Fundraising Wrap-Up!

December was a great fundraising month! Although I did not reach the $20,000 goal, we still raised an impressive sum of $6,820 in just 4 weeks! Thank you everyone for your amazing support and generosity. Be assured that your donations have been safely transferred to Off the Mat, and that the $ will fund 6 programs in South Africa to help prevent and educate against HIV/AIDS, and support those that are affected by this disease. This year, Off the Mat will be fundraising for relief efforts in Haiti. If your new year's resolution was to increase your altruistic behavior, check out the website and see if you're up to this year's Global Seva Challenge!

I also finished up my Be Nice! campaign; read below to check out my latest random acts of kindness....

- gave up 2 parking spaces to other drivers in SF

- came in early for work on New Year's Eve so a coworker could get off early to go to a party

- after getting off work at 3am on New Year's, i drove home 2 friends to the East bay so that they wouldn't have to take a cab or bus at night. i was pretty tired.

- made a "sisters & friendship" card for my 'sister' in Rwanda. (I sponsored a woman survivor of war through Women for Women, International). The card I made is a stamped and laminated card for her to keep, to remind her of her strength and our new friendship.

- wrote a nice message to someone that had written me a very negative message.

- purchased an extra copy of the highly recommended book The Alchemist, and left it in the Bart station for someone to find.

My biggest realization from this extremely busy month of fundraising has been that I am more excited to go about my days when I am engaged in projects that have a tangible, positive effect in the world. So, I will continue to direct time & energy into a project this year to help others in need. I'm not sure yet which organization I will be working with, so I will be doing some research this month until I find a project that I feel connected with and that resonates within me. Until then, thanks for reading and for supporting my efforts! Much love... Julie

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Ghandi