Day 104

I visited care2 today and clicked on all the click to donate tabs: helping children in need, saving the rainforest, saving big cat habitat, supporting research for breast cancer, feeding pets in need, defending baby seals, rescuing ocean wildlife, feeding rescued primates, helping to stop global warming, helping to stop violence against women, and protecting threatened wolves. We're all passionate about different causes and this site caters to almost all of us! Do check them out!

I went on to sign petitions:

• The first was for teachers. StudentsFirst is launching a national campaign to save teachers from the upcoming wave of layoffs before they lose their jobs and kids lose their great teachers. Over 14,400 people have signed the petition so far.
• Then baby seals...Canada's 2011 commercial harp seal hunt has begun, and the government of Canada has sanctioned the slaughter of 400,000 baby seals! It's terrible to imagine: The merciless slaughter of baby seals has started on the ice floes off Canada's east coast -- completely defenseless animals beaten and shot to death for their fur. It's the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth. And most of them are babies: 97 percent of those killed are pups less than three months old. 
• The next one was regarding insurance - Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to impose a required review for insurance rate increases over 10 percent. But America's Health Insurance Plan (AHIP) says the 10 percent review level is unreasonable. They want to delay effective regulation for one year, until July 2012, and adjust the regulations for states that won't meet the requirements for effective review. 
• The last one for today was asking Chinese authorities to respect human rights of Kirti Monks. Tibetans are entitled to the same human rights as any other people; the freedoms of expression, cultural identity, religion, and all the other rights enumerated in the world's human rights treaties and conventions. I was the first to sign that petition. Hope you guys get a chance to visit the site and show your support!

I did another click to donate spree at thehungersite and clicked on the tabs for hunger, breast cancer, animal rescue, veterans, child health, literacy, and the rainforest.

It takes just a few minutes but has a huge impact. Try it out!

Day 103

Had an amazing time at SafeHouse this evening! I got to catch up with a lot of people and had some fun conversations about family, traveling, relationships, the beach, and being positive. I spent most of the evening on the lot, said hello to everyone I knew (and met some new people), and enjoyed the weather and the company.

My six year old buddy was there this evening too. He was telling me about his long day; he has quite the imagination! And even after his "long day" he had all this energy to run around the lot! Another fun night; looking forward to going back soon.

Day 102

I went back to Kashi this evening and helped make PBJ sandwiches. There was a smaller group of volunteers this evening, including a few children, so it was quieter than usual. We went through 25 loaves of bread, 4 big tubs of peanut butter, and 2 big cans (industrial size) of jelly in an hour. All the sandwiches are taken to the shelter (where some of my SafeHouse friends stay) tomorrow morning.

While working, a couple of us chatted about clubs and lounges in the city. I told them about my favorite spot, Sutra, of course. We talked about music and food and festivals in the park. I learned about some local coffee shops in the area. Overall, a very relaxed evening of volunteering :)

Day 101

After being on the road for two hours I made it to SafeHouse just in time to enjoy socializing before service. I talked to the gentleman who volunteers with some other organizations. Today he cleaned up the flower bed on the lot and talked to me about gardening and what he would like to plant there. He knows a lot about gardening so I am looking forward to what he does.

I spent some time with one of the ladies and we talked about friendships and trust. She also pointed out several people on the lot and told me a little about each person. She had some stories! It's interesting hearing about the interpersonal dynamics that go on outside of SafeHouse. One of the guys I hadn't seen in a while was back today so we got to catch up. He has been looking for a job so we chatted about that and just how he was doing overall. He is really polite and caring and that comes across from his interactions with others.

Overall, a night of great conversations, good catch up sessions, and lots of laughing.

Day 100

We've made it through 100 days of giving!! Yay!! In honor of the 100 day mark, Dona and I took sorbet and ice cream (courtesy of High Road Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet - visit their store and sample their delicious and creative ice cream and sorbet flavors) to SafeHouse this evening. The people at High Road are amazing! I had to send them a last minute request Thursday evening for an ice cream donation. Friday evening they said yes - they made my day! And when I picked it up they were so generous! They gave us 4 trays of sorbet and ice cream.

Dona and I set up outside on the lot, and when the gate was opened people lined up for their pick of ice cream or sorbet. The favorites were pistachio ice cream and strawberry sorbet. Almost everyone came back for seconds, thirds, and even fourth servings. And the more they came by the more creative they got with mixing flavors. We served till we ran out, and once we were done serving, we spent the rest of the evening on the lot socializing with everyone.

This project started as one of my crazy ideas and has become much bigger than I ever imagined. It really doesn't feel like it's been that long since we started Project 365 and I'm still in shock about it being Day 100. We couldn't have made it without all your support, whether it's coming out to help, helping us find donations and resources, telling us about new volunteer opportunities, reading the blog or cheering us on. THANK YOU!

Serving Ice Cream & Sorbet

My 6year old buddy

Day 99

It has been a great day of giving! We started the morning with the MS walk at Piedmont Park.

The walk is the rallying point of the MS movement, a community coming together to raise funds and celebrate hope for the future. All money raised helps drive critical research for a cure and services that address the challenges of everyone affected by MS.

Dona started her good deeds with wake up calls for everyone at 630am! We then all (well... almost all) met at the Park at 9:30 to get started with the walk. There were so many people out to support the movement - it was amazing!

It's funny that we all rallied together to support Fay Gibson, Raksha's Friend. And our little rockstar, Raksha was nowhere to be found at 9am! RAKSHA GOT LOST AND CLAIMS SHE WALKED 20K!! We believe that once she was confident that everyone was going to be there, and everything was in order, she went and got breakfast!

So many of our friends came out to walk with us so Raksha, Dona and I would like to say THANK YOU: Kelsi, Onyx (and Meredith), LeBlanc, Vern, Vikas, Lubna, Dyuti, Nehal, Samir, Shumaila, Maliha, and Jessica!!! You guys made this event phenomenal. We appreciate you guys giving up your Saturday morning to walk with us!

Day 100 is tomorrow and we couldn't have asked for a better Day 99 to kick off the celebration.

We're enjoying the rest of the day with our favorites and then heading out to Sutra Lounge in Midtown to continue celebrating this milestone! Everyone's welcome :)

Tomorrow we celebrate our 100th day with SHO. High Road Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet was able to donate ice cream for tomorrow, so we're all set to serve.

You're welcome to join us there as well!

~ Dona & Chandni

Day 98

I had an awesome night at SafeHouse again! Didn't make it inside the building...again. I spent all evening on the lot talking to some of the guys and also making some new friends. It started with the gentleman who is spiritual - we talked about the spiritual purpose of various birds...and then before he went inside he said that I would eventually write a book...hmmm...

I talked to the gentleman who volunteers at various places. He gave me some really good news - he got a job! So we spoke a little about that and about his next few weeks of volunteer opportunities. It's amazing how much he does!!

I spent some time talking to a gentleman who comes by most nights, gets his meal, then helps clean up the lot before leaving. He doesn't do it in return for anything. He just does it. So today I got to know him a little bit (as we cleaned) and when I asked why he always stays to clean up, he responded it was just to help out. He's really sweet, very kind, and always has a gentle smile on his face.

Met a couple of other guys today, hopefully I'll see them again next time, and start to get to know them too!