Day 6: Tariku

To some of you, what you will be seeing below might be unheard of. For me, I have seen this before...in person.

My friends know that I am struck with 'happy feet' syndrome in that I seem to be traveling all over the world in weird places. Only a few were shared of the reasons why I travel. I am blessed to be surrounded by many doctors, nurses and kindhearted people who are always looking for ways to give back. Being able to travel and volunteer my time with the World Surgical Foundation is definitely something that I hold very close to my heart. From just one mission I was with the team, I witnessed the heartbreaks, fears, the blank stares of dry hope, the tears of joy and the instant gratification of being a part of saving one's life. Experiences I gained from the mission play a large role in shaping the course of my life, my conviction and the person that I want to be.

I am not suggesting that you have to follow my path exactly. I am just asking you to watch two short videos below about Tariku and reflect upon it a little bit. For me, this is one of the reasons why I decided ... out of the blue, of course ... to write my 13 Days to Thanksgiving series.

Day 5: Power Up Gambia

I struggled for words...... For about two minutes, my mind was full of sadness and negative thoughts. The thoughts that babies are not given a fair chance to survive and come to this world because the hospital does not have electricity to operate horrified me.

Then, I am reminded again by the hard work and forever optimistic of one of my uncles who has been all over the world in different conditions surgically saving lives one child at a time. I am uplifted again.

It's true that doctors and nurses can still operate many procedures on patients without equipments requiring electricity. But, the chances for those patients and babies are very limited. What if you have to have an emergency procedure to deliver your baby at 2AM and there's no electricity?

This is a story about what 'one' person can do to make a different. Kathryn Cunningham Hall saw it and made it her mission to make a difference. So, please join me on my fifth day of 13 Days to Thanksgiving to be thankful for the wealth of basic amenities we have in this amazing country. Check out the quick video below and her Power Up Gambia project.

Day 4: Vicktory

'47'

11/16/10 - That's the number of Pit bulls 'saved, being rehabilitated or adopted' from the 51 dogs retrieved from Bad Newz Kennel. The key here is to focus on the positives and show you how many organizations are out there working to help these beautiful dogs. Because as many of us were all wondered when this news broke "What are they going to do to those dogs?". The video below is your answer.

BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit bulls) and Best Friends Animal Society were largely responsible in saving these dogs and did an amazing job. There is also, Lang Foundation that is committed to saving homeless & abandoned pets and preparing them to be adopted into a loving home. Lang Foundation is also rated number 1 on the Top 10 Charities Worth Watching by Charity Navigator.

My challenge to you on day 4 of my 13 Days to Thanksgiving is to look at these charities along with ASPCA and all other smaller adopt-a-pet organizations first before you rush to find your new loving companion at a for-profit kennel. Because, not counting respectable kennels, this is the best way to stop those 'Puppy Mills' from their existence.

Day 3: Leave No Trace

11/15/10 - Leave No Trace. "What a cool name?!?!" I thought to myself when I discovered their website. The third installment of my 13 Days to Thanksgiving covers our social responsibility to our environment. Love the world we are living in. Let's all be responsible and take care of our mother earth. Leave No Trace is a great organization aiming to educate us how to live and enjoy the outdoors with the least amount or no impact at all.

The website is well designed with abundant of educational articles and programs that we can all learn from. Hey kids! How about a Bigfoot Challenge?

We could all use outdoor activities at some point or another. Overnight trip in the Grand Canyon? We week long adventure in Yellowstone? Or how about a stroll along the beach watching the sunset with that someone? Did you ever wonder what kind of impact you left behind? Challenge yourself to be 'untraceable' and leave the beautiful world ... as is.

Day 2: Run for Something Better

11/14/10 - So, I was inspired by my sister who recently ran Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco with Team in Training in honer of her friend Heather. Additionally, somehow, I still do not know exactly how it happened, I agreed to my TNT runner friends to ..... eh ..... run a marathon in 2011.

Ok, enough about 'me'. The second 13 Days to Thanksgiving brought me to this wonderful organization, ING Run For Something Better. It's a known fact that obesity is a huge problem not only here in America but the whole world. Here in the US, 2007-2008 NHANES report stated that obesity affects 17% of our children and adolescents. It's important to encourage our kids to spend more time outdoor with sports that they can enjoy well into their adulthood.

Though I am a cyclist, I have to admit that nothing could be simpler than a sport of running. Plus, there are several studies similar to this one suggesting that we are 'born to run'. So, let's get our kids running (with joy)!

Day 1: Raise Hope For Congo

How would you feel if someone you love were raped ... and raped repeatedly?

11/13/10 - First day of my 13 Days to Thanksgiving series. I fully understand that this is a very heavy subject. But, that's what happening right now, today, in Congo. To some, it's unimaginable for some of you might have heard this before in past conflicts throughout the world. It's being used as a tool by the militias to destroy communities and control the uprising of people. You can read one of many news articles reporting about the crisis here.

Short of picking up firearms to go fight or staging a violence protest, there are peaceful avenue you 'can' do something about it. So, today, I would like to talk about Raise Hope For Congo project. Can you help and make a direct impact? Absolutely!!! It can be as simple as you taking a hard look at your 'cell phone'. Interested? Play the video below to learn more.

Then, we can help ending the war in Congo by committing to buy only conflict-free electronic products. That's it! You don't need to donate anything. No elaborate call-to-action plan. Just a few clicks to let electronic makers know what you stand for and you have already done your part to help!!!

13 Days to Thanksgiving

Thirteen days to Thanksgiving is a blog inspired by my casual research this past Friday night into different non-profit organizations out there (all the while I am watching SAW VI on Netflix). What I discovered is that there are so many worthy organizations out there fighting and supporting great causes in and around the world aside from those already well known ones. My goal is not to advocate for one particular organization or group. Mainly, it is to introduce thirteen different organizations / advocacy groups out there and touch briefly on what they do. This, by no mean suggest that they are the only worthy ones. I just thought that in days leading to the day we celebrate and express gratitude to God, family, friends and our loved ones, it would be nice to recognize how lucky we are compare to many others out there.

Ultimately, it's my desire and hope that one or more of these will touch and inspire your volunteerism. Dive deeper inside and find out what it is that you stand for. What's worth fighting for? What are the things that really matter in life ... for you? At the very least, I hope that this blog will help you gain the appreciation of your family, friends, loved ones and people who really care about you, a lot more.

Obviously, this will be a rolling blog with a daily update until Thanksgiving day. So, stay tuned and check back to see my updates.

• 11/13/10: Day 1 - Raise Hope For Congo
• 11/14/10: Day 2 - Run For Something Better
• 11/15/10: Day 3 - Leave No Trace
• 11/16/10: Day 4 - Vicktory
• 11/17/10: Day 5 - Power Up Gambia
• 11/18/10: Day 6 - Tariku
• 11/19/10: Day 7 - The Next Joe
• 11/20/10: Day 8 - Coffee Me Home
• 11/21/10: Day 9 - "When I get to heaven, will I feel full?"
• 11/22/10: Day 10 - The Art of Elysium
• 11/23/10: Day 11 - 80%
• 11/24/10: Day 12 - Operation Homefront
• 11/25/10: Day 13 - Passing on the Gift