I Salute Karyn Kohl
UPDATE:
This post originally appeared in April of this year. I received this e-mail from Karyn this morning;
Hi Ron - Just wanted to pass this along in case you haven’t gotten any info about it…. I am in Kenya right now, and I am posting updates of progress we are making bringing clean water to the largest slum in the world.
-Karyn
You can see the latest by clicking right here. I continue to salute her for efforts and dedication toward this amazing project. Go Karyn Go!
—————————————————————
Water Does Wonders
April 9, 2008: Jerry and Teri Kohl were very proud of the inspiring heart warming message that daughter Karyn delivered to the 135 Brighton managers on their final day of the Maui retreat.
People Dying
Karyn showed a slide and film presentation that made us all aware of some facts easy to ignore. Facts like children dying every 15 seconds in Africa as a result of drinking dirty water. The fact that the average American uses 150 gallons of clean water a day, while people in Kenya struggle to get 5 dirty gallons of dirty water to stay alive. We use half that much just to flush a toilet. Karyn showed us pictures of these people and what they go through to get water none of us would drink on a bet. You have to see it to believe it.
Imagine Giving This to YOUR Baby!
Karyn gave me a disc with the photos like this one, and as soon as I can figure out how to shrink them down to a size suitable for this Blog I will post them.
In the meantime you can click HERE to see Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly give you a glimpse of what it would be like in our country if we had to live this way.
Brighton to the Rescue
The answer is drilling deep enough to tap into a supply of fresh, clean drinking water. The technology exists; all that’s needed is money; about $50,000 per well. Brighton is known for giving away bottles of water in their stores, but from June 27 to July 27 it will be Brighton Charity Water and the price will be $20 with 100% of it going to well digging in Kenya.
Jerry has set a goal to dig water wells at 10 hospitals in Kenya, currently drinking dirty water. He has come out with Water. Brighton T-Shirts that you can buy.
Kazuri Beads from Kenya
While in Kenya recently the Kohl family came across a small factory making Kazuri Beads by hand.
Brighton Kazuri Bead Jewelry
Being the creative, generous guy he is, Jerry is introducing a line of Brighton Kazuri Bead jewelry to sell in the stores.
And to make it even more exiting, Jerry announced that the store managers who raise the most money through the sale of these things and donations will be sent to Kenya to watch the drilling of a well at one if the hospitals. What a great way to end a great week.
Food For Thought
Another interesting fact that Karyn gave is that it takes 2,900 gallons of water to grow enough cattle feed to make ONE HAMBURGER!!! Think about that the next time you drive by Mc Donald’s.
April 10th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Testing from elsewhere:
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6619/picture1wh2.jpg
April 10th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Wow - I didn’t think I could respect the Kohls more than I already did, but now I do. What a great thing they are doing! They are always giving back… and so great to work for.
Since I have family and friends in the water well business, this is something I have been following with interest. I will be sure to spread the word on what Brighton is doing (just wish I had a local Brighton store).
If Jerry is interested, ITT Industries (one of the leading pump manufactures) has donated pumps and other equipment for wells and they might for the ones we plans to have drilled.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
For more info about charity : water please visit their website : http://www.charitywater.org
Watch one of my favorite videos here: http://www.charitywater.org/wwd/
Scott Harrison, the founder of charity : water, and his staff are amazing! They are the real deal - passionate, smart, creative and determined to bring an end to world poverty. I am thrilled to support them in their efforts - and I hope that many of our customers, employees and friends will be as enthusiastic as I am.
There is a world water crisis going on!!
1.1 BILLION people lack access to clean, safe drinking water. That is about 1 in 6 people….
Water-related diseases are the leading cause of death in the world, taking about 6,000 lives each day. That is more than all forms of violence, even war!
5 MILLION deaths each year are due to water-related diseases.
Every 15 SECONDS a child dies from a water-related disease. 4,500 children will die today from a water-related disease.
These are startling statistics…. Together we can be the change that we wish to see in the world. Join me in being a part of the solution!
Keep an eye out for upcoming Brighton promotions — this particular one will start at the end of June. I am so proud of our corporate giving program and so thankful to all of our dedicated employees and customers that have supported our many efforts.
Thanks so much Ron for posting this and for your support! It was great to see you - and I wish you all the best.
April 13th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Ron,
Thank you so much for blogging about this important cause. I was blown away by the video Karyn showed us Wednesday and I know that even a little effort on our part will have the biggest impact on so many others. I can’t wait to get started selling the water bottles and soon the Kazuri beads.
My store is in Houston, TX in Highland Village, and if any of your readers out there, like Tammy, don’t have a Brighton store close by please have them just email me and I’ll make sure they can help contribute to the fundraising efforts. highlandvillage@brightoncollectibles.com
Thanks again, and it was great seeing you again and I really enjoyed our dinner at Lahaina Grill!
September 1st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
WOW!!!
Kenya is really indebted to you for this, and we are indebted to Kenya for Barack Obama.
September 6th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
We continue to be so proud of Karyn and the entire team at Brighton for all of the hard work and generosity shown here.
Go Girl!