For Goodness Sake is going to be a new column about causes, projects and people who are doing good and making a difference around the world. I feel that awareness has its part in addressing the issues in the world, but what I find to be more necessary than awareness of the issue is the awareness of the people who are already doing something about it. In May I went on a scouting trip to Thailand with a family I know that used to live there and want to move back. They have an adopted son from there, and they are passionate about working to end the exploitation of children, especially in sex trafficking in Thailand and Cambodia. While on the trip, I met people who have given their lives to this cause, yet no one knew their names, and they barely (if at all) had enough money and support to live themselves. This was a sad shock to me, yet also so encouraging to know that there are brave passionate people out there making change. I agree that awareness of the issue is a piece of the pie, but what I want to do is bring awareness to those brave people and projects already out there.

Although I know this doesn’t exactly go with all the design pieces I post on this blog, this is another aspect of what I love. And ever since hearing this quote: “Do what you love, and let others define you” and reading things like this, I have felt freed up to completely express myself. I am doing what I love, and hope it stirs something up in you.

In this first post I want to feature an organization I absolutely love, Not For Sale, and specifically about one project they have going on in Romania. You can learn all about it here, and watch the short video about it here.

NFS Romania | The Model from Not For Sale on Vimeo.

And also, check out their 2012 GLOBAL FORUM – JUSTICE FOR THE BOTTOM BILLION coming up in November!