by GBP | May 9, 2015 | Uncategorized
Our first few days in Nicaragua have been so successful. Our friends from San Diego, the Fortune 421 crew and I landed late Wednesday in Managua and the group of us piled into the old land cruiser and set out for El Transito. El Transito is a sleepy fishing village of about 3,000 people, dirt roads, horses, pigs on the side of the road and really basic homes. In 1992 it was practically destroyed from a tsunami and its crazy to see how over 20 years later they are still rebuilding. Makes me think about the destruction in Nepal that just happened and how I hope we can assist them in rebuilding much quicker. We arrived to the first school yesterday and I was shocked to see the very simple, two room structure that was school to about 30 children ages 4 to 10. The yard was just dirt and rocks and the swing set was in such disrepair that only 2 of the 8 swings worked. It was sad because I wanted to push all the kids on swings but they were fighting over the working ones. A couple of the volunteers with us got creative and made soccer goals out of rocks and played with the one ball they had while the rest of us brought out the coloring books and colored pencils we brought. It was amazing to see the kids excel at coloring and they were so proud of the pictures they drew. It is a great activity to do with kids and volunteers, because even with a language barrier it is fun to name...
by GBP | May 4, 2015 | Cause, Givebackpackers, Shop
In Wake of the Quake – Giving back 100% of Nepal Shawl Purchases to Disaster Relief Over 6,000 people have died since the Nepal earthquake on April 25th 2015 — among the lost lives was a friend and fellow crusader of compassion, Dan Fredinburg –who was trekking Mount Everest at the time. My heart aches for the aftermath of the Nepal Quake. There are 3 million people in need of food aid. 130,000 homes have been destroyed 415 million needed for humanitarian relief We could wake up tomorrow and be faced with the same kind of nightmare. Your home, your neighborhood, your community, your life, your loves….just a pile of debris. Your prayers would in a second become the same as the victims of Nepal. No place is immune from natural disasters. We have teamed up with Givebackpacker, Derek Smith in efforts to make a difference in the lives and communities that are struggling from this recent earthquake. While Derek was traveling around Nepal this April the Neupane Family whom reside in the tiny village of Karmidanda in Rasuwa district of Nepal opened their home and hearts to him. The quake has crumbled the life they have worked so hard to build. Derek purchased an array of handmade colorful shawls from his journey through India and has now donated the beautiful shawls to our givebackpackers global online marketplace to help raise funding for this emergency. Each shawl is delicate and has either an OM, a Ganesh or a Buddha design on them. They can be worn around the head, around the neck as a scarf, shoulders as a shawl or...
by GBP | Apr 26, 2015 | Givebackpackers
November 2014 A year of release. I began this year letting go of a man I loved and simultaneously losing my health. Facing these challenges, my mind and body ached for control of a life that had almost overnight spiraled out of my grasp. Now here I stood in a field near a whispering stream, 11 months later, lighting the wick of my lantern. It had been a dream of mine to be present in Chiang Mai for their annual Lantern Ceremony. Thousands of souls gathering to Thailand from around the world to float their intentions into the heavens. Holding tightly to the base I feel my lantern billow and ever so slightly pull as it slowly fills up with air–begging to be released into the twinkling night. For me it was a glowing vessel, ready to carry away my deepest emotions across a sea like sky. I breathe in the warm Thai paradise surrounding me while my mind quietly shuffles through the difficult year that lays behind me like broken glass. Why is it so hard to just let go? Maybe if we didn’t hold on we’d never have to let go. The lantern’s tug increases and I begin to feel that it is almost time to open my palms and let it rise to the stars. What if I fearlessly lived my life with open hands & an open heart? Letting every experience and person drift in & out of my life like a wave. To be free of expectations. To just be. A year of release. A year of growth. A year of gain. I do believe everything...
by GBP | Apr 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
Sea of Seven Colors – San Andres Unwinding to the rhythmic sounds of aqua waves and the tropical taste of Limonada de Coco, a favorite drink among Colombians, San Andres is a lush paradise escape. Lindsay, Sy and I are posted up on Bugry Beach at a hidden bungalow nestled in-between balmy palms with a rainbow painted dock stretching out into the “Sea of Seven Colors”. Que Bonita! Unfortunately, there is a hefty weight that rests on Linz and my shoulders. We fear that sharing photos of this beautiful island serenity portrays us inaccurately and the fun displayed on our social media possibly diminishes all of our hard work. Does posting photos of paradise give the appearance we are on some touristy vacation rather than vigorously pursuing our givebackpackers mission? Our wandering may often walk a fine line between productivity and play but we like it that way! Our work is our play. Shedding light on some of the darker difficulties we face is not always in sync with our inspirational style. Being the Co-founders of an ambitious start-up demands that we wear all the hats and that means we often times sacrifice our basic needs like sleep, proper nutrition and personal finances in order to get givebackpackers off the ground. Building a conscious brand that truly resonates with our values requires diligence, ground research and an endless investment of our time. I rarely know what day it is because there is no such thing as weekends off. We are learning to accept that it is virtually impossible to complete a to-do list that continually grows with each passing...
by GBP | Mar 25, 2015 | Cause, Givebackpackers
“I really believe that people can tackle far more than they think they can” – Scott Every day the rising sun brings new beginnings, an opportunity to redefine yourself. I get jazzed up at the mere thought of it. Envisioning all the possibilities, the ways we can grow and create. The ways we can change our colors like karma karma karma chameleons. Our ability to adapt & flow is monumental in our success & evolution. A stunning example of this is the Superwoman of Sleeping-Bags and my Woman Crush Wednesday, Veronika Scott. Veronika Scott founded, The Empowerment Plan, which is a Detroit based Non-profit that employs and supports the homeless community of 20,000 people. Scott creates sustainable solutions to help break the cycle of poverty along with renewing hope by hiring, training and providing work for women struggling on the streets to make her amazing Sleeping Bag Coat. Talk about Feel Good Fashion!!! Scott’s goal is to, “give them the power to take control of the life they want to lead”. I am so inspired by her unwavering perseverance and her ability to stay positive in the face of discouraging words that were yelled at her by one woman in the homeless community. “Your coats don’t matter, jobs matter. We need jobs, not coats”, instead of letting it get her down, Veronika realized the woman was right and this sparked her idea to hire homeless woman to make the Sleeping Bag Coats. Brilliant! Lindsay and I resonated strongly with what Scott is building in the world and the adversity that she has faced growing up as a child of...
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