In college, I was third runner up for Homecoming queen during my sophomore, junior, and senior years. Third-runner up almost every year of my college career. At the beginning, it was greatly flattering because at my awesome little college in the foothills of Appalachia, Homecoming court was not about beauty and popularity, but more about the number of social circles, clubs, and organizations you involved yourself with. But by the time I was a senior and I did my ritual, third-place loser walk in the middle of the basketball court, I was pretty much done. I accepted my fate.........I would never be queen.
But alas, today, almost 20 years later, I have the chance to be queen. And you can make that happen. Pretty please? Today and today alone, I don't want to be a runner up, I want to win and I need a HUGE favor from you, regardless of where you live in the country. I need 300 of you to make a $25 gift to the little non-profit that (for some crazy reason) allows me to serve as it's executive director, the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center and I need you to do it at 8 a.m. this morning - or just as soon as you can whip that credit card out.
At precisely 8 a.m. this morning, virtually every nonprofit in central Kentucky will be vying for a $7500 match from the Good Giving Challenge (http://www.goodgivingguide.net/). Everyone I know will be bombarded with "asks" by friends, co-workers, those they've supported in the past to keep radio stations on, to renovate historical theaters, and to support operas productions. But only the first ten nonprofits to raise their own $7500 will be eligible for the match.
In case you ...are wondering what $15,000 of non-designated money can do for the BRCC, it would allow us to continue to provide trauma-informed survivor services (such as crisis counseling, long term therapy, and advocacy), but more importantly, it would help us make a dent in the structural systems that help to foster a culture of rape and violence in the first place. And if that happened, I would feel like a queen. To the BRCC, that would mean we would be able to provide:
more prevention education
more community outreach to the most vulnerable populations
trainings and education in prisons and in the military
coordinated intervention with hospitals and law enforcement
legislative advocacy for stronger laws that protect victims of dating violence and human trafficking
Things we literally have not been able to make a dent in with our dwindling resources. Are there 300 Plain Janes out there willing to turn a $25 gift into $15,000 to help eradicate sexual violence today? I've got my crown and sash ready. Here's the link to make a gift, starting at 8 a.m. today. THANK YOU.
Help turn this Plain Jane into a queen today at http://www.goodgivingguide.net/!
To learn more about this amazing organization that I am humbled to be a part of, please visit: http://bluegrassrapecrisis.org/.
Dear Mae, you should provide the direct link so donors don't have to go looking on the Good Giving Website: http://www.goodgivingguide.net/health/bluegrass-rape-crisis-center/#top
ReplyDeleteWorking on getting that donation to you guys ASAP!
Thank you so much!!!! We came in 11th, a mere seconds behind the 10th place winner. We are so humbled and grateful for all the support nevertheless. We also had the most number of donors in the state. Thank you!!!
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