Treehut Gives Back
How We Chose Our Giving Partner
A great way to decide where to contribute is to get crystal clear on the things you value. When we clarify our values and priorities, paint a clearer picture of what types of organizations give the greatest sense of fulfillment to us and our customers. As you know, we root everything at Treehut in family, community, and nature - exactly the way we think life should be. We need the mission of our partners to align perfectly with this. And so our search began. We contemplated ocean health, sea turtles, and planting a tree. We even asked you for your feedback and ideas.
We thought of our options: Do we want to impact local, national or international problems? Do we want to impact individuals close to home or abroad in a deep and meaningful way, or would we rather be an advocate for small changes?
We did our research: There are a lot of nonprofits out there and we want to make meaningful contributions to further a shared mission. We used many resources to test organizations, including GuideStar and Charity Navigator (where our final choice scored a perfect 100 in accountability and transparency). We asked friends and family where they gave and saw a unique impact.
We Began To Think About Time…
We talk about time a lot at Treehut because it’s so closely connected to watches and the timeless joy we bring to people as they connect. How could Treehut work with our customers to actually “buy time” for those who need it most? How can we partner with an organization that we can trust to make an impact on families around the world?
Women and children who lack access to clean water spend hours each day walking to find and collect dirty water for their families. They trek miles to distant ponds and nearly-dry river beds and often wait in line to fill a single 5-liter Jerry Can with water that might make their family sick. When your life revolves around dirty water like this, you can’t take time for granted. There’s no time for rest. No time for games. No time to be a kid.
But having access to clean water changes all of that.
Families who no longer have to walk or wait in line to collect water can spend more time growing food, earning an income, and attending school. Those extra hours turn into new opportunities. Opportunities lead to stronger futures. Stronger futures lead to less poverty.
Nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide lack access to clean water. The majority live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their families. Not only does walking for water keep children out of school or take up time that parents could use to earn money, but the water often carries diseases that can make everyone sick. However, once a community has access to water, all of that changes.
Do you still remember what time it was when you first started reading this? It was nearly 2 minutes ago. About 117 seconds. It’s fun to think about the seconds — to think that seconds matter. It’s fun that one extra second of sunlight brings us so much joy. And it’s even more fun to know that we can share that joy with someone else. We can multiply it by thousands. We can build a tap stand behind a little girl’s house so she can simply walk outside and fill her glass, and 117 seconds will be all she needs. Those seconds matter. But it’s how we choose to use those seconds that really matters most.
Thank you for joining us to end the water crisis as we proudly partner with you and charity: water. 100% of the money raised will go towards water projects -giving kids more time in class and parents more time to start businesses and shape their futures. Let’s work together to make every second count!
How You Can Help...
1. Buy a watch from the charity:water collection. 50% of the retail price goes to help charity: water provide clean water to those in need.
2. Donate directly to charity: water.
3. Get social by taking on the Weight of Water challenge. First, watch us launch the challenge Thursday 8/22 at 3:15 PM on Facebook. Then, try it for yourself. Fill a container with water (a gallon jug works great, a 5-gallon jug if you're epic), and lift it (curls, raises, squats, etc.) until you can't anymore. Trust us, it's not easy. Imagine the people who have to carry jugs of water for miles; that is the real weight of water. Challenge a friend to beat your rep count, or meet your donation.
