Catch-up

Whoa! Scary how fast time flies when you are actually studying for your classes and not hectically planning your fundraising charity adventure 9,000 miles away!

Since last week's episode:

I was able to contact The Water Project, Water.org, and the Dig Deep Challenge (a really cool organization located in England - fun note, they have a group of Harvard students working on a similar project. The representative suggested I do a quick drive over to their campus to talk to them about their progress. Upon telling her it would be a 16 hour drive, she said, "Boy, you just can't go anywhere in the states!")

A representative from The Water Project (Rhys Searles) really wowed me with his help. We talked for an hour after I got out from my independent study lab and he couldn't have been more enthralled and supportive. Thanks Rhys!! Also, the rep. from Water.org (a company founded through the Skoll Foundation) was extremely excited for me, as well, and linked me to some additional contacts.

What I am finding -- SO many groups, in addition to Charity: Water, are enthusiastic about getting my project out there! I have a lot to consider before my tentative fundraising start-date of March 16th but will definitely continue to gauge organization's interest into my final consideration on who to give my donations.

I received my package of climbing gear from Patagonia!! I have yet to open it (seeing that it sent to my home instead of school) but I am grateful for their support. REI was not able to help me but linked me to a water purification company that supplies their stores. I will be emailing them soon.

Finally, Upper Limits Rock Gym here in Bloomington was able to give me a bunch of free passes for use in my fundraiser! Be prepared to see those go quickly! Soon I will be contacting other local businesses for more incentives!

Before I sign off and get back to my day of Organic Chemistry and Earth System Science notes, I figured I'd provide a very fitting cross-curricular joke I heard from one of my professors:

Two men walk into a bar. The first orders H2O.

The bartender asks the second man, "Anything for you?"

The second man: "That sounds good! I'll have H20 too!"

He died.

Thankfully, the second man's death allowed legislators to springboard into a new push for policy prohibiting bars from offering H202 (hydrogen peroxide).

Peace, Water, Climbing, and precise bar orders,

Chris