The Challenge
At most recent Potluck Dinner at Peleg Top & Rick Hoyt's house in the hills of Silver Lake, I tasted my first Carrot Souffle. It had all the flavors of the Fall Harvest, sweet, with a hint of the soil that the carrots sprung from. I asked Peleg to introduce me to the talented chef, Ronna Jones. I expected to have to wrangle the recipe from Ronna, but she happily shared the recipe, which lead us to a conversation about giving, and she told me about how she joined the 29 Day Giving Challenge during a stressful period in her life. For her first day, she went to her mother's and cleaned the entire house, an act of love that brought her and her mother closer.
The Los Angeles-based 29 Day Giving Challenge was started by Cami Walker (pictured to the left) who left the world of advertising after it had become unfulfilling and because her struggle with Multiple Sclerosis made it imperative to change her life path. It is a simple challenge; for 29 days you give one gift a day, it could be anything from money, food, clothing to a kind word or thought. As of today 29gifts has over 2300 worldwide members. I gave three questions to Cami Walker of 29gifts.org:
1. John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere. What do you tell people when they ask "How can I give?"
You can give anything you feel moved to offer another person. My first gift was a supportive phone call to a friend. Clean out your pantry and gift the food you won't eat to a shelter or someone in need. Smile at a stranger. Offer a kind word or prayers. Gift money to a cause you care about. Any gift is worth giving!
2. "The twentieth century will be chiefly remembered by future generations not as an era of political conflicts or technical inventions,
but as a age in which human society dared to think of the welfare of the whole human race as a practical objective." - Arnold J. Toynbee (1889-1975), A Study of History
Now into the 21st century we are now into the the age of technology and global conflict, a new age where we speak in terms of Versions and Web 2.0. Have we lost the goal of a society concerned about the human race? How do you use technology to push your cause beyond your physical boundaries?
We have committed givers in 37 countries thanks to the word-of-mouth power of the web. I originally sent an email to about 40 friends inviting them to join me in the challenge when the site went live an now, just six months later, we have more than 1,650 registered givers. We have not invested any money in marketing. All of this growth has been word of mouth. I don't think this project would have been possible without the easily available technology that made it possible to put our message out there.
3. Does Giving come naturally?
I think giving comes naturally to most of us; however, we're often not mindful of our gifts. This challenge is intended to help you become more conscious and aware of the positive things you are offering the world. It also helps you shift your perspective about many of the things you do every day for your family and friends. If you view each thing as a gift, including cooking dinner for your family, reading to your child or listening to your best friend who needs to get something off her chest, you are more likely to stay in gratitude and appreciate all of the wonderful things that are offered to you in return.
To find out more please go to: http://www.29gifts.org
