Posts Tagged ‘Charity’

2010 – Will it launch worldwide change?

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

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Welcome to 2010.  It seems like only yesterday that I was standing on the pier in Philadelphia blowing confetti cannons for the beginning of the millennium.   Looking back over the past decade we have all learned a lot.  We have learned that technology will move on with or without us.  We have learned what TIVO is, Facebook, Twitter, and that 1000’s of songs can now fit into our pocket as opposed to those oversized CD storage cases that took up an entire seat in your car.   The gloom and doom of Y2K did not come although America was rocked with 9/11 and all of the turmoil that has come after that.  1o years into the new millennium our world is different than I imagined.

We can go on and on about the surface developments but one of the things that I have seen that encourages me the most is on a grass roots level.  This generation is having a profound impact on the world as a whole.  There has emerged an understanding that it is right to help those around you and those across the world.   Everyone does this their own way, whether it be with cash or with service.  Volunteerism and charitable giving have seemed to become more of a part of this generation.  Through all of the ipods, laptops, TV’s, big houses, etc has this generation realized that we are very blessed with more than we need?  Just this past week over 560,00.00 was given to charities in a 2 days span by college kids using a variety of avenues from standard means to text messaging.    That is amazing and to be modeled by my generation as we set the pace for those that come after us.   I challenge you to think beyond you.

2010 promises to be an interesting year for Synergy.  These developments within the culture fit with our mission to serve organizations.  In the next 30-45 days we will be announcing some more new developments that we hope will continue to allow us to use our skills to connect entertainment and sports to cause and events.  For your viewing pleasure, take a look at our big project that kicks off in 5 months.  It is the Hoops of Hope All Stars Tour.  You can find us on facebook as well.   If you live in any of these 12 cities consider that with one day you can change the lives of generations across the world.   Happy 2010 to all of you.

Sons of Lwala

Friday, August 21st, 2009

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Working for a company with a compassionate heart, I often come across stories that cannot be ignored. The story of the Sons of Lwala is exactly such a saga. Milton and Fred Ochieng are Nashville based Vanderbilt medical students making a serious difference in their native community.

Children of two teachers in Lwala Kenya, Milton and Fred managed to get into a top boarding school in Nairobi. Continued success gave Milton a scholarship to Dartmouth College in the US and a $900 plane ticket his village sold chickens and possessions to afford. From there Milton made his way to Vanderbilt medical school Milton decided to pursue medicine to help his native people. Throughout this period HIV/AIDS spread deeply into Kenya and began affecting Lwala. Milton’s father determined to build a Lwala clinic until he contracted the disease himself passing away before its completion.

Fred followed Milton to Dartmouth and together the brothers started a movement to finish the Lwala medical clinic and raise the money to aid their native village. After several years of fundraising, a partnership with a Nashville based non-profit Blood-Water-Mission, a helping hand from the rock band Jars of Clay, and a documentary partner in Barry Simmons the clinic was opened in Lwala. The documentary, Sons of Lwala, has won several awards at the Nashville Film Festival is definitely worth watching. The clinic is now need of ongoing support. To find out how you can help Lwala visit: www.sonsoflwala.com or www.lwalacommunityalliance.org

How do you make a difference?

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

E21-SmallBoyLargeMountainHow do you make a difference? Do you want to make a difference but the mountain in front of you seems to large?  In life we are presented with opportunities to make a difference from the most unlikely sources.  Often times we are so caught up in our world  of big plans and big successes that we miss the simplicities in front of us.

Making a difference in your daily life is not a grand scheme but a simple act.  Many of our clients have developed their business by understanding that the simple acts are what create an impact.  Impact is giving food and water for a single child or helping a person with disabilities learn to ski.  It is providing beds and blankets for a family that has lost their house in a fire or raising money for children worlds away.

One of our clients has quantified this in one statement that rings true.  To make a difference you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or donate a billion dollars to a well known foundation.  You simple have to be willing.

“Do something bigger than yourself”

What act can you find this week to do that is outside of your daily life?  Let us know what you are doing to make a difference.