Clean water! We all need it, but many people in developing nations don't get enough of it. Unclean water causes numerous diseases and malnutrition. But we can help!
A friend, Emily, and I recently formed 'Chicago 4 Water,' a campaign to raise money through the well-established fundraising organization, Charity: Water. Charity: Water has build thousands of clean water projects (such as pipe systems and water wells) in 17 developing countries internationally.
Chicago 4 Water's plan is to hold informal fundraising events that give people chances to hang out, enjoy themselves and learn about the importance of clean water for good health. Wednesday marked the night of 'Dine for Water,' our modest first effort at fundraising.
Emily and I'd been talking together about holding a simple fundraising dinner in cooperation with a local Ethiopian restaurant – for a while. But when we finally decided to make it happen, we had to set everything up very quickly.
Just three nights before the dinner, I wrote out our campaign objective for our website, created a dinner invitation and started mentioning it to everyone I saw; and with just 24 hours before we planned the event to happen, Emily's contact at the restaurant finally got in touch with her to confirm that they could work with us so that we would earn a percentage of every diner's food and drink bill. [Phew.]
Happily, after that initial logistical flurry, the dinner was all aromatic coffee, honey wine, pungent bread and delicious savory Ethiopian meats and salads. Sweet and easy. Our event drew a cool 15–17 jovial people. Folks complimented the foods, mingled and smiled, asked us more about Charity: Water. Thanks to Emily working with the restaurant, we earned the cause about $170. For a modest first effort at raising money for clean water, this went down 'well.'
***
What's next? Through Charity: Water's website, we have about three more weeks to raise as much money as we can before our funds will be combined with other campaign funds to build a clean water project somewhere in the developing world.
A few direct website donations by private individuals brought our total funds raised to above our initial $500 goal in just four days. Now, we're raising our goal! With the help of some passionate folks at this first dinner, we hope our next fundraising event is an even greater success.
To read more about our cause, or to donate, visit:
http://mycharitywater.org/Chicago4Water
{Thanks for reading!}
Recent Posts
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Week of Soup
This is the week of homemade soup. Butternut Squash, Curry, French Onion, Roasted Red Pepper...Check back for more photos of soup bowls – and a few recipes – through Sunday.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Ballet Hispanico!
Bright, glossy red wigs and leather stocking-socks, suggestive caressing and thrusts of all kinds, feather-boas and piled, flashy headdresses.
That's what modern ballet is made of.
Ballet Hispanico gave a one-night performance in Chicago on Friday, and my fine-art-critic-aficionado friend got us two prime seats at the event.
The performance was comprised of three parts: a dramatic, barefooted story of tribal war and mourning; a montage of sultry modern-burlesque-styled numbers; and a more traditional showcase of hispanic club dancing.
The second part, 'Mad'moiselle' – with its campy red-headed night-doll costumes, provocative male-female interaction and eclectic modern-hip-hop-influenced style – was most surprising. Indeed, it turned out that this performance was the debut showing of the number. Chicago got a preview of the show, before it premieres in New York in the coming weeks. Que bueno!
Aside: these dancers' bodies, true to 'forma,' were delights to watch. Throughout the ballet, the company gracefully extended gorgeous legs, twisted trim torsos and flaunted knotty, pliable backs. And I was just as occupied by pondering the strength one should have to assume such controlled, attractive movements, and the wherewithal – constant wherewithal – to keep up a grin. Pretty self-possession. Y que gracioso estaba todo!
{Thanks for reading!}
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Back of House at The Weepies
Have you heard The Weepies? http://www.theweepies.com/
Last week, a very cool friend was invited to attend a Weepies show by a music-biz friend of hers, and she asked me to go along. Apparently, the band was coming to Chicago on Halloween weekend for one night of two sold-out shows. We'd be special guests.
Before I saw the indie-pop-folk Weepies play live last weekend, I'd barely listened to their music at all. Honestly, my first impression had the group pegged as whiny, overly pop-ish and somehow melancholy. The mood a person needs to blue-out to that kind of music hadn't yet hit me.
But, the company at the concert would be great, in any case. There was a rumor that Billy Corgan might make an audience cameo. Plus, I'm generally curious. I hoped to observe whatever musically-genius phenomenon in the Weepies sold out these shows.
And, gosh – there's such an appeal to live music. At the very least, music shows offer great energy, fantastic people-watching, often a very proper atmosphere for thinking. I haven't yet had a bad time watching live music. Have you?
***
Turns out the show was a treat. As we arrived, my friend's music biz connection led us to the back rooms, a cavernous, cozy loft-apartment-like setup where the stage manager observed the boards and the band readied for showtime. Each warmly-lit, hardwood-paneled room was bedecked in plush oriental rugs and velvet noise-buffering curtains, livened by rock-n-roll leather couches and zebra-patterned pillows.
In the adjacent green room, members of the Weepies chatted, chuckled and sponged on white makeup, black lipstick and long, streaky wigs in honor of Halloween. On the counter next to their half-moon leather couch were untouched platters of sandwich meats, semi-dry cheeses, wilting veggies and crackly dips.
Meanwhile, we enjoyed gourmet cupcakes my friend had brought, decadent treats ornamented with shards of gummy 'glass' and injected with vampire 'blood' in honor of Halloween. When the venue in the next room filled and the show was about to start, we were offered drinks and food on the house. We were led past hoards of standers to a reserved table with a clear view of the stage. All my senses were on highs. I felt a bit spoiled, I told my friend. She agreed.
The room went dark, but the Weepies came to the stage and received boisterous applause, and as they started to play, the whole venue lit up with energy.
After spending four years off tour so the lead duo could raise their first child, The Weepies' six-person band sounded palpably cheerful, fresh and cohesive. They crooned, told stories, joked and teased each other – all to the packed venue audience's eager delight.
The lead couple switched their folkie wooden guitars nearly every song and gave blood to their music with charming background anecdotes, the bassists amused each other with skillful riffs and string experimentation. The whole group came to the stage in Halloween costumes, and only discarded them when their long-haired wigs made it difficult to see their instruments.
The Weepies' appeal quickly became apparent. Even more impressive than their unique voices, interesting soulful twanging and impressive vocal ranges was the band's collective charisma. They had a good time, and so we had a good time. Contagious amusement, and another positive experience for this spontaneous concert-goer. Woohoo!
What's the last concert you saw? Why'd you go?
Last week, a very cool friend was invited to attend a Weepies show by a music-biz friend of hers, and she asked me to go along. Apparently, the band was coming to Chicago on Halloween weekend for one night of two sold-out shows. We'd be special guests.
Before I saw the indie-pop-folk Weepies play live last weekend, I'd barely listened to their music at all. Honestly, my first impression had the group pegged as whiny, overly pop-ish and somehow melancholy. The mood a person needs to blue-out to that kind of music hadn't yet hit me.
But, the company at the concert would be great, in any case. There was a rumor that Billy Corgan might make an audience cameo. Plus, I'm generally curious. I hoped to observe whatever musically-genius phenomenon in the Weepies sold out these shows.
And, gosh – there's such an appeal to live music. At the very least, music shows offer great energy, fantastic people-watching, often a very proper atmosphere for thinking. I haven't yet had a bad time watching live music. Have you?
***
Turns out the show was a treat. As we arrived, my friend's music biz connection led us to the back rooms, a cavernous, cozy loft-apartment-like setup where the stage manager observed the boards and the band readied for showtime. Each warmly-lit, hardwood-paneled room was bedecked in plush oriental rugs and velvet noise-buffering curtains, livened by rock-n-roll leather couches and zebra-patterned pillows.
In the adjacent green room, members of the Weepies chatted, chuckled and sponged on white makeup, black lipstick and long, streaky wigs in honor of Halloween. On the counter next to their half-moon leather couch were untouched platters of sandwich meats, semi-dry cheeses, wilting veggies and crackly dips.
Meanwhile, we enjoyed gourmet cupcakes my friend had brought, decadent treats ornamented with shards of gummy 'glass' and injected with vampire 'blood' in honor of Halloween. When the venue in the next room filled and the show was about to start, we were offered drinks and food on the house. We were led past hoards of standers to a reserved table with a clear view of the stage. All my senses were on highs. I felt a bit spoiled, I told my friend. She agreed.
The room went dark, but the Weepies came to the stage and received boisterous applause, and as they started to play, the whole venue lit up with energy.
After spending four years off tour so the lead duo could raise their first child, The Weepies' six-person band sounded palpably cheerful, fresh and cohesive. They crooned, told stories, joked and teased each other – all to the packed venue audience's eager delight.
The lead couple switched their folkie wooden guitars nearly every song and gave blood to their music with charming background anecdotes, the bassists amused each other with skillful riffs and string experimentation. The whole group came to the stage in Halloween costumes, and only discarded them when their long-haired wigs made it difficult to see their instruments.
The Weepies' appeal quickly became apparent. Even more impressive than their unique voices, interesting soulful twanging and impressive vocal ranges was the band's collective charisma. They had a good time, and so we had a good time. Contagious amusement, and another positive experience for this spontaneous concert-goer. Woohoo!
What's the last concert you saw? Why'd you go?
