Contact: Erika Castle, 719-598-5869
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., October 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- It's not every day a happily married woman slips off her wedding ring, once-and-for-all, grinning from ear to ear. But for local Orange Country resident, Jana Trabert, taking off her ring this spring was a joyous moment. Her husband, who is still very much in love with her, is thrilled with Jana's new found freedom.
"I've always said to myself that I didn't want to be ordinary. Yet here I am the most ordinary housewife in Orange County, in the middle of something extraordinary," Jana says of her experience.
Jana sold her wedding ring and donated the proceeds to local charity, With This Ring, to help drill wells in Africa. But she isn't stopping there. Since that momentous day, the Traberts no longer feel bound to their possessions—they're selling their house and simplifying their lifestyle so that they can help even more.
This fall, With This Ring is coordinating an effort so more people can experience the joy of helping others. Orange County is roughly the same size as Yendi, a region in Ghana stricken with disease due to lack of clean drinking water. "Orange County Gives Back is our chance to give from all we have, to share with our brothers and sisters in Yendi. It's a reminder that we have more wealth on one finger than most of the world's residents see their entire lives," says Ali Eastburn, founder of With This Ring. "Orange County Gives Back is a collaboration of local businesses and individuals to raise the $160,000 needed to drill 20 wells in Yendi.
Eastburn founded With This Ring in 2007 after she sold her own wedding ring. She now encourages other women to do the same. To date, 50 women have donated their rings, resulting in two completed well projects this year.
Eastburn emphasizes that a donated ring not only brings clean water to Africans, it changes the giver. That is clearly evident in Jana Trabert. Eastburn says of Trabert, "To see Jana now, you would think that she has always been a world changer. It is only when you hear her story you learn that the change has been recent."
If you'd like to donate your wedding ring and help drill a well, visit www.withthisring.org for more information. If you're a business interested in participating in Orange County Gives Back, contact Ali Eastburn at ali@withthisring.org.
