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The Joy Trip Project

Afghanistan, Charitable Giving, Interview, Mountain Film, philanthropy, Podcast / 29.12.2010

 

An interview with executive director Shannon Galpin

In her travels through Afghanistan the locals call Shannon Galpin the blond, blue-eyed infidel. At 36 this mountain bike racer from Breckenridge, Colorado makes her way through active war zones waging peace. As the executive director of her own non-governmental organization called Mountain 2 Mountain Shannon works on behalf of vulnerable women and children caught in the crossfire. “Our focus is to look at women in Afghanistan as beyond the victims but as the solutions and as the agents of change, “ Shannon said “and that these women that we are trying to work with through education and training are truly the solutions for the country.” Afghanistan has been a place of violent conflict for more than 40 years and with U.S. Troops on the ground now for almost a decade ordinary people, with no special training like Shannon are getting involved trying to find a peaceful solution. “I started traveling over there two or three years ago. I have spent time living in the middle east,” Shannon said. “I lived in Lebanon and traveled throughout the Middle East for a couple of years and I have always connected with the regions that have the worst human rights, that have the worst gender equity rights.” A single mother with a daughter at home Shannon is like many American women frustrated with the plight of people here at home and half a world away who suffer largely because of their gender. “What I realized was that I was ranting a lot and I was upset about it, and it was old adage of be the change that you want to see in the world,” Shannon said, and instead of complaining I should just get off my ass and do it.”
Charitable Giving, Gear Whore Confessions, Outdoor Retailer, philanthropy / 22.12.2010

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="269" caption="Marcial Juan"][/caption] When it comes to supporting non-profits, I’m in it for the money. I expect a worthwhile return on my investment in some form of quantifiable currency I can bank on. Same goes for gear companies who boast about their giving to charity. When I lay out cold hard cash I want the organizations that tug at my heart strings to be accountable for their claims of largess by feeding the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless, gaining some ground in the fight to cure cancer, whatever. Show me the money! Typically I’m paid lavishly in warm fuzzy feelings of satisfaction in the knowledge that I helped do some good in the world. Plus I’m rewarded by the benefits of living in a society where the needs of the most vulnerable are made secure. But when the donation I made to the Kiva Foundation through KEEN Footwear yielded up an actual cash divided I damned-near creamed my shorts.
Capital Region Business Journal, Charitable Giving, Gardening, Madison, Magazines, philanthropy / 21.12.2010

Local and sustainably produced foods are enjoying a bit of renaissance across America. Surrounded by rich farmland and endowed with a long-standing tradition of agriculture the Madison area is no exception. A new restaurant called the Underground Kitchen aims to bring the bounty of Wisconsin farms to diners Downtown while supporting Capital Region charities that encourage good nutrition.
Charitable Giving, Interview, philanthropy, Podcast / 18.12.2010

In the spirit of charitable giving Robert Egger is leading the charge in America to show that philanthropy and looking out for the best interest of others can be business as usual. Dedicated to feeding the homeless and providing job training for the formerly incarcerated Egger’s work at the D.C. Central Kitchen serves the poor in our nation’s capital.

In cooperation with restaurants and catering business, the D.C. Kitchen collects more than 3,000 pounds of surplus food each day. The non-profit makes 4,500 meals that are distributed to over 100 shelters, transitional housing facilities and rehabilitation centers throughout the Washington D.C. area. And Robert Egger travels the country giving talks on the value of philanthropic giving as an engine for social change. At the D.C. Central Kitchen Egger is using food to build stronger communities, combating hunger while creating opportunities.

Africa, Environmental Protection, philanthropy, Photography / 16.12.2010

[caption id="attachment_4413" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Photo by Rachel Meyer"][/caption]

Filmmakers, fashionistas and philanthropists pulled it together in Portland to benefit elephants in danger of extinction due to the illegal ivory trade. The Go Wild Night of Fashion event raised money and awareness for a media and research partnership that aims to document the DNA of pachyderms picked off by poachers.

BASE Jumping, Interview, Podcast, Skiing / 12.12.2010

After a long career as a professional skier and BASE jumper Karina Hollekim was living her dream. In 2006 at the paragliding world cup in Switzerland she and a group of friends were invited to do an exhibition jump. It was just going to be a routine flight in wing suits sailing away from an airplane to entertain a crowd of thousands below. Flying high overhead Karina couldn’t have been more happy. "I was there with friends I was having fun and everything was just perfect," she said. Karina made the jump from a small plane and carved  turns through the sky in her wing suit. As she flew  she filmed the others with a camera mounted on her helmet. "I could see the smile on the face of my friend and everything was great. I was suppose to open the parachute and land on the grassy field in front of the spectators. I could hear the clapping and roaring from the thousands of spectators underneath," she said. "And then a split second later I realized that something had gone wrong. And 15 seconds later my life was changed forever."