This past birthday I had written a post reflecting on what was showing up in my life at the time. It was hard, vulnerable, joyful and gratifying all at the same time to be that honest with myself, find the right words and then put it out for the world to read, react and respond. What stuck most with me since that post is the condition of human suffering – there have been current events that hit the media and got the whole world to unite and there are countless others that never make the headlines and yet are worthy of our time, attention & dollars. After being a parent one of my most painful experiences is watching other children suffer and not be able to do much about it. Tears trickle down, sometimes I write a check but the problems are enormous, complex and challenging for any one of us to solve on our own. I also cry because I feel selfish in that I am spending much of my day focusing on myself and my family, my child, my meals, etc. – its primarily about me and that makes me incredibly sad. It’s not the first time I have felt this way and I have experimented in many ways to give back more in the world but I have failed at doing anything at scale yet I continue to try and do my best to start from a place of self – compassion.

This year I am experimenting with something different. My husband and I are committing to raising 10K for the Miracle Foundation in Austin that manage orphanages in India. We will be donating 3.3K, our employers will be matching that amount bringing up the total to 6.6K and we will be running various campaigns and inviting our friends, family, coworkers and this wonderful blog community to join us in making a small contribution.

Why Miracle Foundation?

I have had the privilege of being involved with this organization for almost the last decade. A few years back I had spent a week at their orphanages in India and what inspired me most was the potential in these children and their desire to dream. Some of these kids were born out of rape, some were found on the banks of a river, some were sent to this home by their parents as they didn’t have enough money to feed their children but one thing was for sure – these children were well cared for at this home, there was a strong sense of community and their past didn’t deter them from dreaming up a promising future. I still vividly remember an 8 year old boy named Sumit came up to me when I was there and said in Hindi – Didi, dekhna, ek din main bhi engineer banoonga aur plane mein baith ke America aaongo which meant – Elder sister, there will be a day when I too will be an engineer, get on a plane and come to the US!

Our contributions can help these children achieve their dreams. Your dollars will go into providing the basic amenities for these children in ensuring a solid foundation that will open up more doors for them.

Here is an incredible Ted Talk by the founder of the Miracle Foundation and I invite you all to watch this!

How can you give?

My sincere gratitude for your participation in this project and this will truly make a difference in the lives of these children. You can make a contribution here and all of your donations will be tax deductible. I will be frequently providing updates on my blog as well as the fundraising page. If you’d like to give your time and help volunteer for some of the fundraising events I’ll be putting together, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be honored to have your help!

“Any amount will help! For example, $25 will feed a child for a whole month. That’s 3 meals and 2 snacks per day of healthy, delicious and desperately needed food for a whole month. This is life-changing. Thank you for being generous towards these children as you consider what you can give. Together we can make a BIG difference”

 

I am also hosting a huge brunch fundraiser on March 26th at a beautiful park in San Mateo. I’ll be cooking and bringing home made food and would love to  have you join us. Bay area peeps, shoot me a note if you are interested and I’d be happy to add you to the invite.