one of my favorite charities...act now

http://bringmehope.org/Store/detail.aspx?ID=137

Bring Me Hope (www.bringmehope.org) may be may be my favorite charity.  It is so hard to choose a favorite with so many good organizations out there, so why, you may ask, this one?  Bring Me Hope is probably my favorite because it is so completely unique.  A band of college students changed their dreams to bring hope to orphans in China.  They run summer camps for the orphans, and if you've followed my blog for very long, you know that it is my dream to join them with my entire family for a camp one year.

I like their passion.  Orphans are not the most lovable of people, contrary to popular belief.  Orphans show up at these camps with nothing- no spare clothes, no toothbrush, no favorite pillow nor blanket.  They come with the problems that plagues institutionalized children, a very understandable fear of giving or receiving love.  They melt down, bite, use awful manners and challenge their buddies for the week.  They break the hearts of the volunteers when they ask why not a family for me?  Many get carsick as they have never traveled in a vehicle. Yet, these young people who know little about RAD (reactive attachment disorder) love on them, travel around the world raising money for these camps, and devote their lives to them.  They give them several days of ordinary fun; bouncies, swimming pools, silly games, and even that icon of childhood all around the world--McDonalds.  It is a beautiful thing.

Today is the last day to get a free t-shirt for participating in the biggest fundraiser of Bring Me Hope - the nightwalk.  Why a nightwalk?  China is 12 to 14 hours ahead of us in the States.  Bring Me Hope walks at night so that the orphans of China can walk in the light...yes, even the Chinese orphans participate in this fundraiser in hopes of raising money for camp.  Won't you join them?  Help give an orphan a week of fun.