TPRF Accomplishments in 2019
TPRF
To make a donation to TPRF
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December 24, 2019A WORLD OF PEACE
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December 19, 2019The Power of Music, Love, Collaboration, and Community
Happy Holidays and a big thank you for being a reader of Heart of the Matter. I very much appreciate your open-mindedness, open-heartedness, and all around good vibes.
This blog, which began on a wing and a prayer in 2008, has now published 1,778 posts and has been viewed 1,648,125 times. Since I began this labor of love, only 15 posts have been "commercial" -- promotions for various fundraising efforts I felt moved to support: six Go Fund Me campaigns for friends with health challenges, five TPRF fundraising drives, and three of my own (ahem) book launches.
Guess what? Now's the time for fundraising drive #15 -- my heartfelt request for you to consider contributing to the just-launched, super interesting Anthems on the Rise GoFundMe campaign.
Anthems on the Rise is the brainchild of Stuart Hoffman and Jennifer Edwards -- two good friends of mine who have recently written, arranged, produced, and recorded One Lit Candle -- an extraordinary anthem inspired by and dedicated to Greta Thunberg, the 16-year old Swedish climate change activist who has recently been recognized by Time Magazine as the Person of the Year.
Amazingly, just a few days after Stuart and Jennifer's anthem (vocals by the very soulful Stephen Rivera) went public, a Copenhagen-based, environmental organization (WAFA/Water Food Air Awards), posted it on their website to support their newly launched Youth Climate Award category.
That, in itself, would be plenty of holiday cheer for Stuart and Jennifer to imbibe, but just a few weeks later, WAFA invited the One Lit Candle creators to perform the song, with a children's choir, at the 2020 UN Climate Change Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
Can I get an amen?
In response to this fantastic opportunity for Stuart and Jennifer, I have just launched a GoFundMe campaign to create the support they will need to meaningfully respond to the adventure before them.
Bottom line, that's what this Heart of the Matter post #1,778 is all about -- my attempt to encourage you and other Heart of the Matter readers to help pave the way for Stuart and Jennifer to work their magic and be able, pro bono, to help WAFA get its very important, planet-saving message out into the world.
Here's the math as I calculate it: Heart of the Matter has 1,321 subscribers. If each subscriber contributed just $19 to the Anthems on the Rise GoFundMe campaign, the fundraising goal would be reached. Simple. It takes a village. Or at least 1,321 people willing to donate $19 each to help make some magic in the world.
If you are at all doubtful about the power of music, check out these quotes from various movers, shakers, and melody makers.
Well, there you have it. My impassioned plea for the Heart of the Matter community to pull together and radically increase the odds of Anthems on the Rise and WAFA taking off.
If you do not feel called to contribute, no worries. You can still lend a helping hand by forwarding this link, along with a personal note, to all your music-loving, planet-loving, and possibility-loving friends.
PS: Prem Rawat is one of WAFA's four patrons.
Photo: Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:52 PM | Comments (1)
December 17, 2019The Impact of the Peace Education Program on Students in Colorado
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December 16, 2019If You Have Fundraising Experience and Want to Make a Difference
The dedicated people who volunteer for WAFA (Water Air Food Awards) -- a non-profit NGO headquartered in Copenhagen, have a dream -- that all people on planet Earth will have access to clean water, clean air, and healthy food. If this is your dream, too, and you have 5+ years experience as a Fundraising Director or Manager, WAFA invites you to apply for its now vacant Fundraising Director's position.
Here's what Tina Lindgreen, WAFA's CEO & President, has to say about the work of her inspired non-profit organization:
"At WAFA Awards, we know that the effort to successfully resolve the world's many social and environmental challenges is a daunting one. That being said, we also know it's a challenge that can be resolved if enough dedicated people work together, selflessly, to make a difference.
Based on WAFA's 11 years of experience in this field, we have realized that the solution begins by providing a platform to acknowledge the silent heroes around the world who have already developed proven, nature-based solutions.
Our approach is a simple one -- to identify and showcase what's already working to remediate the earth's environmental and social challenges and then do everything in our power to let all 7.6 billion people know about these low-cost, high impact, planet and people saving initiatives.
As WAFA continues to expand its reach, so does our need for savvy, committed volunteers. Below is a description of an essential executive role we are hoping to fill by January 15th. If you know anyone with the skills, experience, and time to become WAFA's new Fundraising Director, please forward this post to them. The role is a juicy one and the right person will make a huge difference in the impact WAFA can have worldwide."
FUNDRAISING DIRECTOR'S RESPONSIBILITIES
- Create and coordinate a long-term fundraising strategy
- Oversee crowdfunding efforts
- Develop partnerships with philanthropists and corporations
- Develop and maintain a base of private donors
- Identify and pursue public and private funding opportunities
- Apply for grants
- Network with foundations, institutions, and corporations
- Write proposals and sponsorship packages for potential partners
- Build a team of committed volunteer fundraisers
- Collaborate with other members of WAFA's executive team
JOB REQUIREMENTS
- 5+ years experience as a Fundraising Manager
- Passion for environmentally-friendly solutions to earth's challenges
- Intrinsically motivated. Energetic. Easy to work with.
- Committed to teamwork and consensus-decision making
- Comfortable working in a volunteer organization
- Excellent communication skills (English a requirement)
- At ease working with a virtual team
- Computer skills (MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)
- Available a minimum of 6-8 hours per week
- Able to begin by January 15th
NOTE: You will be working remotely and will require access to a computer with a fast internet connection. Regular Skype meetings with the WAFA team are required.
If you want to join us to help make our dream a reality, please email your CV/Resume to Tina Lindgreen, WAFA's President and CEO. (tili@wafaward.org)
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2019Are Your Looking for a Cool Way to Make a Difference in the World?
The dedicated people who volunteer for WAFA (Water Air Food Awards), a non-profit NGO headquartered in Copenhagen, have a dream -- that all people on planet Earth will have access to clean water, clean air, and healthy food. If this is your dream, too, and you have 5+ years experience as an HR Director, WAFA invites you to apply for their now vacant HR Director's position.
Here's what Tina Lindgreen, WAFA's CEO & President, has to say about the work of her inspired non-profit organization:
"At WAFA Awards, we know that the effort to successfully resolve the world's many social and environmental challenges is a daunting one. That being said, we also know it's a challenge that can be resolved if enough dedicated people work together, selflessly, to make a difference.
Based on WAFA's 11 years of experience in this field, we have realized that the solution begins by providing a platform to acknowledge the silent heroes around the world who have already developed proven, nature-based solutions.
Our approach is a simple one -- to identify and showcase what's already working to remediate the earth's environmental and social challenges and then do everything in our power to let all 7.6 billion people know about these low-cost, high impact, planet and people saving initiatives.
As WAFA continues to expand its reach, so does our need for savvy, committed volunteers. Below is a description of an essential executive role that we are hoping to fill within the next 30 days. If you know anyone with the skills, experience, and time to become WAFA's new Human Resources Director, please forward this post to them. The role is a juicy one and the right person will make a huge difference in the impact WAFA can have worldwide.
THE WAFA HR DIRECTOR'S ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Collaborate with WAFA Managers to help them define their HR needs
- Recruit, select, and onboard new WAFA volunteers
- Provide support and training services to all WAFA volunteers
- Develop a long-term HR strategy and operational protocols
- Evaluate volunteer performance and provide timely feedback
- Help establish the best possible work environment
- Report to WAFA's Chief Operations Officer
- Work closely with other members of WAFA's executive team
JOB REQUIREMENTS
- 5+ years experience as an HR Director/Manager
- Passion for environmentally-friendly solutions to earth's challenges
- Commitment to teamwork and consensus-decision making
- Comfortable working in a volunteer organization
- Creative, energetic, and intrinsically motivated
- Available a minimum of 6-8 hours per week -- more, if possible
- Excellent communication skills (English)
- Access to a computer with a stable internet connection
- Able to use Skype and WhatsApp
- Comfort working with a virtual team
- Able to begin by January 15th
If YOU want to join us to help make our dream a reality, we invite you to forward your CV/Resume to Tina Lindgreen, WAFA's President and CEO. (tili@wafaward.org)
More about WAFA's Silent Heroes
WAFA's new Youth Climate Award
WAFA successes
ONE LIT CANDLE -- WAFA's new Youth Climate Award anthem
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:09 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2019COURAGE IN PEACE
Choosing Peace is the name of this year's fall appeal for The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF). TPRF receives hundreds of expressions from people whose lives have changed by discovering that they have the ability to choose peace. It just takes understanding that this strength is there within themselves.
The video above is a remarkable narrative from people whose lives have been torn apart by years of civil war in Sri Lanka. Listen to them express what making that discovery and making that choice has meant to them.
One woman, who lost her hands in childhood, speaks of the impact of the Peace Education Program on her experience of being alive. Others, whose lives and families have been uprooted and filled with suffering because of the war, express their gratitude for discovering that peace for them was not dependent on governments or warring groups.
It is your support that makes possible not just the Peace Education Program, which grew by 26% last year, but it also supports TPRF's Food for People program, as well as eye clinics in India, sponsorship of some of Prem Rawat's international events, and the provision of aid for people suffering from disasters, such as the recent hurricane in the Bahamas.
How to donate to TPRF
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December 04, 2019Home Is Where the Heart Is
When I was a small boy, I used to look up at the sky a lot, sigh, and think one basic thought: "I want to go home."
Though my parents tried their best to love me (allowance! grilled cheese! dog!), I was sure I came from someplace else. I felt like an orphan. It wasn't that I was unhappy. I wasn't. I just felt displaced -- certain that my real home was very faraway.
As I grew up and translated my boyish sky-prayers into a more classical spiritual quest, I began to notice a pattern in the books I was reading. Beyond the jargon and the all too common habit of implying that their way was the only way, a central theme was emerging -- the home I was looking for was within me.
My seemingly unquenchable thirst to have the experience of arriving was not going to be a matter of traveling to exotic places worthy of my pilgrimage. It was going to be a matter of turning within. But how? How does a person turn within?
Well, that's what Prem Rawat's work is all about. In a very simple way, he has a knack for helping people enjoy what they already have -- the experience of their true home. Yes, home is where the heart is, but where is the heart?
Photo: Courtesy of Timeless Today
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:44 PM | Comments (1)
