Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Just finished the Race for the Hungry! 

To reflect on the Thanksgiving Holiday, Bryanna and I have taken a step back today to really simmer on the experience of having just attended the CNN Heroes Tribute Show on Saturday in Los Angeles. It was inspiring to see the heroes describe the progression of their charity, how one simple idea can transform so naturally into a full fledged cause. If there was one common thread that was made clear that night, it was that each of the heroes noticed a problem they wanted to fix... and then simply acted on the idea.  Plain and simple.  None of them indicated that they had a specific goal that they wanted to accomplish in the beginning, but they ALL had the drive to help people and that was all they really needed to know they were headed on the right path.  In pursuit of their charity, most of the heroes made overwhelming sacrafices with their families, careeers, financial status, etc.  One could argue that it was necessary for them to take such risks in order to progress to where they are today...as unsettling that may sound to so many of us. If there was one point that was really essential to all the various causes, it was that the act of charity in the eyes of the heroes is so natural, simply the basis of humanity.  Ah.  That concept in and of itself hit a nerve for me when I heard it.

As will be announced this evening in tonights broadcast of the CNN Heroes Awards, The CNN Hero of the year for 2010 is Anuradha Koirala, who is helping to end sex trafficking in Nepal. Anuradha helps women and children who have been forced into sex trafficking and domestic violence. She provides the women and children with teachers, counselors, medical personnel and a place to live to help rehabilitate them to re-enter society. Many of those who help rehabilitate the women and children are also survivors themselves.  Anuradha and her staff also patrol the borders of Nepal, where the trafficking often takes place. Of all the women who are supported by Koirala’s effects, none have returned back to the streets, as the organization has a 100% percent success rate.  Congratulations to Anuradha Koirala and her amazing and inspiring story. 
For more information on her story and cause, please click here: 
 HERO OF THE YEAR STORY

Moving into the Holiday Season, let's remember how these heroes have dedicated their entire lives for various causes.  We all may not have a whole lot of time or money to do everything that we would like to do for charity, but it is truly necessary as humans for all us to find a way to give back to our communities. 
I hope this Holiday Season, everyone will have the chance experience that good feeling you get in your gut when you have done something good for someone else who is less fortunate.  If you can't donate money, donate a few hours of your time to a local food bank or homeless shelter.  Every little bit helps. Seriously. 

Anyway...simmer on it. We got about a month 'til Christmas, so we got time to give back! Til then...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Sincerely,

Erica Castillo