ABSTRACT
In Miami, I sought to understand why people participate in a running event for a water charity. To me, the water charity does not work without the donors, so I wanted to know what made people attach themselves to a particular water charity and why water charity. Three distinct themes emerged: 1. embodied philanthropy, 2. embodied internalization of the cause, and 3. religiosity and international philanthropy. Theme three is divided into two sub-themes concerning (3a) religious systems of consumer ethics and global citizenship and (3b) participants as conduits for their religion. These themes developed as distinct responses for how individuals connect to an international cause unrelated to their everyday lives and show how a Christian water charity connects water poverty with the values of current and potential fundraisers. This chapter helps inform the remainder of the work with other charities, and it allowed me to formulate ideas as I trained for the half marathon in Vancouver.
