Back In The States
Sunday, October 28, 2007
I've been back in the U.S. for a couple of months now. This summer I spent lots of quality time with friends and family. I received state approval for my organization in the state of NJ, became incorporated, and then went on to apply for 501(c)(3) with the IRS. Wow, I just made all that seem really simple didn’t I? It wasn’t. In fact, it was a pain in the butt. But it was a learning experience and I’m happy I’m almost through all of this red tape and I guess it really is there for a reason. Thanks to the advice of Doon Wintz, I went ahead and began the forming of a Board of Directors/Advisory Board. We’ve had 2 board meetings so far. They’ve been great. The advisors on my “pseudo-board” are really just amazing people who have been supporters and mentors in my life and it’s great to sit in a room of people and be able to share my journey, my excitement, my fears and know that they’re standing behind me ready and willing to help.
Over the last few weeks, there’s been a big shift from “ME to WE.” Lots of good things are happening and people in town have been incredibly supportive of my vision in Nepal. Thanks to an article written by Belisa Silva at the Observer Tribune, our small local paper, many individuals in town have come forward and asked how they could help. I’ve also been working in many of the schools, talking to kids about my journey over the past 2 years and encouraging gap years and interim travel. Students in town have begun to open the dialogue about gap years and the importance of seeing the world, experiencing it on a deeper level, and most importantly thinking about how they can change it. (Check out the link to BlinkNow for a page geared towards students.)
I’ve been talking to people all over the world, from all walks of life, who have something to say and will sit down with me. I’ve spoken with Maryellen Waggoner who ran fundraising for the paper-mill theatre in Montclair. I’ve spoken with Ellen Rosenberg, the director of CHOSA in South Africa, a young girl my age who started her project in 2005. I’ve spoken with Caryn Maxim of Morristown who started a woman’s Co-op in Guatemala. I’ve spoken with Justin McLennan, a young teacher now working in Bogota, Colombia. I’ve listened to the spectacular advice and enthusiasm from an amazing author and friend, Megan Shull and the best business coach in the world Rich Largman. I’ve talked with neighbors, with Rotary club members, with an NFL football player, with Girl Scout councils, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and even the residents of the Holly Manor Nursing Home. I’ve spoken with foundation coordinators, with CEO’s, Sam Bull head of LeapNow, lots of local moms, artists, the kids and parents I babysit for, and even with people on Patriot’s Path or Kings who stop me and say “aren’t you the girl who...?”
I talk sometimes, but for the most part, I really try to listen. I listen to peoples’ advice and ideas. I listen to their own personal journeys and what they have to say about them, things they may have done differently, and who else they suggest I talk to. I continue to learn every day. I continue to learn that we all have human values, that we all care about the issues that our world faces, that we’re all motivated in our own small ways to change things. I listen and I’m filled with hope. I listen and I know I can continue. I listen and I’m ready to take whatever comes next. Thank you, everyone, for your support.