FundRaising Malawi

RMAG - It's happening!

2009-10-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

I logged on to my Yahoo! page tonight and noticed Malawi is #5 of the current most popular searches, after Pumpkin Carving Patterns (#1) and Kim Kardashian (#3).

I do believe it's because Madonna will be in Malawi next week for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls (RMAG).

As a probono project, Ogilvy, the agency where I work, helped them develop their new brand identity/logo. I can't share till I'm sure it's public, but I can barely wait for the big reveal! The Academy is such a huge, inspired concept (gender equality and women's empowerment) and I'm so happy to be connected with it in some way.

And at long last, we're finally breaking ground!

The school will be on the outskirts of Lilongwe. It will admit deserving girls from all the main districts and prepare them for careers in medicine, education or law.

Educate and empower a girl and she brings what she's learned back to her village to help change the order of things - break negative cycles once and for all. It's a proven fact. And in Malawi, we're on track to end extreme poverty once and for all!

To anyone who's donated to my fundraising effort thus far, you're a part of this as well and I thank you.

Thanks to the 1,940 people who helped me raise $2,162 against my goal

2009-06-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

Given the economy and state of my friends' wallets right now, I've been looking into more innovative fundraising ideas.

For a few years, I've been following Scott Harrison (charity:water). He's leading a great cause to get clean water wells drilled throughout Africa. I love his cause and have donated to it. I also couldn't help but notice that he's wildly successful at fundraising. Doesn't hurt to be backed by Saks Fifth Ave, for sure. So, in trying to learn from him, I followed him to a new social networking site where all you have to do is choose an advertising sponsor and post their badge onto your blog or Facebook page or other social network. By doing this simple thing (and inspiring others to follow), Scott was able to raise close to $50,000. Scott, honey, I love you but I have a big goal too and wanted to get in on the action.

So I called Raising Malawi and told them about this site. We had a conversation with the very cool, forward-looking people at Social Vibe. They so get it! This is how advertising will work in the future.

And here we are with our first campaign. So far, 1,940 people have chosen "Raising Malawi" as their charity. As a result of their clicks, we raised $2,162, which will help seven children living at the Home of Hope orphanage with food, clothing, education and medical care.

Julia Silka invites you to SocialVibe.com

We're starting a new campaign now. So, lots more we can be doing. Please follow this link and join Social Vibe. This will give me 100 extra points toward Raising Malawi. And you can start earning too. Simply choose Raising Malawi as your featured Charity and pick any of a variety of cool sponsors to help you promote it. I went with TNT, because they give me x5 points to my charity for every click from my blog :)

Click away, and thanks to our sponsors for the charity dollars!

As of 6/16/09, we've raised a total of
$48,972.68
+ 2,162.00 (Social Vibe Home of Hope Campaign)
---------
$51,134.68

Inventing like Ben Franklin (How One $100 Donation Got Me Thinking)

2009-04-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't done much fundraising lately because I've been focusing my time on helping Raising Malawi come up with a campaign to promote (and raise funds) for their new Academy for Girls that will open next year in Malawi.

I didn't mean to stop my fundraising efforts. I slowed down because it's very time consuming and I think I suck at it. But in truth, I kind of don't. I'm pretty good at it, actually. Look, I've raised $48,972.68 so far without ever having done fundraising before in my life. That almost-$49K is from just me out there, shaking a cup under people's noses over the past three years. During that time, I learned a lot about what works and what doesn't; who gives and who never will.

Seems to me everything in life is a sales pitch. And whatever it is you're selling, you'll find you're in one of two possible conversations. Either -

1) Enrollment conversation (sharing, inspiring, lighting people up by what's possible) or

2) Registration conversation (closing the deal, selling the thing, getting a commitment)

The people who suck at sales suck because they don't know which conversation they're having (or need to be having) when they're having it and/or they don't 100 percent believe in what they're selling. They move into the registration conversation before the person is enrolled (so, answer will be 'no thanks') or they spend their whole time in enrollment and never get to registration because they're afraid of it.

I learned the difference, practiced and mastered the distinctions over my three-plus years of training in the Introduction Leader Program at Landmark Education. I am equally comfortable in both conversations. And good at them, so long as I truly believe what I'm selling, promoting, representing, supporting, whatever. My mentor Joan McNeil, registration manager in Landmark's NY office, used to call me "Animal Girl" because I registered so many people in the Landmark Forum. I just believed in it. It saved my life, got me out of my own way and helped me fast-track my goals. I wanted to share it. Enrollment and registration came very easily to me.

Same thing too with Raising Malawi. I'm not out to convince anybody of anything. Just enroll. And register participation in a movement via a show of dollars raised.

This whole fundraising goal of mine is another way for me to practice those conversations. I am selling the possibility of a better future for Malawi, Africa and the world. I am educating myself about important world issues and growing a heart in the process. It's very rewarding, although granted at times frustrating on the long, seemingly never-ending road to my goal.

What I notice is that now, in this crap economy, enrollment is really tough. People are quick to turn off their listening. If they don't hear about it, they don't have to do anything about it. And if they do hear about it, it's remarkable to me how quickly people can come up with a litany of reasons not to donate or help in any way. They actually refuse to be enrolled, much preferring the sick comforts of a conversation of no-possibility. As a general rule, most people don't come from a place (consciousness) of abundance. So, I'm learning that. People hang on to fear and come from a place of scarcity. It's sad. I really want to smack them in the head. If only that would work.

Anyway, I think I need to move my conversations to the "registration" type more quickly now. Just yesterday, I got a $100 donation that I wasn't expecting, but I only got it because I asked.

My ex-colleague just reached out to pick my brain on a research project I designed a few years back. I shared a little info and he asked if he could buy me a drink or send me a gift certificate for dinner for two to thank me. Of course I would help a friend with no expectation of reward, but I thought, heck, dinner for two in LA can feed 20 little kids in Malawi. So I asked him to make a donation, which he said he would be DELIGHTED (all caps) to do. And he did it right away. (Thank you very much, Dirk H!)

That's the cool thing. It's actually not all that hard to do fundraising. It's really just about knowing when to ask and then..... and this is the most important thing I've learned.... asking.

The latest $100 donation brings up the total raised to date to $48,972.68. Is there anyone out there reading this right now (who is already enrolled/inspired to help orphans survive and thrive) who will round this number up to $50,000? The link to the Raising Malawi donation page is in the header of my blog. You'd be the coolest in my book and a hero to those kids. Please help if you can. And FYI, you can.

Meantime, I'm going to re-look at my financial situation to see if I can grow my cash position so I can donate more myself. I come from a place of abundance, after all.

I Am Because We Are (Madonna's Documentary)

2009-03-26T22:17:00.001-07:00

Please click my Social Vibe profile so I get points for $ for Raising Malawi

2009-03-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

Raising Malawi wins MySpace Impact Award!

2009-01-27T03:17:00.000-08:00

MySpace users worldwide have made a real difference by helping Raising Malawi to earn this month’s Myspace Impact Award.

The Impact Award honors organizations that are making a positive impact in the world. Raising Malawi was nominated for its work to eliminate poverty and empower vulnerable children in the impoverished nation of Malawi.

As this month’s winner, Raising Malawi receives a $10,000 grant to be put toward improving the health and education of Malawi’s kids. In a nation where every penny truly counts, this money will do a great deal of good.

The Impact Award also means invaluable publicity for Raising Malawi and its partner organizations. Now millions of people worldwide will learn of Malawi’s plight and what they can do to help.

Madonna and Raising Malawi would like to thank all the MySpace users who voted for Raising Malawi and helped to spread the word about the important work of this remarkable organization. With the unified support of dedicated volunteers worldwide, there’s no limit to the impact we can make.

An Easy Way to Help Raise $10K for Raising Malawi by Jan 26. Please Vote!

2009-01-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

Visit http://www.myspace.com/impactawards and vote every day till 1/26 for Raising Malawi to win a $10K grant! Please let me know you voted by commenting on this post. If I help to generate enough votes, I can count this win toward my $101K goal. Please vote! It can make a real difference in the lives of impoverished children. So once again:

Go to myspace.com/impactawards

Vote for Raising Malawi today and every day thru January 26.

On a side note, I think the IMPACT awards is a cool campaign - your vote being as impactful as a dollar. Then again, social currency may be deemed even more valuable these days. December's winner, PostSecret, is one of my all-time favorites. They donated their winnings to a very terrific cause. From the Founder:

PostSecret is a collection of over 250,000 artful secrets mailed from around the world to my home on postcards. I share this collection with people on the web, in the four best-selling books and through traveling PostSecret Events at college campuses. I believe that we all have secrets and by sharing our deepest secrets, the ones that hide from us, we are able to find healing for ourselves and serve our communities. This year PostSecret has helped raise over $500,000 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1(800)SUICIDE. - (J. Silka's postcard would say, "I called it in 1985") - I am honored that PostSecret has won the MySpace IMPACT award, and having worked as a volunteer for HopeLine in the past, I am happy to announce that the entire $10,000 prize will go to HopeLine for being there for the MySpace community, and all of us. - Frank Warren, Founder, Post Secret

PostSecret - PostSecret - Happy Holidays?

"How Much is Enough?" is a crap question

2009-01-04T03:47:00.000-08:00

You know that scene in Schindler's List where Schindler (Liam Neeson) comes to realize that he could've saved more lives (even just one) had he traded a small pin off his lapel or had one more conversation to bribe the SS? It's when ex-prisoners present him with a letter explaining he is not a criminal to them and give him a ring they secretly made from a worker's golden teeth fillings, which they engraved with the Talmudic quote, "He who saves the life of one man, saves the world entire." Schindler is touched, but deeply ashamed, feeling he could have done so much more.

I feel that way at the beginning of every year. I have so much to give. So, do I give enough? Because I find myself asking, the answer must be no.

Why I Give (by Bill Clinton)

I read Bill Clinton's book, "Giving" last year and really appreciated this story of Oseola McCarty, which he touches on in this video. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

With the assistance of a local attorney (for whom she had done laundry) and the bank's trust officer, using slips of paper and dimes (to represent 10% shares), McCarty set out the future distribution of her estate. She set aside one dime (10%) for her church, one dime (10%) each for three relatives, and the remaining six dimes (60%) for Southern Miss. She stipulated that the funds should be used for students, preferably those of African-American descent, who could not otherwise attend due to financial hardship. When news of McCarty's plan was made public, local leaders immediately funded an endowment in her honor. She signed an irrevocable trust, allowing the bank to manage her funds, from which she received a regular check.

What great irony to be able to give so much of what she never had herself (education). What an inspiration. I'd like to see your generocity, Ms. McCarty and raise you one. My resolution is to have more this year so I'll have more to give away. Come on....seven!

Un projet beau et tellement utile que l´on se doit d´accomplir

2008-12-29T03:46:00.000-08:00

"A project so beautiful and useful it must be completed."

Project Raising Malawi to be continued. It's my new year's resolution to hit my goal once and for all.

Measure of success: By 12/25/09 I will have raised $101K for the orphans and vulnerable children of Malawi.

If you want to help, don't forget, you can order Kristen Ashburn's companion photobook to the documentary, "I Am Because We Are." It costs $50. Kristen is donating her portion ($25/book) to Raising Malawi. If I somehow put it on your radar and you end up buying one, please let me know so I can count it towards my goal.

https://www.powerhousebooks.com/IAmBecauseWeAre/

End of year note from Exec Director at Raising Malawi

2008-12-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

In the spirit of the season of sharing, I wish you Happy Holidays from Raising Malawi.

I believe that there is no greater evidence of the existence of miracles than in the hard work and selfless dedication of our partners, donors, staff and volunteers who give so much to Malawi ’s most vulnerable. Of course, we receive the greater gift in return: the gratitude of a Malawian mother, the smile on the face of an empowered child, the real possibility of peace and prosperity in the developing world. These are the things to be cherished.

2008 has been a remarkable year for our organization and for the children we serve, and we are already working to make 2009 even more successful. Here is a summary of some of the projects we undertook these past twelve months.

Spreading the message: Raising awareness.

The year got off to a glittering start in 2008 when Raising Malawi co-founder Madonna and luxury goods maker Gucci co-hosted A Night to Benefit Raising Malawi & UNICEF in New York City . The A-list event, held on the North Lawn of the United Nations, raised a significant amount of money and brought the work of Raising Malawi to worldwide attention. This evening inspired Raising Malawi volunteers to stage their own benefit events in Toronto, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami.

A newly expanded and redesigned Raising Malawi website went live in early 2008, bringing more information, videos, and regularly updated blog entries to the online community. Now our volunteers and donors can take immediate action on behalf of Malawi ’s children simply by visiting www.raisingmalawi.org.

April saw the world premiere of I AM BECAUSE WE ARE at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City . This gripping documentary film, written and produced by Madonna (who co-founded Raising Malawi along with Michael Berg) and directed by Nathan Rissman, chronicles the plight of Malawi ’s children and profiles Raising Malawi’s beneficiaries and partners. Before the year is out, I AM BECAUSE WE ARE will have been screened at festivals in Cannes, Paris, Traverse City, Santo Domingo and the Netherlands, and made its television broadcast debut on The Sundance Channel on the twentieth anniversary of World AIDS Day.

A stunning companion volume to the acclaimed documentary is currently available for pre-order from powerHouse books. I Am Because We Are features riveting images by award-winning photojournalist Kristen Ashburn that provide an intimate look at the lives of eight Malawian children featured in the film. The book includes a foreword by Madonna, a statement from Ashburn, excerpts from interviews with Malawian children, their biographies, and extended captions. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated directly to Raising Malawi.

Immediate Needs: Nourishing body and soul.

Recognizing that orphans and other vulnerable children constitute one of the biggest social challenges confronting Malawi as a nation, Raising Malawi launched a community-based support project with the Network of Organizations working with Vulnerable and Orphaned Children (NOVOC) in February, 2006. NOVOC is a non-government umbrella organization which exists to promote, facilitate and empower individuals and organizations involved with the care of vulnerable children. With financial contributions from Raising Malawi, and the support of Malawi ’s Ministry of Gender and Child Welfare, NOVOC is successfully improving the delivery of psycho-social support, advocacy, community development, medical care, education scholarships and food services for up to 1,750 community based child care centres.

For the past three years, Raising Malawi has worked with one of Malawi ’s most respected community-based organizations, Consol Homes, to bring daily meals, targeted medical care, education scholarships, and clean water to vulnerable kids through 106 community-based child care centres.

In 2007, the Raising Malawi-Consol Homes Orphan Care Centre opened its doors to over 4,000 children in the village of Namitete . In August of this year, the Orphan Care Centre became a recipient of the 2008 International Red Ribbon Award. The award is presented by the United Nations Development Program at the International AIDS Conference to celebrate outstanding grassroots initiatives and community-based organizations working to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS. In addition to meeting the basic needs of vulnerable children, the Raising Malawi-Consol Homes Orphan Care Center has also provided vocational skills training to countless adults from the surrounding area.

In rural Africa , where water-borne illness still runs rampant, clean water is very much a matter of life and death. By partnering with organizations like the Joyce Banda Foundation and introducing innovative tools like Q-drum, Raising Malawi is helping to bring clean water to over 50,000 people this year alone, and will do the same for many more in 2009.

We continue to support Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, its pediatric surgical unit, and to Malawi ’s sole pediatric surgeon, Dr. Eric Borgstein. In a country where infectious disease gets the most attention, there is little funding allocated to the treatment of birth defects, childhood cancers, trauma and burns. By partnering with Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital , Raising Malawi enabled Dr. Borgstein to perform 500 surgical procedures on 450 children in a single year, and helped to fund annual salaries, teaching programs, and anesthesia and x-ray machines.

We also partnered with Harvard School of Dental Medicine to offer basic preventative dental care, including examinations, x-rays, teeth cleaning, extractions, and toothbrush instruction for hundreds of children at Raising Malawi’s partner sites. Following the success of these interventions, Raising Malawi and Harvard College of Dental Medicine have co-created and launched the first Oral Health Development Program in Malawi. This program, managed in partnership with the Dental Department at Mchinji Government District Hospital has served thousands of children and caregivers, and will continue to do so in 2009.

Women and Children First: Transforming Malawi ’s future.

Among our most exciting and ambitious projects to date is the forthcoming Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. This all-girls secondary school, designed to empower Malawi ’s daughters to become their personal best, is founded on the principle that educating girls today empowers the women of tomorrow; and empowering women means improving the lives of generations to come. The Academy’s comprehensive curriculum is being carefully tailored to the unique needs of its future students, and its very structure, designed by studioMDA, will be a collaborative effort using sustainable technologies that integrate and benefit the school’s local environment. We are now on target for a 2009 groundbreaking and plan to welcome our inaugural class, selected from the poorest and most promising of Malawi ’s young women, in just two years. In addition, plans to create an all-girls’ secondary school in Zomba have been announced.

Three years ago, Raising Malawi partnered with Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Millennium Promise in the Malawian village of Gumulira , where 6,700 people live in extreme poverty and every day is a struggle to survive. Villagers there are suffering from malnutrition, a lack of clean water and bed-nets; and little access to schools or to medical clinics. Raising Malawi continues to invest in Millennium Promise’s community-led initiatives to benefit the health, education, food production, access to clean water and essential infrastructure for the impoverished villagers of Gumulira. In late 2008, Gumulira villagers broke ground on a primary school that will serve and educate some of the most impoverished children in Malawi.

Raising Malawi ’s continued dedication to gender equity led us to partner with Somebody Cares. This remarkable organization helps women to open and manage their own bank accounts, and provides assistance with school fees, books, and uniforms for their children. Raising Malawi helped to improve the lives of 820 Malawian widows through a program that turns basic skills into profitable businesses in knitting, sewing and crocheting, baking and gardening, and soap and bead making. Raising Malawi also funded a very important new project by sending ten women from Malawi to a rape crisis counselor training week at rape crisis training in South Africa.

SFK-Malawi continues to make tremendous strides in providing children and teens with the tools for positive transformation. In less than two years, thousands of kids in Malawi ’s villages, schools, orphanages, and detention centers, have learned to take responsibility for their own futures by living their lives with kindness and human dignity. SFK’s remarkable programs have been praised by parents, teachers, and non-government organizations; while Malawi’s Ministry of Education has called for the expansion of SFK throughout the country. In June, the Executive Director of Home of Hope Orphanage had a powerful idea. Having seen the positive effects of the SFK program on the orphanage’s children, Lucy Chipeta thought that caregivers could benefit from classes as well. Home of Hope now provides more than 600 infants and children with food, clothing, shelter, and primary education. In addition to bringing SFK to both children and adults at Home of Hope, Raising Malawi is providing financial support for the overall operation of Home of Hope and has undertaken the rehabilitation of the orphanage, including construction of new facilities to address the pressing needs of a vulnerable population.

Our SFK-Malawi Sponsorship Program, a special project dedicated to providing direct psycho-social assistance to children in need, continued its work in 2008. Throughout the year, the Sponsorship Program provided urgent interventions for children orphaned by AIDS, suffering from extreme poverty, and victimized by genital mutilation and other abuses.

Thanks to our partnership with KINDLE Orphan Care, we have provided critical services to nearly 700 children in thirty-five villages through twenty separate youth and counseling groups. The focus of KINDLE’s work is on providing health and nutrition, education, spiritual and social programming, and community development for orphans and their caregivers. Raising Malawi has contributed financial support that enabled construction of KINDLE’s Katawa Health Clinic, which is providing medical services to over 10,000 people.

With support from Raising Malawi, child services have continued at Crisis Nursery in Lilongwe . Every year Crisis Nursery welcomes infants and young children who have been abandoned, and provides nutritious meals, safe housing, and ongoing medical care.

Volunteers: Making a difference.

Volunteers from all walks of life (from college students in Israel to doctors in New Jersey ) were inspired to travel to Malawi to assist our community-based program partners. To help facilitate this important volunteer work, Raising Malawi announced a partnership with World Camp Inc., a non-profit organization committed to empowering children in impoverished communities through education. World Camp provides opportunities for volunteers to teach HIV/AIDS prevention, nutrition, gender equality, environmental awareness and human rights to underserved children in Malawi. World Camp supports the mission of Raising Malawi and is dedicated to developing unique volunteer positions for Raising Malawi supporters.

Raising Malawi volunteer Dr. Murray Treiser made two self-managed trips to Malawi in February and October of 2008, during which he braved snakes, torrential rains, and a near-deadly auto accident to treat more than twelve thousand grateful patients. “Doctor Murray,” as he is affectionately known, treated many preventable illnesses in the most blighted areas of urban and rural Malawi. His daily reports from Malawi were heartbreaking and uplifting, and served to remind us all of both the remarkable strides being made every day, and the tremendous amount of work still to be done.

Our Home-based Volunteer Program encourages all supporters to join us in our mission to improve the lives of Malawi’s children. Bianca Gomez and Amy Saumell, two students at the University of Florida in Gainesville and members of the Pre-Med National American Medical Student Association, initiated a student-led project aimed at providing critical medical supplies for our community-based partners in Malawi; famed fashion illustrator, Jeffrey Fulvimari, took his love of design to the next level by volunteering his time to create customized stationery for the Raising Malawi pen-pal program, which currently engages hundreds of children attending Polytechnic School (K-12) in the United States with orphaned children living at Home of Hope orphanage; and thanks to the creative vision and hard work of Michael Welch in San Francisco, Raising Malawi was able to provide much-needed antiretroviral HIV medication to AIDS programs associated with Kamuzu Central Hospital. These are just a few of the ways volunteers have contributed to the lives of Malawi’s children. In 2009, we will launch an exciting new viral volunteer campaign to help support and expand our programs.

Ubuntu: Partners in ending poverty.

We at Raising Malawi understand that our success relies on the expertise of our partners around the world. In 2008, we were pleased to continue our relationship with David Reifman, esq. (senior partner at DLA Piper). Since 2006, David and DLA Piper devoted significant time to pro-bono efforts for Raising Malawi, focusing on issues of real estate development, including land use and urban planning, facilities sitting, property acquisition, public/private financing transactions, infrastructure improvements, and community and economic development.

In May, we had the privilege of welcoming studioMDA as a pro-bono partner. studioMDA will manage the design of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, using the latest technology and design methods to benefit the developing world and provide innovative opportunities for sustainability.

In August, SalesForce (a leader in Customer Relationship Management solutions) named Raising Malawi as a pro-bono client, offering its expertise in the areas of volunteer management and donor relations. This new relationship honors our commitment to providing our dedicated supporters with consistent, reliable care.

As Raising Malawi approaches the groundbreaking of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, we are pleased to announce that in October, 2008, Ogilvy & Mather joined Raising Malawi’s growing list of pro-bono partners. Ogilvy & Mather, one of the world’s leading advertising, marketing, and public relations agencies has committed to creating the marketing and advertising campaigns of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls.

Our presence on popular social networking websites have attracted the attention of industry leaders, Facebook and Myspace. In 2009, Raising Malawi will work hand-in-hand with the non-profit sectors of these sites, Facebook Causes and Myspace Impact, to create innovative communication and fundraising tools for our volunteers. Facebook and Myspace continue to reshape the ways in which people communicate and receive information. With these new relationships, Raising Malawi will reach the largest number of people in the most cost-effective way.

Going Global: The future is now.

In April, I had the privilege of representing Raising Malawi at the Unite for Sight 5th Annual International Health Conference at Yale University. The conference brought together some of the worlds brightest minds, including Raising Malawi champions Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Dr. Jim Yong Kim, to discuss public health, medicine, social entrepreneurship, nonprofits and philanthropy in the developing world.

In September, Raising Malawi took part in the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting in New York. The Clinton Global Initiative gathers a diverse group of the world's most distinguished leaders from government, business, and civil society to examine today's most pressing global challenges and transform that awareness into tangible action. In addition, Raising Malawi was included in the CGI Exchange, during which we were able to interface with ninety-nine other forward-thinking NGO's.

Raising Malawi was also invited to the first annual meeting of our partner organization, Professor Jeffrey Sachs’ Millennium Promise. The event’s guest of honor was none other than the President of Malawi, Mr. Bingu wa Mutharika. He spoke about the Millennium Development Goals for Malawi and praised the success of the Millennium Villages, including Raising Malawi’s ambitious project at Gumulira.

Zikomo means ‘Thank you’ in Chichewa.

It is not an easy time for our planet. Violence and chaos still threaten our largest cities and tiniest villages. Children still suffer from hunger, mothers despair, and people die everyday from easily preventable diseases. Our work is not nearly complete.

But in the midst of all the chaos, we take a moment for quiet gratitude.

We give thanks to our partner organizations, our dedicated volunteers and generous donors, and most of all to the children of Malawi who teach us so much about gratitude, resilience, and hope. During this holiday season we wish them, and the entire world, a joyous and peaceful New Year.

We thank you for your continued support of Raising Malawi.

Sincerely,

Philippe van den Bossche

Listen up all you Weho bitches . . .

2008-12-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm about four days away from missing my goal for another year. I wanted to raise $101K for Raising Malawi (orphans and vulnerable children) by Christmas. As of today, I've raised a running total of $48,872.68. I won't stop till I hit $101K. Just wish I'd get there already.

The most recent $100 came a few minutes ago from fellow Raising Malawi fund raiser, hell raiser, roof raiser Franceso Rafael Rengifo. We've never met, but I know him from an online world. He's my Facebook friend. He connected with me thru my blog, if I remember correctly.

Today, he wrote a Facebook note to say he's "saying no to lazy" and, while he is generally very good about not being lazy, he recognizes the need to "step up (his) fame" if he is to "beat Madonna at her own game."

Ah, yes. The ol' "get famous so you can save the orphans and then save the world" game. I know it well. Franceso is a self-professed Aquarian. Being Aquarius myself, I get the grand ambition. And I think it's a good thing to push to your highest potential, whatever that may be.

I think for all of us, though, the real test will come after you reach your goal(s). Will you be able to detach your identity from your success? If your goal is really to end poverty or to save orphans, then the moment that happens, can you let yourself be forgotten? Completely lost and overlooked in the movement? Will you be able to kill off your own ego - the one that builds itself on the journey?

Maybe that means you have to give up the dance with Madonna. Could you do it? Maybe you need to delete your blog. Get rid of your story. Could you do it? Could you accept and even welcome that your only reward will be the very low profile of elevating to a higher consciousness? If so, the world will truly benefit by the energy you put in because there is no other agenda for it. That, in my opinion, is an authentic use of energy.

Where is your energy going?

How does your ego stack up? How does mine?

I have no answers. I just love the inquiry.

And are egos really so bad, anyway? I think we need our egos to push us forward. We're always so worried about "bad ego" so we can go off and stoke our authentic selves. But you know, I've never met a living soul without an ego. Wearing dumpy clothes and sitting on a mountaintop, means jack. Some of the biggest egos hide in spirituality. The idea is to die before you die. Find a way to die to your ego without your ego telling you how....because then it will build in its own strategy to survive.

That's the test of ego, I think.

Francesco and I just had an IM exchange, and it came up, which is what inspired me to write this. Meet Francesco:

9:07am FRANCESCO

Julia, I just donated 100 bucks towards your goal but I did not say it was towards your goal.

dope! I should not have told you that. Oh stupid Ego

9:09am JULIA

you did?!! thank you! i will add to total. doesn't matter if you indicated....i keep tally.

9:09am FRANCESCO
I wanted to tell you cause I forgot to write it in the form we fill out at the centre for donation

9:09am JULIA
good ego

9:09am FRANCESCO
lol

9:09am JULIA
thanks so much!

9:09am FRANCESCO
I am going to try to hit up the fam for cash and see what we can drum up. how long are you in London?

9:09am JULIA
great! i'm here thru 1/7

9:11am FRANCESCO
ok, I'll see what I can do for you
those bitches in weho better start pulling out their wallets next weekend

9:12am JULIA
it's what WE can do together for the orphans, of course. and yes, get the bitches

can i post this exchange on my blog? it's funny.

9:13am FRANCESCO
thanks yeah

Thank you, Franceso! No doubt in my mind you are a bit whacked, but also a loving and generous soul. Hope my ego didn't stroke your ego too much. But all the same, keep up the good work!

I Am Because We Are (How You Can Help)

2008-12-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

Madonna's brilliant documentary about Malawi is playing on the Sundance Channel this month. The last viewing will be Wednesday, 12/17. Please watch!

ROLL THE CREDITS

I just so happened to be in Malawi when Madonna was making this documentary. I met the film's director Nathan Rissman and his associate Grant James. I hung out with the cameramen Johnnie-Martin White and Kevin Brown. I met Kristen Ashburn who was there shooting photography for the companion book to the film. I got to hear so many amazing stories over dinner after they got back from filming.

Nathan introduced me to some of the children you'll see in the film. I met the handsome, positive Fanizo. This is his village.

That's Fanizo on the left next to my friend Delia, who I also met on this trip. She was an instructor trainer for SFK - Spirituality for Kids. SFK teaches taking responsibility for your life. For every cause, there is an effect. To every problem, there is a solution. You will learn more about SFK in this documentary.

Fanizo was orphaned and living with his grandmother. Nathan told me that Fanizo dreamed of going to school to better himself, but couldn't afford it. Through his own determination and some of the training he got in SFK, he was able to make his dream a reality. He studied extremely hard and secured a sponsor for his tuition (OK, it's Madonna) and is now going to the very prestigious Kamuzu Academy for boys.

NOTE: Madonna is opening an Academy for Girls now. More about that soon.

Also in this film, I met Reverend Chepeta, who founded and runs the ever-expanding Home of Hope orphanage. Those of you who participated in my last fundraiser contributed directly to this orphanage. $13,490, to be exact.

It was at the Home of Hope that I met the sweetest little girl. Nathan told me her name was Wezi. I was so happy to see her again in this film! I didn't know her story till now - that she was living with AIDs, the disease that killed her family. Seems everyone at that orphanage carries a heavy load. And, inexplicably, they are able to smile under the weight.

NO COINCIDENCES

All this is so cool to me because before my visit, I had no idea Madonna was making a movie let alone that I would meet all of these interesting people on my trip.

I was there because I wanted to get involved with a charity that was working to end extreme poverty. That's how I learned about Raising Malawi. I was 100% ignorant on all of it, so I set off to Malawi (second poorest country in the world) to educate myself. I knew that Philippe van den Bossche (charity director), who I'd briefly met once before, was planning to be down there in late January of 2006. I found out where he was staying and I showed up on my own. Looking back, I'm not sure where I got the balls to do that. But I'm glad I did.

I'm a zillion times smarter now on the challenges we face and the solution that is possible to actually accomplish this grand goal to raise a country. I'm also starting to wake up to my role in the whole thing. Was it really a coincidence that I showed up when all these other forces had come together for the same greater good?

I AM BECAUSE WE ARE

The title is derived from the concept of “Ubuntu,” an idea in African spirituality that all of humanity is connected, that we cannot be ourselves without community, that an individual’s well-being is dependent upon the well-being of others.

Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Dr. Paul Farmer, Bishop Desmond Tutu, President Bill Clinton, Madonna and many others drive this idea home in the documentary. It means there is someone in Malawi who is part of me. Someone in the UK who is part of me. We are all in this together. We have a common fate. Not an us versus them fate. We're all interconnected. We are all responsible for one another. We need one another to be all they can be so that each of us can be all we can be. We're living in a world where we have a choice: Change. Or die. We can solve these problems together and find a path to peace.

In the documentary, there is a story about a young boy named Luka. Strangers give him money to go buy paraffin (kerosene, i believe). They tell him he can keep the change. When he heads off toward the field, they chase him and pin him down. They cut off his genitals, which they can sell to a witch doctor for a good bounty. With it, a witch doctor will make a potion for health. It's gruesome and hard to watch. It's not a cultural choice. We would not let this stuff go on in our culture. Psychos kidnap our children here and we hunt them and prosecute.

Here's where you and me come in. I'm not suggesting for a moment that we need to go into other countries and impose our views and laws. Just recognize that where there is no education for the people, a country can quickly become compromised by superstitions and black magic. People want to find a way out of their problems. They will consider all possible options.

These practices are destined to continue if we don't educate and find self-sustaining ways to bring commerce to people living in extreme poverty. Have you read Three Cups of Tea? No one was investing in schools for the children of Afghanistan. By the world's lack of involvement, we left that job up to the Taliban. We did that. By not getting involved to help. Imagine growing up in a place where your sole focus is finding your next meal and staying warm or dry or just alive. If there is no school to go to and no teacher to teach you and show you a way out, a way up, there is no future for you. Now imagine money starts coming into your neighborhood. Schools and training camps go up. You go to those schools. And you learn. In this case, you learn about Islamic fundamentalism. No one else showed up.

We did that. We turned a blind eye on the burden of extreme poverty and let jihadist training camps masquerading as schools go up in a the most unstable part of the world. In fact, we promoted it by not stepping in to help. That's all of our doing. Jeffrey Sachs says in his book, "The End of Poverty", if you want to end terrorism, you must end poverty first. It's a vicious cycle.

There are ways that each of us can contribute by supporting basic education, vocational training, and health care.

But the first thing we have to do is learn about these problems.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Please watch this documentary. Educate yourself. Put some energy (that translates as time and/or money) into ending extreme poverty. Kristen Ashburn's companion book to the documentary is available for purchase. Click here to pre-order I Am Because We Are. Keep it in front of you. And don't look away.

It's on all of our radar now.

I Am Raising Malawi!

2008-12-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

An important message from Madonna

2008-11-15T06:14:00.001-08:00

It's happening. Raising Malawi and Madonna are building a leadership academy for girls in Malawi. It's a secondary school (grades 7 thru 12) that aims to give girls who are serious about bettering themselves the chance to make their dreams come true. The curriculum will include medicine, business, educator training and law. Graduates will be among the best and brightest in the world.

The idea is that girls (like boys) will have a fair shot at becoming leaders in their own communities. It's a known fact that when you educate and empower a girl, she will bring her leadership and learning back to benefit her community. And in so doing, communities get transformed. This is happening the world over, one girl at a time. We must invest in girls!

I love this video by the Nike Foundation. It sets up the issue nicely.

Raising Malawi is working with some of the foremost experts in the world to create a model for education that can be replicated in other impoverished countries. That's where we come in -- you, me, us. It's going to take all of our energy. This way, we all own a piece and it doesn't rely on any one individual or organization (an impossible feat for something of this magnitude).

Here is a message from Madonna urging you to get involved.

Click here or go to http://www.raisingmalawi.org/rm_girlsacademy.php

Newsweek ran a great article recently that further explains the importance of educating girls. Sadly, girls represent the majority of children out of school. In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, only one out of five girls gets any education at all. If we really aim to raise a country and break the chains of poverty, then the answer is to educate the next generation of young women. Let's make the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls the model for how that needs to get done.

And BTW, while the core mission of the school is to empower girls, it's also designed to be totally sustainable. Raising Malawi is consulting with experts on how to use wind, solar, local resources for energy (e.g., the nuts from the trees!), etc.

There's a big trend in the world right now called "leap frogging". It's where we're able to do profoundly innovative things in less-developed countries that are not weighed down by existing infrastructures. You see this a lot in India, for example, who's skipping over CDMA/land lines like we built in the US - all the ugly eyesores of wires connecting home to home. India is now in a position to 'leap frog' wire lines into the next gen of innovation - digital/mobile. Now, the U.S. is playing catch-up.

Similarly, the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls can introduce new innovations the rest of the world will want to model. It's as exciting as it is ironic. Like it says in the Tao, "All things turn to their opposite." Now is the time for Malawi. Perhaps someday, one of these future leaders will come up with a bailout package that makes sense for America.

Battle ground state swings 'Obma'

2008-11-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

Student Name: Nathaly Ponce
Teacher Name: Mrs. Rivera
Student Age: 9
School: Quakertown Elementary
Artwork Title: Vote for Obma

Good to see my donation to Pennsylvania schools made a difference. The kid can't spell, but at least we got 21 electoral votes!

Go to DonorsChoose.org to help students get even smarter.

My American Dream Monologue

2008-10-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

I went out for a long run today and listened to a couple episodes of, "This American Life." It made me think about my own story. I wrote this for a class at The Pit (improv in NYC). I never got to perform it because I transferred to LA right about that time. It goes like this:

I'm from the south side of Chicago. The rich smarties from the north side coin it the wrong side of the tracks. They make assumptions about you before you even open your mouth. It's hard to get too pissed off about it because a lot of them would be right. We didn't go on family vacations. We ate a lot of canned food. We wore hand-me down clothes. We got the belt when we were bad, which was pretty much all the time.

Where I come from, The American Dream is to do better than your parents. Make more money. Get a better education. Buy a bigger house. Drive a better car. And then get married and have kids and be just like them. Only better.

My parents set the bar nice and low for me. For one, I was conceived in a cornfield off the side of a highway. My mom had me when she was 18 and then my brother at 19. So, as long as I didn't get married or pregnant before 18, I was well on my way.

Also to my advantage, my parents didn't go to college. So, here too, all I had to do was show up and graduate. That part was actually kind of tricky for financial reasons. For one, my parents decided to move to Atlanta when I was a senior. They all of a sudden decided Chicago is way too cold and announced one day, "we're moving south." I was like, "but, I'm a senior in high school". It didn't matter. They were on a mission to find a better life. And it didn't include me, which was cool.

I moved in with one of the families I babysat for and worked at the local K-Mart, squirreling away every dollar I could so I could afford to go to college. My dad drilled it in my head -- you need an education for any doors to open.

He presented me and my brother David with the typical lower-middle-class college plan called, "Join the Army." David joined, thinking it would be an easy two years. But then war broke out in the gulf and he got sent to Kuwait. He was a frontline tanker, although he says he spent most of his days in the desert burning shit. Literally, that was his job -- he was the shit burner for the whole platoon. That really wasn't my style, so I found another way to put myself through school - working two jobs and cheating and stealing as much as I could get away with.

I started out at Northern Illinois University (NIU) in Dekalb, where Cindy Crawford is from. That may be the only interesting thing about Dekalb. I didn't last there very long because I ran out of money. I dropped out three times over the next five years. But I was unstoppable. I moved in with my grandparents for free room and board and burned the candle on both ends and the middle until I could finally collect my degree from University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

And then, doors did open. I got a good job in the city (Chi-town), which afforded me just enough to buy a federally subsidized house over the border in Indiana.

All the pieces had come together. My life was nearly perfectly complete. All I needed now was a man.

And then I got the ring. A $40 gold band from the K-Mart jewelry department. I was so touched, because this blue light special epitomized the dream. It told the world, yes, we're broke, but our love is real and will prevail over all.

Scott picked me up from work one Wednesday and stopped off in Grant Park on the way home. He was so nervous. He proposed to me there through a poem he had written on notebook paper. I stopped him midway through and questioned, "this whole thing isn't going to rhyme is it?" He looked up from bended knee, with his big brown eyes and shaky hands and slowly nodded. It was dreadful. But sweet. I let him continue. And then I said yes.

Besides, it was time. We had dated since forever. I was to marry Scott, the fat kid from grammar school.

Well, he wasn't fat anymore. He was more, the balding guy from the finance department. But still very lovable, and more importantly, very much in love with me. Whatever I wanted to do, he wanted to do. Whatever I liked, he liked. If I was mad, he was mad on my behalf. When I was successful at something, he was proud. It was like having two of me around. I loved our conversations. And as luck would have it, they were mostly about me.

So, at 25, I would become the world's most beautiful bride. The Lockport Township High School Prom prince and princess would marry and bring their 8-year courtship to a close in true storybook fashion.

I took out a loan against my 401K for a down payment on a castle in Dyer, Indiana. And no fairy tale wedding would be complete without a horse-drawn carriage. It was to bring me and my dad to the ceremony and later ride me and my prince off into the sunset.

I invited 300 people and planned every little detail down to the chicken dance.

I had seven bridesmaids, each representing a chakra. I got all the details from a Shirley MacLaine meditation and workout video. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Each color has an energy that coincidentally corresponded to each of my friend's dominant personality traits. And, if you blend all those colors together you get 'white', which would be me -- a blinding beam of Light.

So, here we were. My big day. I fast-tracked the American Dream. I had arrived. I was already light-years better than my parents, and in just minutes I would become a whole, complete person. A married woman.

But all those shots of Jaegermeister on the ride up with my dad in the carriage had my head spinning. This was no longer just any adventure. I was about to turn a chapter I didn't know the first thing about called, "the rest of my life." And yes. I was scared.

It was a beautiful wedding from what I can tell from the pictures. I looked so happy climbing those steps to the castle. I even lost my shoe on my walk up the aisle. And that was not planned! Actually, it was because my dad kept stepping on my dress. My Uncle Ronny caught it all on video, with some rather disturbing commentary and close-ups about how great my boobs looked.

I took my vows. Actually, I kind of slurred my vows, "With this wing, I thee wed."

You think they'd let me annul it on that alone. Everyone called me Elmer Fudd afterwards. It's gotta tell you something.

Not long after, we had to go through that emotionally exhausting, painful process of getting divorced. I take full responsibility for making such a mess of things. People don't get divorced in the American Dream. I never considered it! And Scott was actually pretty pissed off about it too.

But in my defense, I didn't really have any role models growing up. My mom, I guess. But she scared me a little. You get within two feet of her and she would find a reason to wipe your face with the stink rag from the sink. Naturally, I avoided her. Instead, I lived in story. I played understudy for nearly two decades to Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel and You-Name-Her Damsel waiting to be saved by Prince Charming.

It wasn't till we got back from our honeymoon that I stared to rub some of the dream out of my eyes. What have I done?! I was living in Hammond Indiana with my new husband, two cats and 80 year old neighbors who lived in a pink house. Scott mowed the lawn. I did the laundry. Scott finished the basement. I made tofu lasagna casseroles.

Was this the 'happily ever after' they promised? This sucked! I was trapped in suburbia and I knew I would surely die if I didn't get out fast.

A lot of people disowned me. Which is fine, because they couldn't have really known me in the first place. How could they? I didn't even know me.

But that was 15 years ago. Life makes more sense to me now. They say that happens when you hit 40. Oprah says it all the time. I think it's true. And I think it's because everything up to this point starts to stop making sense.

But if I knew that as a kid, I wouldn't want to read that story. It feels sad. A little lost. Kind of hopeless.

So what if the American Dream is part fairy tale? We all live in some fantasy. Mine just happened to include castles and fortune, true love and romantic destiny. I believe we're all following a yellow brick road of sorts. Who is the Wizard of OZ, really? Half the fun is figuring that out for yourself.

Because once you do, you're free to dream a dream that's really yours.

Barbie Cake Face Plant (for Orphans)

2008-10-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Minnie's birthday. A few of us from work came out to celebrate with her. Above from left to right is Renee, Me, Minnie and Evelyn.

Minnie left us to greet her other guests. The rest of us were standing around admiring this beautifully decorated doll cake. One of her guests made it herself with extraordinary attention to each and every icing scallop.

JR (Minnie's brother) turns to me and asks me to name my price to take a huge bite out of it.

Ed, Evelyn's date (and fellow Chicago south-sider), suggests I dive on it and start throwing wild arm punches into it.

I am actually willing to do both, provided the price is right. I say, "$500."

JR looks at me, slowly processing our exchange and tentatively repeats, "five-hundred?"

Renee jumps in, "she'll do it for $400!"

I shoot Renee the evil eye and say, "I'll do it for $500 for charity."

JR asks, "which charity?"

Renee and I say simultaneously, "Raising Malawi."

JR says, "Done."

So now I'm super happy about the donation but also very aware that I am about to throw my face into a stranger's beautiful buttercream Barbie centerpiece.

Renee takes my camera and starts to videotape. Listen to her egging me on! "Do it, Julia! Just do it!" And then JR comes by to let me know the time has come. It's now or never. BTW, look at the beginning of this clip - Ed swinging his arms like a madman. Thank God he wasn't the one ponying up!

It had to be done. Here it is:

Here's me and JR immediately after my cake dive. I'm glad it's blurry. I'm pretty sure I still had frosting up my nose.

As soon as JR completes his end of the bargain (he promises he will), the new total raised to date will be:

$48,272.68 + 500.00 + $48,772.68.

Thank you, JR! Disturbed as you are, you're a good guy. I haven't laughed like that in a long time.

And word to the wise, never dare a Polack from the South Side of Chicago.

To the Alices Who Make My Life a Wonderland

2008-10-04T02:48:00.000-07:00

"October is here now but it was much pleasanter at home," thought poor Alice, "when one wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit hole---and yet---and yet---it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life, isn't it?"

I can tell you this fundraising thing is a lot of work and not always much fun. But I know it's making a difference and I thank you all so much for helping to make that difference possible. This last campaign for the Home of Hope orphanage raised $3,390 plus matching donor/spot for $10,100 =$13,490! Specific thanks to:

1. Miranda Soffian - $100
2. David Duncan - $101
3. Donna Bellamy - $125
4. Alisa Starke - $150
5. Lee Ann Sierecki - $100
6. Donna Weiss - $10
7. Leah Reynolds - $100
8. Renee Rotkopf - $100
9. Sharon McNulty - $250
10. Jonathan Avigdori -$100
11. Lourdes Mestre - $101
12. Jason Singer - $50
13. Steve Centrillo - $101
14. Christine Haskins - $101
15. Sandra Borgonovo - $101
16. Anonymous Couple - $1,800

ADDITIONAL DONATIONS TO DATE: $2,002

TOTAL RAISED FROM THIS CAMPAIGN: $3,390

PLUS A CASH ADVANCE FROM MY MATCHING DONOR!
I'm being spotted the remaining $6,710 (for a total donation of $10,100), on my promise to meet my goal to raise $101,000.

Which brings the amount raised to date up by $12,102 ($2,002 + $10,100) for a
GRAND TOTAL of $48,272.68

ALICE: Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is -- oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate!

The next fundraiser(s) has to bring it home. I'm thinking 'singles mixer' in NYC (or multi-city, somehow). I'm working with some friends now to pull together an awesome party you won't want to miss.

Stranger in a Strange Band

2008-09-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

I met Jason Singer at The Elbo Room in Chicago. He was playing just down the street from where I lived in Bucktown/Wicker Park.

I came out to hear this band, The Nubile Thangs. I hadn't heard them before and they just totally rocked the house. Jason, the sax player, is the hugest-heartest, funnest and grooviest and too-cool-for-school kinda guy. When they were were done tearing the roof off the place, Jason came out and worked the crowd. I bought a CD and we stayed friends ever since - although we NEVER see each other. Jason moved to NY when I moved there and came out to play at my 34th bday at Turtle Bay on 2nd Ave. I have it on tape! Now we both live in LA. And this weekend, my good buddy pulled through with a $50 donation to Raising Malawi. Thank you, Jason! We gotta get together. I'm in Playa del Rey. You still near the Grove? It's really not that far. What do you say? You, me and Woody Allen - for old times sake.

Also thanks to my dear friend Steve Centrillo, who donated $101 today (he really wanted that canvas bag, I'm sure). Steve is also a rockstar - or more like a Grokstar, I should say. I just worked up some personas to help with website development for a new online platform for TakePart.com. It's for socially concerned/socially active citizens to work the issues and forward positive social change in the world. Very cool client/concept. Site will be in beta soon. Stay tuned.

Anyway, as we were doing our research with consumers, this ultra-savvy, ultra-committed profile started to emerge. My client mentioned it's Grok-like. Where the observer is so one with the issue they almost assume the persona of the observed. The grok concept comes from Stranger in a Strange Land. I didn't read it, but Steve gave me the book a year or so ago. At heart, we're both 9 year old boys with frogs and marbles in our pockets. As I worked up the profiles for this website, I called one segment, "Grok Stars," and will forever think of Steve - a Grok of loyalty, friendship and principle.

I met Steve when he was running darkGrey, the tech village at Grey, back when Grey had the village system. He left there to head up FCB NY, but left shortly after they merged with Draft. After that, he started Common Ground Partners . He's the Italian guy in front, with his business partner Dave.

Thanks to all my donors so far - whose donation will be matched!

1. Miranda Soffian - $100
2. David Duncan - $101
3. Donna Bellamy - $125
4. Alisa Starke - $150
5. Lee Ann Sierecki - $100
6. Donna Weiss - $10
7. Leah Reynolds - $100
8. Renee Rotkopf - $100
9. Sharon McNulty - $250
10. Jonathan Avigdori -$100
11. Lourdes Mestre - $101
12. Jason Singer - $50
13. Steve Centrillo - $101

ADDITIONAL DONATIONS TO DATE: $151

TOTAL TO BE MATCHED ON 10/1: $1,388

39 HAND-MADE CANVAS BAGS FROM MALAWI LEFT!
YOUR GIFT FOR A DONATION OF $101 OR MORE.

Just need one! Please help.

2008-09-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

When my nephew Matt was four, he wanted a Coke out of the vending machine. My sister-in-law only had a quarter and gave it to him, but told him that wasn't enough for a pop. So he turned to me and asked if I had money.

While fishing out my wallet and noticing a sign on the vending machine that read $1.25, I say, "sure honey, how much do you need?"

Matt says, "one".

I'm opening my wallet now. I ask, "one what?" thinking: dollar? quarter? where are we at here?

He cocks his head, squints one eye and looks up at me all confused. What about "one" did I not understand? He replies, "Aunt Julia, one money."

So, I gave it to him and he got his Coke.

He is turning 8 tomorrow and I noticed he has a filling. One possible moral of the story is don't let kids drink pop. But the moral I'm going for is a bit deeper. It's all about desire and how life occurs when we take off the restraints to realizing that desire. What if raising $101K is hard because I decided it would be hard? I mean, I'm glad I have to put some effort into it, because otherwise it would be a pretty boring project. I just wonder what doors, locks and chains I have made a big part of my story, because, well, "that's just how the story goes".

Over the past couple days, my friends (and their friends) are reminding me through their generous donations and help spreading the word about my little campaign that my goal is not only possible, a bigger dream will come to fruition. We're going to make the world a better place for everyone.

How AWESOME it was to get donations from two fabulous New York women on Thursday. Renee Rotkopft sent me the greatest note, actually thanking me for including her in this fundraising project. :) And my friend Sharon (who has a heart of gold!) reached way deep for a big donation, which is great always, but especially now because it will be doubled!

Thanks to my donors so far - whose donation will be matched!

1. Miranda Soffian - $100
2. David Duncan - $101
3. Donna Bellamy - $125
4. Alisa Starke - $150
5. Lee Ann Sierecki - $100
6. Donna Weiss - $10
7. Leah Reynolds - $100
8. Renee Rotkopf - $100
9. Sharon McNulty - $250
10. Jonathan Avigdori -$100
11. Lourdes Mestre - $101

ADDITIONAL DONATIONS TO DATE: $551

TOTAL TO BE MATCHED ON 10/1: $1,237

40 HAND-MADE CANVAS BAGS FROM MALAWI LEFT!
YOUR GIFT FOR A DONATION OF $101 OR MORE.

Thanks Guys. Keep it Coming. Your Donations are Being Matched!

2008-09-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

I made this low budget (no budget) video last weekend to help raise awareness and funds for the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji, Malawi. No time to perfect it (apologies for my gnawing voice/bad cadence). I only have a week and a half (till 10/1/08) to take advantage of a matching donation of $10,100.

As my own contribution, I'm giving hand-made canvas bags from Malawi to the first 50 people to donate at least $101.00. ($12 retail value). FYI, I'm letting the $100 donations slide in there too. But don't let me cap you! Maybe you'd like to support a whole orphan. That costs $1,400 per child per year. Or, perhaps now ain't such a good time, but you can forward my video around. Please help however you can.

Thanks to my donors so far - whose donation will be matched!

1. Miranda Soffian - $100
2. David Duncan - $101
3. Donna Bellamy - $125
4. Alise Starke - $150
5. Lee Ann Sierecki - $100
6. Donna Weiss - $10
7. Leah Reynolds - $100

ADDITIONAL DONATIONS TO DATE: $586

TOTAL TO BE MATCHED ON 10/1: $686

44 CANVAS BAGS LEFT!

And special thanks to the many of you who have forwarded my video to your own network!

Miranda Soffian, you complete me!

2008-09-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

OK, so you know that scene in Jerry Maquire where Tom Cruise walks into the office after having shoved his manifesto in everyone's mailboxes -- "Jerry Maquire's Mission Statement --The things we think and do not say: thoughts of a sports attorney."

That Monday, with a clear head, he finds himself walking sheepishly into the office, sizing up the energy, and quickly starting to regret his very public attempt to bring more integrity to the status quo. He holds his dignity as his humiliation mounts. No one cared. Some even seem to be calling him out (coo-coo!).

I felt like that this morning. I woke up to David watching the news of this bank crashing and that trusted financial institution going under, and topped the morning off with a 7-year-low closing of the Dow.

What was I thinking, asking my friends for money?

It's that vulnerability - that gross totally exposed, public naked feeling you get when you lay your real self out on the line. I'm just hanging out there with this suburban garage, choppy video I made with my gnawing Chicago accent (I still can't seem to shake it!) for anyone to watch. It's a raw feeling - one you want to get out of ASAP.

Except for this little shining light in my day called Miranda, who I bumped into at the copier. She read (viewed) my manifesto and donated $100 last night. She was waiting for the confirmation to come through before she told me (it went into spam).

Even if it were just two pennies, I'd have all the light I needed to get me through this feeling. I couldn't share all that at the copier this morning. But I hope you can appreciate how much this means to me.

Miranda did assure me that I WILL raise my $10K plus in two weeks, and I WILL have it matched. I said I know. But I really could use another sign.

Cue: you.

TODAY: $34,782.68 + $100 = $34,882.68

(PLUS $100 TO BE MATCHED BY 10/1/08)

Christmas may come early this year!

2008-09-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

It's probably no secret to most of my friends that I'm trying to raise $101,000 for orphans and vulnerable children by Christmas. And I'm doing that by supporting the good work of Raising Malawi, an organization I've come to know and trust.

Well, great news! I found a donor to match funds up to $10,100 till 10/1 (see the 101 theme?). That doesn't give us much time, so please oh please, I beg you...give whatever you can TODAY.

Donations are 100% tax deductible and will help bring much needed funds to the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji, Malawi. This video tells the story (my story) of what's needed and why. It's part Al Gore in Inconvenient Truth and part Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas. But hopefully it explains what I'm up to and inspires you to help however you can. (After you start viewing, you may want to hit pause for five minutes so the entire video buffers. Otherwise, I find it's too choppy and annoying to watch).

Since it's so urgent that I raise this money quickly, as my own contribution, I'm offering these awesome cloth shopping bags from Africa Bags.org to the first 50 people who donate at least $101.00. All the bags are hand made in a village in Malawi.

But don't let me cap you out at $101.00! Maybe you can support a whole orphan! That's $1,400 per child per year. Or, maybe you can only give $20, but you have four friends who can also give $20. I can still send you a bag. The name of the game is to do what you can.

1. Donate to raisingmalawi.org

2. You will receive an automatic reply thanking you for your donation.

3. Forward that reply to me at jsilka@yahoo.com and I'll count it toward my goal (and the matching donor goal) and acknowledge your donation on my blog (unless you explicitly ask me not to). If you act quickly, please include a mailing address where I can send your Africa Bag.

On behalf of myself, Raising Malawi and 600 wee little orphans - thank you so very much!

Thanks Girls

2008-09-14T17:15:00.001-07:00

I almost forgot. My fundraising event-planning buddies Heather Lounsbury donated $101 to Raising Malawi two weeks ago and Rivka Meital Levi donated $42. Add $143 to $34,639.68 and you get today's running total: $34,782.68

Thanks Nana and Donna and Aunt J!

2008-08-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

Wow. Matthew here again. I barely had to do anything and already I'm close to my goal to raise $1,000 to build clean water wells in Ethiopia. I'm part of a very cool fundraising effort for people with birthdays in September. Click here to see trailer. This guy named Scott Harrison had the idea two years ago to make a difference in the world using his birthday. (Sound familiar?) If you have a birthday in September, you might want to do this too! (go to: borninseptember.org)

I turn 8 on Sept 28th so I'm using my birthday to raise at least $1,000. My Aunt Julia donated (33x8 for Scott's age and my age), and her good friend Donna from Dallas and ex-roommate from grad school must've read her blog and donated my age x10, and nana heard about it and donated my age x4 and is spreading the word around her work now. Plus, there is a matching donor on the site who is doubling everything!

I know Aunt Julia spends a lot of time with Raising Malawi trying to figure out how to help them raise money for their programs. She works with smart people who can maybe help her build a site experience like this to help with fundraising. It's ridiculously inspiring and smart. They even have advertisers! I think I'll mention it.

charity: water

2008-08-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I'm Matthew. My Aunt Julia thought it'd be a good idea to use my birthday this year to support charity: water's September campaign to bring clean and safe drinking water to the people of Ethiopia.

I recently learned that more than 1.1 billion people in the world today don't have the most basic thing: clean water to drink. Over 4,500 kids die each and every day from water-related disease. To do my part, I've been supporting an organization called charity: water that has been making a real difference.

This year, with Aunt Julia's help, I've decided to ask for donations. 100% of the money raised will go directly to building freshwater wells, which will be proved with GPS coordinates and photos on Google Earth.

I'm asking for my age in dollars (again, I'm 8). Please make a donation on my page:

https://www.charitywater.org/birthdays/fundraiser/sept/view/485

Thank you!

Matthew Silka

The September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

One Voice

2008-08-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

For more than a year, ONE members have been trailing the presidential candidates asking them to go on the record with their plans to combat global poverty. Now we're taking our message to the airways with this major new TV ad. The ad features Matt Damon with different Americans' voices - among them Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain and Mayor Bloomberg.

Watch for it on TV and across the Internet starting Sunday, August 24th.

Half Mil from A-Rod and Ogilvy is signed on to help.

2008-08-16T00:43:00.000-07:00

I plucked the first part of this story from the SFGate: Daily Dish. VERY GREAT!

Madonna's friendship with baseball player Alex Rodriguez has reportedly helped her land a $500,000 charity donation from the star.

Rodriguez is alleged to have made the contribution to Madonna's charity, Raising Malawi, which helps the African nation's one million orphans gain access to food, education and medical care.

A source tells the New York Daily News: "They've asked him for a million dollars, and I hear he's agreed to give at least $500,000.

The sportsman's generosity comes just a month after rampant speculation he was engaged in an affair with Madonna.

The singer has since denied the allegations, insisting she and husband Guy Ritchie remain happily married.

Raising Malawi director Philippe van den Bossche says, "Obviously when you're talking about donors, these are private things. I would never reveal information about any donor."

Bossche denies claims that Madonna's plans to build a girls' school with the funding will include a Kabbalah-based curriculum.

He adds, "We're building a girls' school, which will bring the best resources from around the world with a specific focus on medicine, education and the law.

"It will be based on the British system -- as is taught in private schools Madonna's children Lourdes and Rocco attend. ... We want programs that can be copied in developing countries throughout the world. Not just a celebrity one-off."

A spokesperson for Rodriguez has not returned calls for comment.

(xxx)

I have no idea if the $500,000 donation is true or not, but sounds feasible and wonderful.

As the new volunteer fundraising coordinator for Raising Malawi, I can tell you that Philippe has been briefing me on a couple of great projects they have going on, one of them being this Leadership Academy for Girls. It's beyond brilliant. But they need funding and they need it now.

I'm a strategic planner at Ogilvy & Mather, one of the best advertising agencies in the world. Perhaps you've read the book?

Until now, I've always tried to keep my personal and professional lives separate. But learning about this concept, I can't not bring my worlds together. We need to get the word out about this amazing Academy so we can fund it right --meaning, the concept can be replicated around the world. As Philippe explained to me, for this model to work, we cannot solely rely on celebrities and big checks. It's going to come down to each one of us who can appreciate what's possible in the world when we empower girls.

I'll say more about it next week, but here's the AMAZING news from me this week. I presented this opportunity to Dan Burrier, the Co-President of Ogilvy West (LA/SF), who immediately said YES and promised we'll do something big in a big way - "this is an amazing opportunity for the girls of Malawi--have you read, 'Three Cups of Tea,' btw"?

I work for Dan and brown-nosing is totally not my style, but I'll just say, he gets it and it's great. He and his wife Lauri are very active with The Hunger Project (also brilliant) and Rwanda, Uganda; Africa in general. He identified a creative DREAM TEAM this week and we'll get briefed by Philippe next Tuesday.

You know how I'm always saying, 'I'm going to raise $101K by Christmas, but I don't know how'? It just became clear to me. It's only a short matter of time, now.

The Darfur Olympics. Day 8 of 8: The Closing Ceremony

2008-08-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

Now that China's complicity in the Darfur slaughter is known to all the world, we invite you to help us keep the pressure on China to bring security to Darfur. Please visit the organizations featured throughout the Darfur Olympics to find ways to take action. To stay involved with Dream for Darfur, sign up for our newsletter

Day 8: The Closing Ceremony

The Darfur Olympics. Day 7 of 8: The Women of Darfur

2008-08-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

Women and girls living in Darfur and eastern Chad - in camps, towns and rural areas - live in constant fear of sexual violence. The perpetrators are usually men from the Sudanese security forces, militias, rebel groups and former rebel groups. Gender-based assaults occur as part of attacks, but also in times of relative calm.

In this webcast, Mia talks with women about their lives in the refugee camp.

Day 7: The Women of Darfur

Coming tomorrow: The Darfur Olympics Closing Ceremony

Every Quid Helps (+$228.39)

2008-08-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

My David is in London this week. I was talking to him this morning on Skype and he told me he found 20 quid on the street all wet from the rain. He donated it "to the orphans" at raisingmalawi.org. when he got back to the hotel.

Here's the 20 (20.00 GBP = 38.3881 USD)

Also, Leah Reynolds, my fundraising buddy sent me a text yesterday to tell me she donated $190 toward our goal.

Quick math, that brings us to: 190+38.39=$228.39 +34,411.29=$34,639.68

Money is abundant and all around everywhere. Just keep an eye open. And thank you on behalf of the children of Malawi.

42$s More

2008-08-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

Rivka, my Gen Y fundraising partner and texting wonder texts: "Just did 42$ for rm towards our goal :)"

That brings total to
34,369.29
+ 42.00
---------
$34,411.29

Thank you Bob, Leah and Rivka!

2008-07-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

I saw that Mr. Bob Tse donated $50 bones to Raising Malawi and DIDN'T TELL ME! I just noticed his face among my Facebook donors. Here's Bob. I took this picture of him in Hawaii on his 40th birthday. He was my client at Novartis when I was a planner at Lowe before I got canned.

One thing I can say about Bob is that you can count on him through thick and thin. If he says he'll do it, he'll do it.

We used to hang out at DTUT, a coffee shop on the Upper East Side in NYC, and catch up on work on Saturday mornings. We'd do a lot of super geeky personal goal-setting, too. We still set goals and then mail them to each other for a POV (or ideally, applause). It's this kind of planning that had us run a marathon together in New Orleans. Me full, him half. He did however kick my butt in San Francisco (our first marathon - MY IDEA) - him full, me half. We are super-competitive with ourselves and each other. Even so, my 2008 goals are way better than his. Did I thank you yet, Bob? Small oversight. Many thanks for the donation on behalf of all the little 'Malawians'.

No segue into this next bit of thanks, which goes out to two of the girls from my Fundraising Malawi weekly brainstorming pow-wows.

Leah Reynolds donated $221 (here's her picture from our 'end of poverty campaign')

and Rivka (Meital) Levi donated $202

And so...a quick roll on the drum, we can add $473 from last week, which brings our total raised to date to:

33,896.29
+ 473.00
__________
$34,369.29

Thanks Tamara!

2008-07-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

A note from my friend Tamara Starke O'Shaughnessy:

"Hey, you can chalk up another $50 toward your fundraising goal. I just did an online donation to Raising Malawi. I attended an AMA conference this week on non-profit marketing and there was someone there from CARE, who mentioned her recent trip to Malawi and the work they're doing there. It reminded me of your cause and thought I'd give you a little help :-) Good luck!"

It's so nice to have friends who a) hear Malawi, b) think Julia plus one million little orphans and c) donate to Raising Malawi. It gives me such a huge sense of purpose in the world. Otherwise, there's a chance I'd just lay around watching a lot of trash TV and cuss at commercials. A small chance, but it could happen.

Tamara and I used to work together at a research company in Chicago. Some of our cooler projects had us going to Disney Epcot Center a lot.

Oh, and then there was the Norman Rockwell museum project in Stockbridge, MA that afforded us a stay at the ever-so-charming Red Lion Inn, built in the 18th century. I believe a squirrel in the attic kept Tamara up all night. I slept OK. (I'm more of a W girl myself, though). Anyway, all sorts of good memories of and with Tamara. For whatever reason, the one that really sticks with me is the one she used to tell about her conversations with her grandma. They'd go like this:

Grandma: What did you have for dinner, Tamara?

Tamara: I had [insert meal here]. What did you have Grandma?

Grandma: A really nice piece of fish.

That's it. It cracks me up. Evidently, every dinner her Grandma ate consisted of a really nice piece of fish. I still have Tamara's Grandma in my head whenever I eat dinner. As a fish-aterian for the past 17 years, I almost always have a nice piece of fish.

Oh, and then there's the time I crashed her and her sister's trip to Italy. Here's a :59 clip of that very extraordinary trip! (Note: I am passed out on the stairs in the opening scene, but I swear that is totally posed).

Trailer for Tuscany 2K

Add to My Profile | More Videos

All that's to say, THANK YOU, TAMARA!

This brings our the total dollars raised to date (7/18/08) to $33,896.29.

Keep it coming, and thank you everyone for making a difference to not only end the horrors of extreme poverty, but for helping to build the systems to create prosperity in Malawi and the world over.

Charity Vox Pops meet iPhone 3G and Hellboy (Too)

2008-07-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

A few of us get together each week to kick around ideas for raising awareness and donations for Raising Malawi. I'm a marketing gal by education (Northwestern - MS, Integrated Marketing Communications) and training (PR, research, advertising, strategic planning), so I keep thinking I should be able to serve up the one big idea to bring all of our good intentions to fruition. I haven't even come close (yet), but recently started toying with the idea of The Long Tail.

You know the 80/20 rule, right? In business it translates as, "80% of your sales comes from 20% of your customers." It's also called the Pareto principle. I love this definition: for many events, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. So, bottom line, as marketers, it seems to make the most sense to focus on that 20%. As fundraisers, it means, find your able donors and ask for big donations.

But our world is changing. We're in a new digital era, a la the Internet. Here's where the long tail comes in. It looks like this:

To the right is the long tail, to the left are the few that dominate (the 80-20 rule). Traditional models still hold (shoot for that skinny, blue '20'), but today, it's much easier to target and have a meaningful dialog with the '80' - the large population of consumers who represent small or niche interests that no one ever bothered to talk to; you just wouldn't get much return on your investment.

When I look at the long tail through a fundraising lens, it's clear to me that that's how I managed to raise $33,846.29 over the past two years. (My goal is $101K by Christmas). The long tail is represented by you. It's me. It's your dry cleaner. It's your babysitter. It's the 'little guy' with who-knows-what in his wallet. $2 bucks. Not much, no. But put 100,000 of these little guys together and they can really make a difference in the world. They're the ones funding Obama's presidential campaign. They're the ones who drive the success of micro-lending concepts like Kiva.org or Grameen bank. They're the ones who make marketing go viral.

So, last Friday three of us from my fundraising team (me, Meital AKA Rivka and Leah) executed a long tail concept to raise awareness and funds for Raising Malawi as it relates to ending extreme poverty. Our idea is to intercept 200 or so conscious/aware people to capture their perspectives of what the world might look like if we were to effectively eradicate extreme poverty, or more simply what comes to mind when they think about this possibility in the world. We will then cut these photos into a viral video to upload onto consumer activism and social marketing/cause related sites. We'll include the facts re: what's happening around the issue of extreme poverty and how Raising Malawi is helping to end it....but what's most inspiring is that we'll do it by showing the faces of the people who are behind the movement, in consciousness and donations.

To help our idea take off, we plan to conduct loads of man-on-the-street intercepts (Vox Pops).

This week, we hit the Grove. The first person we talked to was Kate. Actually, we first approached her friend who claimed to be too camera-unfriendly/about-to-barf-from-last-night at the moment to participate in our campaign. She looked WAY better than she described, but we didn't push it. Instead, we asked Kate across the table if she cared to participate.

Kate was an immediate yes -- all about ending extreme poverty and helping orphans and vulnerable children. She quickly wrote out her word and donated $10 to Raising Malawi on the spot. We were off and running.

The next seemingly conscious chap we see is Mark here. He's as Irish as they come. He participates without question and also opens his wallet to us, all apologies for not having more cash on hand. I laugh. I do the same thing. "Here's my donation. I'm sorry it's not more." Lovely.

Time to hit the insanely long line of captive consumers in front of the Apple store. The new iPhone 3G came out today. "Twice as fast. Half the price." We were quick with our pitch, but had to coach our buddy here a little. He was supportive of our idea, but kept insisting on writing "iPhone" on his whiteboard. Fortunately, he found a word and concept to work better with our campaign.

And then there's this word: Access. Access says it all.

We even got bilingual commentary - there's only one way to end extreme poverty: with real solutions. So tell me and then tell it to me one more time, amigo. I liked our new friend here. He lamented his daughter not being around because this is exactly her sort of movement.

All in all, we got lots of great photos for our campaign. But just when we thought our day was done, sure enough, the evil Prince from Hellboy II comes walking by. It's Luke Goss. Meital recognized him. The movie opened today (7/11) and is getting good reviews.

Luke in real life was positively polite and more than happy to partake in our campaign. His word: compassion. A world without poverty reflects a world of compassion. We couldn't agree more.

Perhaps you'll join our campaign. Just send a picture of yourself (julia.silka@raisingmalawi.org or jsilka@yahoo.com) with your whiteboard word/thought/phrase about a world without extreme poverty. It's a world I'd love to live in someday. And it's entirely possible. By 2015 to be exact.

Also, if you'd like to make a 100% tax deductible donation to this amazing charity, you can do that too. Just please let me know how much so I can count it toward my goal to raise $101,000 and acknowledge your donation on my blog. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO RAISING MALAWI. Or, to learn more about their programs to end extreme poverty and help orphans and vulnerable children visit raisingmalawi.org.

Adding up our latest contributions from Friday with special acknowledgements to Leah Reynolds, Heather Lounsbury, Kate Palazzolo and Irish Mark, we raised an additional $436 pushing our total donated to date to $33,846.29!

Only $67,153.71 left to raise by Christmas 2008.

What is FARC - Terrorist Group (that killed Tommy)

2008-07-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

I know this is a slight departure from my blog theme, but they ran this short clip on CNN last night and it's a quick followup to my previous post. In it, they mention Tom Janis (my dad's cousin). He was the pilot and fourth American/would-be-hostage had the FARC not murdered him at the crash site. Most of the news isn't covering that part of the story; probably just lazy research.

It was hard for my family to watch this. My dad said he feels sad all over again, but very happy for the other three guys who were rescued. We both agree it's amazing this happened on 4th of July weekend. And how's this for coincidence - July 4th is rescued hostage Tom Howe's birthday!! Pretty cool. Welcome home. And happy birthday!

My Hostages Are Home! It's the Best July 4th, Ever!

2008-07-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

I've been following this story (to the extent to which it's been told) for five years now. The American hostages were on an anti-narcotics mission in Columbia when their plane went down in rebel territory. Tommy Janis, my dad's first cousin (like a brother to him) was the pilot. He was executed along with a Colombian intelligence officer in the plane. Tommy's body was recovered and buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The three other Americans were taken hostage.

They all worked for California Microwave Systems, a unit of defense contractor Northrop Grumman that provides surveillance systems for the U.S. military. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) said on their website that they are extremely pleased to confirm the long-awaited news that all three of its employees -- Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell -- have been safely freed after more than five years as captives of the FARC. They were freed as part of a successful Colombian military rescue effort and have been transferred to the custody of the U.S. government in Colombia for return to the United States.

I guess it doesn't make sense for us politically to acknowledge in the story that Tommy, an American, was murdered. He was the first American executed by rebels in Columbia in almost forever. Back then I don't think we wanted to make an international incident out of it. Even in the stories coming out today, they only talk about the three Americans' plane going down and they were captured. No mention of the other two passengers.

Back to the good news. Fifteen hostages held by the FARC were rescued unharmed yesterday. Among the hostages was Ingrid Betancourt, the three Americans I just told you about and 11 Columbian soldiers. French-Colombian politician and long-shot presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt was seized in 2002. She's been one of the world's most high-profile hostages. The three Americans (Howes, Gonsalves and Stansell) were captured in February 2003.

In October 2003, 60 Minutes did a segment on them, "The Forgotten Hostages". Here's their account of what happened and how my cousin was killed.

"To our country, we miss you and we hope we return one day. We're alive and well," says Keith Stansell, 38, a systems analyst.

"We expect to get out of here one day. We can't say for sure,” says Thomas Howes, 50, a professional pilot. “But our main concern is the welfare of our families."

"I'm a proud American,” says Marc Gonsalves, 31, also a systems analyst. “I look to you guys and I ask for a diplomatic solution to get us home safe, please."

A videotape of the three Americans - Stansell, Howes and Gonsalves - was made by Colombian journalist Jorge Botero. He made the trek deep into the jungles to a steamy, wooden shack.

Botero was escorted inside by a guerrilla commander, where he met the three Americans and recorded a tape to prove that they were alive and well – and ready to be traded for imprisoned members of the FARC Revolutionary Army being held by the Colombian government.

They are prisoners in a war most Americans don't even know is going on, even though the United States is deeply involved.

Stansell, Gonsalves and Howes are contractors, like some of the thousands of American civilians now in Colombia. Many of them were hired by the U.S. government to search for and destroy cocaine production.

Drying up the drugs will dry up a source of funding for the FARC, a highly organized guerrilla group now in its 40th year of war with the Colombian government.

The daily search for drugs turned deadly on Feb. 12. The three Americans landed in the middle of it, literally, when their plane crashed in FARC territory.

"We essentially crashed right into the middle of a big group of FARC,” says Stansell. “We had no chance to escape. We crashed right on top of them."

The three men, along with American pilot Tom Janis, and a Colombian military intelligence officer, took off for a routine flight over the jungle.

"I heard the engine make a sound as far as quitting. It just quit. It got real quiet,” says Stansell. “I looked at Marc, and Marc was looking at me for an answer, so I asked the pilot, 'What's going on?' The pilot, Tom Janis, said, ‘Sir, that's an engine failure.’"

"Tommy Janis, the pilot, saw out of his side of the aircraft a postage-stamp-sized open area of green grass," says Howes. "And he decided immediately that was to be the place. My feeling was that there was a good chance we weren't gonna survive the landing."

They hit the ground and Stansell says the airplane opened up as dirt and debris flew inside. The plane lay in pieces in a clearing, and Gonsalves and Stansell stumbled outside.

"When I first looked at the front of the aircraft, I saw Tom and he was unconscious against the window. If you can see on his head, he had large cuts on his head. He had a broken nose, broken teeth, he was covered in blood. I thought initially he was dead when I ran up to the front of the aircraft,” says Stansell.

"I leaned against the window and banged on the window. I thought he was dead. My fear was that the aircraft was going to catch on fire and they were going to burn to death. At the same time I exited the aircraft, I heard gunshots and the FARC were on the ground. They shot into the air and they ran up to us as I was trying to get the pilots out."

“I had blood dripping down my forehead from just above my eyebrow,” says Howes. “And one of the FARC soldiers with us gave me a bandana to keep the blood out of my eyes."

But the guerrillas could not be trusted. Before leaving the crash site, they separated the hostages.

“The last time that I saw the Colombian and Tommy Janis. When I looked back at both of them, they had their hands up, and they were being marched towards us, but they were still a long distance from us," says Stansell.

The bodies of pilot Tommy Janis and the Colombian military intelligence officer were found near the wreckage. They had been shot to death, execution style.

"We asked the leader of the group what happened, they explained to us that Tommy and the Colombian were dead,” says Stansell. “We didn't ask any more questions. We were in fear. We had nothing more to say."

But given this opportunity, the three Americans wanted to send a taped message to the Janis’ family about their murdered friend.

"To his two sons, your dad saved our lives. He did not panic, he was incredible, both pilots were,” says Stansell. "Neither of them panicked. They held together and they took the worst injuries in the impact."

The three Americans left alive marched on with the guerrillas, deeper and deeper into the jungle.

Howes said it ended up being a 24-day march on foot, on mule and on the back of trucks.

For months, the men had no outside contact – no word of the outside world – until late July, with the arrival of journalist Jorge Botero and his camera.

Botero brought the men magazines and news materials that they hungrily read, trying to catch up on lost months.

"I just learned that we invaded Iraq and I didn't know that because we've had no news. Nothing for five and a half months,” says Stansell. “We've known nothing. Imagine just sitting in a box for five and a half months, nothing, no news, nothing."

As they went through news reports about their own situation, they learned something heartbreaking -- that a friend of theirs had died looking for them a month later. Their plane crashed, killing all three men on board.

"This is the worst thing I've ever gone through in my life. I've never gone through anything worse,” says Stansell. "You sit, day in and day out, and I look at my friends here and at the end of the day here, we think to ourselves, ‘We're alive another day. We will be alive tomorrow? Do we have a future? Can we see our families?'”

So that was their story.

There are believed to remain about 700 people taken captive by the FARC, a four-decade-old insurgency which figures on US and European Union lists of terrorist organizations.

I combed the news for months looking for an update on this since it happened. I was on the treadmill this morning when I saw a short news clip about three American hostages being rescued from a Columbia rebel camp. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I knew it had to be them. And sure enough, it is! I'm so glad you're home, guys. You don't know me, but I've thought about you often and prayed for your safe return for years.

As for Tommy, something extraordinary came out of his death for me. When my family got the sad, terrible news that he was executed, I immediately reflected on the last time I saw him at my cousin Cathy's wedding. He was a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the army. He promised to take me up for a ride someday. He was an honest-to-good, decent guy. So, why the senseless death?

Here's what I concluded. It wasn't at all senseless. He was living a life that made a difference for all of us. Before he was killed, I had no idea what he did for a living, other than fly planes with the military. But how awesome to discover that he lived a life of purpose - ON purpose. He died making a difference. What an honor. An honor I hope to achieve someday. I started looking for my own way to make a difference that very day. It took me a few years, but I set out on that journey for myself when I decided to help the women and children who need it most. That's what brought me to Raising Malawi.

It's all connected.

Tommy inspired me to fight the good fight. And I urge everyone to do the same, whatever that means for you.

Checks in the mail ($210)

2008-07-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

My fundraising buddy Heather mailed off two checks yesterday from our silent auction at Kyle Mathis Hairdressing. One check was for acupuncture services, which she provides (winning bid $85) and one was for a treatment with homeopath and intuitive healer, Holly Sidell (winning bid $125). Here's a little about them:

HEATHER LOUNSBURY, L.Ac.

Heather graduated from University of Maryland Magna cum Laude, with BAs in Russian linguistics and German literature. Throughout college, Heather worked as a vegetarian chef and studied abroad in her junior year. After graduating, her curiosity and interests led her to Los Angeles where she studied massage in preparation for acupuncture school. During four years of rigorous study at Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine, Heather held an internship at Daniel Freeman Hospital in the Chemical Dependency (AKA Exodus), Psychiatric, and Trauma units. She then graduated Summa cum Laude. Heather has over 14 years of experience working as a healthcare provider. Along with acupuncture, she is an herbalist, nutritionist, Reiki master, and massage therapist. At her clinic in Santa Monica she treats a variety of illnesses, but specializes in pain management, mental health/addiction, and stress reduction. Her patients range from newborns to the elderly, celebrities to college students. Because of her expertise, Heather is a frequently invited guest speaker at local colleges and health food stores. As a well-respected physician, Ms. Heather’s unique holistic approach to healing encompasses all aspects of a patients needs, allowing the best results possible. On January 25, 2007 she appeared live on KTLA's morning show discussing the benefits of cupping and acupuncture.

Heather is a leading healthcare advisor and acupuncturist who has worked with many award-winning celebrites over the past decade including Coldplay, Korn, Carmen Electra, Carmit of The Pussy Cat Dolls, Dave Navarro and James Black. She was featured as Best of the Best in Elite Traveler's 2006 Black Book. (http://www.breathebalance.com/)

HOLLY SIDELL
A Los Angeles native, Holly Sidell began her work as a healer when she traveled to Glastonbury, England to do an intensive Intuitive Energywork and Hands on Healing training. She was privileged enough to be ordained a Reiki Master inside the circle of stones at Stonehenge, an honor which most do not get to experience any more due to heightened security and preservation measures. This was a turning point in Holly’s life, as she then decided to dedicate her life to healing, and to helping others realize that they do not need to live a life of chaos and suffering. She remained in England to attend the College of Practical Homeopathy in London and devote her time to learning this fascinating form of Alternative Medicine. Upon her return to Los Angeles, she interned with and trained under Dr. Stuart Garber, who is the first person in the U.S. to receive a PhD in Homeopathy. Now with her own private practice, Holly utilizes these healing modalities, along with other ones she has been guided to pick up and learn, to help her clients arrive at their rightful place of health and happiness. Every soul is unique and special with his or her own unique and special journey and process, and Holly gives every soul the personalized love and attention he or she needs.

Holly is a member of the National Center for Homeopathy, a member of the Holistic Pediatric Association, a member of the American Association of Nutritional Consultants, a certified Reiki Master through the International Center for Reiki Training, and is certified in Hypnosis through the American Hypnosis Association. She received her B.A. from Indiana University. (http://www.coutureforthesoul.com/)

Thank you, ladies!

How to Be Someone Who Gives a Shit

2008-06-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

I started "Fundraising Malawi," as the name hopefully suggests, to raise funds for Raising Malawi. I set a goal to raise $101,000 by Christmas 2008. I've been going at it alone for 2.5 years, but now am itching to tagteam with like-minded people who want to make a difference in the world on a big scale, in a big way.

When I'm not working on this project, I tend to forget how hugely important it really is. I get swept up in the details of my life. It dawned on me today as I was in a trance on the treadmill watching some ridiculous TNT show starring Robin Williams as a mad scientist or something (trust me, you'd zone out too) that I may not reach my goal on time. I am still $68K-ish shy. Fundraising Malawi is just my goal. Not a need. I don't have hunger pangs. If I did, if it were a NEED, I'd keep at it day and night. I definitely wouldn't be so casual about it. How much do I really give a shit? I would tell you it's all that matters to me. But is it? If it were, wouldn't I be pushing harder?

I have to push harder.

A few months ago I started working with four other gals in LA to pull off some exciting fundraising events. While it sure doesn't feel like it on the day-to-day, we are making a real and lasting difference in the world. I know because we have aligned ourselves with an organization that is driving solutions rather than throwing money at problems.

The work of Raising Malawi, as I would summarize it, is to help flip this little sliver of a country from extreme poverty to self-sustaining prosperity. Self-sustaining. Those are the magic words.

For that to happen, Malawi needs an initial boost (OK, major hoist) to get a foot up on the socio-economic ladder. There are so many reasons they are not there now. Jeffrey Sachs wrote a terrific book called, “The End of Poverty” that explains the situation and what they need to break out of it. With our help, they have a chance.

The sad reality is that growth isn't possible for Malawi until they can get beyond survival. With a population of 13 million, one million are orphaned mostly due to AIDs. Knowing that a solution is so readily available, can we really look away?

I chose to raise funds for Raising Malawi because they really do give a shit. When I visited last year, I got how much they care and saw first-hand that they get things done. Raising Malawi recently opened an orphan care center to serve 4,000 children. I saw a lot of new construction actually - educational facilities, homes, feeding centers, even a borehole we helped to fund that attracted an unending line of women and children coming to pump drinking water.

It’s a great dream. And it’s happening.

If you give a shit or otherwise feel the calling to make a difference in the world, here's what you can do to help:

1. GIVE MONEY
Right now, like right this minute, go find your credit card and take it out of your wallet. Then click here to make a 100% tax-deductible donation. The site accepts any amount. Or you can send a check. Their address is on the same link. After you donate, please let me know how much so I can acknowledge your donation on my blog and up my running tally of funds raised to date. (It's my favorite thing in the world to do. :)

2. GIVE TIME
If you're in LA, there're five of us who meet once a week to brainstorm projects and work to fulfill them. Currently, we're looking at hosting our next event at an art gallery. We're still looking for a venue and anyone with some know-how as to how to do it right. If you're that person by whatever qualification (we're not picky), please, let's connect.

Or, see No. 3 below. Can you help us scout around for cool bag stuffers?

3 GIVE THINGS
I just bought 50 cool canvas bags made by the people of Malawi that we need to stuff with goodies and sell at our events (or give to big donors). Do you have anything cool, Africa-themed or otherwise, that could work - a dentist with 50 toothbrushes, a company who could donate 50 product samples, etc.

Or, perhaps you have a service or item we can auction off at our next event?

4. GIVE SKILLS
Some of the ways in which I've raised funds for this cause are by doing things I know how to do. Like moderating focus groups. No problem. I'm QRCA-trained. Have led well over 1,000 groups in my career. Why not do it for charity? I can do that for you if you need someone to facilitate a group. Or I can make a movie for you - I can turn all of your family albums into a DVD, movie cut to whatever music you choose. I can mow lawns, wash cars, shovel snow, move mountains (now I'm just showing off). I can do all sorts of things for a donation to charity in lieu of payment. How about you?

Any skills you can donate to charity? Maybe not even to 'sell'. Maybe you're a ruthless, no-BS coach and you can take me on as a protegee to help me realize this goal. Or, perhaps you have some connections or ideas how to get some PR for our next fundraiser. Maybe you'd be a pro at selling our Africa Bags on Ebay or something. You are uniquely skilled and you know it. Anything you can think to share?

5. MODEL GIFTS
With our newly formed fundraising team in LA, we're trying to create some repeatable models for fundraising that can be rolled out in other cities around the country, or even world. We're all pretty new at this, but ultimately, we want to be able to say, "It works in LA.....and here's how you do it".

It's like the Millennium Villages Project that Raising Malawi is sponsoring in Gumulira. I first learned about these projects on a thinkMTV segment showing Angelina Jolie and Jeffrey Sachs at a village in western Kenya. Brilliant! Click here to see them and get a sense of how the Millennium Villages Project works.

"Model gifts" are what Jeffrey Sachs, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Paul Farmer and so many other great leaders are doing: setting up systems that produce results and replicating those systems in other places.

The five of us doing Fundraising Malawi in LA learned a lot from our first event at Kyle Mathis Hairdressing -- some of it the hard way, although all in all, a very successful day. Kyle Mathis himself was most generous. In fact, there's a good chance he'll host another event with us for Raising Malawi. We're only going to get better at this with more practice. We raised over $2K at the last event. We can raise it again, and then some.

If you have ideas, things we should try, a model already proven to work and easy to replicate, perhaps you can advise us?

6. GIVE TO GOOD IDEAS

Raising Malawi just set up weekly international calls with a fairly small group of us to establish committees and subcommittees for fundraising, research and awareness building. Perhaps you'd like to get involved with them directly. Let me know and I'll put you in touch.

No matter what you do, if you choose to do anything at all, please Give a Shit.

Even a small poo will help.

2008-06-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Julia,

In the last couple of years, we have seen significant progress in the fight against poverty: more than 2 million people are receiving lifesaving AIDS medications and 29 million African children, once denied a basic education, are now in school.

Despite proven successes, the G8—8 of the world's most powerful countries – are largely failing to deliver on their promises to increase funds dedicated to fighting extreme poverty. The United States is one of the few G8 countries making progress on its commitments, but there is more we can do, and US leadership is essential to encouraging G8 progress.

Our moment to press the US and other G8 nations into action is quickly approaching as leaders of the G8 will gather in Japan on July 7.

Click this link to add your name to the petition and ask G8 leaders to do their part and work to continue our success in the fight against poverty.

Petition text:
We call upon you to build on recent success in fighting extreme poverty by delivering your commitments on healthcare, agriculture and education and by helping citizens in developing countries in their efforts to improve governance and fight corruption.

This petition builds upon our hunger crisis action in May, when 140,000 ONE members successfully urged President Bush into action in response to soaring food prices.

But the impact of the food crisis – millions teetering on the brink of poverty, riots in dozens of developing countries, and families forced to choose between meals and medicine – stems from a range of causes that demand the G8’s attention. Only by delivering on all of their commitments to the developing world can G8 leaders truly continue on previous successes and prevent future problems like the food crisis.

Please remind G8 leaders that fighting poverty works, but we have a long way to go.

It is essential that G8 nations take this opportunity, while the world’s eyes are upon their summit, to show true leadership by addressing these problems and the underlying issues that cause them.

Thank you for your voice,
Josh Peck, ONE.org

P.S. PEPFAR, America’s response to the global emergency of AIDS, TB and malaria, is at a critical point in negotiations and we hope to have an update for you soon on the results of our campaign to pass it in the Senate.

Please help us fill our bags!

2008-06-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

The title of this post reminds me of a story David tells about the flight attendant in BA first class who asked him to please empty his nuts. (Ha!) But that's not what this is about. A little background:

This nice chap Todd Petitt found my blog and reached out seeing as we're up to something very similar. He co-created Africa Bags, a non-profit organization that produces reusable cloth shopping bags.

In May '07, they introduced their project into three villages near Mzuzu, Malawi - Kamweko, Viweme and Nkhata Bay. The villages were provided with foot powered treadle sewing machines, cloth and all other items needed to make the bags. They trained small groups from each village to operate the treadle sewing machines. Shortly after they left, a fourth group formed itself in Chintheche.

The village in Kamweko has really taken off. Currently, they're in the process of making over 25,000 bricks to build a 1,000 sq. foot community center, all paid for by Africa Bags supporters.

Since 100% of the profits from these bags are returned to Malawi, I figured I'd buy 50 or so to get started (they cost $12 each) and see if I could stuff them with cool swag to sell for $50-100 each (depending on content), 100% of proceeds to be donated to Raising Malawi.

Here's where I really need your help. We all are connected to someone who can donate 50 cool items (T-shirts, DVDs, sun lotions, water bottles, magazines, notebooks, vitamins, health bars, etc.) that would be great for stuffing these bags.

I'll sell them at our upcoming fundraising events. I'm working with a team now trying to secure a cool hollywood venue. It's for such a great cause (orphans and vulnerable children) and is awesome exposure for like-minded companies. I really want to STUFF these bags and sell them out fast. It'll give us a reason to buy more and create a powerful circuitry to pump dollars back to the people who need them most.

Please be a hero today. Do you have at least 50 items to donate or know someone/company who does? Even if you just have an inkling....someone you think you can approach who may be interested in helping, will you shoot me a note (jsilka@yahoo.com) or leave a comment and let me know what's in your head? It'd make my whole day. And you know the deal, it could actually save a life.

A note from the Hutchings Family

2008-06-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Actually, looks like Tom wrote this:

Hey dude - are you still doing that Malawi dealy? If so we kicked in $100USD, 8₤ and 9€ for you... didn't see where to plug in your name though. Hope that doesn't hose up your tally.

Best wishes,
Tom, Nancy, Haley & Nathan
(and of course, Rex!)

Ahhh...the Hutchings. Now these are some good people. I worked with Nancy at Arthur Andersen WHQ in the HR department in the late 80s. We were great friends (Tom too). In fact, I was Nancy and Tom's witness of honor on Fourth of July weekend back in the early 90s. Totally forget the year now. They got married on Navy Pier before the city put up the ferris wheel and all the fuss.

It was a hot, muggy, overcast day on the lake, but also perfect. They said their vows, we had a toast and then we all went on a little cruise. Both of their families killed them later for eloping. Despite that, they managed to have two beautiful children and a dog named Rex. I do believe their families have since forgiven their crime of passion.

Sometime later in that very same place, David F broke up with me on his birthday (July 22nd) after dating me five years. We were in front of that ferris wheel. He did it and then the fire works started going off. (Literally). As I stared into the night sky, my snow cone fell on my right foot and quickly melted through my sandal so my toes stuck together. Turns out he met someone. (His now wife). I gave him his house keys back that night and just like that, I was out of his life. What a prick. (I'm over it, really. ;)

Navy Pier.

Anyway, where was I? I think Tom's note means he donated $100 to Raising Malawi. I sent an email back to confirm.

Just confirmed.

Ohhhh.....It's more than $100US. (You have to know Tom). He writes:

Yeppars, that we did. the 8 is for a second donation - made in pounds sterling, and 9 is for the third one made in EUROS. I reckon it's just shy of an add'l $30USD...And no, I can't do anything simply! Isn't it fun to be one of the very few people who gets my sense of humor? [OK - pretends to get my sense of humor:)].

The three items were dated June 20th - I think the exact total was $129.68 in US/equiv.

Hope you are well! Nancy and the kids are great. We'll send recent pix soon!
--

Now how's that for gross, beautiful, well-calculated irony?!....I was BORN on 1/29/68! A VERY PERFECT DONATION!!

Which brings the new total of monies raised to date to $33,200.29.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

It's getting hot out there people. Mind your snow cones.

Thank You Birthday Molly and Mom Lopez!

2008-06-17T20:39:00.001-07:00

I got the sweetest email on my way to work today. It was from Molly Lopez, my friend Miranda's sister who crashed at my place in NYC while her apartment was getting ready. Molly made a donation to Raising Malawi back when she stayed at my place, in a gesture of thanks.

Today, she told me her mom made $100 donation to Raising Malawi for her birthday. I was sitting at a red light when I read this. And I just welled up with tears. By the time the light turned green, I could feel the many metaphors of motion happening in my life.

See, I never met Molly. Or her mom. I didn't even know Miranda when I first set this little goal of mine.

It's that thing I say in my blog header above: "I know my goal is possible, only I have no idea how to meet it." I had no idea the people I'd meet. Or how I'd drum up these funds. But I see it happening every day now.

Plus, I never take my eye off the ball. NEVER.

There is a basic rule of spirituality as Kabbalah might explain it: If you don't crave, you don't get. Light only comes to a place where there is a strong desire, a place where there is craving.

I took a course in Wisdom some years ago. Yes, there is such a thing. It outlined 7 stages of success/realizing your vision in the world. They are:

Stage 1: Express.
It's dreaming up your big idea over a few beers or whatever and then declaring it to the world. "I, Julia Silka, will raise $101,000 for the women and children who need it most."

Stage 2: Remember.
Er....what was that promise I made again?

Stage 3: Fail.
Been there. It took a lot to get this commitment of mine in motion. Lots of false starts, ideas without action and fundraising activity that didn't amount to much.

Stage 4: Succeed.
I've had some great wins; great fundraising activity. I'm getting better at it. More clear what works and what doesn't.

Stage 5: Flood.
Here's where the abundance kicks in. More than you think you can handle. So much so, that it wrecks your little structure. Forces you to expand/personally grow. I'm definitely not there yet on this project....although there is an opportunity unfolding with Raising Malawi right now for me to play a more stepped up role with their organization.

Stage 6: Explain & Understand.
This is where you have some mastery around what it is that you've created and you distinguish the concept in such a way that you can extend it beyond yourself. Others can lead your vision.

Stage 7. Lose.
I just love this. I mean, really LOVE this idea. Talk about overcoming your ego. This is the stage where you need to let go so that what you have created can live without you. It has grown so much bigger than you, in fact, that people even forget that you were once associated with it.

I'm summarizing a year-long course, but I hope I can impart at least a touch of its brilliance. Most people never make it past Stage Three. They just close the books on their dreams and find something else to do. At least they get there. Think of all the people you know who don't get past Stage One. They just spend their days talking shit. They're all around us, everywhere.

I'm at Stage Four now and expect to get to Stage 5 soon; maybe even Stage 6.

But Stage 7 will really be the test. Looking back from that future when I know I was behind the design of the fundraising programs that could be replicated by Raising Malawi to effectively flip whole villages from extreme poverty to self-sustaining and bring prosperity where there was once despair..........I wonder.........will I be humble enough to say nothing? To not have to take credit? I don't know yet, but I hope that's the case.

Meanwhile, I am so grateful to every single person who's come into my life to do whatever little bit they can to help. It all adds up. And, as of today, it's added up to $33,070.61

For this, I thank you. And my mother thanks you. And her mother thanks you. And her mother thanks you....(My grandma used to always say that.)

We raised $2,311.04 last Sunday!

2008-06-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

The five of us (Leah Reynolds, Meital Levi, Julia Silka, Heather Lounsbury, Selen Ermanav) raised $2,311.04 at our first team event this past Sunday at Kyle Mathis Hairdressing.

In addition to hair, nail, brow waxing and massage services, we set up a donation box and a table for silent auction items.

Selen sold her handmade candles from Sevin Candle Company and donated 50% of the sale to Raising Malawi. They're beautiful! 100% soy, good to environment and available in three choice scents: orange, lemongrass and lavender. I bought two and Leah bought 8 or so to thank the staff volunteers. (If you like Selen, and what's not to like, may I suggest you buy a candle at www.sevincandle.com). I'm counting her donations from the candles as part of our donation box tally.

Here's a quick breakdown of the math

$1,316.04 hair and salon services
$ 570 donation box
$ 425 silent auction **
-----------------
$2,311.04

**I am not counting silent auction dollars till we officially award items and collect on their bids. Still, no time like the present to thank our generous donors:

-Berri Good for $50 gift certificate (winning bid $30)
-Heather Lounsbury for acupuncture session ($85)
-Joseph van Arsdale for private yoga session ($85)
-Selen Ermanav for photo session/headshots ($50)
-Collective Soul for 2 concert tix, backstage passes & signed photo ($50)
-Holly Sidell for HeartMath treatment/therapy session ($125)

Plus, two cases red and white wine from restaurant owner, Franco Simplicio to class up our little event :)

And of course, a HUGE, WARM THANK YOU to the most-generous Kyle Mathis for opening his salon up to us and offering half price services with 100% of all proceeds to Raising Malawi.

Here's a picture of Kyle cutting our first guest's hair. I believe Leah and Heather stopped this fine young man on the street to tell him he needed a haircut and escorted him inside. Nice work, ladies!

I got my do done too.

A personal highlight for me (other than my personal highlights) was giving away a bunch of balloons to an angelic little Japanese girl outside waiting for her dad to get some stuff out of their car. She eyed our balloons and was so happy when I gave her a bunch! Her dad tied them on her wrist and she ran down the sidewalk looking back every few seconds to watch the balloons chasing her. Wish I had my camera for that.

We took turns working the table outside. We had it set up in the Promenade at first, but didn't get a lot of traffic in the morning, so we moved it in front of the salon.

We had wonderful free samples of Lierac skin cream and Macro Greens/Miracle Reds to stop passersby, if only for a 3 second awareness pitch for our cause. We had lots of samples and they all went. :)

And how about this for support: My friend Renee from work was letting her hair grow out for months so she could come out and support us. When she finally arrived for a haircut, everything was booked. We asked if there was any chance she could squeeze in for just a quick cut (her hair was very long) and they agreed, given her commitment and all, but wouldn't have time for a blow dry.

Next thing you know, I look over and my friend has gone all Katie Holmes on me! I could see her neck! How fun! A true charity-inspired transformation.

All in all, we had a great day. And we pulled in a decent till for our first gig. But it's not about the money. Fundraising is never just about the money. It's about building awareness for this great cause and waking up, all of us, one by one, to change the order of things. We can make a difference for the world's most vulnerable, and oft-forgotten children. Together, we can Raise Malawi!

Since we have the check in hand from the salon, I'll add $1,316.04 to our total, bringing the amount raised to date to $32,970.61

That's Numberwang!

2008-06-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

Totals from Sunday's Hairdo for Charity event are still being tallied. It's a rule of mine not to count my chickens before cashing out. The salon is estimating $1,300 will be donated this week from hair services. We made a few small bones from the silent auction (which was so silent, not much bidding ensued). I'll add that to the total once it's collected.

Selen made a donation box for the event and Diana (from work) came with her massage chair to give back rubs au gratis (she donated her tips, too). We already donated the box money, so that's $570 we can count as of now, or more precisely, June 8th when we donated it.

Another round of numberwang to follow shortly -

Dye it, trim it, wax it or polish it, just do it tomorrow in Santa Monica

2008-06-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hair we go. My first-ever real fundraiser. Tomorrow, I'll get to Kyle Mathis Hairdressing at 9:30 to help set up our silent auction swag. I'm getting my do done at 10:30 and will hang around all day with the gals (Leah, Heather, Selen and Meital) between the salon and promenade to help stir up business to benefit the world's neediest orphans.

The salon is offering 50% OFF hair services with 100% donated to Raising Malawi. The success or failure of this event is on all of our heads.

Call (310) 393-7947 or just drop in: 201 Wilshire Blvd #120 Santa Monica, CA 90401

And thanks to Heather and Meital for their early donations, bringing our total raised to date to $31, 084.57

Pleasure is Reality

2008-05-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Humanity is addicted to pleasure - and that's not a bad thing. Kabbalistically, pleasure is the only true reality. Love and goodness and joy — these are the attributes of the Light. The rest is illusionary.

Problem is, before coming down to the physical reality, our souls struck a deal with the Creator: let me earn my pleasure. So the Creator sends us painful situations and people that allow us to work for it. But most of us can't stand the pain so we run towards pleasure, the temporary kind.

Today, when you are on line for Starbucks waiting for your non-fat latte with extra foam, or sneaking a cigarette or surfing the internet while work awaits, check in with yourself. Why are you doing this action? Is there some uncomfortability you are avoiding?

Don't get off line, or stub out your cigarette. I'm not intending for this message to guilt trip you. Just pay attention to what you are doing. And learn from it. Always learn from it.

Sunday, June 8th: Kyle Mathis Salon in Santa Monica will Cut and Color for Raising Malawi

2008-05-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

There is little I wouldn't do to help raise money for orphans and vulnerable children. Last year, I had this idea to host a dinner party and serve each guest one pea so they could appreciate the hunger and poverty Malawi's children live with each day. I'm glad I bounced my idea off a couple people first or I would've likely been entertaining alone with my small pot of peas.

I have since teamed up with four other women who have their own (much better) ideas for pulling off events to help raise awareness and funds for Raising Malawi. Our first event will be held at Kyle Mathis Hairdressing in Santa Monica on Sunday, June 8th from 10AM to 6PM. This new, upscale salon is offering half-price cuts and color with 100% of the proceeds going to Raising Malawi.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 and we need your hair to help us! Leah, Heather, Meital, Selen and myself (Julia) will all be there to pour wine and pamper (cheese, not peas), answer questions and run a silent auction to raise additional funds.

Make an appointment (310) 393-7947 or just drop in: 201 Wilshire Blvd #120 Santa Monica, CA 90401

Kyle Mathis offers other services (e.g., nail and brow waxing), so please pop in for something - even just to say hello.

We hope to see you there!

Thanks, Meital!

2008-05-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so I said I wasn't going to count any donations from my team toward my Raising Malawi fundraising goal since the gals were already giving pretty regularly before they met me. But now that we're working so closely together and pooling all of our energies, the time has come.

This last $200 bump comes courtesy of my teammate and weekly brainstorming buddy, Meital Levi. This woman is a firecracker. No kidding. She lights wicks and cracks fires around everyone she meets. She is busy securing details for a super cool venue for one of our upcoming events. More to come on that, but I guarantee it will rock!

Stephen Colbert's Brilliant, Creative Fundraising

2008-05-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert is my hero. I love how he uses his influence to do good in the world. When he "ran for president," supporters donated $66,000 to South Carolina classrooms in his honor. Recently, he ran his own philanthropic straw poll during the Pennsylvania primaries to see if Senators Clinton and Obama have what it takes to tango.

Over three weeks, citizen philanthropists gave $188,567 to classroom projects on DonorsChoose.org, reaching approx 44,550 Pennsylvania students from low-income communities.

Most people gave in honor of Obama:

Give in honor of Barack Obama
$159,347 raised
2,327donors
34,446 students reached

Give in honor of Hillary Clinton
$29,220 raised
327 donors
10,097 students reached

In case you missed them, here are two TV clips which inspired this outpouring of generosity:

Stephen Colbert kicks it off

Matt Lauer interviews Stephen Colbert

He's so genius. Remember when Ben & Jerry's came out with an ice cream in his honor?
Colbert donates his proceeds to charity to benefit various causes.

That's living the American Dream to its fullest!

Fundraising Malawi Team

2008-05-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

I keep meaning to get a picture of the new Fundraising Malawi team. It's so nice to have a team! From left to right we are: Julia Silka. Meital Levi. Heather Lounsbury. Leah Reynolds. We're all pretty cool on our own, but we're really fabulous together. So fabulous, we seem to actually glow. Will get a better picture next week.

Also, update on the silent auction donations. My friend Minnie from work offered to donate 4 tickets with parking to a Dodgers game this summer.

Heather has a meeting tomorrow with a cool connection. I can't say just yet. I hope something comes of it.

Meital is working on a proposal to secure a hot venue in hollywood. I can't say just yet....but again, hope something cool comes of it.

Leah showed us some of this painter's work. He is going to donate a very nice piece for auction. I'll make a separate post for that once I have a chance to research him a bit more.

My friend Steve was supposed to call me tonight with some ideas, but evidently blew me off. Need to remind myself to give him grief tomorrow. ;)

That's it for today. I'm wiped. G'night.

Hey! I think I feel raindrops!

2008-05-06T19:12:00.001-07:00

OK, so like two minutes after my earlier RainMaker post, I got an email from my friend's sister Molly Lopez who camped out at my pig-stye of a place in NYC as her new apartment was getting ready. I am renovating now. It's rough. Anyway, she donated $100 to Raising Malawi in a gesture of thanks, so that brings us to $30,533.57!

Me and my new team (Heather, Leah and Meital - we meet once a week) are also in the process of collecting donations for a silent auction(s) to be held in LA this summer. Details still to follow on that. So far we've got:

1. Four tickets to Cirque du Soleil show: KA in Vegas (David Duncan and his friend Mario)

David called his friend Mario - top marketing guy at Cirque du Soleil - who will donate 4 tickets to KA in Vegas. David offered to kick in for hotel to make it a travel package. (David...maybe we can call MGM and see if they can donate for whatever night and then you can kick in for something else or make your $1,000 contribution straight to Raising Malawi?)

2. Donated Downloads from new release; $30-40K potential (Rose Reiter)

This is not the download song, but it'll give you a feel for her music (nice, huh?). Rose just shot the video for her new release,"Can't Hold me Back", so I'll post that when it's ready. She is proposing to donate 50% of all digital downloads from day one release (June 1) until my goal date - Dec 25, 2008 - to Raising Malawi. So, quick math, if she had a goal of 100,000 downloads, then it would be about $30 - 40K to Raising Malawi. Any music gurus out there who know how to help us promote this?!

3. One African Djembe (Diana Fengler-Shores per Remo.com)
I work with Diana. She's into the whole new age thing (like me) and also drumming scene. I'm certifiably clueless about drums, but what she's shown me is beautiful. She just secured a donation of one large festival Djembe. In Africa, one of the Djembe's functions is as a healing drum. Remo Djembes are based on the same traditional Djembe tone and form combined with Remo's modern advances including a wide range of tuning systems, heads, finishes and sizes.

4a/b. A painting (details to follow) and Neil Lane Jewelery (Leah Reynolds and Neil Lane)

Leah, my Fundraising Malawi partner found someone to donate a painting. I'll update this post with the details after we meet tomorrow and I can remind myself of the specifics. She also works at DeBeers and would LOVE to sell a diamond to anyone shopping for a diamond. This way too, she'll have some more sway at the office, if you will, and can influence the powers that be to host an event at DeBeers, ideally this fall. When we do host (which we intend to), she secured a commitment for a piece of jewelry from Neil Lane. I'll get the specifics on that tomorrow.

5. One session of acupuncture with the fabulous Heather Lounsbury, L. Ac.
Heather (my other Fundraising Malawi partner) is donating a session of acupuncture. She's a doctor. I asked her about my neck pain and she diagnosed me as carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I love Heather :)

6. Something good from me as soon as I get the inspiration.

I'm ready to do something big. Matching gift or something. Haven't figured out exactly what yet. I'm still sleeping on it.

Come on Rainmaker, Make it Rain

2008-05-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back from a week in Orlando. My client does a lot of work with a company called Ideas to Go, which facilitates brainstorms with brand teams and consumers and then gets reactions to those ideas in focus groups, all in one week. This was my third trip down there and I'm fast becoming friends with Christine, one of their head facilitators.

Our client Linda (also fast friend) invited the two of us to dinner one night. We stayed well past closing thoroughly enjoying each other's company. Not the superficial type of company you tend to keep when you're traveling on business, but the real, authentic stuff that makes you think; that makes you want to go out and be more fabulous than you already are; that makes you "take pause" (inside joke) and smile at your good fortune to be able to live the life you do.

During our dinner conversation, I shared a bit about Raising Malawi. Christine, ex-camp director and experienced rainmaker offered to lend her brain to the cause. It's a good brain -- strategic and fun. I'm very excited! Meantime, she slipped me a check for $100, which I mailed off yesterday and will add to our running total, which brings us to $30,433.57 raised to date.

Many thanks, Christine Haskins!

When I got back home and checked my email, I had a note from a rep from More Magazine. Ladies, you know More don't you?

It's a national women's magazine geared towards women aged 40 to 59. They have a circulation of more than 1.2 million and total readership of 4.5 million. More was #1 and #2 on Ad Age's Hot List of magazines in '06 and '07 and a finalist for a National Magazine Award for general excellence last year, in a category with The New Yorker.

They're doing a story about women who are doing very creative things to raise money for their businesses or charity causes, and came across my blog. They needed to know more to see if I fit the right profile for their story, so send me good vibes, will you please?! What a cool honor it would be to be featured in More!

And if they do run the article, what a cool PR win for me to help with future fundraising! It helps brand me as the "creative fundraising woman" and with said title, inspires me to knock on new and bigger doors, press kit in hand ;)

Come on....oh, please, oh please: MORE RAIN!

Gandhi and the Alcoholic

2008-05-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is one of those Daily Kabbalah Tune-ups from Yehuda Berg. It doesn't sound real; more of a parable with a lesson. I post it because I am living it. It goes like this:

There once was a woman whose young son was diabetic, and not only was her son a fan of sugar, but he was also a fan of Gandhi. The mother decided to seek out Gandhi's wisdom. She and her son rode a train for three days to seek the advice of the renowned spiritual leader.

When they arrived at his home, they waited on line for hours until they were finally invited to speak with him. Once the mother explained the story, Gandhi replied, "please come back in 30 days." Rather than travel back and forth, the woman and her son found temporary housing, and she took a job as a dishwasher at a local restaurant.

After 30 days, they returned to Gandhi, seeking his advice yet again. This time Gandhi stood up, held the boy by his shoulders, and said, "My son, you must stop eating sugar." The mother was enraged. "With all due respect, we traveled a great distance to seek your counsel, and this is all you have to tell us?" To which Gandhi replied, "Madam, I could not ask your son to do something that I myself could not do. Only yesterday was I able to completely cut sugar out of my diet."

Today's lesson is plain to see - we cannot expect others to do things we aren't able to do ourselves!

And so here I am. Sober as the sun is bright for the past 25 days, going on 26, feeling like it's been 100. I'm restricting for 90 days because I caught myself giving the lecture (a lot) without living the lesson. It's been totally doable, but I have felt:

1) socially pressured
2) socially odd like a self-righteous prick, party-pooper, loser
3) like I'm missing out
4) like i'm depriving myself of something for no reason
5) cravings that gnaw at me at night, on weekends and when traveling
6) can't loosen up and really enjoy the party with everyone else
7) can't see any benefits. haven't even lost a pound and don't know why
8) cheating myself of finer pleasures; food and chocolate is most certainly less enjoyable
9) a little surprised and annoyed that everyone needs to know my reason for not drinking and noticing that I've subconsciously made a whole list of acceptable answers - including "need to lose weight", "I have a headache", "I'm hungover", "I'm pregnant", etc.....but am very careful not to come out with anything to suggest "I have a problem" or "I am an alcoholic" or worse, "I don't drink" because that last one would cut something very major out of my life that I really don't want to cut out
10) looking forward for 90 days to end so i can go back to drinking

What would Gandhi do now?

I guess, if I were Gandhi, I would meet my commitment to 90 days and then look for better ways to heal myself.

So that's what I'll do.

Millennium Promise: Extreme Poverty Ends Here

2008-04-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today is World Malaria Day, a day to commemorate global efforts to control this devastating disease. More than a million people, most of them children, die each year from malaria. In Africa, a child dies every 30 seconds from this disease. Malaria also affects productivity - annual economic loss in Africa due to the disease is estimated to be $12 billion - trapping many communities in continuing poverty.

As part of Millennium Promise's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - eight globally endorsed objectives that address the multi-dimensional nature of extreme poverty - we recognize the adverse impact malaria has on achieving the MDGs in Africa:

MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Malaria strikes workers most severely during the rainy season, creating a devastating impact on agricultural productivity and income generation.

MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education
Malaria causes children and teachers to miss school and is the leading cause of absenteeism in areas where malaria is highly endemic.

MDG 4: Reduce child mortality
In Africa, malaria is the single leading cause of death for children under five.

MDG 5: Improve maternal health Pregnant women and their unborn children are particularly vulnerable to malaria, which, during pregnancy, is a major cause of mortality, low birth weight and maternal anemia.

MDG 6 : Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Defeating malaria is an achievable first step to this goal.

Millennium Promise's flagship initiative, the Millennium Villages project, works with rural communities in Africa to simultaneously implement critical interventions that tackle the major causes that lead to extreme poverty. Part of this initiative is providing mosquito bed nets to prevent malaria and medicines to treat it. Key achievements in this area include:

Through a donation of 336,000 bed nets from Sumitomo Chemical, health workers have distributed enough bed nets to cover 100% of the sleeping sites in the villages;

Through donations from Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis, village health facilities received more than 440,000 doses of malaria drugs to treat villagers;

Because of these interventions, malaria cases have declined by as much as 75% in some of the villages.

Millennium Promise is also proud to be a founding partner of Malaria No More, a grassroots movement whose mission is to end deaths due to malaria. As part of this year's Idol Gives Back charity special, American Idol fans have so far contributed more than $60 million, a portion of which will go to Malaria No More to distribute life-saving bed nets to people across Africa.

With your help, we can defeat this disease, bringing us one step closer to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and ending extreme poverty.

With deep thanks for your continued support,

Jeffrey S. Flug
Chief Executive Officer
Millennium Promise

To support Millennium Promise CLICK HERE

The Definition of Happy Birthday

2008-04-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Back in January on my big day, my Kabbalah teacher (Yehuda A.) let me in on a little secret about birthdays. He said that "Satan" (ego) tricks us into thinking this day is all about getting gifts and blowing your own horn. All attention and celebration is on "me". It's a trap. The real purpose of your birthday is to do/be just the opposite. It's a huge (albeit disguised) opportunity to become a being of sharing. That's where true happiness lies. So if you're ever a little stuck or feel you could use a little happiness in your life, then do an act of sharing. It's really just that simple.

I share this now because my friend and FundRaising Malawi partner Leah Reynolds forwarded this email to me from her friend Scott Harrison. I am inspired, impressed and, truth be told, a little spooked. He is me in some bizarre and simultaneous parallel universe. A real BIRTHDAY BOY! His birthday is September 7th. And he, like me, chooses to make the day of his birth mean something in the world.

Scott is asking for $33+ donations to get wells built in Africa -- specifically 333 in Ethiopia. I signed up my nephew, master Matthew Silka - who will be 8 on September 28th. I'll donate on his behalf and maybe he'd like to do a little fundraising himself.

If you are September-born or know someone who is, this opportunity is for you:

Here's Scott's letter:

I’m writing you from Northern Ethiopia, where we're currently shooting photos and video for the 2008 september campaign.

Last september, many of you supported my 32nd birthday campaign to give a health clinic in Kenya clean water. We wanted to prove the power of low-level donations, and asked you for $32 gifts. You responded immediately, and then the concept grew.

see what happened last year >

Almost 100 other people with september birthdays joined up and sacrificed gifts for clean water. A 5-year-old asked for $5. A 67-year-old for $67. Together, we raised $151,000 - almost 4 times our initial goal. We used the money to drill for clean water in three health clinics and one school. More than 5,000 people got access to clean and safe drinking water.

This year, we're thinking bigger. Much bigger.
More than 75 percent of the people here in Ethiopia don't have safe water to drink. You'll learn more about their situation in the coming months, and have opportunities to again partner with us to do something really incredible here.

I'm turning 33 in September. This year, we want to do 10 times more than last year. And we’ll need a ton of help. We want to give 333 villages across Ethiopia clean and safe drinking water. That's going to cost $1.5 million, and will radically change more than 150,000 lives. We'll need thousands of people to again use their september birthdays; we'll need thousands of people to give $33 or more. But if we're successful, we'll drill a well from Ethiopia LIVE on September 7th and show you your money at work.

Hosted by our local partner here in Ethiopia, A Glimmer of Hope, we've spent the last week visiting and documenting 33 of those remote villages. It’s been a challenge, some of the villages weren’t reachable by road, and required long walks over mountains and ravines. But we wanted to put a face to this big concept – to meet thousands of the people we hope to serve with this campaign.

We heard heartbreaking stories from women who walk over 5 hours a day to fetch muddy water. We've heard from women who fear hyena attacks on their way to the water hole.
We've heard horror stories from children about drinking water infested with leeches. The leeches stuck in their throats, and then sucked their blood. We are determined to help every single one of them.

In the coming months, we'll build the new september website that will tell the stories of these remarkable 33 villages. Each village will be marked with a GPS coordinate, each will have a short video piece and image gallery. We'll invite you to admire and learn from the incredible courage of the people we've met here.

I’ve posted and captioned 16 photos from the villages HERE for a first look. In the meantime, here's how you can help:

1. If you're born in September or know someone who is, please visit borninseptember.org and sign up. If you can pledge to give at least $33 this september, please visit and let us know we can count on your support.
2. If you missed the videos and photos of last year's story and drilling success in Kenya, please visit charitywater.org/september07

-Scott Harrison

special thanks:
- To Inmarsat & Evosat for their sponsorship of satellite connectivity here in Ethiopia.
- To the amazing Bertie @ BertieTravel for continuing to sponsor our flights to the field and getting us out of jams.

Counting Sesame Seeds (Yehuda Berg)

2008-04-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

We can make a $2 donation to a charity, or pass out fliers for a grass roots organization, and think: "This is just a small donation. I am just one person. My contributions don't mean very much." Or we can focus on the big picture and realize how important every positive action of sharing is to the quantum collective consciousness.

As Rav Ashlag wrote:

"When a person is weighing sesame seeds, he continues adding one at a time until the weighing is completed. Every seed does its share in the weighing, for without it, the process would not be completed."

Today, remember that we all have the power to affect global change and to remove chaos from the world.

Give a goat. Pass an ass. Do something.

2008-04-18T19:50:00.001-07:00

I really like Heifer for the work they're doing to end extreme poverty. Here's an email and short video from them:

The spirit of passing on the gift is the foundation of Heifer. With each animal and associated training, recipients of Heifer gifts agree to pass along an equal gift of animal and training to another family in need. It's a cycle that keeps giving until entire communities are changed. How will you pass on the gifts you've been given? April is passing on the gift month. Join Heifer as we commit to pass on gifts of hope and dignity.

W-O-R-L-D H-U-N-G-E-R. No thanks. I just ate.

2008-04-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

The world hunger crisis is all over the news this week. In just three years, the price of staple foods like wheat, corn and rice has almost doubled. If we don't do something soon, hundreds of thousands of people face starvation and a hundred million more could fall into extreme poverty.

If you're at all like me, it's hard to get your head around this thought. I just had lunch. It doesn't FEEL like a CRISIS.

But it is.

I just took action with the ONE Campaign and you can too.

CLICK HERE!

Idol Gives Back - Tonight

2008-04-09T12:57:00.001-07:00

For six or seven years now, American Idol Gives Back

Watch Tonight on FOX 7:30/6:30c

This year, Idol Gives Back proposes to raise awareness and funds to benefit the following six charities:

The Children's Defense Fund

Priorities for children are: Ensure Child Health Coverage, End Child Poverty, Cultivate Youth Leadership

Reese Witherspoon is a CDF Board Member, and will represent CDF on Idol Gives Back

Children's Health Fund

The Children’s Health Fund is committed to providing health care to the nation’s most medically underserved children and their families through the development and support of innovative primary care medical programs, response to public health crises, and the promotion of guaranteed access to appropriate health care for all children.

The Global Fund

The Global Fund was created to finance a dramatic turn-around in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. These diseases kill over 6 million people each year, and the numbers are growing.

To date, the Global Fund has committed US$ 10.1 billion in 136 countries to support aggressive interventions against all three diseases.

Make It Right

In December 2006, Brad Pitt convened a group of experts in New Orleans to brainstorm about building green affordable housing on a large scale to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Having spent time with community leaders and displaced residents determined to return home, Pitt realized that an opportunity existed to build houses that were not only stronger and healthier, but that had less impact on the environment.

Previously, Pitt sponsored an architecture competition organized by Global Green with the goal of generating ideas about how to rebuild sustainably. Several of those designs are currently under construction in the Lower 9th Ward and the project inspired him to expand his efforts.

After discussing the hurdles associated with rebuilding in a devastated area, the group determined that a large-scale redevelopment project focused on green affordable housing and incorporating innovative design was indeed possible.

The group settled on the goal of constructing 150 homes (one of the larger rebuilding projects in the city), with an emphasis on developing an affordable system that could be replicated.

To demonstrate replicability, Pitt determined to locate the project in the Lower 9th Ward, one of the most devastated areas of New Orleans, proving that safe homes could and should be rebuilt. Pitt hopes that this project would be a catalyst for recovery and redevelopment throughout the Lower 9th Ward and across the city of New Orleans.

Having listened to one former resident's plea to help "make this right," Pitt was inspired to name the project "Make It Right" (MIR).

Malaria No More

Malaria No More's mission is simple: to end deaths due to malaria. The world has known how to beat this disease for more than a century, yet it remains the number one killer of children under five in Africa, claiming more than 1 million lives a year. Malaria No More works to raise the profile of the disease among the public, policymakers, and businesses, while engaging the private sector to provide life-saving bed nets and other critical interventions to families in Africa.

Save the Children

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, comprising 28 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 110 countries to ensure the well-being of children.

Raising Malawi was shortlisted. Like really shortlisted. I know exactly zero details other than I got a call from Raising Malawi last Thursday to see if I would be interested in taking part in a special volunteer portion of the show that Idol was going to tape on Sunday with Maria Shriver at the Kodak Theater, I believe. On Friday I was told it wasn't going to happen after all. But then Sunday morning, I got a call saying they did have a place for me, can I get there for the 1:00 taping. But my ringer was off. I missed the opportunity.

It turned out to be a HUGE lesson in consciousness for me. I didn't do the ol' "Fox and the Sour Grapes" routine, so that's good. I didn't go deep into my disappointment. Sure, I was disappointed not to be part of this adventure, but I took the focus off myself pretty quickly and refocused on this awesome effort to help truly deserving charities. Then I put the focus back on me for 5 more minutes, but got unstuck before those 5 became 10. In total, I stewed maybe 15 minutes in little starts and fits.

So my lesson? I am the clearing. If you ever read The Art of Possibility or books like The Secret or took Landmark or something like that, you know what I'm talking about. It was in my clearing that I even was thought of and considered for this opportunity in the first place (go me!). And, alas it was in my clearing that the opportunity went away. I closed off the possibility on Friday, when I was told it wasn't going to happen.

In truth, it was going to happen and had I been more intuitive, I would've known that. But instead, I said, "Ok. Easy come, easy go. Next year for sure!" When the opportunity came back on Sunday, it didn't know where to find me. It had nothing to do with my ringer being off. Spiritually speaking, I closed those doors on Friday.

I'm really proud of myself for seeing it, not just intellectually, but intuitively. I'm going to give it my all to hold the big picture in mind. I am the clearing. When I vibrate at a higher frequency, big opportunities come into view. They just do. When I shut down or lower my frequency, I can't tune in to them anymore.

As of this minute, this American is no longer idle. ;)

Watch tonight.

And please donate to one of these awesome charities AND/OR make a donation to Raising Malawi to help the orphans and vulnerable children who truly need your help.

If you donate to Raising Malawi, please let me know how much so I can count it against my total goal. Thank you!

Justin's Cryptic 50 & a New FundRaising Malawi Team!

2008-03-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

At first I didn't follow this note, but now I do.

My friend Justin tells me his first $100 donation from way back didn't go through due to some credit card mix up, but he has since resubmitted his donation with an extra $50, so I can add that to the tally.

Drum roll please....

As of today, we've raised a total of $30,333.57 for Raising Malawi!

Thank you, Justin!

In other news, I am no longer a one-man show with this fundraising project. Raising Malawi put me in touch with a few other like-minded peeps who also want to help this great cause but aren't sure what to do. We've met twice already and the ideas are flying.

I'll introduce the new team on this blog later this week.

Oh, and I just finished my interview with the Clinton Foundation. I hope that pans out. Very cool to be asked :)

Thank you Justin and Aunt Eileen

2008-03-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

My friend Justin from New York sent a note around some time ago to help raise awareness of Raising Malawi and the fundraising I am doing. His lovely Aunt Eileen was inspired by the effort and donated $25. Thank you Justin and Aunt Eileen for your help! It makes a difference. May this good energy come back your way.

New total: $30,283.57

Make a Commitment to Give!

2008-03-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Last Fall I wrote a post on MyCommitment.org. It's such an awesome idea and great site designed to inspire people -- no matter what your circumstance -- that you, yes you, have something to give and can give it.

I was feeling a little stuck with my lack of fundraising ideas and success back then, but fortunately not stuck in my commitment. So, I posted my story. (see below). Cool thing is, the Clinton Foundation just contacted me for an interview!! There is a good chance that I will be included on their website as part of an effort to inspire more people to make commitments.

Pretty cool! Here's my original post from September. I'm going to send a blast email around now to see if I can stir up a little more momentum (uh, cash) so I have something more to say in my upcoming interview.

=MY POST=

Fundraising Malawi

In February, 2006 I asked myself a question. I asked, "What am I up to?" I'm doing well in my career. I've run a few marathons. I'm a good person. I'm there for my friends. But I didn't have a good answer to that question. So I found a worthy cause and made a commitment.

I am educating myself, and others as I go, on how to end extreme poverty. I'm wholly inspired by the possibility of it. The more I learn, the clearer I am that we can do this! We can crush poverty. I vow not to sit on the sidelines and wait for others to kick it into gear when *I* can make a difference right now.

I'm working with Raising Malawi, a thoughtful and committed charity that has managed to sidestep a great deal of bureaucracy and effectively direct its funds straight to the local CBOs that are demonstrated to work. Raising Malawi supports one of the Millennium Villages (Jeffrey Sachs), as well as other programs that will help break the cycle of poverty.

I have raised $30,000 thus far, and will not stop before I reach my goal of $101,000.

This is a new thing for me. I am blogging about my journey and appealing to others to join me or, if you can, point me in the right direction. (www.jsilka.blogspot.com). The road is long and lonely at times, but I know it ends happily.

I'm feeling a little stuck at the moment. I plan to buy ‘Giving’ for ideas and inspiration, as I greatly admire President Clinton's work. I don't pretend to know what I'm doing (especially in the area of fundraising), but as long as children's lives are at stake, my heart's in it 100 percent.

Once I reach my fundraising goal, I'll set a new and bigger goal till there's no longer any need. Who knows, I just might be the little butterfly who changes the order of things.

Hope to see you at the finish line.

jsilka.blogspot.com

Thanks Lee!

2008-03-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends from high school just donated $100 to Raising Malawi.

Random, but wonderful.

Thank you, Lee Ann Sierecki!

New tally: $30, 258.57

Home of Hope Orphanage Gets Dental Care

2008-03-07T20:59:00.001-08:00

Philippe VanDenbossche just posted this update on Raising Malawi. It's news from the Home of Hope Orphanage. If you scroll down a few posts where I give that interview--birthday-girl fundraising--that's where I was when I took that picture of myself with the little girl. Anyway, here's the very cool and inspiring story of what's going on at the orphanage:

"I was sure she was going to hate me after I was done."

Dr. Sam Merabi is speaking about his dental patient, Lisa (not her real name), an HIV positive thirteen year old girl at the Home of Hope Orphanage in Lilongwe, Malawi. Dr. Merabi had good reason to think that Lisa would be angry after an arduous and painful procedure to extract several decayed teeth.

Lisa was one of four hundred children at the orphanage screened by Dr. Merabi and his team of three dental residents, a dental assistant, and a faculty member from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine this past October.

Dr. Merabi, DDS, is President of Child Dental Relief, Inc., and Clinical Instructor at Harvard. The trip was sponsored by Raising Malawi, and was a follow-up to a previous trip made in August by the team.

On the follow-up trip, all 400 children received fluoride treatments and oral hygiene education (demonstrations in tooth brushing, etc.). In addition, 258 children received full screenings, which resulted in 89 receiving restorations, and 26 having extractions.

In the developed world, dental care is often sought for cosmetic reasons, but in Malawi it can be life saving. Because of Lisa's HIV positive status, her decayed teeth left her vulnerable to many opportunistic infections.

Even for those with healthy immune systems, oral hygiene is important for all around health and quality of life. According to the orphanage, dental pain is the number one reason kids miss school. Yet, despite its importance, dental care has been a low priority in many aid programs.

Dr. Merabi observed that Raising Malawi is unique in its understanding that oral health is an essential cornerstone in overall health. He added that "many international dental aid programs are poorly designed because dental providers will work in Africa as a 'feel good' trip with no follow up."

For most of the children at the orphanage this was the first dental care and oral heath education they’d ever received. In the past, the only oral health care offered to those in the vicinity of the orphanage was the hospital in the Mchinji District, many kilometers away.

Dr. Merabi’s second trip to the orphanage was just the beginning of his and Raising Malawi's long range plans to boost the dental infrastructure in Malawi.

To further this goal, Harvard donated $70,000 worth of dental equipment to the local hospital in the Mchinji District. It's a critical donation as the hospital has only the ability to perform extractions because supply shortages prevent them from offering anything other than tooth extractions. There are also plans to offer more advanced training to the dental staff at the hospital.

Dr. Merabi said he's "very impressed with how adept Raising Malawi is at absorbing different ideas," adding that the organization’s commitment to prophylactic oral prevention "is a very smart move and will have major ramifications."

Hopefully, Malawi will be an example of how other NGOs can offer dental care throughout the rest of the developing world.

Once Dr. Merabi finished working on Lisa she surprised him with a warm hug. She understood that while it was a scary experience, it was for her own good. To top it off, Lisa had absolutely no pain the next day.

This week's energy

2008-03-03T06:44:00.000-08:00

Whenever I make a donation to Raising Malawi, my teacher Yehuda A. reminds me to do it with the right consciousness. The consciousness of bringing light to the world to help not only the orphans of Malawi, but children everywhere. This light is not limited.

At the same time, when I've shared my frustration with him about not raising enough money -- empty promises, providing a service to someone with the agreed to, but unmet expectation of receiving a donation for charity in return -- he reminds me to let it go. That $1,000 or whatever it was going to be wouldn't have helped much anyway, because the person giving it would only be giving it with the consciousness of making a donation of money. And money, we well know, runs out.

There are two reasons I haven't sent around an email blast lately in another fundraising attempt:

1. I am careful not to fall into the easy trap of focusing more on my goal than on what my goal is about

2. I am not asking for 'money', but rather the higher consciousness of a giving energy, and that's hard to explain when you hold your hand out.

I am meeting with a new group soon to do some brainstorming for fundraising, but as you can see, these are big criteria.

Of course, the door is always open. If you find yourself reading this post and getting that consciousness I'm talking about, then I do ask you to click the donate link above and drive some energy into this movement. When you do, let me know how much so I can include it towards this goal :)

Since the time of Creation, a different energy is revealed each week. This energy gives us information, knowledge, and support to tap into so that we can grow and change. All this knowledge is revealed in the Zohar, the ancient, sacred text of Kabbalah. The Zohar decodes the Torah’s hidden meanings so we can understand the spiritual significance of its messages. Quite simply, the Zohar is our manual for life. It helps us understand the laws of the universe so we can live in harmony with them – all for the purpose of finding fulfillment.

Every week, my friend Rachel B. from New York sends me notes from some of the lectures that teachers have given over the years. Here is Michael Berg, a Kabbalah teacher at the LA Center with a more spiritual explanation of the energy of this week.

THE PORTION OF PEKUDEI: THE POWER OF THE "GOOD EYE"

In this week’s portion the Torah recounts the process of the building of the Tabernacle. The Torah carefully counts and sums up all the exact measurements of the materials used, and of all the parts built.

This raises an interesting question. The Talmud[Ta’anit 8b] and the Zohar both state, “blessings do not rest upon things that are counted and measured”. Paradoxically here at the building of the Tabernacle the Torah goes to great lengths to count and measure everything. How can we reconcile these two things?

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichov[In his book Kedushat Levi] answers this conundrum by explaining that there are two types of “looking”. One type is like that of the Evil prophet Bilam, of whom it says, “anywhere he looked, a curse would come upon it”[Zohar Chadash 68a]. Bilam had the quintessential “evil eye”. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak explains how and why this evil eye manifested: “Whenever this evil person looked at something he detached and separated it from the supernal source of the source of life. He desired, and therefore focused on the physical object. The object was important to him but he did not look at the power of Hashem, blessed be He, which is inside the object.”

This truly is an amazing lesson. The Kabbalists teach that everything in this world is imbued with the Light of the Creator. As a matter of fact it is the Light of the Creator that sustains every thing in this world. It is also the Light of the Creator that gives everything its positive features. It is the Light off the Creator within that makes food tasty, flowers beautiful and pleasantly smelling, and this is true of everything in this world. When we enjoy something we are actually enjoying the sparks of the Light of the Creator that are within it.

Here Rabbi Levi Yitzchak teaches us that we have the ability to actually influence the connection of everything to the Creator. When we look at something and desire only it, and do not think of the Light of the Creator that is within it, we separate it from the Light of the Creator. This very common thought process devoids the object of the Light of the Creator.

This is the true meaning behind “evil eye”. The scary realization is that you do not have to be an “evil” person to bring about “evil eye”. Unfortunately we all do this albeit unconsciously, often, without realizing the consequences.

This explains why wherever Bilam looked “a curse would come upon it”. For he would consciously focus only on the physical object thereby separating it from the Light of the Creator. Once this occurred, once it become void of Light then darkness and curses automatically came upon it, for wherever there is no Light the is darkness and curses.

This also explains why the Zohar and the Talmud say, “blessings do not rest upon things that are counted and measured”. For when a person counts something, money for instance, he is focusing on the physical object alone, thereby unconsciously separating it from the Light of the Creator, the source of all blessings.

Conversely there is also a positive looking and counting. When a person looks at something but thinks and focuses not on the object itself but rather on the Light of the Creator that is within the object, he strengthens its connection to the Creator, to the source of all blessings. Through this consciousness he connects it to its supernal source and draws to it blessings and a flow of Light from its supernal source. This is the explanation of the verse, “your eyes are like pools of blessing, by counting.”[Shir Hashirim 7:5] For, when a person gazes with this consciousness, his eyes become like pools and wells of blessing even when something is counted.

This why in this weeks reading the counting was not a problem. Further it filled the Tabernacle with more and more connection to the Creator the source of all blessings and this is because Moshe who certainly had the above consciousness was the person who was counting.

This is again a lesson for us to utilize always. Whenever we look at, enjoy, or eat something we should never lose sight of the fact that it is the Light of the Creator that is within that gives the enjoyment. With this constant consciousness we can draw more and more Light and blessings into it.

It should be clear that this lesson is all encompassing. Let us use one more important example. When we look at children, whether they are our own or not, we should consciously think that their beauty their joy and their Light is of the Creator. By doing this we strengthen their connection to the Creator, and fill them with more and more Light. What a beautiful concept.

Dr. Randy Pausch - from Oprah

2008-03-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

My mom sent me this video. I usually don't bother reading or watching what she sends. Not because it's from my mom. But, knowing that it's from my mom, I expect it to be some schmarmy 'love jesus and thy neighbor and forward to everyone in your life that you love if you want 10 times more love in return' type stuff that moms and your more cheesy friends send around. (Apologies to my mom and all my other cheesy friends.)

Anyway, this isn't that. Since I had some time to kill at the Orlando airport yesterday, I pulled on my headphones and took a listen. It sure puts life in perspective when your days are limited. More than anything, and if you're anything like me, it'll make you ask that big question, "what is my life's purpose?" I already know mine. This lecture inspired me to want to live it -- harder.

First class checked in full, so I couldn't upgrade. I flew in the middle seat for the next 5+hours back to LAX, without a peep of complaint.

This morning on my way out for a run, first song on my iPod was Alanis Morrisette's, "Thank You" (lyrics below). I always loved this song. I really get it. But today, it reminded me how frequently I forget to be grateful. Worse even, how often I am asleep. [Sidebar: Me and David are signed up for a 10-week online lecture to hear Eckhart Tolle take us through, "A New World: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose." Class is free and starts tomorrow. You can still register, click here].

How about getting off of these antibiotics
How about stopping eating when I'm filled up
How about them transparent dangling carrots
How about that ever elusive kudo

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

How about me not blaming you for everything
How about me enjoying the moment for once
How about how good it feels to finally forgive you
How about grieving it all one at a time

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

The moment I let go of it was
The moment I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it was
The moment I touched down

How about no longer being masochistic
How about remembering your divinity
How about unabashedly bawling your eyes out
How about not equating death with stopping

Thank you India
Thank you providence
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you nothingness
Thank you clarity
Thank you thank you silence

yeah yeah
ahh ohhh
ahhh ho oh
ahhh ho ohhhhhh
yeaahhhh yeahh

THANK YOU MOM for this inspiration and your recent $50 donation to Raising Malawi! It means a lot to me personally that you are giving to a cause that I love so much. The gesture says everything. I love you too.

This last donation bumps our total raised so far to: $30,158.57

ONE VOTE'08

2008-02-27T14:08:00.001-08:00

On February 12, ONE members started a petition asking each of the 2008 presidential candidates to pledge to visit Africa during his or her first term in office. In just two week, more than 100,000 have added their names to the action.

Here's the petition text:

As a voter in the 2008 Presidential election, I'm asking you to pledge to visit Africa during your first term in office. It is my hope that your trip will increase U.S.-African cooperation, save lives and help build a better, more secure future for millions of the world's poorest people.

Last week and this week, ONE members delivered these petitions to each campaign office in person. See each candidate's official reply below.

"Today I received a petition from more than 85,000 Americans who are members of the ONE campaign. I applaud their activism and share their urgent concern for the challenges of poverty and AIDS, especially in Africa. I want to assure the ONE campaign and all Americans that I am committed to aggressively combating poverty and disease around the world. I support the bipartisan renewal of the PEPFAR program, and as President I will go further. I have called for spending at least $50 billion over the next five years to fight AIDS worldwide. I have also called for spending $10 billion over five years to get kids in school around the world, and have committed to the bold goal of ending malaria deaths on the continent of Africa by the end of my second term. I am also committed to visiting Africa during my first term as President, to see the progress of our efforts and to assess first hand the necessary strategies to combat disease and poverty. I look forward to working with the ONE campaign and other organizations when I am President to ensure that addressing the needs of the world's poorest countries is an essential component of our nation's foreign policy."

"The ONE Campaign members have been a significant presence throughout this election season and have done a tremendous job of raising awareness of the plight of the poorest people on earth. ONE recently delivered a petition to me with almost 100,000 signatures asking if I will commit to go to Africa in my first term as President. I believe it is our moral imperative, as Americans, to continue U.S. leadership in helping those who are most vulnerable. As we were reminded from President Bush's recent trip to the continent, the current Administration has laid a strong foundation on which I intend to build. I will go to Africa in my first term and will continue to make a difference globally by strengthening such initiatives as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. As President, together with the efforts of the ONE Campaign, I will help combat global poverty and disease."

Chicago, IL -- "The ONE campaign stands as an example of how ordinary people can come together to change the world from the bottom up. I was honored to receive a petition from 75,000 ONE campaign members, and share your commitment to fight global poverty and disease - particularly in Africa. I will continue to fight for bipartisan renewal and expansion of the global HIV/AIDS relief program, and look forward to visiting Africa during my first term as President of the United States. Together, we can deepen engagement between the United States and Africa, and work for a world that advances our common security and common humanity."

"I have received the petition from more than 85,000 Americans who are members of the ONE campaign. I am proud of the volunteer-driven effort behind ONE and the commitment ONE's members have shown toward serving a cause greater than their own self-interest.

Fighting poverty and disease across the globe is in America's strategic and moral interests. As president, I will establish the goal of eradicating malaria -- which afflicts millions of people in some of the world's poorest nations and stands as the number one killer of children under five in Africa -- from the African continent. I believe that many nations, in Africa and elsewhere, will not reach their true potential without outside help to combat entrenched problems, such as HIV/AIDS. It is critical that we face this crisis head-on, which is why I have consistently supported the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, known as PEPFAR. Our commitment must be sustained, and our nation must always be committed to helping people in need in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere cope with the ravages of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Aid is not the only way of fighting disease and extreme poverty. I will press nations on the critical importance of good governance and economic and legal reform, because no amount of assistance can succeed when governments fail their people. As president, I look forward to visiting Africa and working with afflicted nations there and elsewhere to communicate that we expect a level of governance, transparency, and effectiveness from them in order to ensure that their aid makes a concrete and positive impact on people's lives."

Daily Consciousness Tune-Up: Listen Up!

2008-02-19T07:28:00.000-08:00

What we hear depends largely on how we listen. When we listen with our desire tuned into the frequency of sharing, we can find delight and wisdom in any sound. As my father and teacher Rav Berg writes,

"…this is why it is possible for a wise man to listen to the words of a fool and hear wisdom while another man, who may possess a genius IQ but who is motivated only by desire to receive for the self alone [ego] may sit for years at the feet of an intellectual or spiritual master and not understand a single word."
-- Kabbalah Method, Rav Berg

Pay attention to where your head is at today. When your wife is telling you about her stressful day or your client is complaining about a misplaced order or your child is asking for the tenth time why the sky is blue, notice where your desire is. Do you have the person’s best interests in mind - or is your mind elsewhere?

I Am Because We Are

2008-02-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

Madonna's new documentary is out! It's called, "I Am Because We Are," a title inspired by Desmond Tutu's words.

I was in Malawi when they were filming it. There is so much story to tell. I wonder how they can possibly tell it all in 80 minutes. I can't wait to see it. It features many of my heroes -- Jeffrey Sachs, Paul Farmer, Bill Clinton, Madonna and most importantly the brave and happy children of Malawi.

Here is a trailer. Advanced kudos to Nathan Rissman who directed it. I already know it's an excellent piece of work. He shared with us so many amazing, heart-wrenching, awe-inspiring stories when he got back to the lodge after long days of filming. I never told those stories because I didn't feel they were mine to tell. But now that this documentary is out, you'll see what I saw and live some of what I lived.

And I hope there are some of you reading this who will want to join me in making a difference for some of the children who need it most.

TRAILER BEING UPLOADED...

Click here to learn more.

BIRTHDAY GIRL SETS GOAL FOR $101,000

2008-02-15T19:23:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a cool surprise! I just opened a Raising Malawi newsletter and alas....it's me! Below is an interview I gave last year about how I got started with this great project in the first place.

And you know me. It's all about the birthday.

Also, I just attended an event updating us on the progress of the programs we are funding in-country. It's a happenin', people. We can really flip Malawi from extreme poverty to self-sustaining prosperity. At the event, I met Heather L, a lovely LA acupuncturist who offered to buddy up with me to brainstorm and help move us closer to my $101K goal. Please save your pennies. We'll hopefully be passing a cup around shortly. Or heck even better, if you find yourself inspired to give, please do so now.

Raising Malawi volunteer Julia Silka is a strategic planner at advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. Julia is a native Chicagoan who’s lived in New York for the past six years and has recently relocated to Los Angeles. In this interview, Julia shares the inspiration behind her latest fundraising goal.

Julia, at what point did you decide to set your first fundraising goal?

As long as I can remember, every year on my birthday I’ve set specific, measurable goals. Run a marathon, visit a far-away land, buy investment property, take a class. It gives me a focus for the year. It forces me to stretch myself. I feel rewarded with a sense of growth and accomplishment. When the year is out, it’s another box ticked.

Last year, when I sat down to write my goals, I asked myself a question. I asked, “What am I up to?” I remember my head got quiet. And it kind of scared me. What am I up to?! I’m pretty well liked. My family and friends can count on me. I’ve earned this degree and that accomplishment. But what is my life actually about? I know in my heart that I was born to make a difference in the world. But reflecting on where I was putting my time and energy, I just wasn’t on the path. So I decided to go way outside my comfort zone. I would raise $25,000 for charity. I had never done any fundraising before so I figured this would really challenge me.

Why did you choose Raising Malawi?

If I was going to start fundraising, I wanted to help the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. I wanted to help orphans. I looked long and hard for the right charity. I was in New York at the time when I came across a pamphlet for Raising Malawi. I decided to raise $25,000 for this organization. All I needed to do was a) learn about Malawi b) learn about extreme poverty c) inspire people to donate to this cause. I was on a mission. My hope was that I would not only hit my goal, but I would expand my consciousness.

Did you reach that first goal of $25,000?

Yes, I did reach my goal. And my life changed in the process.

How did it change?

Now I can say, “I am somebody who makes a difference in the world.” I honestly care about these children, and I can’t just tick a box and be finished. A year ago I didn’t know the first thing about extreme poverty and I wasn’t doing anything about it. And that doesn’t make me a bad person. Today, I raised more than $25,000 for this cause. And that doesn’t make me a good person. But one thing is certain. I am a changed person; more connected to the whole. And I’m expanded, somehow bigger for the experience.

So on this year’s birthday you raised your fundraising goal?

Yes, I’ve upped my goal to raise a total of $101,000 for Raising Malawi by Christmas ‘07. Just like last year, I have no idea how to make it happen. And just like last year, I trust that on some level it already has.

Now let’s raise Malawi!

Julia

As a donor to Raising Malawi, you can be assured that your gift will be used to affect positive change at the most fundamental level, while keeping administration costs to a minimum. Over 90% of Raising Malawi’s expenditure goes to direct support.

Raising Malawi
1100 S. Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
310.867.2881
www.raisingmalawi.org

Crocs in Malawi

2008-02-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

What a great idea and the PERFECT shoe for Malawians, esp. in the rainy season (which is now). Most of the kids I met didn't have shoes. You can really appreciate their need when you see how they dress, all decked out in Sunday school hand-me-downs from somewhere in the states. Girls wear pretty communion dresses and boys with suit vests to cover their pajama tops.

Remember this guy?

It's the stuff we give to charity. It goes somewhere afterall. And it's all they've got. Here's the story -

Wendy Donahue
February 10, 2008

Old Crocs get new life in Malawi

The unofficial favorite footwear of kids (and many adults), Crocs now can escape the landfill when feet outgrow or overwork them.

Crocs has launched a recycling program called Soles United with a goal of collecting more than 2 million donated pairs of the cloglike resin shoes in 2008. They'll be ground into new material and remanufactured to provide some people around the world with their first-ever pair of shoes.

More than 1 million pairs already have been donated through the program. Last fall 20,000 pairs were sent to Raising Malawi, co-founded by Madonna and author Michael Berg to help children in the African country.

Consumers can donate Crocs (sorry, no knockoffs) at participating retailers, or send them to Crocs' collection centers. Check solesunited.com for details.

Madonna raises $2M-ish for Raising Malawi!

2008-02-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

When Madonna extends an invitation, A-listers heed the call.
(Article from Eonline.com)

They did as much in New York Wednesday night when a star-studded list of guests descended upon the black carpet set up outside the United Nations, where the erstwhile Material Girl endeavored to achieve more selfless ends, raising upwards of $3.7 million for both her own Raising Malawi charity and UNICEF to benefit poor children worldwide as well as those affected by Africa's AIDS crisis.

"I want to put Raising Malawi on the map," Madonna told E! News on why she decided to host the fund-raising evening. "I want to help vulnerable children around the world and to get other people to do the same."

While she may still be working on the former, she can definitely cross the latter off her to-do list.

The evening was a combination dinner and live auction to raise money for the charity, followed by a cocktail party complete with requisite A-list musical guests. Before even getting the chance to spread the wealth at the night's auction, the formidable roster of attendees was required to fork over the dinner's charity-assisting entrance fee of $2,500-per-plate.

In addition to the pop queen herself, who was accompanied at the benefit by 11-year-old daughter Lourdes, celeb pals Rosie O'Donnell, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diddy, Angie Harmon, Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Brooke Shields, Ellen Pompeo, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, Donald Trump, Amy Adams, Djimon Hounsou and Kimora Lee, Dita Von Teese and U.N. celeb ambassadors Lucy Liu and Téa Leoni were all in attendance.

Salma Hayek was also present for the gathering, which was sponsored, somewhat controversially, by Gucci, the head of whom is Hayek's fiancé and baby daddy Francois-Henri Pinault.

Rihanna, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and Alicia Keys performed following the live auction, which was hosted by Chris Rock.
While some of the guests were there to support the cause, others were there to support their friends (and still others were no doubt present for the enormous publicity the event offered, though they, for the most part, failed to admit as much).

"I think it's incredible. It's so inspiring, and it makes everything else not seem so important and that's why we're here," Stefani told E! News.

Paltrow, meanwhile, said an evening with her longtime pal was enough of a reason to get out of the house.
"I came out to support my ol' friend Madonna."

She managed it in spades. The auction's biggest-ticket item was the chance to tour with Madonna and attend a dance class with her and Paltrow. The item sold for $600,000.

Cruise, meanwhile, bid $100,000 for a sports package which included a trip to Yankee Stadium with Alex Rodriguez and a private hourlong soccer lesson from pal David Beckham. He ultimately was outbid on the prize, which went for $350,000.

Though the Beckhams were not present at the event, there was no lack of celeb eye candy on display, with the turnout for the event worthy—if not worthier—than any red carpet Hollywood has offered in recent months.

"We feel great, we're happy to be here for such a great cause and, you know, it takes a lot for me to get out of the house these days," an about-to-burst Lopez said, who joked that she and Anthony were "up to 16 kids so far."

Diddy seemed to concur, offering up props to bash-thrower Madonna: "When she does it, she does it big!"

Barrymore, meanwhile, also a U.N. goodwill ambassador, seemed pleased to have a valid outlet for the glare of celebrity, telling E! News that she "appreciates" Madonna and is much happier being filmed at a charity event than for walking her dog through an airport.

"Thrilled to be invited, thrilled to be asked—I feel like I'm in the 'in' crowd, the glamorous people," Harmon said of her own invitation.

As for Madonna, she said the star-studded event was intended to focus some of the spotlight on not only Malawi but children in general.

Her own experiences as a parent of three, including son David whom the star and hubby Guy Ritchie adopted from Malawi in 2006, helped her decide to focus her charitable intentions on children in need.

As for daughter Lourdes, who rarely left her mother's side over the course of the evening, she did concede to E! News that, nice as it is having Madonna as a mother, "it is tough."

While the event will go down as a major success, Madonna herself had a tough time leading up to the night, taking a bit of a beating in the press over the blending of charity with commercial needs.

Though the evening took place on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters, the entire night, which happened to fall smack in the middle of New York Fashion Week, was paid for by Gucci, which saw fit to tie the bash into the Friday opening of its Manhattan flagship store.

As a result, the design house's logo was plastered alongside UNICEF's on backdrops that lined every conceivable area where celebrities might be photographed.

While the United Nations Children's Fund relies on roughly $1 billion in private-sector donations each year, the Raising Malawi
charity dinner represented the first time ever that an event has had such an unabashedly commercial tie-in, with Gucci-branded tents erected on the U.N.'s north lawn.

In what's been taken as a sign of disapproval for the event, the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon left town—though his schedule did not demand it—just hours before the event was scheduled to take place. His office also said it would "look into" the possible cross-promotion between the Gucci store's opening and the event.

For her part, Madonna, no stranger to raised eyebrows, said controversy was inevitable, but was "so happy" that Gucci was so generous in sponsoring the bash.

"I'm grateful Gucci has underwritten this event," she said. All proceeds from the event will be collected by Gucci, which has been tasked with splitting the funds between Raising Malawi and UNICEF.

Happy Boxing Day!

2007-12-26T16:35:00.000-08:00

2007-12-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

You know how some people get the blues at Christmas? I get the blues at Christmas. First, I get irritated. That feeling usually lingers a few weeks. Then I blow up at someone. Then I get sad.

I think it's because Christmas is a time of failure for me.

I usually push through it OK. And people don't seem to clue in on what's going on inside of me. It's the same thing that made my grandma turn to Jim Beam. And my mom turn into, uhm, my mom.

But not me, no sir. I'm a product of transformation. So I'm a believer in it. And I'm still holding out for a Christmas miracle.

I've been trying to reset Christmas for myself for years. It doesn't have to be a bad time. I can learn to enjoy it like everyone else. Only I never do.

A lot of my trouble has to do with 'the gift'. Giving the perfect gift. It needs to communicate the degree of my love. It's hard to gauge that for people you actually love. Can you ever find a gift to embody that?

Trust me, you can't. I know that. I was trained the hard way. Through failure. Constant failure. Gifts I put a lot of time into ... and love into, or so I thought. But they all seemed to fall short. They were opened, reacted to positively..."oh, this is a nice thought", then negatively, "but I am sure I can get something better" and then they were returned. Or balked at. Or thrown on the stove and set fire. Or torn up in my face. Or wrestled to the ground in a string of lights and pine needles. Ugh. The insanity.

That's my Christmas past. And I hate it. And, unfortunately, whoever I am dating today tends to get the worst gift ever, if I remember to get anything at all. My brother does the same thing. It's a conditioned thing. You get conditioned to 'not care' to protect a heart that cares too much.

So, I am trying with all my heart to transform that drama into something positive. I want to give to someone who would love to receive my gift. I want to give to a child. An orphan. A thousand orphans.

I look at Madonna or Angelia or Mia Farrow. I see in some way we are orphans, parents alive or not. That is our plight. To give what we didn't get. To provide what we needed, not merely wanted. And it's not about 'things' and 'stuff' and 'gifts'.

I didn't get it this year. I didn't transform Christmas into a time of miracles. But I am starting to see where I get stuck.

I won't stop my quest to raise $101K for the AIDs orphans of Malawi. But I may fail in my goal to do so by Christmas '07.

And that's OK.

There's always next year.

2007-12-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Julia,

This year has been an exciting one for Millennium Promise, filled with great advances in the Millennium Villages, new innovative partnerships, and a great deal of progress made on our mission of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa by 2015. I'm pleased to reach out to you, as one of our key supporters, to update you on our achievements to date and the critical challenges we face moving forward.

YEAR END HIGHLIGHTS

Millennium Promise is currently working with a population of approximately 400,000 people in 80 Millennium Villages across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In our first year, we saw vast increases in crop production, increased access to health care and improved water sources, successful launches of school feeding programs, and new educational facilities built and opened. Now that the program is entering its second year, our focus will broaden to include more expansive health interventions, improved roads and infrastructure and developing business enterprise.

Education

In partnership with Building with Books, 10 new schools have been constructed in the Tiby Millennium Village Cluster in Mali, with plans to build an additional 32 schools in Mali and Senegal next year.

Infrastructure

Internet connectivity was recently established in the Ruhiira Millennium Village Cluster in Uganda. The first e-mail was sent on November 22, 2007 using a low power computer (18 watts instead of the 170 watts for normal computers). Internet access was made available despite the challenge of mountains and a 31 km distance. A 30 meter tower was built on the highest point in Ruhiira to provide internet access to 6 health units, 3 schools, a community store, and a grain store.

Health

The distribution of hundreds of thousands of bed nets and the donation of anti-malarial medications are reducing malaria infections, one of the leading causes of preventable death in Africa.

Business Development

On September 21, 2007, Millennium Promise and Lehman Brothers sponsored the Tanzania Investment Conference, which focused on bringing private sector investors together with Tanzanian officials for an open dialogue on investment opportunities in the East African nation. The conference was attended by more than 130 business and government leaders, including the President of Tanzania, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete.The country's history of political and macro-economic stability, market access, geographical location and diverse opportunities have the potential to make Tanzania a region of great interest to prospective investors and business partners.

CONTINUE THE FIGHT TO END EXTREME POVERTY

As we enter 2008, we are eager to continue the forward momentum created by our tremendous successes in 2007, as well as leverage these successes to mobilize even greater resources and expand our impact on extreme poverty across Africa. I hope that you will join us again by supporting our primary activities going into 2008, which include:

Putting new infrastructure projects in place to increase access to markets and the surrounding communities for members of village communities;

Growing existing relationships with national governments and systems, particularly in the health and education sectors;

Focusing on innovative solutions to the challenges associated with agricultural sustainability and business development over the long term;

Improving our infrastructure to deliver critical interventions in the most efficient and effective manner possible across all 14 sites.

I remain truly grateful for your support this year and hope that you will consider a donation to Millennium Promise to expand our critical work in the year to come. This year was just the beginning of an incredible transformation in villages across Africa; thank you for your partnership in making this change possible.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey S. Flug

Chief Executive Officer

Ending Famine in Malawi

2007-12-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Anyone catch this article in the New York Times this week? (12/2/07)

Malawi is making a comeback. We sent fertilizer, and what do you know? The people of Malawi are no longer starving, they are actually exporting food! After the 2005 harvest, the worst in a decade, Malawi's newly-elected president led the way to reinstating and deepening fertilizer subsidies despite a skeptical reception from the United States and Britain.

Here're some more pictures to tell the story:

Women in the Dezda district of Malawi pounding corn to make nsima, the thick cornmeal porridge that is the national staple. Malawi's government ignored experts and supplied heavy fertilizer subsidies to farmers, contributing to record-breaking corn harvests.

The Malawian countryside, with lands plowed and read for planting to begin. Farmers explained Malawi's extraordinary turnaround - one with broad implications for hunger-fighting methods across Africa - with one word: fertilizer.

Community leaders attended a workshop to learn how to use fertilizer on their maize crops. This year, Malawi is selling more corn to the United Nations World Food Program than any other country in southern Africa and is exporting hundreds of thousands of tons of corn to Zimbabwe.

A woman planting maize seeds in her field in Zomba. Malawi's successful use of fertilizer subsidies is contributing to a broader reappraisal of the crucial role of agriculture in alleviating poverty in Africa.

Chief Zaudeni Mapila addressed villagers during a fertilizer coupon meeting. Last year, roughly half the country's farming families received coupons that entitled them to buy two 110-pound bags of fertilizer, enough to nourish an acre of land.
Workers loaded fertilizer bags onto trucks for distribution. Malawi, a nation that has perennially extended a begging bowl to the world, is instead feeding its hungry neighbors.

A grain storage building was constructed in Malawi. The country's successful use of fertilizer subsidies is contributing to a broader reappraisal of the pivotal importance of public investments in the basics of a farm economy: fertilizer, improved seed, farmer education, credit and agricultural research.
Lontiya Samuel removing corn kernels from the cob in her maize storeroom. As a recipient of the government fertilizer subsidies, she managed to increase her crop yield.

I'd like to end by saying one thing. While the consequences of poverty are enormous....the source of wars and terrorism, the solution is so simple if we lend our fellow man a hand up. Not to is ignorant. I used to be ignorant. I'm less so now.

Miracle Making with Charity

2007-12-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

Kabbalistically, we’re in one of the most powerful times for creating miracles. That doesn’t mean that miracles are supposed to happen now. It means now is the time to make them happen. So for the next few days, we’ll explore techniques for miracle making, which you can find explained in greater detail in my book “God Does Not Create Miracles, You Do”.

Take notes...

Charity, by definition, is an action of giving or donation to those in need. Charity, within Kabbalah, is also the stuff that changes destiny. Giving, whether of your time, money, effort, wisdom, or possessions is a powerful way to turn on the Light. The more difficult the action of sharing — in other words, the greater the stretch — the greater the revelation of Light and therefore, the greater the miracle.

Be charitable today. But instead of doing it because of this email, do it because you want to awaken the energy of miracles in your life for the entire year.

Manhattan Apartment: Rent for Charity

2007-12-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Cha-ching. Another donation to Raising Malawi -

I rented my studio in NYC out during the month of October for a charitable donation to Raising Malawi.

I opened it to a friend of a best friend, so I couldn't ask for rent. But I love this idea of asking for charity. My friend and "tenant" Rose from Vancouver donated $1,000 Canadian in gratitude for the stay (which is what these days? $7,000? :) OK, more like $1,080). She told me the place worked out great.

I plan to do this more, so, if you need a place to stay in NY and you want to do some good in the world, save your money on hotels and crash at my place. It's 325 E 77th St -- btwn 1st and 2nd. It's furnished, with cable and wireless.

Do it for the orphans. Write your check to Raising Malawi and get a tax write-off to boot!

Trip to Tuscany in 2000

2007-12-03T20:35:00.001-08:00

OK, this video has nothing to do with Raising Malawi. Or anything really. But my friend just uploaded it to MySpace and I don't know where else to keep the code. So, here goes. There were 16 of us who voyaged to Tuscany in 2000. I found out about the trip at the last possible second and glommed on, like I always do when it comes to travel. I met most of these folks down there, but we had such a great time.

Soooo much great wine. I'm pretty sure I was posing for the opening shot passed out on the stairs. But it certainly captures the sentiment.

Anyway....It took you long enough to post this, Alisa.... (wink), but many thanks for the :59 reminder of an extraordinary trip!

Trailer for Tuscany 2K

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Christmas Goal: The Day Is Near

2007-12-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

I've had a busy year. Is it possible to progress and regress at the same time? I think that's what happened to me.

Progression:

- I made an even bigger financial commitment to help the orphans of Malawi
- I went to Malawi to confirm the funds we are sending are truly making a difference
- I came up with sooooo many great fundraising ideas for 2007

Regression:

- I implemented soooo few great fundraising ideas in 2007
- I stopped believing I could meet my goal
- I started focussing more on my new LA life -- my new job, my new car, my new apartment, my my my -- than on helping orphans who don't have access to clean water or school or health care or food or clothes or books or or or.

I'm not going to beat myself up about it. But I am quietly amazed at how I could so easily put the faces of the desperate children I met so far in the back of my mind.

I have less than a month to go. I'll post a Raising Malawi update tomorrow.

After I get my laundry done and house cleaned and presents bought and bills paid and nails done and workout in and and and ... stay tuned.

There Is No God

2007-11-18T06:33:00.000-08:00

Do you realize when you are in a fit of anger, it’s synonymous with saying there is no God?

Think about it. The Light is constantly feeding you growth opportunities — the more uncomfortable, the more potential for growth. When you’re “losing it”, overpowered by feelings of rage, you’re basically admitting that God has left the building.

This instantaneous knowing that the Light sent this situation to you is a matter of consciousness. However, when you’re sitting in bumper to bumper summer traffic with a broken A/C, late for a job interview, and some guy just blocked you from making your exit, it’s not so easy to be Mr. or Mrs. Spiritual, is it?

When you find yourself unleashing your middle finger and searching for the choicest curse words, try repeating to yourself over and over — “What is the Light teaching ME?”

I don’t expect you to achieve this state of consciousness today. It takes repetition. But the more awareness you inject, the easier it gets to pull yourself out of the fire.

Rachel's Tomb

2007-11-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is a visit to Rachel's tomb in Bethlehem. Rachel's greatest desire and purpose in life was to protect and defend her children from evil. That's why she evokes the element of protection of the universe.

She gave us the "Red String". Kabbalists wear it for protection against the 'evil eye' -- that negative look or thought we consciously or even unconsciously give each other that actually keeps us away from our potential. Each piece of Red String is taken to Rachel's tomb and imbued with the essence of protection.

The energy here was intense. Visitors were not especially happy (or remotely happy!). Much heavier energy than I expected. A lot of pushing and 'desire for self alone'. I actually felt like pushing this 1,000 year old woman back. The religious conservative were making some of us put on shalls to cover up more. We weren't exactly exposed or flaunting it. Then, we started singing and one guy started screaming -- almost hysterically -- about Elijah the prophet's disapproval. As if!

It was really dramatic. In all honesty, I found it entertaining and I wanted to sensationalize it more. Like, "get a load of the crazies in there!"

Which is actually kind of ironic, right?

Is it possible that I'm no more enlightened? I cringe at the thought. But it is quite possible. It almost feels justified to give the evil eye at times. And therein lies today's human consciousness.

It's all perspective, I guess.

A lesson in consciousness from the Dead Sea

2007-11-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

Below is a clip (6:35 mins) of my kabbalah teacher Yehuda explaining the spiritual purpose of our trip to the Dead Sea. They call it the Dead Sea because it's so salty, nothing can live there. I floated in it -- bobbed like a cork. I've never seen any such thing. I got one tiny drop of water in my eye and had to get out and run for the shower to flush it. It burned like holy hell.

Spiritually speaking, the sea is dead because other waters flow into it, but nothing flows out. A metaphor for life, really. Kabbalah explains the universe works on a 3-column system of energy. Left column (desire to receive), Right column (desire to share) and Central column (restriction between the two). Very much like a lightbulb -- the negative charge (left), positive charge (right) and central filament that brings the two together and restricts the flow of energy so it generates light.

Laws of energy dictate that whatever you receive, you must, at minimum, share 10% to create that circuitry. Not because you are a good person. Not because it's the right thing to do. Only because, if you don't, that energy gets blocked and eventually dies like the Dead Sea.

This was the first lecture I heard at the Kabbalah Center in NY when I was a new student. It's what had me search for a charitable project to put my energy into. It's what lead me to Raising Malawi. I still donate to other charities, but I wanted to find a big, grassroots cause I could throw my life at to a) unlock my energy and b) grow my vessel/capacity to receive.

That's what my fundraising amounts to for me personally. Does anyone have a clue how much I dread fundraising? I can't stand it. But I want to build this left column muscle of mine. And I want to grow my consciousness and chip off some of the more negative aspects of my personality. And mostly, I want to die knowing that I made a difference. That my existence mattered.

I remember when I took my friend Ananya for a past-life regression at this place (a guy's home) he found in Chicago. He wanted some company in case the guy 'regressing' him pulled any tricks. So, I waited in the livingroom. Ananya went back into a separate room for about an hour.

He was all groggy when he came out. I asked him, "so what is it? were you a king or something?" Ananya comes from privilege in this life, growing up in Dubai with servants and whatnot. His grandma was good friends with Endira Gandhi. He's a lovely person and one of my best friends, so I expected great things.

Anyway, he comes out of the session and shakes his head. He told me he lived a few interesting lives but there was one that really bothered him. He was a very simple man in this particular life. He never married. He died peacefully in his bed with his dog sleeping quietly nearby. Wholly unmemorable. It really got to him.

I think about that story every now and then when my life gets so busy that I spend more time chasing it than designing it. No matter what my reasons for spending my time as I do (chores, work, yada yada) in the end, the legacy will be mine. I certainly want peace, but I don't want to die with any potential in tact. I still don't know how to levitate. I'd like to learn that. Seriously, what if all of the change that needs to happen in the world is sitting idle just waiting for me to change it? I wasn't wired to think like that. I still don't think like that, but i'm trying my damndest to elevate my consciousness.

Here's a shorter clip (1:38) about how hard and important it is to share 10 percent. It's really a matter of consciousness.

Isaac in Israel

2007-10-27T17:49:00.001-07:00

This is some partially ridiculous/sensationalized coverage of what we 'kabbalists' were doing in Israel. It's from Rosh Hashana three years ago.

This is Isaac and Madonna on her Confessions tour.

This is Isaac playing for us poolside in Northern Israel this past September.

The Western Wall

2007-10-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the Old City of Jerusalem, going through the gates toward the Western Wall. Boys to the left. Girls to the right.

That's not the wall...we're still walking to it. It's not much farther.

Here we go. About 50 feet tall -- and another 50 feet buried underground -- it's made of massive carved stone blocks from King Herod's time, topped by masonry of later times, depending on who ruled the city when.

The wall is not actually part of the Temple, but rather a retaining wall. Since it was the only thing left standing after an attack by the Romans (damn Romans, I swear!) it has inspired the reverence (or woe more like it) of Jewish people for more than 2,000 years. Hence the name, "Wailing Wall".

My friend and kabbalah teacher Yehuda gave us an overview of the place and the energy to connect with...which has nothing to do with the Western Wall itself. We saw the Western Wall on the way to what's behind it. The holiest place on earth.

We walked through a tunnel to the very source of creation.

My friend Ale (short for Alejandra) reminded me that whenever you see balls of light in your picture, it's really a spirit or soul you've captured. I remember hearing that as a kid. And it really spooked me out after I saw the Omen with that beam of light going through the priest's neck, which turned out later to be an augury of his death by impaling from a lamppost or a fencepost, I forget. Anyway...it's spooky. But hold that thought and check out this picutre.

Are those soulballs? They are not in any of my other pictures and here we are, legend has it, at the origin of creation. The place of the binding of Isaac by Abraham.
And right here exactly, is the original rock of the temple...the rock of foundation.

I touched the wall and scrinched my eyes tight and made a very hard wish. I haven't told anyone what it was. But if you knew me, if you really knew me, then you already know.

Divest for Darfur: Let's not get rich on blood money

2007-10-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Mia Farrow sent a letter last year about Fidelity's investment in PetroChina. PetroChina, a Chinese oil company, is one of the worst offenders in helping fund the genocide in Darfur. With PetroChina's help, the government of Sudan uses its oil revenue to provide arms and funding for the genocide. I e-signed many petitions to put pressure on Fidelity to divest this bad choice. I thought they did, but maybe not enough. I'm concerned to learn that Franklin Templeton, JP Morgan Chase and Vanguard have also bloodied their hands -- and my money -- in funding these horrors.

We can't say we didn't know.

As many as 400,000 people have been killed in Darfur. Another 2.5 million have been driven from their homes and into danger. The threat of rape, torture, murder and starvation pursue the women, men and children of Darfur wherever they flee.

Of US-based investment firms, Franklin Templeton, JP Morgan Chase, Capital Group/American Funds, Fidelity, Vanguard, have the largest holdings in PetroChina.

Safe Darfur is launching a new campaign to call on these companies to divest from PetroChina, Sinopec, Petronas, ONGC, and other companies that help fund genocide in Darfur.

This is actually a bit of a shocker, but following a campaign by the Save Darfur Coalition and its partners, Berkshire Hathaway sold as much as 70% of its holdings in PetroChina.

If you also want to help bring peace to Darfur, please join me in ramping up the pressure on US firms to divest their holdings in companies that help fund the genocide by doing business with the government of Sudan.

Click here to sign the Divest for Darfur petition.

Masada and the Dead Sea

2007-10-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Here's more site seeing in Israel. This video is mostly on the way to Masada, which is where about 1,000 Jews committed suicide vs. spend their lives as slaves to the Romans (damn Romans!)

We went on from there to the Dead Sea. They call it that because there is so much salt, nothing can live. You paint yourself with mud and spa down in the Sea. I have a great kabbalastic explanation of the energy there -- Dead Sea and Masada. Trick is not to connect with the energy of death but rather to get a vaccine against it; energy of immortality and no endings. I will upload that video separately. This is just more for fun.

The Light Knows Best

2007-10-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

We, as human beings, know best when it comes to fulfilling our goals and desires. The Light force of the Creator knows best when it comes to fulfilling our needs and what is truly best for us.

Today, look at your goals and detach yourself from the outcome. Know that while this is what you want, it may not be what you need. And with that consciousness, you can achieve what you want in a way that goes far beyond any possible expectations.

Yehuda's Skinny Mikveh Cruise

2007-10-02T21:00:00.001-07:00

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, spiritual purification allows us to connect to the highest levels of Divine Energy and Light. (I'm lifting this text straight from, Dialing God, Daily Connection Book, pg. 36).

Every time we behave in a reactive and negative manner, we build another layer of darkness around ourselves. These layers are called klippot ("shells") and they separate us from the Light. Removal of these negative shells covering our soul brings about the spiritual purification of our body. Our personal healing, enlightenment, and good fortune increase in equal measure to that amount of purification we achieve. For that reason, the ancient sages advocated the use of a powerful and profound purification tool -- mikveh, or immersion.

A mikveh is a pool of living waters. The waters in the Kabbalah Center mikveh are living waters sourced from underground wells. It is said that all the wells on earth are interconnected.

Water is the physical expression of the Light of the Creator. It possesses truly magical qualities. Kabbalah teaches that water holds the keys to healing, longevity, regeneration and even immortality.

Thus, when we dip ourselves in the mikveh, we are immersing our body and soul into the same pristine waters that flowed into the mikveh of Rav Isaac Luria (The Ari). We are also connecting to the same holy waters of the Shiloach in Jerusalem, which were used by the high priests of the Temple over a thousand years ago.

The positive charge of the mikveh eliminates up to 400 levels of negativity. According to the technology of Kabbalah, the size of a mikveh must be 40 se'ah (se'ah is an ancient measurement equal to the size of 144 eggs). Each se'ah helps us to purify ten levels of negativity (40 x 10 = 400 levels of negativity).

The mikveh can counteract the forces of death by imbuing us with the primordial power of life. Spiritual blockages are cleansed as healing flows throughout our being.

The kabbalists recommend that we should enter into a mikveh as often as possible.

We should immerse ourselves 11 times under the water as follows:

The first immersion activates the process of removing all the negativity. We then recite the following:

(transliteration: kumah, Adonai, v'yafutzu, oyivecha, v'yanusu, mesan'eicha, mephaecha). We meditate on the combinations from the 72 Names of God to connect to the energy of the mikveh: Yud-Caf-Shin, Chet-Bet-Vav, Yud-Lamed-Yud.

Then we immerse 10 more times, one for each of the Sfirot:

Keter, Chochmach, Binah, Chesed, Gvurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut.

Here's how that went for me, Ale and Belinda in Israel.

The Great Patriarchs of Kabbalah

2007-09-28T20:25:00.001-07:00

I'm back from an amazing, life changing trip to Israel. I went for Rosh Hashana and stayed through Yom Kippur, which is when there is an opening in the cosmos to essentially write and produce your life's movie for the upcoming year. I went by myself, but met some cool people who I'll stay in touch with for sure. Too many highlights to report. The kind of trip that has you look at your life and get serious with yourself. They say when you study Kabbalah, it gets harder as you go. I'm starting my third year of study. I get that now. I see the tests for what they are. And I don't always want to pass them. Therein lies the rub.

I think I'll make this a more serious post, although I'm sourcing my facts from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Kabbalah" by Rav Michael Laitman, Ph.D (Rav means teacher) with Collin Canright. Put your Bibleschool lessons aside a minute so you can make sense out of this. Remember, the Bible and the Torah came to us in code. The Zohar (Kabbalah text) helps us crack the code. Why wasn't the Zohar around earlier? It was actually...but we weren't ready to receive it. Our collective consciousness wasn't ready. So it's been hidden from the masses for more than 5,000 years. Until now. I'll explain.

To make this short and simple, let's start with evolution (wink). OK. So, you'll notice five phases before a major change occurs: inanimate, vegetative, animate, human and spiritual.

Adam represents the root phase of human spirituality. He was the first soul, which is why we refer to him as the first man. He was the first to write a Kabbalah book, "The Angel of God's Secret" (Hamalaach Raziel). It's a small book with a few drawings and tables, written 5,767 years ago. (Search "Raziel" on Amazon.com). I wrote more about Adam on an earlier blog post -- 10/15/06.

Abraham the patriarch was the second Kabbalist, 20 generations after Adam. Actually, Kabbalists consider Abraham to be the first known Kabbalist. He saw the wonders of human existence and asked questions of the Creator, and the Upper Worlds were revealed to him. Abraham passed that knowledge on to later generations. In this way, Kabbalah was transferred from teacher to student for many centuries. He wrote, The Book of Creation (Sefer Yetzira), the next important text after "The Angel of God's Secret". It's hard to study correctly, because it's written for people living thousands of years ago whose souls were not as course as those of us living today -- meaning, they could actually understand it. If you want to give it a try, you'll find a copy of it at mysefer.com or Amazon.com.

While in Israel, I went on several Kabbalah "energy tours". On one tour, we boarded a bulletproof bus and went to Hebron to visit the tombs of some of the matriarchs and patriarchs.

We saw Abraham. We couldn't see Isaac because it was in another section of the place and given the Arab holiday -- Islamic religious observance, Ramadan -- there were too many of us to be discrete and respectful. But we did see Jacob. Their tombs are in the building shown in picture #1 above, in a shrine behind gates. Here is Abraham's tomb. I still can't quite believe it. Here before my eyes lies Abraham, the Patriarch.

Here's Jacob's tomb.

And Leah's right behind Jacob's.

Leah is Rachel's sister. We visited Rachel's tomb in Bethlehem. A very heavy energy there. Rachel is the spiritual energy connected with Malchut (that's the 1% reality we see around us). That's why she chose to be buried separate from the other Matriarchs and Patriarchs. She's the protector of the people. And lemme tell ya, the people need it. I have some video of the people -- young and old -- "suffering" at Rachel's tomb. It was such a thick energy. But I got something out of it. I asked for help in building a family. That's what her energy is for, so I tapped it. Rachel is the inventor of the Red String - a tool to protect us against the evil eye.

OK, back to the story. After Abraham, we have Moses. Moses comes from the Hebrew word Moshech (pulling), as in pulling out of this world. Moses was different than other Kabbalists in that, alongside his other revelations, he was ordered to publicize it to humankind in writing. Moses had 70 disciples. Yehoshua Ben Nun (Joshua, son of Nun) inherited from him.

Moses created a method in his book, The Torah (Pentateuch), from the word Ohr (Light). It contains instructions on how to use the Light as a means to enter the spiritual world. All people can uncover the entire picture of creation, though they may experience just a tiny fraction of it. They can reach the desired outcome and reach the final goal that Moses wanted to attain. That is what a person who studies by the method that Moses developed gradually comes to. Using this method, anyone can attain Moses' degree of spirituality. One learns to exit this world and enter the Upper World and the entire creation.

If you are familiar with the 72 names of God and the way you need to scan it, you know the secret to how Moses parted the Red Sea.

The Book of the Zohar is the next major work in Kabbalah. It's written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, around the year 150 C.E. He was a student of Rabbi Akiva (40 C.E.-135 C.E.) famed first and formost for his maxim: love thy friend as thyself. Rabbi Akiva is one of the 10 most enlightened souls ever to come to the earth. He and several of his disciples were tortured and killed by the Romans (damn Romans! I swear!), who felt threatened by his teaching of Kabbalah. They flayed his skin and stripped his bones with an iron scraper used for cleaning their horses.

Here's a short clip of some of the tour groups coming through to celebrate and connect with the energy of Rabbi Akiva.

The left side of the picture is where Rabbi Akiva is buried. The right side is where the students study. Religious people put up the divider. It doesn't have any relevance to Kabbalah.

Before Rabbi Akiva was killed, a plague killed almost all of Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students except a handful, among which was Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai (the Rashbi). Kabbalists saw this plague as a result of their growing egoism, which led them to unfounded hatred. Following the death of Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 disciples, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was authorized by Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yehuda Ben Baba to teach future generations the Kabbalah as it had been taught to him. It was believed that only those who hadn't fallen into this unfounded hatred survived and they wrote the next great chapter of Kabbalah, The Book of Zohar.

Following the capture and imprisonment of Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai escaped with his son to a cave for 13 years. In the cave, he reached the highest level a person can achieve during one's life in this world. We didn't visit the cave on this trip, but here is a picture of it from an earlier trip.

They told us a story that the Rashbi had to bury himself up to his neck when he was downloading this wisdom in order to ground this energy, otherwise the Light would fry him. After 13 years, he emerged from the cave and a bird flew over his head and burned up in the sky -- the Light was so bright. (I love it!). We had an interesting conversation about it. It would seem that to complete the circuitry and not go around frying birds, the Rashbi needed to share this wisdom. (Based on the three columns of energy...core principles of kabbalah and physics, which I won't get into here).

This is the Idra, where Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai wrote the Zohar.

Actually, he dictated it to Rabbi Aba, who wrote it in such a way that only those who are worthy of understanding would be able to do so. I did a Wikipedia search on the Idra. It explains that here, R. Shim‘on b. Yohai convenes with nine other scholars, and they gather in the sacred אִדְרָא, or threshing field, where they thresh out secrets. Each scholar expounds various configurations of the partsufin, and three of them die in ecstasy while doing so.

I've heard that about reaching Nirvana too. If you were to achieve the state of Enlightenment -- have all 7 energy centers (chakras) open and spinning -- you'd immediately die. Our vessels are not built to handle that energy on this plane. That's why the Rashbi had to bury himself up to his neck.

Almost done. The next period of Kabbalah takes us to Safed in the middle of the 1500s with the Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria, who proclaimed the start of a period of open mass study of Kabbalah.

Extraordinary energy here in Safed.

The Ari created the transition between two methods of Kabbalah study. The older, more emotional method, where intuition prevails with a more scientific approach that is needed today. He wrote The Tree of Life, Mavo She'arim (the Entrance to the Gates) among other works that explain the creation of the world. He died at the age of 38. His writings were buried along with him, according to his last wish, in order not to reveal his doctrine before the time was ripe. That time is now. So good to be alive, ain't it?

History gets faster now. In 1698, we had Yisrael Ben Eliezer, later known as the Baal Shem Tov (The Master of the Good Name) who founded an institution where those worthy of study had access to this work.

Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, born 1884 in Lodz, Poland (my people!), was a judge and teacher in Warsaw before immigrating to Israel (Palestine back then) with his family. He tackled a fully comprehensive and updated commentary of The Zohar and the writings of the Ari. In Kabbalah, we celebrate him bigtime because he helped make sense out of this ancient wisdom so we can digest it.

We visited Rav Ashlag's gravesite. And his student, Rav Brandwein, who is buried next to him. I heard a story on this trip that a few days after Rav Ashlag died, he visited Rav Brandwein in a dream. He said that the souls around him were being disturbed by how much light was eminating from this gravesite. It embarrassed them. So, Rav Ashlag asked to have his tomb covered so as not to disturb those around him. Rav Brandwein went to great lengths to make that happen.

R. Ashlag

R. Brandwein

That takes us up to date. Rav Berg, who is the highest Kabbalist in this lineage alive today, is Rav Brandwein's student. It's only through his wife Karen Berg, that this wisdom is so trendy and readily available to all of us today. Why? Because it is time. Their sons Michael and Yehuda Berg are currently making huge contributions to this movement as prolific (and good) writers who explain this wisdom in a way we can understand.

Michael Berg devoted more than a decade to editing the first-ever English translation of The Zohar. Originally composed in the ancient language of Aramaic, it had been translated only into Hebrew. Under the guidance of his father, Rav Berg and the great kabbalists before him, he opened the concealed wisdom of this great text to the entire world through a series of 22 volumes in English — including the original Aramaic, the English translation, and commentary.

That's it. I wrote this mostly for myself so I can remember what I saw and what I learned, but if anyone actually read this and followed along with it, I hope I shared something of value to you. Here's a 9min video that captures some of what I just shared.

David Gordon Duncan, I'm So Very Proud!

2007-09-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

September 27, 2007
By Adweek Staff

BOSTON Interpublic Group's Mullen has named David Duncan to the new post of chief strategy officer.

He will lead the Wenham, Mass.-based agency's brand planning group, and also oversee those chores at Mullen in Detroit. Duncan was most recently at Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett in Chicago, where he served as global planning director.

"The prospect of joining this team to take it to the next level is an opportunity that was very appealing to me," he said.

According to agency CEO Joe Grimaldi, "We are infusing new, high-impact players into our company with the goal of propelling Mullen and our clients to unprecedented levels of success."

Earlier this week, Mullen elevated Steve Calder to chief media officer at its MediaHub operation.

Key Mullen clients include Ask.com, T.J. Maxx, LendingTree, Orbitz.com and XM Satellite Radio, among others. The agency also maintains offices in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Pittsburgh.

Israel - Connecting to the Source

2007-09-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

I am in Israel. The sun is huger and more firey orange here than anywhere else on the planet. Or so it seems. I fall asleep each night to crashing ocean waves. I sleep deeper and dream harder than I ever have before. I am on this trip to awaken myself to the next level of consciousness. I have grown every year of my life. But it's always Julia.....one inch taller, 2mm deeper, wholly recognizable to herself and those around her.

This year, I want to cross over. I don't mean die. Not like that. Die to the ego, maybe. What I'm saying is I greatly desire to connect to a higher power, which I'm pretty sure is the whole point of our existence. In Kabbalah, that's about awakening the Light of the Creator within you. Transforming ego (desire for the self alone) into becoming a being of sharing. I am the village idiot in this process. It's counter to the way I/we are wired.

But I'm on the right track. I am certain that Raising Malawi is a very important part of my spiritual training.

I read a lot of Edgar Cacey when I was a teen. In one of his biographies, it explained that he read the Bible all the time. He had this same desire I'm talking about. He would study the Bible and pray to be used as a channel for the Light. And sure enough, he fell asleep in his book one day by the river and woke up a prophet; he could channel healing remedies from the heavens and provide cures for cancer and life-threatening ailments on earth. Brilliant wisdoms that science is only now catching up with.

I secretly would love that -- poof! wow, I'm a prophet! --but of course, that's 100% my ego at the microphone in my head and totally opposite of how I need to be thinking in order to progress.

Before I moved to LA, I consulted the I-Ching. It informed me that my transition to LA, what I thought I was going for, would be temporary. I was informed that I would be undermined and pretty early on, end my relationship with someone/something, such as job, etc. That's a scary premonition and a tough context to get started in at the new job (esp. after delivering a flat and uninspiring creative brief last week). But I think about it and what it means all the time. Am I going to get fired for something? Or quit? Yikes. I've got bills.

So, a few weeks ago, as a followup to that reading, I consulted the I-Ching and sages again and asked, "Why then am I in LA? What's the point of me being here?" I was informed it is for me to develop my intuitive skills.

So, now I am in the holy land. I trust my journey is about to go into high gear.

P.S., I met a woman from Sao Paulo yesterday who is aching to get involved with Raising Malawi. It called to her in the same way it called to me. My little fundraising effort has just gone international! I have a partner and I'm so excited. I looked at her like, "where have you been all this time?! The goal is $101K by Christmas and I'm only meeting you now?!"

I am semi-teasing. I knew that it was only a matter of time.

Stay tuned for major progress updates on Raising Malawi, when I will also introduce you to my new partner, Marilda the Beautiful.

Celebrities. LA is crawling with them.

2007-09-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

I met Fabio yesterday on a Virgin America flight between LAX and JFK. He was super charming. Sexier than I would've imagined. Ladies, I'm sure you don't think you'd succumb to the charms of the stereotypical Fabiman, but lemme tell you, when he pulls you in to his buffness, you can't believe you're not butter. Just look at me. I'm positively blurred in his presence.

David took the maiden non-stop VA flight between LAX and JFK this past Wednesday. Guess who he sat next to? He said they had a nice chat. Sir Richard B even wrote down some of his ideas! Always working it.

It's celebrity madness out there. I went to the DMV in Culver City last week and stood in line behind Mario Van Peebles. I knew it was Mario Van Peebles because when it was his turn to talk to the DMV guy, he stretched out his hand and said, 'Hi. I'm Mario Van Peebles'. I understand he's an actor. By the looks of this photo, I'd say he might also be a ventriloquist, but the caption says that this is actually his son. He had his daughter with him at the DMV. She is positively striking for an 11 year old.

Last month, David met one of his TV heroes, David Walliams from BBC's Little Britian flying in first on British Airways from LA to London.

What else? Lessee....last Thursday, David scored us VIP tickets to Corteo, Cirque du Soleil opening night in LA. We saw the same show when it opened last April in NYC. In New York, I remember Uma Thurman and Edie Falco (Sopranos) as the highlights.
In LA, Florence Henderson was first to arrive at the bigtop. Much to my horror, David started singing the Brady Bunch when she passed. The other of the more interesting celeb sightings that night was Ray Liotta from GoodFellas. My camera died at that point, so no pix.

There's more, but I'm getting tired. Oh! My friend Eveyln got skybox tickets to see the Dodgers play about a month and a half ago. When we got there, Tommy Lasorda bumped us from the box! He invited Ray Romano. The attendents said some of us could share the box with them, but we didn't want to break up our group. So we booed them when they came on the jumbotron. Tom Hanks was there that night. We cheered him.

I also saw Sanjaya, Cathy Griffin and Billy Baldwin on various flights out to LA this past three months.

OK. I got that out of my system. Next post will be about Raising Malawi.

2007-08-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

President Clinton is back from his trip to Africa. From his blog:

The Clinton Hunter Development Initiative is working with local authorities [in Neno, southern Malawi] on several projects to strengthen the community’s health care system.

We toured a construction site for a new district hospital and adjacent staff housing we’re helping to build in partnership with Partners In Health.

The hospital complex looked like a normal construction site: noisy, covered in machinery and teeming with hard hats. But there is more being built than just a hospital - this project alone has created hundreds of jobs and trained local women in construction work, contributing to a foundation of sustainable growth in the community.

While in Neno, we met up with Dr. Paul Farmer, one of the founders of Partners in Health. Much has been written about Paul, his intensity and his inspiring dedication to health care for the world’s poorest. While all of that is true, he also happens to be one of the warmest and funniest people I have ever met, qualities he shares with President Clinton that often get lost on the printed page.

You can help make a difference in the lives of people across Africa by supporting the work of the Clinton Foundation.

2007-08-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

I started a new macrobiotic diet today. I decided to transform myself into 'fabulous' by my fortieth birthday. That's six months from now. I bought several bags of long grain brown rice. I'm going to eat some every day for the next 30 days. That's all I really know about the diet so far. I need to read more.

I made a tofu stirfry tonight. All told today, I ate 1,300 calories, mostly wine. Honestly....If I cut back just a little on the hooch and chocolate, I'll have my superbad body back in no time.

OK. Raising Malawi. What can I say? I haven't done much. My new friend Gary at work said he'd be happy to donate a few braincells to the cause. We were going to meet last week. Things got busy, as usual. So, we'll probably meet this week.

I have loads of tape from my Malawi trip that I still haven't looked at. Here's a short clip from our last day. Most of the Raising Malawi folks were working the weekend, so Guy (who owns the lodge where we were staying) invited just me and Delia and Megan out on Sunday to see Lake Malawi.

It was a long and bumpy drive. Megan, Delia and I had all of 3 hours sleep in our systems and were all highly hung over from Megan's birthday outing the night before. But needless to say, we were up for the adventure.

Guy put a lot of blood, sweat and beer into building his boat -- the mighty "Kumbali" -- and by God, come Hell or high water, we were going to take it out to sea. This is us when we first arrived -

Not sure if you can see how rough the Lake is, but it was insane. Just getting on the boat we got tossed around, punched in the face by waves and soaked to the bone. The lake is 360 miles long and 25 miles wide. About the size of Ireland. There are hippos and crocs....and 500 species you don't see anywhere else in the world.

I kept an eye out for wildlife, but didn't see anything scary. They don't hang out on our side of the rock or something until nighttime. Actually, I was a little torn. I really wanted to see a sea monster, but nothing too close...only fish I could take in a fight if push came to shove.

I can't swim very well, but I jumped in anyway. Megan and Delia already climbed back on the boat when I was still splashing around. Peter jumped in for a quick swim. I was getting more and more tired just trying to stay afloat. I tried swimming back to the boat, but they turned on the engine, which they were trying to fix. The boat started pulling away. I felt so sad and desperate. I just wanted to be on it.

The waves were relentless. I went under water for about two seconds; just to rest. I was getting really tired. I swam harder toward the boat. The more I tried, the farther away it got. I went under for another two seconds. I just wanted a short nap. The waves were just too hard to fight anymore. It was the weirdest thing I ever felt. There was a part of me that was OK with drowning. It seemed easier than staying afloat.

Just then, Guy's friend Peter yelled over to me. I didn't know Peter before this trip. He said, "You look pale! Are you OK?" I said, "I don't think so," very politely...not wanting to bother him. "Do you need some help?" He yelled. I said, "Probably" and I went under again.

Honestly. Thank God for Peter that day.

I'm pretty sure I would've died there if he hadn't come to pull my head out of the water. The waves were so huge. He kept getting pulled under too. He yelled over to Guy, who threw the big white rescue tire. I was so happy to hold on to it.

I would live afterall. Like Delia said when we first arrived, we are 'severly blessed'. This, I am certain.