Woke up this morning at 430am with so much excitement. I am really on my way. As I boarded my short flight to Los Angeles. It made me think about a question that someone asked me a while back. Why am I doing this when there’s so much going on here in the United States? My answer is even the poorest of the people in American are better off than the poverty-stricken in third world countries. It’s hell on Earth and there’s no help. There’s no community, neighbors, government or church to help. Every day these children wake up to yet another day of hunger, pain and general torture. My goal is to help them, and find ways to give them the head start needed to make something of their lives. They have to believe that they are destined for excellence, that things can change for the better and that they have the ability to control their future.

I am so overwhelmed by the support and love I have received from everyone. I am very grateful. I am so honored to share this journey with you.

When I first thought of an outreach project to help the impoverished children of the Philippines it was nothing more than a lofty dream. Three months ago meeting my goal of raising $3,000 seemed like an impossibility. Tomorrow I am on my way to Philippines to personally distribute food, school supplies and basic neccessities to the children living there.

I am grateful for all of you who stepped up, supported and believed in this cause. To my friends, colleagues, acquaintances and everyone else, through all your collective energy we gathered clothing, school supplies and exceeded my monetary goal, raising over $4000 so far. Thank you all for your generosity, love, friendship and support. My adventures are your adventures. What we will accomplish on this trip will impact the lives of many children. The weakest and the most helpless in our world can only depend on your goodwill.

As the world becomes a smaller place with technological advances, we become more aware of the well-being of our neighbors around the world. It is up to us to decide whether we choose to try to help our neighbors. Human nature is not the problem; it’s giving back to human nature that’s the challenge.

Thank you for joining in my commitment to give these children a real shot of the future, a sense of pride, dignity and an opportunty for a better life one with love and education at the forefront so they don’t have it so hard.

Our football fund-raiser, “Cheer, Drink and Save a Life” at Rex Lounge this past Sunday was a great success. The day was beautiful, the game was exciting and we raised over $250 for the impoverished children of the Philippines. A big thank you to all who came out to support our cause, the money we raised will go a long way toward providing food and school supplies to the children. Without the support and generosity of Danny and the staff, it never would have happened. Thank you for the generous donations of your time, venue, drinks, snacks, efforts last week we had a great time.

There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things that we crave most in life… happiness, freedom, and peace of mind.. are always attained by giving them to someone else. To everyone who attended this event thank you for your ongoing support. You are a hero for the young children that we will visit on this trip.

What matters in today’s world is not the difference between those who believe and those who don’t, but the difference between those who care and those who don’t. In every community, there’s work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is a power to do it.

At our fundraising event this past Sunday at Snooze, $1 for every alcoholic beverage purchased was donated to our cause, our friends and the rest of the Snooze customers stepped up and raised almost $250. This will go a long way towards helping the Filipino children by providing school supplies and food for them. Without Jon Schlegel’s support and generosity it never would have happened. I cannot begin to tell you the many ways the donated funds will help and impact so many childrens lives. It’s about caring… It’s about positive attention, hope that things will get better. It’s about affecting lives and helping kids so they don’t have it so hard, and giving them a chance. I am extremely grateful for your support. Thank you.

Youth groups on Sunday called for donations of school supplies such as notebooks, pencils and ball pens, school bags, old uniforms, chalk, paper and chalkboard erasers for students and schools affected by floods spawned by typhoon Ondoy.

Tulong Kabataan, a volunteer youth network, made the appeal as classes resume Monday with students and schools affected by Ondoy having no materials and resources to begin again. The group also appealed for donations of textbooks, educational materials and other school paraphernalia. You can find information on their efforts at their website.

I will be there less in less that four weeks to provide rice, canned goods and packs of school supplies to students, containing vital items such as paper, pens and school books with the money I’ve raised.

MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — UN children’s agency, UNICEF, is pre-positioning people and supplies to prepare for typhoon Pepeng/Parma, forecasted to hit the already battered islands of the Philippines this weekend.

The agency has staff on standby in North Luzon, and emergency family kits ready to be distributed to those displaced by the massive storm. By current forecasts, Manila is also set to receive heavy rains, further endangering those families whose homes were underwater only a week ago from flooding caused by tropical storm Ondoy/Ketsana.

“With large areas of stagnant water, overcrowded evacuation centers and the possibility of contaminated water, the conditions are in place for disease outbreaks particularly among children,” said Vanessa Tobin, UNICEF Representative in the Philippines.

UNICEF is also concerned that children are safe and protected at this time. The number of families affected by storm Ondoy (international codename Ketsana) which dumped a month’s worth of rain within 12 hours, has reached 629,000 or over 3 million individuals. Over one million of those are children.

UNICEF is coordinating all operations with NDCC, to ensure that supplies reach those most in need. The children’s agency is preparing: family kits containing cooking pots, blankets, water buckets, sleeping mats and soap; hygiene kits containing soap, toothpaste, slippers and towels; emergency health kits with essential drugs and water purification supplies.

Our fund-raiser, Dance 4 kids, was a great success! We raised awareness and over two hundred dollars with the young adults in the Denver area. With their bright minds and big hearts, we have taken a step towards saving children living in the Philippines from hunger and poverty. You may have heard the sad news from the Philippines: it was hit hard by a tropical storm and lots of people need your help. Every little bit makes a huge difference.

These young people are our future. They’re amazing and they do care deeply. They contributed their ideas, signed up to volunteer their time, and gave their hard earned money. To everyone who attended this event thank you for your support. You are a hero for the young children that we will visit on this trip.

Thank you to all our DJ’s: Co Day, Waffle, Hyperglycerine, Hazard and CidKid. Your music brings people together and fills us with joy.

Thank you Susan, Andy and others for generous donations of your time and effort and for your ongoing support of this cause. We are working towards another fundraising event to reach our goal of $3,000 by October 24, 2009. If you have any idea on how we can fundraise please let us know.

I finally got in touch with my dad this morning. This past Saturday while my friends and I were hosting a fundraising “Dance 4 Kids”, during which we raised two hundred dollars, a typhoon hit the Philippines and brought a month’s worth of rainfall to metro Manila and nearby areas in just a few hours, causing severe flooding which resulted in the loss of many lives and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Officials expect the death toll to rise as rescuers penetrate villages blocked off by the flooding and debris.

My family that still lives there was among those affected. Water got into our house, it was waist-deep, my nieces and nephew were scared to death, my sisters and my brother didn’t know what to do all they can think of is if the rain doesn’t stop, the water will reach the roof. None of them know how to swim. Part of our home was damaged, but my family is okay. I couldn’t stop crying for hours because I felt bad for the children. My family will be okay because they have me and my parents to help them, but not everyone is that lucky. I am devastated, but thankful that my family came through it okay, and that I’m in a position to help them and others in need.

I am most concerned for the poorest of the poor who live the slums, such devastation in an already poor area is so horrible. Some of them don’t stay long in the displacement centers and most don’t have relatives they can stay with. They tend to slip through the cracks, especially in disaster situations like this. I can empathize with their hardship. I wish I could leave now and be there tomorrow and take whatever little money I have and help.

It is in times of crisis, however, that we get to hear about acts of heroism that are rarely displayed nowadays. I am happy to hear that the United States has pledged $100,000 and deployed a military helicopter, boats, and military personnel to aid relief efforts. It made me believe there are still heroes living in our midst.

I often wonder why it seems that those who are already leading a troubled existence are always the ones to suffer even more additional hardships.

As you may or may not know we had our very first fundraising event this past Friday and it was quite successful – we raised five hundred dollars! Without Kelly, Nichole and others it never would have happened. Thank you for the generous donations of your time and efforts last week and for your ongoing support of this cause.

To everyone who attended this event thank you for your support. You are a hero for the young children that we will visit on this trip, in a way you’ll be right there with them because your donation is going to make an immediate difference in their lives.

We’re working towards another fundraising event to reach our goal of $3,000 by October 24, 2009. If you have any idea on how we can fundraise, please let us know.

This past Friday night I attended a fundraising event that a friend of mine hosted, a “movie under the stars” night, it was a great idea. Sadly we didn’t get as many people as we hoped for, but it gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet and chat with some amazing individuals and generate awareness of the cause. For those who attended I am so grateful for making me feel welcome and for embracing this cause. What we’re doing is really important, it will change lives and societies. You have every reason to be proud of the part you play in bringing about a more just, fair and compassionate world. As the time approaches for my flight to Manila on October 31st, I am grateful for the help of many good people such as you, we will give hope of a better life to street and other impoverished children, ones who have so little chance due to no fault of their own. This project’s efforts are focused on providing nutritious food, school supplies and basic necessities to the children of Cavite. This will make an immediate difference, especially for those who are malnourished. We seek to address the plight of street children and those who are victims of extreme poverty. These at-risk children often go unnoticed except by those who use them for economic gain or exploitation. An estimated 150 million worldwide, according to UNICEF, due to adverse circumstances spend much of their childhood on the streets, vending or begging, and are vulnerable to all kinds of abuse.

I am excited to show them that someone, somewhere cares enough about them to help them in their time of need – this is something that these children will not forget.