it doesn't get much better than a snowy sunday
hope you make the best of it!
Snail Mail
It's January, and I'm sure most of you, like me, are happy it is a new year and the holidays are in the rear-view mirror. That's not to say the holidays aren't fun, I happen to love them. It's just to say that there is something to be said for the blank slate of January and the year ahead.
I got this email from a good friend this weekend. I wanted to share it with you too.
Over the holidays we send letters, packages and cards to those who are without family and friends during the holidays. We visit nursing homes, send cards and well wishes to recovering soldiers and care packages to marines serving for us abroad. But what about the other 364 days out of the year?
Every thought, letter and care package helps them feel supported and appreciated. They're our friends, brothers/sisters, sons/daughters, neighbors, cousins. And they need a reminder too... year round. So, let's keep it going...
To send another card to a recovering soldier, click here.
To adopt a marine... please read below.
Hi Everyone,
Our effort to send packages to our service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan over the holiday season was a tremendous success. Because of you over 300 packages were mailed.
Many of you have expressed a desire to continue this effort throughout the year. Thus, I have been collecting names of servicemen and women. At present I have over 200 names of those currently deployed and the approximate date of their return to the States.
For those of you who like to participate, please contact me. I will assign you a name or names and also provide a list of suggested items to send as well as some tips on mailing the package.
If you would also please pass the word around to your family, friends, and colleagues, it would be very much appreciated. Just have them contact me. Please feel free to forward this email to them.
Thank you again for your participation.
Sybil E. Martino
Email: smartino@hughes.net
a good thought
" A good head and a good heart
are always a formidable combination."
- Nelson Mandela
Turn it up!
My friend Susie handed me a CD two nights ago, and said I was going to fall in love with Mumford & Sons. She was right, and I did.
So far, I can't stop listening to #5... White Blank Pages
Summit of Kilimanjaro: Check!
Congrats to the crew who just made it to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro!
And thank you to all who donated and supported them along the way!
To donate water, click here
To follow the Summit on the Summit's blog, click here
Press Release Below:
KENNA AND THE ENTIRE SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT TEAM
REACH THE PEAK OF MT. KILIMANJARO
TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE GLOBAL CLEAN WATER CRISIS
January 12, 2010 (19,340 Ft, Mt Kilimanjaro) – Kenna, Grammy-nominated musician, philanthropist, “actionist” and mastermind behind SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro, was joined at the top of Africa’s largest free standing mountain with fellow climbers Lupe Fiasco, Isabel Lucas, Emile Hirsch, Jessica Biel, Santigold, Elizabeth Gore, Alexandra Cousteau, Bernise Ang, Kick Kennedy, Simon Isaacs, Michael Muller, Jimmy Chin, Melissa Arnot and Dr. Greg Allgood. In an unprecedented movement, millions of people joined the climbers for the week long trek on www.summitonthesummit.com, where they were also able to be a part of the world’s first virtual mountain climb and literally follow their favorite climbers to the top.
After a successful climb that saw each and every person on the expedition reach the top of Kilimanjaro, Kenna reflected, “Even with as many grandiose illusions that I have had, this has gone beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. The influencers, educators, staff, crew, and publicists have literally braved this on behalf of the world and in a personally meaningful way on behalf of my father.”
Fellow climbers Lupe Fiasco and Emile Hirsch shared their thoughts after summiting. Hirsch said, “The last 48 hours have been the most intense and physically grueling experience of my life, miraculously we all made it to the top together. To have such a complete success for such a worthwhile cause – the global clean water crisis - more than reaching the summit is what is really satisfying ” Lupe added, “The thrill of conquering your fears especially in such a physically and mentally taxing environment can’t really be done justice in words.”
After six intense days of hiking and climbing, the group set out for their final trek at 1:30am local time and after nearly seven hours reached the Uhuru peak which generally has only a 75% success rate. Each participant battled a plethora of physical and natural elements over the past week to make the ascent. Between coping with weather ranging from rain, hail, snow and the effects of altitude, including headaches, dizziness and fatigue among other ailments all made the over 50 mile journey that much more arduous. Immediately after summiting, the group descended for an additional six plus hours of hiking to 12000 feet, where they will make their final night of camp.
SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro was a call to action to raise awareness of the global clean water crisis and funds to benefit The Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Water For People’s Playpump Technology. The expedition and the dramatic final ascent were also recorded for a special documentary that will air on MTV on March 14th at 9pm/8pm CST. The documentary is being produced by Radical Media, Procter & Gamble Productions and Fury League Inc.
For Kenna, the vision behind SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro stems from his drive to create a greater good for our youth and has personal meaning as his father was deeply affected by water-borne illness as a child in Ethiopia and his uncle had passed away from a related illness’ as well.
The climbers of SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro have been blogging and discussing the issue of water alongside educators who are leaders at the forefront of global issues. As a team they have been learning of solutions to the problem, discussing how to improve social awareness and embracing the idea that they are now an example for influencing ways to take action and giving back to those with little or nothing.
Kenna added, “I also can’t be more thankful for all the people that followed us, donated and have fought the global clean water crisis with us.” Supporters followed the action and were able to interact with the climbers through the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro website (www.summitonthesummit.com) which has been updated daily with photos, videos and information about the climb and the cause. There has also been a major presence and call to action on Facebook, Twitter (@sotsk) and dedicated climber blog (www.sotsk.tumblr.com).
SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro would not have happened without the generous support of its partners, which include HP, the official technology partner, PŪR Water Filtration, who provided water filtration solutions, Windows 7, as the official Expedition Software, First Ascent by Eddie Bauer, who outfitted the entire climb, and REVO, the official eye wear. All funds raised by SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro will be managed and distributed through the United Nations Foundation, the project’s charitable advisors.
Summit on the Summit: To the Top
The Summit on the Summit group is schedule to summit today... are you following along?!
A QUESTION FROM JAY LAVENDER
I have a WHAT IF for YOU
What if some guy named KENNA, inspired by an unsuccessful attempt to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, his Ethiopian heritage and his father, decided to return to climb Kili to raise awareness for the global water crisis?
And what if he got a few friends to climb with him and then a few of their friends to run the project with him and then they all got a bunch of friends and strangers, many with no climbing experience, to agree to go with them?
And what if HP, PUR, Windows 7 and First Ascent and REVO sponsored money and provided gear during a time when most companies were slashing their marketing budgets?
And what if the group bonded effortlessly through a common purpose, stories, laughter and striving physically side-by-side?
And what if people all over the world, intrigued by something that wasn't cynical, selfish or political in these difficult times, followed these people, strangers 7 days ago and now friends for life, as they trekked together up an African mountain with a film crew, photographers and a writer watching and capturing every step...not because these people wanted the attention but because it was the only way they could figure out how to cut through all the chatter and get YOUR ATTENTION?
And what if people started paying attention and learning more and talking about the global water crisis with their friends, family, coworkers and even strangers?
And what if all those people realized they could make a difference?
And what if they decided not to wait for someone else to do it but instead decided to donate their valuable time, energy and hard earned money to solving the problem?
And what if one day, we were all able to look back and say when that moment was when we said, "I had no idea that 1 billion people don't have access to clean water or that 7 billion gallons of water a day leaks out of America's decrepit infrastructure?"
And what if those same people, tired of our politicians playing shell games with our tax dollars to get reelected, pressured our elected leaders to do something about it since it affects each one of us every day?
And what if people were put to work, not some hypothetical time in the future, but this year, fixing and designing and engineering and rebuilding the pipes and system that brings water to our taps every day?
And what if people were inspired by SOTSK to build on PUR's innovations and come up with even more ways to purify drinking water?
And what if our main stream media decided to quit broadcasting nonsense and started reporting on the positive things in the world?
And what if one day we could celebrate that we had collectively come together, as Lupe had invited us--danced together?
And what if all of that happened just because one guy named KENNA DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING and his friends joined him and then strangers became friends and then it became so much bigger than a group of people climbing a mountain because there were so many people who cared as much as Kenna that the collective positivity became an unstoppable force determined to help our fellow men, women, children?
And what if in doing that, we changed the world for the better and turned the global water crisis into the global water nuisance?
And what if one day you could smile to yourself as you were drifting off to sleep, knowing that YOU PLAYED YOUR PART to help turn these what ifs into reality?
- Jay Lavender, 3:45am, Jan 11, in a tent on the side of Kili
Summit on the Summit: it begins
Yesterday, January 7th, a group of celebrities and activists began their climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for the global water crisis. Jay Lavender, co-writer of the Break-up, is their writer and blogger. You can follow him and the climbers on his blog http://sotsk.tumblr.com
The press release is below...
THE ASCENT BEGINS:
KENNA, JESSICA BIEL, EMILE HIRSCH, LUPE FIASCO,
ELIZABETH GORE AND FRIENDS
EMBARK ON SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: KILIMANJARO
TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE GLOBAL CLEAN WATER CRISIS
January 8, 2010 (13,640 Ft, Mt Kilimanjaro ) – The last two days, Kenna, Grammy-nominated musician, philanthropist, “actionist” and mastermind behind SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro, began the week long trek, on Thursday, January 7, up Kilimanjaro joined by Emile Hirsch, Jessica Biel, Lupe Fiasco, Isabel Lucas, Santigold as well as many of the world’s brightest minds and major cultural influencers (complete list below), for the ascent to raise awareness of the global clean water crisis. Since originally announcing SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro last year, the project has raised awareness of the global clean water crisis as well as funds on www.summitonthesummit.com for The Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Water For People's Playpump Technology. The expedition is also being documented and produced by Radical Media, Procter & Gamble Productions and Fury League Inc. for a documentary to run on MTV on March 14 at 9pm/8pm CST.
For Kenna, the vision behind SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro stems from his drive to create a greater good for our youth and has personal meaning as his father was deeply affected by water-borne illness as a child in Ethiopia and his uncle had passed away from a related illness’ as well. Kenna has inspired his influential friends to join the climb which include:
· Jessica Biel, Actress (upcoming Valentine's Day and The A-Team)
· Lupe Fiasco, Grammy-Nominated musician
· Isabel Lucas, Actress (Transformers 2)
· Santigold, Musician
· Emile Hirsch, Actor (Into the Wild and Milk)
· Alexandra Cousteau, National Geographic Emerging Explorer
· Elizabeth Gore, Executive Director for Global Partnerships for the United Nations Foundation
· Elizabeth Gore, Executive Director for Global Partnerships for the United Nations Foundation
· Simon Isaacs, International Development and Water Expert,
· Michael Muller, Award Winning Photographer Michael Muller
· Jimmy Chin, Award Winning Photographer
· Kick Kennedy, Environmental Activist and Granddaughter of Robert Kennedy
· Bernise Ang, Social Entrepreneur and Recipient of the YouthActionNet Award & Fellowship
· Dr. Greg Allgood, Director of the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program at Procter & Gamble
· Melissa Arnot, Mountaineering Expert
· Jason Walsh, Renowned Trainer and Movement Specialist
Participants of the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro team have been blogging and discussing the issue of water alongside educators who are leaders at the forefront of global issues. As a team they have been learning of solutions to the problem, discussing how to improve social awareness and embracing the idea that they are now the example for showing ways to take action and give back to those with little or nothing.
Supporters can follow the action and interact with the climbers through the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro website (www.summitonthesummit.com) which is being updated daily with additional communication through Facebook, Twitter (@sotsk) and a dedicated climber blog (www.sotsk.tumblr.com). Visitors can also get a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation and training that went into the climb from a series of web videos, keep track of climbers’ progress on the mountain with the help of GPS trackers, plus stay informed and interact throughout the climb. Those who wish to contribute to the cause may sponsor a foot on the site or purchase products with proceeds going towards the cause.
In addition to HP, the official technology partner, PŪR Water Filtration, providing financial support and water filtration solutions, and First Ascent by Eddie Bauer, outfitting the entire climb, Microsoft has joined SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT as the official Expedition Software of SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro , joining in support of raising awareness of the global clean water crisis. The base camp will be outfitted with the high-powered HP TouchSmart PC featuring Windows 7 touch enabled software to help track each climber’s progress, monitor weather conditions and capture every aspect of the climb. All funds raised by SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro will be managed and distributed through the United Nations Foundation, the project’s charitable advisors.
an actual wonder woman
In my December 2nd post I wrote about the road ahead. Latham's daughter, Wistar (one of the three Murray wonder women...) wrote this blog post on the death of her father. It's absolutely mind-blowing, it's beautifully written with wit, love and immense sadness. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It's an incredible lesson on life, love and loss, and the journey.
strength in numbers
"Strong humans become ruthless self-seekers
unless they're bound by love" - Wonder Woman
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