"Ringless in Christ!": Couples urged to donate their wedding rings. For charity.

[Bluebear]

Hmmm.


====

http://www.withthisring.org/index.html

http://www.earnedmedia.org/ec1008.htm

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., October 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- It's not every day a happily married woman slips off her wedding ring, once-and-for-all, grinning from ear to ear. But for local Orange Country resident, Jana Trabert, taking off her ring this spring was a joyous moment. Her husband, who is still very much in love with her, is thrilled with Jana's new found freedom.

"I've always said to myself that I didn't want to be ordinary. Yet here I am the most ordinary housewife in Orange County, in the middle of something extraordinary," Jana says of her experience.

Jana sold her wedding ring and donated the proceeds to local charity, With This Ring, to help drill wells in Africa. But she isn't stopping there. Since that momentous day, the Traberts no longer feel bound to their possessions—they're selling their house and simplifying their lifestyle so that they can help even more.

This fall, With This Ring is coordinating an effort so more people can experience the joy of helping others. Orange County is roughly the same size as Yendi, a region in Ghana stricken with disease due to lack of clean drinking water. "Orange County Gives Back is our chance to give from all we have, to share with our brothers and sisters in Yendi. It's a reminder that we have more wealth on one finger than most of the world's residents see their entire lives," says Ali Eastburn, founder of With This Ring. "Orange County Gives Back is a collaboration of local businesses and individuals to raise the $160,000 needed to drill 20 wells in Yendi.

Eastburn founded With This Ring in 2007 after she sold her own wedding ring. She now encourages other women to do the same. To date, 50 women have donated their rings, resulting in two completed well projects this year.

Eastburn emphasizes that a donated ring not only brings clean water to Africans, it changes the giver. That is clearly evident in Jana Trabert. Eastburn says of Trabert, "To see Jana now, you would think that she has always been a world changer. It is only when you hear her story you learn that the change has been recent."

[Dangerously Amused]

1. "we have more wealth on one finger than most of the world's residents see their entire lives"

Wow, that pointed statement really brings it home. Fabulous idea, if I had a ring I would definitely donate it!

[JCMach1]

3. I think these people could fork over the same in cash... instead, they enjoy the drama!

Hey, but whatever floats your boat... :eyes:

[ProdigalJunkMail]

5. nice job of turning a giving thing

into something negative...who are you to complain about the method by which someone donates to charity?

sP

[JCMach1]

8. Sorry, but it seems a myopic and pointlessly dramatic exercise that says

HEY, LOOK AT ME... Aren't I the shit for giving up my wedding ring... (HOW CHRISTIAN OF ME... note, I am saying that because of the background of the group)


PLZ!


Let them do it if they like..., but it's as much about them as it is about charity.


Just give money, cut out the middle-man and getting shafted by the used jewelry salesman.



It calls to mind Dicken's Mrs. Jellyby in Bleak House...

[Dangerously Amused]

10. Be sure to tell the people of Yendi that they shouldn't be quite so happy

...with their new wells and clean water, because it wasn't given to them in the proper "spirit."

[JCMach1]

11. You misunderstand what I am saying... if they are doing good work,

give them money...

It seems very silly to sell your ring for a bargain basement price to some hawker.

If you want to maintain the spirit, why not just give the amount in cash originally paid for the ring!

[sinkingfeeling]

21. So, you think everybody has a huge amount of extra cash lying around? A lot of people are

selling their belongings because they can't meet the rent or grocery bill in today's economic reality. Seems like this couple are selling their possessions to get cash to donate.

[lynnertic]

13. I'm sure they'll be grateful ...

and now I'll shut up.

[JCMach1]

14. For the full price of your ring? Most likely...

I apologize to anyone who I may have offended for my thin skin concerning gimmicks.

[lynnertic]

18. Don't get me wrong I have doubts about this charity too,

and I'm cynical about the palliative of people tossing wedding bands into a missionary's hat to fund wells in Africa.

I just didn't want to get in trouble.

[Bluebear]

20. And - bonus!- they get to cavort around the OC without that pesky wedding ring on!

[lynnertic]

9. Ali Eastburn calls the world's citizens 'residents'

I find that curious.

(edited to get name right)

[Jamastiene]

2. How inspiring. It makes me wish I had a wedding ring to donate. n/t

[Night_Nurse]

4. I'd love to donate mine...

but I had to pawn it a few months ago to pay the rent. Seriously.

[jmowreader]

6. So...what percentage are they taking off the top for "administrative fees"?

I can foresee the story on DU in six months: "With This Ring spends 90 percent of everything it takes in on administrative fees."

[Edweird]

7. Years ago one of these cults had their hooks in my sister.

She was going to sell all of her furniture to pay for some missionary trip or something. She's a single mom with two boys. I think the idea was to guilt friends and family into jump in and say "No no, don't sell your furniture, I'll GIVE you the money". She was a part of 'the disciples of christ' or something like that. Total cult. They controlled almost every aspect of her life for a few years.

[Hubert Flottz]

12. Make rich people pay their taxes like the rest of us and...

The donations that were there all those years due to the tax write off, will be there again. The wealthy didn't donate out of the goodness of their hearts, they donated because there was something in it for THEM.

[earth mom]

15. Nice idea but how much ya wanna bet the people of Yendi will be pressured to convert

to christianity? I hate how christians push their religion. Leave people the fuck alone! :grr:

[spoony]

16. .

:eyes:
Can you never give any Christian credit for doing something nice? Or just restrain from spewing presumptive hatred at them for their efforts? Some of you are like bad RW caricatures of liberals.

[earth mom]

17. Christians ALWAYS want people to convert. Look at their history-the "mission" is to go

into poor countries to help while at the same time working overtime to convert people who they consider "heathens" or "devil worshipers". :eyes:

Also-don't you DARE call me a rethug!!! :grr: I'm a liberal agnostic and christians have been trying to convert me my entire life and I'm sick of it. But at least I can say HELL NO because I'm not poor and have a voice. The poor in all these 3rd world countries have no voice, no power and will do anything to get some help which is why christians take advantage of the situation. Nothing but vultures if you ask me. Sorry if you can't handle the truth.

[spoony]

19. Yeah yeah, fire smiley, blah blah

By the way, I don't want you to convert. And maybe, just maybe, not all Christians are comic book evildoers. I know, that's crazy talk, fire smiley, blah blah.

[earth mom]

22. You are something else-you replied to my post in the first place & then act like I'm

hassling you personally.

Martyr much? :eyes: