Be The NOW

About a month ago, we shared about the heart of a young Wichita stay at home mom, who felt the call to do something greater.  Check out her progress, how many people are being impacted, and if you feel led, donate to this awesome cause!

My Charity Water

Cassie Rollman is a stay at home mom of two young kids.  She lives in Wichita, Kansas and is quite busy. Cassie saw a need and made the decision to help in the best way she could.  She made a goal to raise $5000, which will all (100%) go towards building wells around the world for people who don’t have clean water.

Cassie shares her story of how she got involved in Charity Water, what’s she’s doing and how it’s impacting people around the world.

Why did you pick to get involved with Charity Water?

I found out about Charity Water at a conference I went to in October 2010. I have been wanting to find an area to get involved in for a while and this seemed like something I could do. Being a stay at home mom, I don’t have a lot of time to put into something outside of the home, but Charity Water was something that I could do whenever I was out with friends or family. Just spreading the word about the need and asking for support from them was something I could definitely do. I also chose Charity Water because 100% of the proceeds go towards helping others.

How will this impact others (people around the world, in your community, your friends, etc.)

Charity water has and is impacting lives all over the world. They provide fresh, clean water for millions of people in countries all over the world, by going and digging wells in their local villages. By gaining access to clean water, these people no longer have to drink muddy water that is filled with bacteria that often causes life long illnesses or death. They also no longer have to walk miles a day to get water, and have more time to go to school or work. By getting involved in Charity Water, I am helping make a need known to my friends and local community. People often want to give and get involved in helping others but simply don’t know where to start. I am also setting an example to my friends and family on how to love others and give to those in need.

What drives you to help people in need?

I have much to be thankful for in my life. I have my health, a home, food to eat, clean water to drink, and a future full of possibilities. When I see others in need of all these things, I can not ignore them. I feel it would be selfish on my part to look away and ignore them when they are crying out for help.

How would you encourage people who want to get involved with something to help others, but aren’t sure how?

I would tell others who want to get involved to start by figuring out how much time they have to give. If they have a lot of time, maybe look into getting involved in a soup kitchen or any other local charities they can volunteer at. If they are like me however, and have a lot less free time, I would encourage them to find a charity online that they could support by giving financially, or by giving needed items to. They could even just support a local charity by providing them with needed items. Whatever, they choose to do, I would remind everyone that helping others and giving to those in need is not a one time thing. To really make a difference and an impact, we must continue to give all year around whenever we are able.

If you want to help Cassie out check out her web page: My Charity Water

Last week students from all over the nation gave up eating out for one meal, and donated the money they would have spent on that mean, to One Meal, One Day.  A couple of high school students began this movement within their youth group and school.  They saw a need and found a way to help.  Since then, they have been encouraging students around the country to do the same.

A youth group of 85 middle and high school students in Wichita collected over $900 last Wednesday.  In Des Moines, Iowa, Lutheran Church of Hope’s middle school ministry collected just over $1100.

These girls have an even larger vision for OMOD.  Skipping one meal and donating that money one time is just the beginning.

“The OMOD movement is much bigger than a single act of sacrifice. It’s about empowering students to lead the church by raising awareness and funds to feed the hungry. And it’s about spiritual transformation—helping students to become more like Jesus as they discover his heart of compassion for the poor and commit themselves to be his hands and feet in service.”

Claire and Katie from Landon Cox on Vimeo.

How can you help raise the awareness of hunger in your community?  Are you currently a part of something?

Be the Now challenge: Give up one meal a week for an entire year, and donate the money you would have spent on those meals to One Meal, One Day so that someone without food will be able to eat.

Like most of the nation, Wichita has seen an increase in the homeless population.  In 2009, there were counted to be 384 homeless people living in Sedgwick county, yet the Wichita Eagle recently stated that usually more than two-thirds of the population aren’t even counted each year.  For Sedgwick country, and a small city like Wichita, the number of homeless is astonishing.  As people here are losing jobs, losing their homes, unable to pay bills, they’re finding themselves with not many places to go other than the street.

Recently a group of teenagers and adults spent a couple of hours putting together backpacks filled with food, towels, shirts and water bottles to hand out to the homeless in Wichita.  Who was this through?  No one.  Karyssa Evans, a Wichita State University Nursing student, also a youth intern at West Evangelical Free Church, saw a need, gathered people together and did something about it.

She has been going downtown once a week for the past couple of months, meeting people in tough situations and building relationships with them.

“God has called us to be His hands and feet.  Putting backpacks together is a small way that we can meet a need.”

In total, the group put together 142 backpacks, which were all handed out the following day.  Each backpack was given out in less than 15 minutes.  Still, over 100 of the homeless men and women at the park, walked away without one.

Everyone who helped out spent a number of hours talking with and getting to know many of the homeless people they encountered.  Each person who helped out did not see this as something to cross off of their list of to-do’s, but saw it as an opportunity presented by the Lord, to do something in His name.  They saw it as a way to love the needy.

While talking with Evans, I asked her advice or suggestions she had for people who might want to put something like this together.

“There are places everywhere that are in need. No matter the city.  Find out where the homeless people are, gather a group together (don’t go alone), and begin by building relationships.”

Thank you Karyssa for being such a great example of someone Being the Now!

More than likely you’ve heard of the floods that have happened in the greater Nashville, TN area. And, no doubt, there are a lot of stories of people and organizations that are helping anywhere and everywhere- this is one such story.

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Yesterday, 4,000 church people from all over Wichita, KA loved people through acts of service. Their projects included fence repair, interior and exterior painting, assembling hygiene packets for homeless, outside clean up, some roofing, and even inside photo organization!

From their site:

Last year, on Saturday, April 25, 2009 – more than 3000 volunteers from 25 churches across the city joined together in an attitude of service and hope at the first ever LOVE Wichita event of serving. We had the opportunity to resurrect our city as we cleaned, painted, touched and transformed the place we live and encouraged the people we encountered. More than 180 projects across the city were completed that day.

God is calling us to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” ( Jeremiah 29:7 ) and to answer his call, we’ll continue to partner together to complete service projects throughout the area.

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