Times are tough here in western Virginia.

You can see it in the boarded up businesses and the long lines at the employment office. In the vehicles parked in front yards with FOR SALE signs in the windshields, right next to the same sort of sign for the house. The newspapers are full of layoffs, bankruptcies, and health care worries.

Hard times, no doubt about it.

But even in these hard times there are things we take for granted, those basic necessities we can’t live without but are in such abundance we forget their importance. Things like water. I have three bathtubs in my house. Five sinks. Two spigots outside. There’s a creek running alongside our house that give me fresh mountain water for the sprinkler. Water, water everywhere.

Not everyone is so fortunate:

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Bryan Allain (I use that term loosely, since he’s a Red Sox fan) sent me an email asking if I would join with him and some other bloggers in a campaign called 30 Bloggers, 30 Days, $30,000. The goal is to raise $30,000 in 30 days. Here’s the list of fine folks Tyler Stanton and Bryan Allain have assembled:

Bryan Allain, Matt Appling, Trey Boden, Jason Boyett, Everett Bracken, Stephen Brewster, Burnside Writers Collective,  Tripp Crosby, Greg Darley, Sam Davidson, Rachel Held Evans, Evan Forester, Chad Gibbs, Susan Isaacs, Kevin Keigley, Lacey Keigley, Wes Molebash, Scott Moore, Eric Olsen, AJ Passman, Katdish, Brad Ruggles, Rob Shepherd, Jeff Shinabarger, Shawn Smucker, Tyler Stanton, Tyler Tarver, Tyler Thigpen, Karen Spears Zacharias

I’ve never asked anyone who reads my blog to dig into their pockets. Like I said above, times are tough. So what I’m going to do is provide you with the information and let your heart talk instead of me. The best part about this campaign is that all money donated will reach a specific group of needy people.  Here’s where this money will go:

• Our goal is $30,000. This provides clean water to 1,500 people (300 families, 6 entire communities).
• 100% of the money donated goes towards water projects. Private donors take care of all the overhead.
• $20 provides 1 person clean water for 20 years.
• Our money will go towards building water projects in Central African Republic.
• If you give, charity: water will keep you up-to-date with the status of your project, provide you with GPS coordinates of exactly where the well you contributed to is being built, and take pictures and video along the way.

So, how can you help?

• GIVE. $20 provides clean water for one person for 20 years! Go to the 30 Bloggers, 30 Days, $30,000 site and make a donation.
• SHARE about it on Facebook and Twitter. Follow @charitywater here.
• Blog about it.30 bloggers is simply a starting point. We would love to have more people join in and help spread the word! And if you do blog about it, please let me know so I can link back to your post.

Last but not least, here’s a bunch of cool downloads, banners and twitter backgrounds you can use. Thanks for your time.