There is a great power in giving, especially when giving without need of reward or condition. If you haven’t felt this power in a while, please take some time to give freely out of unconditional love. In my own personal life, I challenge myself to become stronger and more evolved.  How do I become stronger? How can I be more powerful? What can I do to give more?
For the Christmas holidays in ’08, we were able to raise close to $500 in toys and clothes for the needy families.
This year at MonkMe, our initial goal was to raise $1000.
We weren’t sure how this was going to happen. The pure intentions would create opportunities we felt. We personally gave what we could, but that wasn’t nearly enough. However it was a great start. Without advertisement or bell ringing was this possible?
Three weeks before Christmas we were unsure if we could pull together resources and inspire others to join in our cause. But it was our intention. So how do we inspire? We just had to let go of our own fears and trust in the goodness of people. We felt confident there will be others who want to give back in appreciation.
As a collective group of MonkMe, we will do our part. And we will give what we can give. However our greatest strength is not how much we can donate, but how much we can inspire the world to work together. It’s the connection between all of us that is what makes us strong.
So we just spoke with pride, sharing our collective goal. We didn’t ask anyone to participate. There was no cornering in the checkout line, or perfected sales pitches. We just showed everyone how powerful and loving we felt by being a part of such a cause. Soon, others wanted to feel our joy and strength by participating.
Others wanted to prove in the goodness of man and that unconditional love existed. Some wanted to appreciate their own blessings. Most had no agenda other than imagining a child smiling while opening their new toys.
For Christmas 2009, we were fortunate to raise and donate over $1900 worth of new toys, shoes, blankets, clothes and food to various local charities in the Los Angeles Area. This exceeded our expectations, and we found that many began seeking us out. When friends, colleagues, family, and strangers heard of our cause and goal, they made it a point to surpass our expectations.
Below are the names of those who participated in this cause. These Angels decided to share their names not to achieve applause or credit, but to inspire others to do the same. There were others who wanted to remain anonymous. So they will be given love and appreciation with a MonkMe thank you. We have also listed the organizations that we were able to donate to. These organizations work every day of the year to provide resources and tools to those in need. Without these groups, we wouldn’t have a direct path to those in most need.
Participating Members
• Bruce
• Grandma Gigi
• Curt Watkins
• Karen Blair
• Sandy Raphael
• Jennifer Ricketts
• Andy Fiore
• Chip Cook
• Paul Gardner
• Andy Arnold
• Jasmin Adams
• Andrew Pineda
• monkjoe
• G. & J. Dao
Participating Organizations Donated To:
• Agape International Spiritual Center  and The Children’s Lifesaving Foundation
• Marine Corps Reserve: Toys For Tots
• Hogan Foundation and Rancho St. Francis
• Ocean Park Community Center and Daybreak Women’s Shelter
Not bad for three weeks of intention. What could we achieve if we started earlier? Like now…This brings us to 2010. Our intention is to raise over $10,000.
We do not know how. But we will intend it to be. When that happens, we can push the challenge to unexpected heights. That is our game.
To take lead, which is always best to inspire, MonkMe will donate $1 for every new original member that joins our community. We will take part in this healthy powerful community in raising our intended goal.
What’s your move?
