Imagine walking down a crowded street, noticing the many thin, poorly clothed children, begging for some attention. You think to yourself, “I would love to help some of the children this Christmas, yet my $50 won’t do much for so many of them.”

Blink your eyes and you realize that you are in the Philippines and your $50 will go so much further here than in the USA. Yet you still have the concern of how to use your $50 such that those few dollars will make a difference to these children this Christmas.

Then you notice an old man dressed in a Santa suit, riding on a Pedicab, giving food and gifts to the children. Ah, the smiles on their faces gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside and you know how you are going to make use of your $50 donation.

Celebrate with us, 11 years of Holiday Rice Giving and make a difference in the lives of people who are not as fortunate as you.

During this holiday season, share a little of your gratitude with a small gift of rice for struggling families who don’t have credit cards for the holidays.

As you may know every Christmas and Easter we raise funds to give a little something to our MyPALs, their families, and the “street” people in the Philippines.

This year may be a little bleak for them because all of our saved-up funds went to help them with other emergencies.

Sometimes I feel we, as the privileged people of the western world, often loose site of just how good we have it compared to the rest of the world.

Sure, we may struggle to pay our bills each month, yet consider where we have spent our wages.

Think of the homes we live in, the food we eat, the cars we drive, and then read about people in other parts of the world and be thankful we live where we live.

So instead of thinking about what  Santa will bring you this Christmas, think about what you can do to bring the joy of just being able to have food and maybe some shelter to a family in another culture. It is said that the joy of giving is by far the best gift you can give yourself.

Our money goes directly into their hands, we don’t take any out…

This is the worst problem of poverty… the pure lack of choices for single mothers.

Please donate whatever your heart moves you to help our MyPALs, their families, and other disadvantaged children this holiday season.

If we don’t help them:
— They lose their house,
— Their kids must stop school,
— They don’t eat,
— They don’t get treated for TB,
— Their kids don’t get nutrition, they have to buy them sugar water (yes, that is what the poor feed their kids) …
— Some must quit school because they can’t pay for exams or projects,
— Their parents get sicker,
— Their babies get sick and go to hospital… and die,
— They can’t apply for jobs or get their fees paid to go overseas and work…

This is the reality of the Philippines…

When I think about how many people are going hungry, are in makeshift homes (cardboard boxes, galvanized tin, and unfinished cinderblock)

— a MyPAL sent me a chat recently – their poso negro (septic tank) is full and just won’t yield anymore, so Christmas in the house will have a different odor it seems.

As I go through EACH individual case we support… if we don’t help, the entire family system often dips into destitution, forcing the most vulnerable into intractable patterns of ill-health, and in many cases, ill psychological health as mothers have to do whatever it takes to feed, clothe, school, and treat their children.

The cost of “plain” rice is about $50 for us, because the dollar has appreciated against Philippine currency some this year, and we may not be able to give high quality rice this year, without a lot of help from everyone.

We will stay above the rice that smells, which many are forced to eat, as it would not look good giving the cheaper, smelly rice (a whole other conversation btw) …

If you can help us, buy a sack or two, it will really be important this year, thanks!

As a “Thank You” for your donation you will be granted access to Mike’s LEADING AI: How will Who Lead Whom, What, When, Where, & Why? e-Book.

This digital copy is a forerunner to how we will bring together Human-AI Concurrent Understanding to unlock abundance in an uncertain future.

We appreciate larger donations, of course, as all of your kindness goes direct to product for the people who could use a little boost this holiday season. We charge no admin or delivery fees as our band of “Merry MyPALs” finish the last mile.

Thanks to all of you and please consider this your invitation to join me live on Monday’s in January (6) & February as I untangle our future with AI. With your donation, I’ll waive the fee for your subscription to these calls as LeadU presents LEADING AI.

Visit HERE to make your donation. Or Click the Donate button below to make your donation today.

Thanks for considering a donation to our GLOBAL TEAM @LeadU.

We realize you have 1000s of good causes to consider of which we are only one.

We hope you will reconsider at some point and help us in our mission of creating a triple win: Creating Jobs, Housing, and Leadership Education to the Disadvantaged.

This is something that has really helped me.

When I first came to the Philippines 3 years ago [note: I first wrote this in 2012], I was still so full of BS that I thought any “reasonable” system I could build would work, if I would set it up and run it properly… depending on the system to scaffold the lack of “everything else”.

HAH!

What I realized lately is that the only way to help some of these people is to cut them back all the way to “needs” not wants.

And what that means is you take them back so far that the needs are one step above starvation.

NOW this was a revelation to me, because in my BS conditioned brain… I think it is so sad, that few of these people have opportunity… but empowerment without Multifaceted Capability @F-L-O-W actually “scaffolds the people in the wrong direction” believe it or not.

I have returned some calm and peace and hope to my own system realizing that I can’t help all of them the way they want to be helped… but what I can do, is provide the basic dignity of a meal a day, and medicine when critical.

It took me 3 years and more money than I wish to admit, active experimenting my way through this system to figure out where the “backstop” was, and it has created as much pain as it has solved. However, I have found a new place of peace, of hope, and of resolve now. While I won’t be able to get only a few starfish back in the water, I can help a few live awhile until perhaps a “tide” comes into to get them…!

Dignity @F-L-O-W has been restored for me and for them and while they don’t like it… they are eating a good meal a day and have critical medicine for their children, and parents.

Please help us, help them?

Join us,
Our team at Living & Loving Inquiry

Again Blessings and Good Fortune to all,

Mike R Jay & Gary Gile
Founders @ The NEW LeadU

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