It’s amazing being around people who care deeply about a cause

11/14/10

It’s amazing being around people who care deeply about a cause. Whatever the cause may be, the passion is infectious. I am a rookie in this world of philanthropy. Luckily for me, I am recieving help and guidance around every corner. I think it might be because I have programmed my mind to think in a selfless manner. Think about it, when we are making the world better for others, aren’t we making the world better for ourselves? What I am witnessing is nothing short of fantastic. People want to make a difference in this world. They want to help!

Last night, I attended a fundraiser for the group Animal Rescue Media Education also known as ARME. At this function, I met people who’s ideals and beliefs were very much aligned with mine. It’s like I walked into a room where everyone cared about somthing. Not only did they genuinly care, it seemed as though everyone was actively involved in their cause. The founder of this group Shannon Keith is a practicing animal rights attorney. She embodies the idea of commitment to a cause. I feel so fortunate to have met this individual because she is out there doing it. I’d like to thank her for inviting Nick our V.P. of operations and myself to this event.

The evening was fun, tiring, emotional, and funny. I met beautiful people with big hearts. I had a chance to speak about what I am doing and I had a chance to listen about what others are doing. It was a positive exchange of dialogue and ideas. The food was completely vegan and absolutely delicious. For appetizers they served wraps with avacado, almonds, and soy chicken.The main dish was a tofu chicken in barbeque sauce with sides of rice and salad. The dinner portion of the evening maintained a light mood. In the later stages of the event, we were shown a little preview of ARME’s upcoming documentary. It’s titled sanctuary and it’s about the Jungle Friends primate sanctuary. The little bit of footage didn’t leave a dry eye in the house. I too felt moved and saddened as the stories of primate residents of the sanctuary were told. Immediately following the preview was an auction of various items. Some of the items were paintings done by monkeys. Earlier, I had guessed the artwork was produced by primates but I bit my tongue just in case. Nick and I agreed to try and bid on a couple items for our organization. After some back and forth on numbers, we ended up being outbid on the items. But, Nick did purchase a picture of a Monkey.

Being a sucker for a good cause, I added more on my ever expanding plate. In the upcoming days I will figure out how my run can benefit yet another cause. I will only fail if I don’t walk the path set before me. Yes, the cause I am championing is literacy. But, who’s to say the books made by the Papa Didos Ideals Foundation can’t extend it’s arms to help the other problems in this world? It is all about combining our efforts.

For me personally, it was an eye opening experience. It has become evident, survival in this realm requires a huge ammount of faith. I guess I could say It reinvigorated my own resolve. I now know, people are willing and able to change. We are able to change the way we eat, to change the way we think, and to change the way we treat each other. More than ever we need to work together to solve our problems. With each set of eyes we help open we gain an ally. Every now and then, it’s nice to know we have allies.