The Last Hill Before Home: "Only 5 months ago it was all full of unknowns."

Thursday, May 28, 2009

"Only 5 months ago it was all full of unknowns."

Well guys...were almost there!

I don't know if you've checked the Firstgiving page lately but there has been a few changes. I've been chasing in some of the money from some of the last few events. I had a stack of cash from the party in LA, the party in SF, the bake sell and some other random stuff. Finally, Ive been able to make some updates. Were soooo close its not even funny. At this time we have almost $11,000 in for the school construction project in Guatemala. Wow...it felt great to update those numbers.

I was just reading Mike's blog and I pulled a quote from it. "Only 5 months ago it was full of unknowns." When we take a step back and pause for a moment to look at what we have created we start to realize that this dream has become a reality. We realize that this idea of giving back to people, to children, in a place as far away as Guatemala is becoming a reality. When I first set out on this adventure I had never been on a road bike. I didn't even own a bike. I didn't know anything about the route from Panama City to San Francisco other than I had to go UP! Life was certainly full of the unknown.

Now...look what we have created. We've raised over $10,000 to build a school for kids in Guatemala that live on $1 a day. We've given them the chance to work towards a better future. Once this school is built it will show the moms and dads of this small community Near Jalapa that with hard work there children will be able to gain the education that they deserve.

When I started this adventure I had an idea and a dream, and I was alone. Looking back I was lucky enough to have Mike meet me for the first 300 miles in Panama. I also had some of my best friends meet me in Los Angeles and complete the ride. Along the way I stopped in Plan sponsored communities in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. There I met with Plan employees who took me in like family and showed me the workings of Plan. Friends from Santa Barbra to Chicago also joined the cause. By the time I got to San Francisco we had a full Board of Directors that were dedicated to hitting the goal.

We threw fundraisers in LA and San Francisco. We brought people together from all over the world to donate to this cause. And now....were almost to the goal.

I'm working on one last event in San Francisco. Today actually I'll be applying for a special event permit in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. With some hard work well be able to pull people together to make it to our goal of $15,000!

Aaron

1 comment:

Unknown said...: Met you at 821 last night. Told me to check out your site so I did. Pretty amazing stuff. You should write a book. It was fun meeting you for like a second last night and definitely fun giving you shit on how to spell the link. hehe. You were a good sport. : )

Lisa; June 11, 2009 at 9:35 AM

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Plan USA

¨Plan is a global partnership of caring people founded in 1937 to bring hope and help to the world’s poorest children.

Plan began as a child sponsorship organization. Today, we are one of the oldest and largest organizations of our kind—our grassroots, self-help programs assist more than 10 million children and their families in poor communities around the world.

We are proudly private, not for profit, and respectful of local religions and cultures—we have no agenda other than helping kids. Plan USA is one of more than 60 national organizations bearing the renowned Plan logo. ¨

Right about the time that I was identifying non profit organizations to work with I received an email from my cousin Joshua. Josh, a meteorologist for the United States Air Force who is living in Germany and currently stationed in Iraq, mentioned that he was now sponsoring a child through Plan USA. He said that it was a small step but a small step in the right direction. He also mentioned that Plan USA was backed by the Better Business Bureau, a point that we both respect. Through various research of my own I found that Plan USA is a prominent NGO and has a great marks from InterAction and the Charities Review Council. Most importantly I found that Plan USA´s mission of ¨striving to achieve lasting improvement in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries¨ linked exactly to my own mission for this fundraising event. Needless to say, it was a great fit.

The Inspiration

¨You must be the change you want to see in the world¨

- Mahatma Gandhi

I love to travel.

I have been lucky enough to throw on a backpack and visit 5 continents. I have been fortunate enough to see some amazing sights. It´s hard not to be inspired when your standing under the rotunda at the Taj Mahal or approaching the Pyramids of Egypt or wandering through the waterfalls at Iguazu in Argentina. These have all been inspiring times.

I also cherish the fact that I have met people from all over the world and been able to learn and share in the differences in cultures. You can learn so much when you share a spicy vietnamese sandwich with a local in Hoi An, when you take a stroll with a friend in a park in Santiago de Chile or gather with pilgrims over a pitcher of sangria at Santiago de Compostella in Spain. I´ve learned a lot and I´m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities.

With all the ups there´s also the downs. Theres another side you see when travelling. This side isn´t shared as much and it can also be quite difficult to talk about. Many countries, especially in the developing worlds, face many problems. HIV/AIDS, pollution, over population, lack of clean drinking water, dangerous living conditions and of course people living under $1 a day are just a few of the issues to mention.

I have wandered through the ghetto´s of Bangkok, I played stick games with the kids in the slums of Mumbai and seen the horrible living conditions of the street beggars in La Paz. While these encounters were only brief they still had a profound affect on me. Somehow, I draw inspiration from these encounters and connections. In so many situations these people who seemed to have nothing, were still smiling, still playing and still trying with all their means to get by. If only I had that much courage!

It was culture shock and it hurt.

I feel that now is the time to give back.

I encourage you to leave comments on this blog. Every word of positivity will help me along my journey. I encourage you to pass the message forward. Together we can help make a change for the kids that need it most. Finally, I encourage you to donate. There´s an icon on the top right hand corner of this blog that will direct you to a third party site that facilitates the donations. Its totally secure and safe. I appreciate all the love and positivity that I´m already recieving, of course this is not possible without people who want to help make a difference.

I don´t think that I´ll necessarily change the world, after all I´m just a 28 year old guy from San Francisco. But, I do want to give back. I do want to help. I have the opportunity so why not use it to help the children in the world who don´t have the same chances.

Now is the time to ¨be the change¨.

The Goal

In riding my bike from Panama City to San Francisco, I am initiating a grassroots fundraising effort to help raise money to feed starving children in Central and South America. All proceeds will go to PLAN USA. My goal is to raise a minimum of 15,000 dollars. In doing so I also hope to bring the plight and struggle of these children into the concious of the public, as well as their profound sense of life, courage, hope and faith. Their undeniable love for life, and ability to continue to dream.

Donate today http://www.firstgiving.com/lasthillbeforehome

I Believe

When taking on a mission like this it´s important to create a set of ideals, principles or beliefs. The task at hand is by no means going to be easy. These 7 beliefs are truly the fundamentals that will help me along my journey.

I Believe...

- In Plan USA. Plan´s clearly defined mission of ¨striving to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries¨, is possible with the support from us if we are willing to make a difference today.

- In grassroots charitable efforts. Dedicated individual leaders and community outreach groups are fighting the growing problems of poverty.

- In the power of communication and information. Plan´s key programs of ¨growing up healthy, learning, habitat, livelihood and building relationships¨, are possible by making a donation and passing the message forward.

- Riding a bike from Panama City to San Francisco will raise awareness to the fight against poverty.

- In outdoor adventure travel. Riding is one of the positive and healthy activities that plants confidence into any individual.

- In the power of synergy. A group with a common mission driven by creativity and passion can accomplish any set of goals.

- A dream, a bike and a regular guy from San Francisco can help make a change in the lives of children whom need it most.

The Last Hill Before Home

Thursday, May 28, 2009

"Only 5 months ago it was all full of unknowns."

1 comment:

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