<em style="color: #000000;">This post is my contribution to the Shot@Life <a href="http://www.shotatlife.org/blogust/"><span style="color: #000000;">Blog Relay for Good.</span></a></em>

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<span style="color: #000000;"><em>Have I ever told you that I<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic"><span style="color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;"> grew up in a developing country</span></a></span>? I saw first hand what a difference vaccines make in the lives of children. The need is real, and it's true that sometimes $20 is the difference between life and death. $20 is what it costs for one child to receive 4 life-saving vaccines: measles, pneumonia, diarrhea and polio; as hard as it is to believe, preventable <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://shotatlife.org/learn/problem/"><span style="color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;">diseases like these take the life of a child every 20 seconds</span></a></span>. But we're trying to do something about it, and you can help! </em></span>

<span style="color: #99cc00;"><em></em><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>By leaving a comment on this post, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.crowdrise.com/shotlifeblogust/fundraiser/unfoundation"><span style="color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;">making a donation if you can</span></a></span>, and spreading the word you can make a real difference. </strong></span></span>

The theme of the Blogust relay is "Comments Count." If you're a blogger I don't have to explain what this means to you. Bloggers love comments -- if we didn't, we'd be typing away alone at typewriters (uh, if we could find them) or scribbling in notebooks.

Instead, we're posting our words on the internet for the entire world to see and hopefully, react to.

Despite the stereotype, bloggers are connectors at heart.

I know that most of you don't have blogs, but I'm willing to bet that most of you are on Facebook. You know that feeling you get when someone "likes" pictures from your vacation? That's what a blog comment feels like...times 72 (give or take) because your friends on Facebook are, well, your friends. They like you already.

But blog readers? They come to be entertained, or perhaps they just find your blog randomly while googling for cookie recipes. They don't owe you anything. So when they stumble upon your blog and something you wrote inspires them to let you know a little bit about themselves...well, it makes all the difference in the world.

I don't know if you've heard, but writing can be lonely.

In fact, for me it <em>has</em> to be lonely. I make myself forget that other people are going to read my words or I'll freeze up. It's only after I hit publish that I allow myself to think of who might read my words.

When you let me know a bit about you, it makes me -- and everyone else who is reading -- feel less alone.

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This is why, when I was asked to highlight one comment or commenter that has made an impact, I couldn't think of just one person. I love it when my friends and family leave me a comment, of course, and I'm eternally grateful for my small band of consistent commenters, but I want to honor what I call the "unknown commenter": The person who doesn't have a blog and still wants to say connect.

They read. They feel. So they comment.

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Because, honestly, why should you take the time to let a stranger know you liked their words? They don't even know who you are! You have nothing to sell, no blog for them to link to. You are getting nothing in return.

And yet, you write.

You agree. You disagree. (Maybe you agree to disagree?)

And in the end, you communicate.

That's what blogging is all about.

So thank you -- to all the commenters out there.

<strong>CALL TO ACTION: Please leave a comment on this post -- it can be about anything, but if you don't know what to say, tell me about a person in your life that inspires you. </strong>

<strong>I would be so grateful if you would spread the word about this post. Every comment you leave today (and <a href="http://herbadmother.com/">tomorrow</a>, and the day after and on and on that until the end of August, COUNTS.) </strong>

<strong>Communication makes a real difference -- <strong>you can give a child a shot at life! </strong></strong>

<em><strong>If you want to learn more about <a href="http://shotatlife.org/" target="_blank">Shot@Life</a>, you can find them on  <a href="https://twitter.com/shotatlife">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shotatlifecampaign">Facebook</a>.</strong></em>
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<em><a href="http://shotatlife.org/">Shot@Life</a> is an initiative of the United Nations Foundation that educates, connects and empowers the championing of vaccines as one of the most cost-effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries.</em>

<em>During Shot@Life's Blogust, 31 bloggers, one each day in August, are writing about people from our communities who have inspired us. The first 1,500 comments in the Blogust: Blog Relay for Good raised $30,000 for childhood vaccines ($20 per comment) in a matter of days! YAAAY! The initial donation commitment (<a href="http://shotatlife.org/blogust/blogust-frequently-asked-questions.html">see FAQs</a>) is now complete and your comments have helped vaccinate <strong>1,500 children</strong> in developing countries!</em>

<em><strong>However, we are not stopping there!</strong> World-renowned photographer and Shot@Life Global Advocate <a href="http://annegeddes.com/">Anne Geddes</a> has been so inspired by the response from the blogging world that she has kicked off a new fundraising initiative on <a href="http://www.crowdrise.com/shotlifeblogust/fundraiser/unfoundation">Crowdrise.com</a> to continue helping Shot@Life raise $20 per comment! Our part is to keep commenting -- each new comment raises the target of the number of children we want to reach! You can learn more about it at <a href="http://Blogust.org/">Blogust.org</a>. </em>

<em>Since this is a relay, Blogust participants are passing the baton to the each other. Yesterday, <a href="http://socialsavvymom.com/2012/08/07/blogust-the-gift-of-the-written-word/">Tiany of Social Savvy Mom</a> wrote about the gift of comments and how the words of online friends helped her through a difficult time. Now she has passed the baton on to me, and tomorrow it's Catherine Connor's turn. Be sure to visit Her Bad Mother and leave a comment on her post tomorrow.</em>