Sun Nov 22 2009
A few weeks ago, Wauseon resident Vic Cales had a meeting in Toledo. Instead of taking State Route 2 with several stoplights along the way, he opted for the convenience (and small toll) of the Ohio Turnpike.
"I also stopped and spent two dollars for a coffee that day," he said. "I thought of how many times I spend a dollar on things that really aren't important."
Later he shared these thoughts with the youth group at Oasis Christian Fellowship, where he serves as pastor. They concluded that even one dollar could make a difference in this world.
These same kids are now raising money through a faith-based non-profit organization called Life Outreach International Ministries. This ministry utilizes portable drilling rigs to dig wells up to 1,000 feet deep in even the most remote areas of Africa, Asia and South America to provide much needed clean drinking water to small towns and villages.
"Thousands are dying worldwide simply because they drink unclean water," said Cales.
For every $4,800 in donations, Life Outreach International Ministries can drill a well that provides enough village water not just for a day, but for a lifetime.
"I often get e-mails from people who want me to pass them on. Many of those e-mails get circulated for years," Cales related in an e-mail of his own. "Let me ask you to consider this: What if you sent us a dollar to help build a water well and then forwarded this e-mail to your friends? What do you think would happen?
"If everyone who received this e-mail sent a dollar and passed it on for years, how many water wells do you think we could help build? How many lives would be saved?
"Ever save someone's life before?" he added. "Ever really thought about what just one dollar could do when people are united?"
The "dollar project" got the attention of Oasis Christian Fellowship senior pastor Louie Weber, who immediately embraced the effort.
"Our student ministry has been lit up by this opportunity believing they can save lives, which they can," said Weber.
Cales acknowledged that members of the public (including readers of this column) might view this as a scam.
"I want people to consider the risks," he said. "You are risking a stamp and a dollar bill. This little church at 400 Enterprise Ave. in Wauseon may not even exist.
"Or," continued Cales, "if enough people get a little crazy and risk a stamp and a buck, thousands of lives can be saved."
Readers who feel so inclined may mail their dollar bills to Oasis Christian Fellowship, c/o Vic Cales-Water Wells, 400 Enterprise Ave., Wauseon, OH 43567.
They may also pass this on to their friends and take a risk at being a hero.
"If you send a dollar, God will love you," said Cales. "If you don't, God will still love you."
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Sunday suggestion: If you are looking for somewhere fun for lunch today after a short country drive, check out the Apple Dumpling Festival at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 710 Joe E. Brown Ave. in Holgate (across from the new Holgate school). The menu (free-will offering) includes chicken sandwiches, baked beans, macaroni salad, relishes, chips, apple crisp and apple dumplings with ice cream and beverages. Carry-outs are available and the church is handicapped accessible.
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Joke of the Week: A man wearing an Ohio State shirt at an area watering hole says to the guy next to him, "Want to hear a great Michigan joke?"
The guy next to him replies, "Before you tell that joke, you should know something. I'm 6-3 and weigh 245 pounds, and I'm a Michigan grad. The guy sitting next to me is 6-4, 265 pounds, and he's a Michigan grad. The guy next to him is 6-6, weighs 275, and he's a Michigan graduate, too. Now, do you still want to tell that joke?"
The first guy replies, "Not if I'm going have to explain it three times."
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