The Butterfly's Cocoon: $12,000

$12,000 is a lot of money.

I’ve been thinking about that recently, as I've started fundraising for Mission Year.

$12,000 is A LOT of money.

$12,000 could buy 8,000 Medium Double Double coffees from Tim Hortons (That’s enough for one coffee every day for almost 22 years).

$12,000 could buy mosquito nets to give to 1,200 families at risk for malaria exposure.

$12,000 could pay for a year of classes at Bowling Green State University.

$12,000 could buy 500 Stop Traffick Fashion t-shirts and provide survivors of human trafficking with 3,000 hours of employment (375 days of work).

$12,000 is only .039% of Kobe Bryant’s 2014 salary.

$12,000 will enable me to be a part of a justice-based and community development-based year-long program called Mission Year.

* * *

Needless to say, $12,000 has been on my mind a lot recently.

$12,000 is the monetary support needed for this Mission Year journey to be a reality.

Reader, whoever you are, I want to ask: Would you consider financially supporting me in this Mission Year journey?

WAIT. WAIT. WAIT. I want to answer this question for you right now as well: Where is this monetary support going? What would I, as a financial supporter, be helping or supporting or aiding with?

You’ll be helping me live in the city that I am placed in—housing, utilities, groceries—general living expenses.

You’ll be supporting the organization I’ll be placed at—I’ll faithfully serve there four days a week. This organization will be working towards the betterment of the community.

You’ll be supporting the community I’m living in—hospitality dinners, sustainable community development work, relationships developed in the community, support for my team mates and I.

You’ll be supporting ME—resources for my spiritual and mental health, mentors being available to help me along this journey, conversations, education, learning, listening, growing.

The truth is, I need a lot of help, not just financial. If you know of organizations that support individuals doing community-based work, please let me know. If you know of someone who is desiring to give a financial donation to someone doing community work, please let me know. If you have a fundraising idea, let me know. If you want to PUT ON a fundraiser with the proceeds going to my Mission Year, let me know. If you want to help out with the fundraisers that I already have planned (or even just attend!), let me know. If you want to be a part of my monthly email list, let me know. There is so much to be done for this journey.

In early America, whole communities gathered to help each other “raise” or build their barns. This whole process, well, it truly is a barn raising.

Will you help me raise this barn?