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*note, this was a blog I wrote earlier this year on my other blog, but wanted to transfer the story to share with momdot*
I love to read..I mean LOVE to read. Right now I am reading a book called Three Cups of Tea. I make time to read about 1-2 hours a day. I know..your wondering where I find the time, but if I don’t do something to keep myself sane, I would lose it. I work every second I’m not with my daughter, so during her naps or at least once after she goes to bed, I take a bath and read in the tub.
Anyhoo..onto the book. Its about a mountain climber who was in Afghanistan and came across a small village that really made him feel welcome and at home. Once he realized there was no school and the children only got a teacher a few times a week if that, and did their work in the dirt with a stick, he promised to come back and build them a school. Its about fulfilling his promise to that village. I am fascinated with the Afghan culture.
Books like this remind me that I am on such a small scale in life. Its so important to not only have a goal and find ways to achieve it, but to realize that life is bigger then who we are as people, but really is about who we are when we have reached out to others.
Three cups of Tea, The Kite Runner, Kabul Beauty School, and probably a million more I have read and will read, really touch me. They make me want to do so much more.
A few years ago I started a charity called Kites for Kabul. I took an idea that my husband and I had to give kites to the children in Afghanistan and had to figure out how to make it happen. This was before I had even heard of The Kite Runner. I think that book came out in the same year actually. While in Afghanistan, my husband learned of the plight the kids had and was so touched, he wanted to give back. He called one day and told me that the kids were always flying kites, and that they had been banned by the Taliban, but now that Americans were there, that they could fly them again. So me, a new mom with a 9 month old, alone without my husband for many months, went on a search to figure out how to successfully collect kites and get them to Afghanistan for the kids.
I started out with what I knew best..a website. Every night after my daughter was in bed, I spent all night emailing companies and people and asking (begging) for a newspaper article. One small newspaper in the middle of no where took me up on it and did a small article, which launched me. I took that article and got another one, and another one and slowly and surely built over 1200 kites that were donated from all over the country. Even some schools had their kids make real afghan kites and donate them. It was such a neat experience. I couldn’t believe it was actually working out!
The base we were on at the time flew them over on a C-17 and gave them to the U.S. base there. The other kites I had bought from India and had sent over from an Afghan guy to the U.S. Embassy. The embassy over there actually PAID FOR the shipping. The whole thing just fell into place. One of the funny things (wasn’t funny at the time) was that the kites got unloaded in the wrong area and left with the FBI in Afghanistan. It took us almost a MONTH to find them.
But most of them did reach my husband and he was able to bring some small joy to the kids there. He got to take them to Afghani orphanages and distribute them. The rest were taken after his time was up and someone else got to distribute them. We never did find out how it went after he was gone, but I am sure it was great.
I just wanted to share that when you really want to do something, even if your just a “little person”, that you can.
I think that the world can make a difference..one dream and goal at a time.
Next month I will be starting a new charity foundation and cant wait to share it with you all.
~Trisha
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hey i really loved how you expressed your feelings about the book i read it too and i just feel the same way as you hope you can keep up with your program!!!
Now that brought tears to my eyes. I cannot wait to find out what new charity foundations you are starting.
I am SO EXCITED about your annoucement!!
LMAO, Trisha… I didn’t even notice that!!! AWESOME! I’m going to print it out.. I used to have a folder of all my articles I’ve written for various things but I lost it in my move. I had my article’s from Shay’s site in that folder too
Amazing story!!!
I look forward to hearing your announcement
michell, you silly girl, i quoted your article. Click on the words KITS FOR KABUL…that goes to YOUR article.
Looking forward to your announcement!
Awww, I remember your kite program! That was SUCH an awesome program. And I remember that article about Chris — I think you sent it to me along with the Kite article that I wrote (that I can’t even find anymore — you don’t have a copy of it, do you?? I loved that article!). It was so great to be a part of that, and you did a kick ass job (as always!) setting up everything and arranging the delivery of the kites — even if they did get lost for a while!
Very cool. I am about 1/2 through that book as well.
I am in Laos right now, and there is a center here called the COPE center that helps people who have lost limbs from stepping on land minds. They have a donation program in place to “fill a stocking for Christmas”. In other words, give some one a prosthetic limb so that they have a leg to put a stocking on!
If you wanted to try to drum up some donations I would be happy to go and film some action at the COPE center with my Flip Video. I could tell them it was to thank a donor. They are pretty nice.
http://www.copelaos.org/
The land mines and UXO are left over from the Vietnam war. The US dropped more bombs on Laos than any other country in the history of warfare. It is the equivalent tonnage of one plane load of bombs being dropped every eight seconds for nine years straight.