Update September 20, 2017: Yesterday, Mexico was hit by another deadly quake, and I watched as this beautiful town crumbled around me. It was scary and traumatic, but I was one of the lucky ones: I was physically safe and my apartment was undamaged.
Not everyone was so lucky. I saw people pulled out of rubble and homes collapsed around me. As death tolls rise to over 250 – including a school full of children – and homes are left in complete ruins, I weep and ache for this beautiful town and it’s wonderful inhabitants.
I’ve added resources to help Mexico City at the bottom of this post. Please donate if you can, every little bit helps.
Someone was shaking me awake, but when I opened my eyes no one was there. The room was spinning and moving. People were shouting in the streets. My landlord was yelling for me to get outside. An earthquake was happening.
I grew up in Southern California, I’m no stranger to earthquakes, but this one was big and long and everything is scarier in a foreign country. 8.2 my phone was saying. 8.2! Plus tsunami waves 10 feet high!
As reports come in from Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guatemala of dozens dead and thousands of homes destroyed, I selfishly thank whatever is out there that I decided to come here to Mexico City instead of my original plan for Oaxaca.
One decision. One hundred miles. One giant bit of luck. That’s all that kept me from being right there in the depths of this natural disaster.
I’d become numb to these stories on the news, every day it seemed like things were getting worse. Being off social media has helped, I get my news from trusted sources now, but I was still becoming desensitized.
There were hurricanes and fires, deportations and the taking away of rights. It was all too much.
I didn’t know where to help so I quit helping. Worse than that, I quit believing that my help was doing any good.
But this morning when I lay in bed, unable to sleep as wave after wave of aftershocks rolled through town, I became determined to not only do something myself, but to encourage you all to do something as well.
Donate your time or money during the month of September and I’ll give you one of my programs for free!
- Donate any amount of time or money –> get a post card from me from Mexico City (priceless 🙂 )
- Donate $200 or 5 hours –> get my Journal Through It course ($300 value)
- Donate $500 or 15 hours –> get a year of my Group Coaching + Accountability Program ($1188 value)
- Donate $1000 or 30 hours – get my upcoming Make Writing Your Business™ intensive course ($2000 value)
To redeem, simply email info@laurenmariefleming.com a photo of your receipt or a photo a you volunteering and let me know what you gave.*
Not sure where to donate? Check out these orgs:
- National Center for Lesbian Rights – a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. (I interned with them in law school – great people doing important work.)
- Southern Poverty Law Center – dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society.
- United We Dream – the first and largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation.
- Houston Food Bank – helping feed people displaced by Hurricane Harvey.
- Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots – serves children living in poverty in Oaxaca, Mexico who do not have access to an education, they also provide two meals a day, medical treatment, tutoring and art classes at their facility. They’ll help homeless kids during this time of rebuilding. (I volunteered with them years ago and sponsor a kid through them.)
- Brigada de Rescate Topos – Los Topos members are trained to go into collapsed buildings to rescue for survivors, and they’ll need help securing their own food, water, and shelter in the coming weeks. PayPal them at donativos@brigada-rescate-topos.org.
Or maybe get certified with the Red Cross so you can be on the ground helping the next disaster?
Whatever you do – do something! $5 or $5000, one hour or once a wee, it all adds up.
Because we’re all just one decision, one hundred miles, one giant bit of luck away from being the next person who needs help.
With love and light to you and everyone affected by these disasters,
Lauren
P.S. Feel free to share this with a friend and encourage them to help out as well.
Click to tweet, share on Facebook, or forward this email to them.
* This offer expires at 12:01am on October 1, 2017.