December 18, 2012

From Udari Liyanage:

I hope you are doing well. I still remember the story of your son. Like I did last year, I wanted to give back to the community this year also. I bought a bunch of food from my money and gave it away to my friends. It felt good. I hope you and your family will have a nice break. Stay strong:)

From Frank Green and Sally Campbell:

Dear Thelonius Fueglein,
            I just bought Kid Goats for you.

            Oxfam Unwrapped: It's part of OxfamAmerica's exciting gift program that gives in two ways: by providing a symbolic gift for you as well as by supporting people in need.

 For herding families, goats are hardy investment. Kid goats cost less than adults, so buying a pair along with their mother is a way to invest in the future while saving some "doe". That savings can help pay for some human kids education – – – and the mini-goats teach responsibility, too, as the youngest members of their community are often charged with their care. The proceeds from your gift support Oxfam America's efforts to create lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 90 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice.

From Jane Sun:

I only grow out my hair to donate 10 inches to Locks of Love. This
happens every year-and-a-half to two years. Though this act may not be
random, I am dedicating this donation to Theo.

From Jalynn Byrd:

The random act of kindness I did was, I helped my friend finish her final art project. She had an hour left before her class that the project was due in and she wasn't even halfway done. I helped her sit and cut out over a hundred color pallets from Lowe's. I glued down cotton balls and and the color pallets to her project while she cut out more. We ended up finishing the project just in time for her to get to her class.

From Katie Allen:

I gave a cookie to a homeless man.

From Lynn Welton:

Jamie and Karla, I made a donation in Theo's memory to Noah's Children.

From Matt Clingempeel:

Tasha and I sold our house at end of July, or at least we thought we did. We moved out on our closing date because we needed to get our daughter into the school she would be attending for kindergarten. Needless to say, we did not close on our closing date. A little hiccup we were sure. No. Three months later we never sold our house because the buyer could not get her financing approved. She never told us why the entire time we were paying two mortgages. It seemed awful to us, to be led on in such a way, to be told every week that this is the week you are going to close. Then we found out. Soon into buying our house, she learned she was going to lose her job. She applied for numerous positions in her company but was unable to secure one of them. She was without a home and a job now. I sent her a Christmas card telling her that we hope she is well and that things are looking up for her. (I hope she had a forwarding address set up!) I don’t know how many times I need to learn that while things seem bad for me, I never know how bad they are for someone else. I know it wasn’t much, but I hope it made her feel better about everything.

            Theo and Lula are beautiful names. I am sorry for your loss.

From Lindsay Chudzik:

I volunteered to teach a novel writing workshop to middle school students in the Philadelphia School District who might not have the creative opportunities they experienced over the 10-week class had it not been for the amazing non-profit that helps organize these writing and critical thinking workshops for them. Though I am very busy with my full-time job and adding another class on top of my already heavy load wasn't easy at times, the Sunday afternoons I spent with these students were always the best part of my week. Seeing how excited they were to write and learn, how ecstatic they were when I brought in a guest speaker who happened to be a YA author we were reading together, made every second of my prep time worth it. Yesterday was our last day and, already, I miss the students. I've signed up to teach another workshop this Spring.
            Best,
                        Lindsay