We want your doodles!

Dave here, and most of you know I work with an organization called My Homeland Watanili that provides learning and art therapy for refugee children living in poverty on the southern border of Turkey. Usually I'm off climbing mountains to help fund our various programs, but this year I'm giving you a challenge 😁.

The Summer "Doodle for Dreams" Challenge is about bringing us all together through silly scribbles, while making a difference in the lives of children in need.

Will you accept the challenge?

1. Register by making a donation of any amount. Your donation will directly fund the Learning Center in Reyhanli, Turkey, covering supplies, rent, and teachers' salaries for two months.

2. Make a doodle on the theme of dreams (yours, someone else's, silly, abstract however you want to go with it!). 3. Share it with us. Take a close, clear picture of it, then do one or all of the following: a) post it right here as a comment, b) message it to me on Instagram or Facebook c) post it to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #DoodlesForDreams (this is the option that will get the most reach).

3. Once you have done that, I will share it out on my Instagram and Facebook.

4. Keep a watch on the #DoodlesForDreams hashtag or my social pages. If you decide to share out any new doodles that get posted, it could help this fundraiser reach a little bit beyond my friends and family!

5. Please consider mailing me your doodles so I can include them in the Doodle Art Exhibition and Auction we will hold at the end of summer.

Why We Want Your Doodles

The ongoing conflict in Syria has left millions of children displaced and in need of support. Myhomeland Watanili runs a learning center in Reyhanli, Turkey, that provides displaced children in Turkey a place to go, grow and heal, particularly through therapeutic art programs.

I had the opportunity to lead one of these programs a few years ago. Let me tell you, there are some serious doodles coming out of this place! Here's a picture Hasna (in the wheelchair) did of the learning center and the kids.I believe with all my heart that investing in these precious kids should be a priority, that they may know they are not alone and that they are loved.

I hope you take some time to learn more about the various projects of MyHomeland Watanili, here on Instagram.

When you join the doodle challenge, your donation will go to help this important organization complete it's registration as a legal entity in Turkey. For $2,000 the team on the ground there can submit the paperwork required for registration.

By asking for your doodles, we're aligning with our organization's belief that art not only heals, it brings us together. By submitting your doodle, no matter how silly it is, you are making the world a more loving and joyful place to be!

That's not all!

If you registered and if you send me your mailing address, I will send you a snail mail letter with a personalized doodle. So please, please send me your snail mail address!

How the Funds Will Be Used

As usual, at conclusion of fundraiser, all funds will be wire transferred directly to my friend and organization founder, Yara Tlass. All funds will be used to fund the Learning Center in Reyhanli for two months. This includes supplies, rent, and teachers' salaries.

Whether you join the challenge or not, I want to thank you for your time and consideration in reading and sharing this effort.

"You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop." – Rumi