Contact: Eric Foley, With This Ring, 719-362-5235, efoley@dotheword.org 

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Sept. 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- Some brides end up with a cubic zirconia ring by accident or because of a thrifty spouse. Orange County bride Lindsay McHenry begged her husband for one on purpose as they made their wedding plans a year ago. The move was part of several decisions she and her now husband, Scott, made to keep their wedding costs low so that they could channel as much wedding money as possible toward the digging of a clean water well in Africa through With This Ring, the same non-profit organization where Lindsay purchased the ring. After meeting the organization's founder where Lindsay works, her life was radically changed. Now, she and Scott will be the first participants in a program designed to help young couples become radically generous in their own lives.

In addition to receiving a free donated wedding ring - most containing diamonds significantly more valuable than Lindsay's cubic zirconia - couples enter into a mentoring relationship with the ring's donors and are challenged to use their wedding to raise $10,000 to dig a well in Africa. In Lindsay and Scott's case, those mentors will be Ali Eastburn, the founder and director of With This Ring, and her husband, Ken.

Prior to the launch of this program, all donated rings were being sold through online auctions with the money being used to dig wells in Africa while training Christians to become more radical in their giving. According to Eastburn, "It all seemed so transactional. While we still sell some rings through our online auctions, we wanted to find a way to make an interactive connection between the giver and recipient. This way, the process becomes very transformational for everyone involved."

Eastburn founded With This Ring in 2007 when she gave up her wedding ring to help dig a well for a village in Africa. So far, the charity has provided clean water to over 20,000 peoples.

The program will be expanded to include more couples in the Fall of 2010. Individuals interested in donating a wedding ring or signing up for consideration as future participants in the program can email Ali Eastburn at ali@withthisring.org. To help Scott and Lindsay achieve their goal of digging a well in Africa, visit www.withthisring.org/scottandlindsay.