Playdates

Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Playdate-that is my little sister's least favorite word in the universe. She says it is yuppie, irritating, and way overused. She may be right. If you agree with my sweet T, please pretend for a moment that you LOVE playdates and walk this walk with me....

When N and I visited India, we loved it!  We visited big cities and rural areas. The entire country is full of beauty and history, culture and pride. The other side of that world of wonder is poverty. It can't be ignored. The living conditions in some areas, the begging on the streets, and medical care. Oh the medical care...we, unfortunately, experienced rural medical care firsthand. N survived. I guess that is all that matters. Two years later though, I can still picture those children, sitting outside McDonald's (yep-India has McDonald's) begging for rupees. I can see the little boy, probably 7 years old begging me nonstop to purchase his wares. He was skin and bones, literally. If he can't afford food, he can't afford vaccinations.

The United Nations Foundation has a new campaign....Shot@Life. The campaign is a movement. A movement to protect children worldwide by providing life saving vaccines where they are needed most. India is one of those places.

A child dies every 20 seconds

Pneumonia and diarrhea are the two biggest killers of children under five, and account for more than one-third of childhood deaths worldwide.

This year, 1.7 million children will die from diseases that have all but disappeared in the U.S. Why? Because one in five children around the world do not have access to the life-saving immunizations needed to survive.

One in five children lacks access to the life-saving immunizations that help keep children in the U.S. healthy. Without vaccines, children have no protection against many deadly diseases.

Seventy-five percent of unvaccinated children live in just 10 countries. For children in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, China, Uganda, Chad and Kenya, access to vaccines mean the difference between life and death, a healthy life or a lifetime of struggle.  

It’s simple; vaccines save lives.

To spread the word and share the love, I held a playdate. Because I want children around the world to have a shot at playdates. 
I invited friends with children, friends with pets, friends with hearts, to join me at the park to learn more and PLAY! Each family made a $20 (or more!) donation to Shot@Life. Why $20? $20 vaccinates a child for LIFE! My friends at Erin Sonderman Photography volunteered to photograph the event and share the pictures (at no cost) to the families. They are awesome and as you can see, their work is amazing! 
We raised almost $500 through online donations and in person donations. We are saving 25 children. We are giving children a shot at life! Click here to make your donation! Click here to visit Shot@Life!  Click here to visit Erin Sonderman Photography! Click here to, well, I don't have any more clicks. :)

What do you want to give a child a shot at? Seriously, leave a comment..............

Shot@______________






5 comments

  1. You are doing a wonderful thing for a much deserved cause. So many diseases that we thought ( in our secure little world) were a thing of the past are rearing their ugly heads and a large part of that has been our complacence. Thank you, and I loved the video of happy HEALTHY children.

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  2. Shot@Life is a great cause and you are so right about diseases coming back! I still can't get over pneumonia and diarrhea being the two top killers. It blows my mind!

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  3. The precious video footage of kids just being innocent kids made me tear up. You're awesome, Lyssa, because every child does deserve a Shot@Life. Thank you for including us!!

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  4. The video made me cry, too. I couldn't help but think, wow, they are only little for a little while! I'll keep you posted on Shot@Life! Thank you again for being part of it!

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  5. It is very heart touching information I know these diseases I read any where it is true information I really sad that after knowing that figure is in million.

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Thank you for your comments. Words matter. :)

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