BwoB: Help for Joplin MO

Bloggers with out Borders (BwoB) is a blogger-based charity whose mission is to help people- bloggers and readers alike- by harnessing the good will of the blogging community. Its founders are Maggy Keet of ThreeManyCooks, Erica Pineda-Ghanny of The Ivory Hut, and Aimee Wimbush-Bourque of Simple Bites. BwoB officially launches in July 2011.

Sunday a half-mile wide tornado ripped through the town of Joplin MO. and flattened much of the town and smacked directly into the city hospital, it left many homeless, and mourning the loss of loved ones. My family being one of them. My Great Aunt was killed when the nursing home she was living in was flattened. My Uncle was visiting her but somehow survived, he was released from the hospital today. My cousin, their daughter, was buried under rubble after being thrown from her car during the tornado, and is very banged up and bruised. Luckily their homes were spared, but many homes were not. Some have lost all they have including loved ones. Today the death toll rose to 116.

Photo Credit: Photo Gallery - World - IBNLive

While checking my Facebook Monday morning I saw the status that Kristen of Dine and Dish has posted to her page. I was SHOCKED. I had family there! I couldn't believe the horrific pictures. I called my mom, and this started the chain of phone calls that led to us finally finding out the full extent of the devastation of Joplin MO., where my extended family lives.

I was numb. What could I do? How could I help. I realized the most important thing I could do was to pray. I prayed, alot. I also put a request prayers from my Twitter and Facebook friends. The response was overwhelming, my prayers where answered, in the form of an email, I received on Tuesday, from Maggy from Three Many Cooks. She offered the assistance of Bloggers without Borders (explained above) to raise money for my family and those in need in the city of Joplin Wow really?! How could I say no? I said, yes of course, I would get the money there and let everyone know who it went to and how it helped.

Wham BAM kaZAM! Before I knew it all three of these lovely, talented, very busy ladies had a blog post up on their websites and were collecting funds for me to distribute to the people, organizations and/or local efforts that need help in Joplin. I was so overcome with gratitude that I started to blubber like a baby. Snot everywhere. It was not pretty. But it was a happy cry...a thankful bawl....a joyful sob, very thankful for the way my itty bitty blog has brought so many incredible people into my life.

So now I am asking you...my readers, friends, and family to make donations to Bloggers without Borders. No amount is too small! And it's super easy to donate.

You just need to:

1. click on one of the three links below

2. click on the donate button

Three Many Cooks

Simple bites

Ivory Hut

Voila! That's all there is to it.

I want to thank you in advance for trusting me and the three bloggers above with your hard earned money. I promise that it will be put to good use for those in need, as a result of the devastation from the tornado, in Joplin, MO., on Sunday, May 22nd.

Again, your prayers and generosity have blown me and my family away!

Thank you for your support!