No matter how much you know…

• Sep
  27
• 
• 0

Some times life deals you a very strange hand. Last week was one of those. It was the final stop on the Caribou Coffee and Project 7 7 Cities Tour. The Tour was to end with a bang in Caribou's hometown of Minneapolis. The concert venue was grandiose - the Mall of America. The charity wide reaching - Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). And Tyler, our founder, was going to be joined by Caribou's founder, Mike, to stand hand-in-hand as proof that big business and giving back can truly work.  That was how it was supposed to go. But, it didn't happen. Emergency struck and Tyler had to have surgery. Don't worry, he's fine (we are so thankful). But, his doctor wouldn't clear him to fly. This is pretty much the only thing that would have kept him from going, In fact, I'm pretty sure he was trying to figure out how to drive there on time and under the influences of pain killers. But, in the long run it was decided that I would fill in for Tyler and go on the last leg of the tour.  Now, I could go on and on about my television appearance (which I was super nervous for... and managed to say ah and um even thought I'm not supposed to, if your curious click here), the strange man that bought my dinner for no reason and how amazing the concert was (which it was, the three artists were stellar) but, the thing that hit me the most happened the last day we were there. The 7 Cities Tour was created to promote volunteering and giving back and this past Saturday about 200 perfect strangers, and I, did just that.  The volunteer event was at two Minneapolis Feed My Starving Children locations. For those that don't know, Feed My Starving Children sends nutritious meals to over 70 countries. They rely on volunteers and donations to support their wonderful efforts with 96% of each dollar donated going toward these meals. Thanks to being at Project 7, I've learned so much about the needs facing our world. I've seen both wonderful and horrible things and for the most part, nothing gets to me anymore. Not to say that I'm desensitized, but I've seen so much, that I've grown accustomed to seeing tough things. However, this was not the case on Saturday. I got there early, arriving by myself as the other Project 7 team members were coming from a different part of town. I signed my name, got my obligatory hair net and took a seat with a group of perfect strangers. To kick off the volunteering day, one of the FMSC volunteer leaders gave a small introduction into what we were going to be doing. He was witty, warm and wonderful, some of my favorite "W" words. During his presentation, he showed us a three minute video about what they do. Now, I make this type of video as part of my job. I knew what they were going to show me, but I just wasn't prepared. I was sitting there, eating my Caribou pumpkin bread, which is delicious by the way, watching the visuals of starving, truly starving, children. The one that really got to me was a little boy, 14 months of age, who only weighed 7 lbs. His sad, broken little body couldn't support his seemingly overly large head. As I stared at this little boy and listened to George, the FMSC volunteer coordinator, talk about children eating pebbles to fill the painful void in their stomachs, I began to cry. I don't know what hit me so hard. I've seen starving children before, heard tales of hunger, but this really hit me. And this wouldn't be the last time that day I was hit. After the video (and many tissues for me and a couple of other people), we were ushered into the packing room which turned out to be a joyful experience. I was surrounded by loving, giving people who were there to make a difference. As we packaged up life saving meals, I decided to find out what motivated them to come spend part of their Saturday packing food for perfect strangers they would more than likely never meet. So, I posed these simple questions: Why are you here today? Why did you come? The answers astounded me and were the second time I was hit (and subsequently cried). • One woman had just turned 60 and it was her way of changing her life for the better. It was her first time ever volunteering and she was hooked.    • One woman was there with her 10 year old daughter. She was there because her daughter had volunteered the week before and had absolutely loved it. It was the daughter who had motivated her mother. • One gentleman was there because he wanted to support his sister who was turning over a new leaf in life after a messy divorce. Their answers were all different and all heartfelt, and to be honest, I didn't care why they were there. I enjoyed every minute of their hair netted company. And whether or not I ever see those people again we shared something special. Bettering the lives of innocent children. And just when I thought I couldn't get hit again I was wrong.  After the volunteering shift was over, I stood in front of 100 perfect strangers and thanked them and encouraged them to not let this be the first or last time they made a difference in the lives of a stranger. After my short speech, one of the women who had been at my station came up to me and said "I didn't tell you the whole story when you asked me why I volunteered today. It is the fifth anniversary of me being sober. When I decided to get sober, I promised to use bettering my own life to better the lives of others. I volunteer at least once a month and I just wanted you to know." For the third time that day I burst into tears. This woman's honesty and gift to both herself and others seriously hit me hard.  I stayed for a second shift and managed not to cry again... but it was hard. What I learned that day is that no matter how much you know there is always room to learn more about the world, the people in it and most importantly, ourselves. I learned that I am not alone in my goal to make positive changes. I learned you can't control everything, like emergency surgeries. And finally, I learned that the more you give the more you get. I might have already known that one... but I was reminded of it last Saturday. Thank you again to all of those people that made my day so amazing.

Higher education for $25

• Sep
  20
• 
• 0

Kiva.org, of microlending and Project 7 Finalist fame, is now offering college loans to students in developing countries. The program will be piloted in Lebanon, Paraguay and Bolivia. In these countries, lower to middle class students have few options when it comes to financing their higher education. And this education can increase a person's income up to 300 percent, making a real difference in their lives and truly improving the local economy. The program will start with 40 second-year college student loans of about $1,000 each. The loans will be similar to any other Kiva loan and start at $25. To learn more about the new program click here.

Hunger Action Month – Do your part.

• Sep
  7
• 
• 1

The month of September is Hunger Action Month. During the month, Feeding America and 200 food banks across the nation are asking people to lend a hand. Here are a few ways in which you can help.  1. Write a letter to an elected official about hunger; 2. Organize a food bank at your office to donate to a local food bank; 3. Send donation to a food bank program   Click here to learn more.

Project 7 Wants You – Fall Internship

• Sep
  3
• 
• 0

For those of you who have enjoyed Brad the Intern's posts we are sorry to say he is no longer going to be our intern... we hired him full time! (We're currently coming up with a new "Brad the (insert word for him here)" as his new title is way too long!) So a big congrats to Brad, but this means we need a new intern. You must be available to start working full time in Southlake, TX by Thursday, September 16 at the latest. You must be available to go on a road trip – out of town – September 19-27. Compensation: $10/hour. Here are the details. Key Responsibilities include: - 7 Day Volunteer Event Support - Travel/Road trips - Communications/Social Media - Research/Brainstorming - Volunteer Outreach - Tradeshow support - Music Partner Volunteer - Festivals and special events - Office manager duties Requirements: - Must be at least 18 years of age - Must have high school diploma - Strong oral and written communication skills - Knowledge of office administration - Problem solving, interpersonal, team building, leadership & decision making skills - Attention to detail - Effective organizational and time management skills - Computer skills including working knowledge of Word and Excel - Must be able to lift 25 lbs So, what do you do if you are interested? Submit your resumé to ryan@project7.com (please cc info@project7.com just in case our spam filters get you!) Please include the following: 1. Tell us why you want to be a part of Project 7 2. Tell us about a cause you are passionate about We will schedule phone interviews for the week of September 6th, so get those applications in! Let's change the score.

mycharity: water – Helping Birthdays Really Matter.

• Sep
  1
• 
• 0

Today is our wonderful photographer friend's, Esther Havens, birthday. And in honor of her birthday, she "gave it up." mycharity: water (brought to you by the great folks at charity: water) has created a way to make birthdays really matter. Instead of people going out and buying you a trinket, you can "give up" your birthday to help bring someone clean water. It's a pretty cool deal. You create a profile on mycharitywater.org and people can donate whatever amount they wish to making a perfect stranger's life better. So far Esther has had 50 people donate (including Project 7), raised $2,387 and helped 119 people. The funds are going straight to bringing clean water to people in Central African Republic, not bad for someone turning 27! September is a special month for charity: water. It is their biggest month and they have a special campaign underway. Take a look at the video. It's amazing. Donate to the campaign, give up your birthday, make a real difference. September is here. from charity: water on Vimeo. So, think about all of the friends you have with birthdays coming up. Urge them to "give it up" and do some real good on their special day - believe me, there isn't anything more special than that!