One of our core values at Blue Orchid Designs is giving back to our communities and making the world a better place. This can be an overwhelming and daunting task when you look at how much needs to be done or if you think that you need to tackle it all yourself. The key is to choose an idea or movement that resonates with your heart and focus your energy there. For example, my friend Melissa Jill is passionate about fighting Autism and participates in efforts to that end because her two adorable nephews are autistic and it hits very close to home for her. While I agree that autism issues are important, my focus partners with organizations that work with the poorest of the poor because I've spent a lot of time in developing nations and I've seen first hand the effects that debilitating poverty can have. Both causes are important, and individuals focusing on one over another doesn't diminish the validity of what each is doing. It is simply a matter of narrowing your focus so that you can accomplish more for the areas you care about seeing significant change in.

For me, one of the organizations that works in areas I am passionate about is Thirst Relief International. With World Water Day coming up on March 22nd, I wanted to share a bit about what this organization does and why they are so important. Thirst Relief International is an organization that provides clean drinking water systems to communities in developing nations. They partner with existing organizations in various locations - missionaries, non-profits, volunteer groups, etc - in order to effectively and efficiently distribute water purification methods to those who need it the most.

Clean water is not only important in that it is healthy to consume, but it helps cut down on waterborne illnesses and helps fight against Malaria and HIV/AIDS. Malaria, by the way, kills more people in Africa every year than HIV/AIDS does. Two million people die annually from lack of clean water, and 90% are children under the age of five. That's roughly 5,760 people every day or 4 people every minute. Depressing, no?

It doesn't have to be, because it is actually a very cost effective problem to battle. It simply requires that more people get involved and that we make small, yet significant changes to the way we live our lives and how we choose to spend our money. When the costs are broken down, the price of the water filters comes out to about $5 for every person it serves. So, if a person gave that amount every month, or $60 a year, that would save twelve lives. Twelve people may not seem like much compared to two million, but it is the same amount of people as the average bridal party.

For couples wanting to get involved, a simple way to do this is to donate the money you would have spent on favors to Thirst Relief instead. You can place a card on the place setting letting each guest know that a donation has been made in their name, as shown in the photo above. If that is not feasible for you, you could also opt to spend $5 less on each place setting, either by choosing a lower priced entree, less expensive table linens or by selecting less elaborate centerpieces. For couples working with Blue Orchid Designs, you can now choose to designate Thirst Relief as your organization of choice and a portion of your investment with us will be donated to them.

Click here for more information on Thirst Relief and how you can partner with them.

{photo by Kimberly Jarman}