This year hasn’t been the best for many of us.  The recession has hit hard and many are having to give and take in areas they would have never dreamed of before.  Maybe this year, you didn’t get a Mercedes and went for the Honda.  Maybe instead of a new pair of boots you wore the same ones from last year.  Personally, what I need to remember after this long, hard year (trust me if you own a retail store… you felt the pinch) is that I’m pretty darn lucky.  I have basic necessities and then some… I have food on my table, a roof over my head, clothes to wear and a car to drive.  And while, I may whine that I couldn’t get my nails done this year, like I did last… I need to remember there are many who begin working at the age of five to help feed their families, struggle to find warm clothes and have never even dreamed of owning a car.

When, Paloma Contreras of La Dolce Vita (one of my favorite blogs), approached myself and other fellow bloggers with an idea to bring attention to an organization in need… I wanted to hear more.  And what I heard was of a wonderful organization, whose ultimate goal will make this world a better place.  The fact is, basic education in many of the world’s most impoverished nations is a privilege.  Where learning your abc’s or to count to ten is considered elite and not a necessity.  Pencils of Promise is out to change this… with the help of local organizations and communities they are banning together and building schools to help the more than 75 million children who have no chance or hope of a basic education.  Last December, the Pencils of Promise team visited a small village in Laos and by July 2009, they had built a new school for the village children who started attending classes on September 1st.  This month, Pencils of Promise will be opening their third school and they hope to open the doors to education for more children in 2010.  Their goal… to put a pencil in every child’s hand… what a wonderful way to make this world a better place… by giving children the ability for self empowerment and a higher quality of life.

If you are interested in learning more about Pencils of Promise, I urge you to visit their website, watch a video, join their facebook and simply learn more.  If you have been blessed this year and have the opportunity to give… I encourage you to make a difference.  A $1 may not go far in this country, it won’t even buy you your favorite Starbucks drink… but all of us banning together and giving a $1 will make a difference for these needy children.  Heck… $35 will buy bookshelves and $100 will pay a teachers salary for three months!  So check it out and make a difference… you never know… the cure for cancer could be be in the head of one of these children!

Write more… Type less… Give more!
Lauren