download a donation form and mail it with a check:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.sendspace.com/file/jm2ds3"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,204,255)">PRINTABLE DONATION FORM - CLICK HERE</span></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,204,255)"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">This is starting during the Thanksgiving season but we will keep accepting donations until we reach our goal. Please help me fulfill my dream of building a water project every year for the rest of my life. I can't do this without you, but working together we can help so many people. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">THANKS,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">Judy</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">p.s. I will be traveling to Nueva Concepcion in Guatemala next month to see the water project from last year. I am so excited to meet the people there and see the project. I will post pictures when I get back. My hope is to travel to these villages in Mexico next year to see their finished project.</p><p class="MsoNormal">If you have any questions please post a comment.</p>Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-21116717698563753832008-06-15T20:13:00.000-07:002008-06-15T20:18:28.065-07:00FLOWFor Love of Water<br /><br />I recently went to a private screening of the documentary - FLOW (For Love of Water)<br /><br />There was so much information and I encourage anyone to see this as soon as it hits theaters in the fall. One thing that was brought up in the film is that there are many areas in the world where the access to public water has been taken over by private companies. These companies are charging the people to have access to the clean water. Since many of these people cannot afford this payment, they are forced to get their water from dirty or contaminated sources.<br /><br />You can help by signing the petition to add a 31st article to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, establishing access to clean water as a fundamental human right. Go <a href="http://article31.org/">HERE</a> to sign the petition.<br /><br />I'll write more about the film and the information I learned at another time, but you can get more information from their website: <a href="http://www.flowthefilm.org/">FLOW</a>Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-91303348264244432222007-12-19T12:31:00.000-08:002007-12-19T12:35:48.804-08:00$3,275!The total is now up to $3,275! Thank you everyone.! It is confirmed that we can go on an expedition to Guatemala next year to help build another water project. The dates will be December 26, 2008 - Jan. 2, 2009. If you have any specific expertise - medical, building, etc., these skills can be incorporated into the projects we do on the expedition. Let me know if you are interested.Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-85480164080750682412007-11-30T16:57:00.000-08:002007-12-19T12:27:50.210-08:00$2,895We have a total of <span style="color:#33ccff;">$2,895</span> so far and that is without a few more contributions that I know will be coming in. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Everyone has been so generous and I can't thank you enough. We have excess of what is needed for this project so I will find another project to apply the excess funds to. I will keep accepting donations through the holiday season. Any donations received after December 31st will be applied to next year's projects. If you are interested in going with me to Guatemala next year, let me know and it might be possible to see this finished water system as well as work hands-on with another project.Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-74503755525387913362007-11-19T09:13:00.001-08:002007-11-19T09:15:56.406-08:00$1,895Our current total is $1,895. We just have a little way to go and it will happen. This week as you sit down to dinner with loved ones and express gratitude for what you have please think about giving a little to those who don't have basic needs. Thank you so much for making this dream come true!Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-74186824060073264862007-11-08T07:54:00.000-08:002007-11-08T07:58:09.742-08:00one week updateIt has been one week and I wanted to give an update of where we stand. Our current total is <span style="color:#33ccff;">$1561</span><span style="color:#000000;">! - thanks to some extremely generous contributions. Please continue to spread the word so we can help as many people as possible to get clean water.</span><br /><br />THANK YOU.Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188214756796074863.post-36528065516256243422007-11-01T00:14:00.000-07:002007-11-01T16:31:35.018-07:00thanks for water<span style="color:#000000;">1 in 10 children dies before the age of 5. One of the reasons is disease spread through contaminated water. Access to clean water is a gateway to bringing people out of poverty. It decreases risk of disease and provides a healthier and better quality of life for people. I believe this is one of the most critical first steps to help people in need.<br /></span><div><br /><p><span style="color:#000000;">I want to build a water project in a third world country every year for the rest of my life starting this year. Please help me celebrate the Thanksgiving season by giving</span> <span style="color:#33ccff;">"Thanks for Water". </span><span style="color:#000000;">Donations will be accepted starting November 1st through Thanksgiving weekend. </span></p><div><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#000000;">The project I have chosen this year is to help finish a community water system in Nueva Concepcion, Guatemala. This water system will serve 367 people. The cost to finish this project is </span><span style="color:#00cccc;"><span style="color:#33ccff;">$2500</span></span></span><span style="color:#000000;">. I will make up the difference in what is not raised to make this happen, but I don't think it will be too much. I think if we all donate $25-$50 and spread the word to friends and family then with a lot of people giving a little bit we can make it happen. My hope is that this fundraising event will gain enough momentum through the years to build multiple or larger water projects every year.</span></div><div> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127754373367088674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRQyDuQhS7TLs4vMe6ZlmXG442Z3RwCtGzqLEgxOoCBYxuuPto_YO8nPPeLro3ZLz-irG7lwU6IQg2siVU02vEFFzxIwqaAzdFNQJl0j9Ny6u3E9QVxYZfji3QYldmRx5JpLcxlMvPWX4/s400/Nueva+Concepcion.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="color:#000000;">Go to the CHOICE Humanitarian website to donate. Be sure to type "</span><span style="color:#33ccff;">Thanks for Water</span><span style="color:#000000;">" in the Donation Purpose box in order for the money to do directly to this water project and so I can track the progress.</span> <p></p><br /><p><a href="https://ssl37.pair.com/inksp3c1/choicehumanitarian/donate/payflow_example.php"><span style="color:#33ccff;">CLICK HERE</span></a></p><p><span style="color:#000000;">(your donation is tax deductible)</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000;">I will provide weekly updates of the success of this fundraiser. It's amazing what we can do when we all join together. Even if you can only donate $10, it will add up. A little bit will go a long way to provide a healthier, better quality of life for people around the world. Please share this blog with your family and friends. </span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="color:#000000;">THANK YOU,</span></p><p>Judy</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvwOtRIe7SSEKqu5BYtVbt9DZp5eIFMai1aH3iwThwnuzm422TvlIn5iK94iqZxYwzJEb9tI0xuXGacFGr1K9bHZvhme9LshnKo3Gh7FCmyclmqvQYd_1LwHEd8LAiMLH-Ngs9r1d5qRu/s1600-h/kenya.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128017779416385090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvwOtRIe7SSEKqu5BYtVbt9DZp5eIFMai1aH3iwThwnuzm422TvlIn5iK94iqZxYwzJEb9tI0xuXGacFGr1K9bHZvhme9LshnKo3Gh7FCmyclmqvQYd_1LwHEd8LAiMLH-Ngs9r1d5qRu/s400/kenya.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://ssl37.pair.com/inksp3c1/choicehumanitarian/donate/payflow_example.php"></a></p></div>Judy Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17964754042877914808noreply@blogger.com4