For a while, I've made vague hints to my friends about ¢hange the world. I think its high time I explain it, don't you?
Okay, here it goes.
What is ¢hange the World?
It’s an idea.
Really, that’s all that it is. It’s an idea that I had when I was staring at an empty water cooler jug that was in my brother’s room, and now it’s in my room, covered in paint.
The idea behind it is simple. I want to fill it. I want to fill it and give it to charity. I want to do this repeatedly, and I want it to grow instead of burning out. I want other people to take empty water jugs and wonder “Is there something I can do with this instead of getting rid of it?”
Yes, yes there is.
The idea behind it was simple, I would fill the thing. It isn’t going to be as simple as “Hey look, I’m trying to do this… can you fill it for me?” Honestly, that’s expecting a little too much from people. Some of them would- a lot of them would. Yet I know that the easiest way to get people to give is to give them something back. Really, that’s how it works. So, “what do I have to offer?” is the next question. Well, I’ve had two things to offer for a while now.
1. I can juggle. I may not be the best, but a few tosses of the clubs or rings or spheres have caused people to donate before.
2. I can Knit. In fact, I’m in love with knitting. I love knitting, and people love that I knit. I’m not working on the World’s Longest Scarf because I hate knitting.
So, I can juggle, but that’s not going to sustain this project.
No, I realized pretty early on that knitting was going to be the main driving force for me.
But how are you going to get in on the action?
That’s the thing. ¢hange the world doesn’t have to be just me knitting, or you watching me knit, or you only learning to knit and selling those.
No.
This is about what you can do, and how you can use it.
Can you cook or bake? Find a local food pantry and get in on it, whether through donating food, or selling things that you make to raise the money for them.
Can you bartend? Work out with your friends how you can do a local fundraising night, and you get to showcase your skills.
Can you knit or crochet or weave? Then you can do amazing things. You can make hats and blankets and scarves and mittens and clothes, and you can donate them. Or, you can sell them, and donate that to charities that don’t accept knitting.
There’s a lot that we can do, all it takes is a bit of ingenuity, and a little spark.
In fact, here’s a little challenge right now.
Take your purse or bag or tote or whatever you carry with you everywhere, and turn it upside down. Take everything out. Sort out what you have in there, toss out the trash, and find the change. Take the change, and sort it into two piles. Don’t pay attention to what coins go where, just sort out the change into two piles. Now, pick up the one on the left. Look at it.
Is it that hard to split and give those coins on the left to a charity?
You know, if 100 people had change in their pockets, and gave a few coins to a charity, that’s a lot of money adding up. That’s the idea. If you see change on the ground, pick it up and put it in a donation jar somewhere.
That’s the idea behind ¢hange the world. Its collecting the bits that people rarely remember until their bag needs cleaning, and challenging them to do something greater.
We can all ¢hange the world, I know it. All it takes is one step forward from a few people, and for them to help others move one more step..
And that is why I want to fill that jar, so others can fill the jar, and so I can say “Hey- you helped do this. You helped. I bet you didn’t even know you did.”
So.. Here we go, this is what’s on the blog today.
I have a few bugs to work out, but the idea is there. Its solid. Its what I want.
So, if you’re reading this, please comment. Please message me or email and say “Yeah, I get this.”
I’m not asking for you to donate, or to help out with my own jar. I just want to know that you read this, and you thought about it, that sort of thing.
Thank you,
Kaley.
