Dressmeber update.

The last few days have been a complete roller coaster. 

I have been participating in Dressember all month long by wearing a dress every day to raise awareness and funds to do some good for the issue and injustice of human trafficking. 

I set my fundraising goal to $200. I figured I could give about $50, so I wasn't asking much from anyone else.

So I wore my dresses, posted my link, and had a couple of people donate. It was cool.

And then the local paper published an article about me doing the Dressember challenge, and the article was shared so many times. Every time I went on Facebook, another few people had shared it and tagged me in it. And I just wept with overwhelmed tears. For years I have been trying to be a voice for those who do not have a voice, and this week, I was able to be a little bit louder. And that is amazing. 

So I met my $200 goal, and decided to bump it up to $500. I could not fathom getting that much, because that's a lot of money, but I decided to just try. 

Within a few hours $500 was reached. I again was tearing up at the idea that my story had brought people to awareness and a place of movement. Isn't He soooo good?! 

Someone asked me if all of the money came in from random people that read the article. And you know what? It didn't. Almost all of it came from my For the Love sisters. They gave $5 and $100, and everything in between. They have been the best support system, and they aren't just talk. They put their money where their mouths are. The other donations were from people I did life with here, and a small number were from people I don't know well. 

But my favorite part about any of it? When people who I know well, and don't know at all, come together and give $1 or $200, it does real good, because we are united. 

I've just been so overwhelmed and blessed this week. 

I've been watching other friends that are doing Dressmeber meet goals and do goofy things to raise more money. 

Often if they raise do much money in a certain time frame, they will wear their wedding dress out in public for the whole day. I don't have a wedding dress, so I kept looking for something else. 

So if I raise $1000 by Christmas afternoon, I will take a swim in a lake, in a dress, in Michigan, in December. #polarplunge 

But seriously. This has been a blast raising awareness and money. The money goes to IJM and A21, where they are on the front lines of this issue. They are rescuing, restoring, prosecuting, and bringing justice. 

Thanks for coming on this wild ride with me. 

If you would like to give, check it out here: 

https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise?fcid=573098

If you would like to read the news article, check it out here: 

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/lifestyle/20151221/clarkston-woman-wears-dress-everyday-in-december-to-raise-awareness-of-human-trafficking

If you would like to learn more about International Justice Mission, check it out here: 

https://www.ijm.org

If you would like to learn more about A21, check it out here: 

http://www.a21.org/index.php