What if your next get-together did a little good?

You know that friend who gets everyone together?

The one who starts the group chat, picks a date, sends the link, reminds everyone to RSVP, and somehow gets people who barely know each other to show up?

We have a proposition for them.

What if the next thing you organised could help someone get the healthcare they need?

It doesn't have to be a gala. Or a fundraiser with a committee, a budget, and seventeen emails about logistics.

Keep it simple. It could be a dinner party. A birthday party. A girls’ night. A morning run.

We tried the last one in Brooklyn.

So, what do an entrepreneur, a pole vaulter, and women's football fanatics have in common?

They showed up for a 5K to help fund someone's healthcare.

During UNGA and Climate Week in New York, our ambassador Daniel Ahmadizadeh brought people together for a morning run in Williamsburg. There were runners, walkers, friends, and people who might never have crossed paths otherwise.

The reason for getting together was simple: Feel good and do good. Fund a patient's care on Watsi at a morning run.

We ran 5K, then came together over coffee and cake (the finish line) to fully fund three-year-old Patrick's care. Patrick lives in Tanzania and was born with clubfoot in both feet. Surgery can help him walk more comfortably, run with friends, and get on with being a three-year-old.

And just like that, a morning run became something more.

Your people. Your thing.

Here's what we love about gatherings like this. Everyone brings something.

Someone has the idea. Someone makes the event page. Someone sends the invitation to twenty friends. Someone tells a friend, who tells another friend. Someone remembers to take pictures. And someone makes sure there's coffee and cake at the end.

Let Watsi be the reason to bring people together. 

Maybe your thing is a supper club. Maybe it's a birthday picnic, a book club, a virtual hang out, a weekend hike, or a very competitive bake-off. Imagine adding a patient whose care you could help fund to the mix.

Share their story. Invite your friends to chip in. Let them bring their people, too.

We’ve seen this same spirit at our London community gathering, where longtime supporters and people new to Watsi met in person, swapped ideas, and got to know each other. It’s part of what we mean when we talk about our Watsi community and people-powered philanthropy: everyone has something to bring, and everyone can play a part.

We'd love to see what you come up with!

Our Brooklyn 5K started with an invitation. It ended with Patrick's care fully funded.

Now we're curious about what our community might come up with next.

Who would you invite? What would you organise? And what could your people do together?

If you give it a go, please send us pictures. We'd love to hear how it went, meet the people who showed up, and cheer you on.

And if you'd like to see how this recent run got started, here's the original Brooklyn 5K event on Luma.

And if you’re looking for a patient whose story you could share with your friends, meet someone on Watsi. Or reach out and we can help find someone who might connect to your theme or special interests. Shoot an email or invite to connect@watsi.org. 

Here's to more reasons to get together, more people meeting each other, and more people getting the healthcare they need.

Better together, always.