Being 40: Women Helping Women

I didn't have to turn 40 to udnerstand that life is not just about me. I understand that my world is better thanks to the people around me. And I know that by giving to others, we essentially give to ourselves.

From May 16-20, I'll put myself in a MOTHER'S shoes. I will LIVE Below the Line & raise money for an organization called CARE. The following information was pulled from the LIVE BELOW THE LINE website to help you understand what this effort is all about. If you'd like to support this effort & my week of living below the line, go here: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1124022&langPref=en-CA


"Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting poverty in more than 70 countries around the world. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve education, health and economic opportunity. Of the world's 1 billion poorest people, 70% are women and girls. With such a large portion of the population struggling, CARE sees immense opportunity to empower women to contribute to their communities.


Live Below the Line is a fundraising campaign started in Australia in 2010, the movement quickly spread across 3 continents and is now catching on in the US. 1.4 BILLION people are forced to live every day on $1.50. Food, drink, health expenses, housing, transportation, education - all living costs must be covered by this amount. It's a feat impossible to imagine - but it's the reality for nearly one quarter of the world's population. The good news is we can effect change in this area.
May 16 – 20, 2011, is Live Below the Line Week. During those 5 days, thousands of people across the US will spend just $1.50 per day on food. In doing so, they will bring the issue of extreme poverty to the attention of their households and workplaces.

We'll all be challenged. We'll all struggle without caffeine. And we'll all have that not-quite-full feeling for 5 days. But we will do so because there are 1.4 billion people for whom doing without is not a choice, and that situation must change.