Over the past two and a half years, through generous contributions of friends and family, and especially with the push over the past month, collectively we raised more than enough funds to build a school in Nepal--this is awesome! Below is a flavor of who you all are.
A little bit more about you
You may have been there at the first fundraising event I held way back in May of 2007 at the Tattered Cover in downtown Denver. You saw me give my first presentation about Room to Read, and got a better sense of who is behind Room to Read by seeing John Wood appear on Oprah.
Or maybe you were combing through all of your hours and hours videos from years of visits to Nepal, extracting the best shorts of kids playing or singing around their villages as they raised money to support their school. Working with me to edit the shots down to a few that would work well together.
Maybe you were the one who left the signed copy of John Wood’s book “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World” on the counter, ready for me to pick up and start to read when the power went out that one day in January, almost three years ago. Maybe you were the one who sat with me at Sherpa’s in Boulder, brainstorming many times about how to raise money, about how not to fall short, not to give up, but how to go the whole way and inspire people to act.
Maybe you were there at my Shishapangma slideshow, hearing about my adventures in “Higher Education.” Maybe you were the one who gave me the idea of the title “Higher Education.” Maybe you saw my film about Everest, and shivered with me as I climbed the Lhotse face or the Hillary step. Or maybe you sat with me during one of many video edit sessions, pushing me to tell the whole story, to tell the right story, to not be constrained by time, to continue to be creative.
Maybe you were the one who took me to see Room to Read’s work in Nepal firsthand, encouraging me to keep fundraising, even if it is hard. Just maybe especially because it is hard.
Maybe you gave a little money at the door of a show, maybe you gave me what you had in your back pocket at a party, or maybe you were able to dig really deep into your own pockets. Maybe you were able to get your company to put money toward our effort, maybe you designed your very own search engine that would continually bring in more money for Room to Read. Maybe you were the anonymous donor who matched funds this holiday season. Or maybe you were unable to give much financially, but instead spread the word in different ways. You interviewed me, wrote about the effort on your blog, talked about it with your friends.
You might be an MIT alum who’s heard my stories about climbing and Nepal over the years. Or you might be a 5th grader at Mesa Elementary in Boulder who saw a little of my adventures and saw more how to be creative and brainstorm yourself how you could hold a story contest or a bake sale or a read-a-thon to raise money from your fellow students. Maybe you were inspired to reach out to your fellow high school students in Rhode Island and as your senior project you raised money for the school in Nepal.
Maybe you saw me at a big Neptune or CMC show, maybe it was a smaller show in Dillon, or maybe it was a personal one at your or my house. Maybe you were part of that book club reading John’s book, and heard me talk about Room to Read and Nepal and the great experiences in all.
Maybe you are my best friend. Maybe I’ve known you since we were 14, maybe you’ve known me since I was born, maybe we’ve worked together, maybe we’ve climbed the highest peaks in far away countries together, maybe we’ve only recently connected. Maybe we’ve taught or skied or climbed outside together, maybe we’ve read and discussed and echoed inside together, sat eating foreign foods and dreamt ideas about how to help the world together, or wrote notes to each other, communicating the necessities on our silent meditation day. Maybe you were a stranger until you happened upon a show of mine, or someone forwarded an email about this project to you. Maybe we were friends and you have moved away physically, but not in our thoughts. You are my friends, you are my family.
You are one hundred and eighty persons strong and I thank each and every one of you. As Room to Read says, “World change starts with educated children.” Yes, but there is more. It begins in your heart. Thank you for being part of this.
