Why I Am Inviting You To Give to LBD Project 2016

Dear you,

 

I wanted to touch-base with you on the Little Black Dress Project 2016, something many of you have seen me do before or have joined me in.  If you aren’t familiar with it, a group of us wear the same item of clothing each day for a month in order to challenge ourselves and those around us to pay attention to major injustices that shouldn’t exist. I believe God is in the business of making all things new, and in doing the LBD Project we have the opportunity to be part of that! 

 

Believe it or not, this year was our five year anniversary! Through these years we have raised over $20,000 together. For me, this year was very retrospective. I was really able to put words to why I began this (you can read that at The Real Reason I Started the Little Black Dress Project) and why this project–doing “nothing” by creating a void–has been so important in my growth (here is the post on that specifically). In general, this year’s LBD Project was a little different for me, living in a new place, with new circles. And I was on a road trip during 1/2 of the project (let’s just say I washed the dress less than I should have).

 

I really want to say thank you to all of those who have already donated to the Little Black Dress Project 2016. So many of you have given anonymously, I have no clue who to thank! This year’s group has already raised over $6000 for various trafficking organizations. Still, we are hoping to get closer to, if not actually reaching our collective goal (which we still need $6550 to reach). This isn’t impossible though, for if all those who we knew donated $10, we’d go over our goal by far!

 

This year we are fundraising for something particularly dear to my heart. With almost five million refugees fleeing their homes, these individuals, the majority women and children, are at an extremely high risk for being trafficked in one of the world’s hot-spots for sex trafficking. Sexual exploitation is already the number one complaint of these refugee woman and over ten thousand children have already gone missing. But our featured organization this year, A21, is doing something. They set up human trafficking hotline in the region, and in the middle of our LBD Project this year, they freed 77 refugees locked in a warehouse! They are also setting up stations where refugees refill on water, do laundry/bathe, and learn how to avoid becoming trafficking victims themselves. (If you aren’t familiar with what is going on in the largest refugee crisis since WWII, I urge you to check out this post: If Syria Was the USA.)

 

This year, like every year, we limited our freedom to bring others freedom. It isn’t too late to join us by donating (or you can sign up to learn about participating next year). I invite you, challenge you, even plead with you to not look the other way when the facts become unbearable (even if it isn’t through the LBD Project 2016). What is cool is that as always, when working together (even with our $10s pooled together), we truly make a difference.

How can you give to the LBD Project?

• Donate online here.
• Give me cash in person (which I will donate for you online)
• Send a check made out to A21
• You can also choose a different anti-trafficking organization, for example, these local orgs, and let me know the amount to add to our total.

When?

 

Thank you so much for considering joining with me through the Little Black Dress Project! If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask me.

 

 

Love always,

Elisa