• Letter from Mark: Lessons and Inspiration
• Angels on the Interstate by Eric Osborn
• AdventureView: Hittin' the Road with the Whole Family!

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Dear Friends,

Setting out to help and inspire others, I ended up getting inspired.

I was concerned about having so much coverage of the Angel Baby Drive on Live Your Adventure, something so soft and fluffly being away from the core message. But when it was said and done I realized that it was actually at the heart of the message: "Listen to Your Heart, Find Your Voice, Ignite Your Passion..." It's what the Angel Baby Drive was all about.

The Angel Baby Drive was a success on many levels. Personally I was blown away by all of the folks that I interacted with. My eyes where opened to a strata of our society previously not well known to me, people working in charitable and non-profit organizations. People helping people. Many passionate people whose lives are all about service— in times of crisis and not.

I absolutely love being on the road. Yes, there was devastation and sadness, for sure. I was move to tears on several occasions. It almost feels out of place to say that I had so much fun. It may have looked like sacrifice from the outside but I was having a blast. It was a great lesson for me about service, joy and FUN.

There were other life lessons learned. A few that come to mind:

I could expand on all of the above and more— but I will let Eric tell you the story from his point of view below. He is my editor and was part of our team of six volunteers who made it all the way to Baton Rouge. I would also like to thank the following volunteers who helped in Tucson: Steve, Jim, Mike, Alan, Becky, and Wayne, Jim Stevens of Tanque Verde Automotive for the truck, and a big thanks to all the donors who sponsored a doll and helped make the trip possible.

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Angels on the Interstate
Written by Eric R. Osborn

There are events in our lives that shape us. When, without thought or hesitation, we plunge ahead into the unknown. Why do we go? Because in our heart, we know it is right. I live just a few miles off of Interstate 10 in Tucson, Arizona. 1400 miles away, on the same freeway, people’s lives were forever changed this past September. Hurricane Katrina has affected millions directly and even more indirectly. I saw a government ignore it, I saw the people of the country rise up to help.

Volunteer Betsy Gladish with Hope, Joy, and Faith

I was discussing with Mark McMahon, founder of Live Your Adventure, topics for his next Adventure Alert E-Zine. I noted that we absolutely must say something about Katrina and her victims. Little did I know that Mark would take this suggestion and decide to donate $90,000 worth of dolls to the children of Katrina! I have worked with Mark on enough projects that I was not overly surprised by either his generosity or his grand visions. Still, when national charities turned down the donation of these brand new beautiful dolls, I wasn’t sure it could be done.

It was the volunteers and donors who made the trip possible. It was Mark’s generous spirit and his heart that inspired others to help out. We found an incredibly generous businessman who rented us a truck for a fraction of the normal cost AND even contributed his own money to help for gas. A local news crew did a story on the trip that inspired the real angels of this story to action. Sally, Betsy, Steve, Sharon and Cameron who volunteered their time, their money, and their hearts to this noble mission.

Eric being interviewed by KENS 5 in San Antonio

Thus, on Sunday night, Mark and I drove away from Tucson with a truckload of dolls, heading for El Paso on way to the Gulf Coast. On Monday, with very little sleep, we were still able to arrange to drop off 150 dolls at the local Salvation Army where they would be distributed to the kids who had been evacuated from New Orleans. It was our first taste of the joy of giving the dolls and it was not bitter. The Salvation Army officer was very grateful and spoke at length about the children she had encountered who had lost everything. She spoke of the importance of the doll in their lives. It was something to hold onto. While the necessities of food and shelter were important, for children, a doll like this could be equally important. We left El Paso feeling exhilarated, and with a huge press turnout were hopeful that we could get further support for the trip. We had not been able to give the dolls directly to the children as we had hoped but we knew the dolls were on their way to kids throughout El Paso.

We drove away from El Paso, our hearts full with our good deed and our stomachs full with bad Mexican food and made our way toward San Antonio with an overnight stop in Fort Stockton. I had unwittingly been given video- shooting duties and quickly discovered it was not something I enjoyed. It was a barrier between myself and the people we interacted with and felt intrusive and cold. It was something I struggled with throughout the trip.

Volunteer Sharon Staton heading to Houston

That evening I planned out our next day in San Antonio. Tuesday I awoke with excitement about the day ahead. I had found a children’s shelter that had housed over 300 children. These were not merely refugees from Katrina, but they were children who lost their parents in the disaster. For them, they quite literally had nothing. When we arrived we found that only 30 children remained— the rest had moved on to more permanent homes. I can only hope that they can find some happiness in the future. We dropped off another shipment of dolls as two more television stations looked on. Mark was quickly finding that he enjoyed being in front of the camera.

From San Antonio we made our way to Houston where we would meet up with Sally, Betsy, Sharon and Cameron. The real part of our trip was soon to begin. Sally had worked hard to find a place for us to sleep and for us to distribute the dolls. On Wednesday our group made its way to the Salvation Army Distribution Center. For me, what we found there was both amazing and disturbing. Mark and the volunteers distributed dolls from the back of the truck as swarms of people tried to get one. Nearby, hundreds more waited under a tent for the opportunity to “shop” inside the center. Once a week they were allowed to get food and clothing. One cart's worth that included only two gallons of water each.

I was able to escape the camera and talk with one of the Center’s managers. She was a city worker who had been told to report to work at this location after Katrina hit. She spoke of the many victims who were still being helped by the Center. She also spoke of the many people who were not homeless but merely taking advantage of the Center, sometimes multiple times a week. The staff tried to stop this from happening but they are seriously understaffed.

Inside the Salvation Army Distribution Center in Houston

My memories of the center will always be mixed. The travesty of people stealing what rightfully belonged to others— but, more importantly, my memory of a young mother and her daughter. The daughter whose gaze never left the doll I had given her. The mother who talked of her plight as an adventure and how the daughter should be grateful because had Katrina never happened, she would not have had this pretty doll to play with. It is my memories of these moments that will warm my heart for a long time to come— their courage and their hope.

As I have said, were it not for the volunteers, none of this would have been possible. Betsy contacted a friend’s mother, Betty, who lived in Baton Rouge. Up until that day we were doubtful we would be able to get as far as Baton Rouge to distribute dolls. Betty and her son Brett, who lived a few blocks away, opened their homes to us, perfect strangers, for the next two nights. Brett went so far as to take the day off work, arrange for all of our stops on Thursday and make it the best and most memorable day of the trip!

On Thursday Brett led us to the local YMCA where, as luck would have it, there was a meeting of leaders from various organizations. In addition to donating 500 dolls for the YMCA to distribute we also donated dolls to many of the organizations that had direct contact with the children of Katrina. After describing our efforts during their meeting we were met with a touching ovation. We also made contact with an organization that would be more than happy to distribute the dolls if we had any left at the end of our trip.

Mayfair Elementary in Baton Rouge, LA.

From the YMCA we made our way to an elementary school that was made up entirely of children who had been evacuated. Leaving the camera behind, I was in heaven as I got to interact with the children in the school. We gave out a doll to each child and watched as their face lit up. It was an amazing experience. Still, I reflected on all those people who were spending every day trying to help. They were the real angels— the teachers in the schools, the volunteers in the shelters, the many people and organizations we met that were visibly moved by our efforts. I was moved by theirs.

From the school we made our way south toward New Orleans. A YMCA/ Red Cross shelter that was once home to thousands and still held hundreds. Once again Brett came through! Had we gone through the Red Cross we would have been told to leave, but Brett had contacts in the YMCA and knew how to get to the right people. Soon we were distributing dolls in the gymnasium and playing with the children. Brett played kickball, I played football and the other volunteers visited the shelter itself and talked with children and parents. Once again escaping the camera for a few moments allowed me the personal touch that made the experience so deep. I could not imagine having to go through what these people had to endure. Yet, their resiliency came through. The shelter had events and sports to keep the people busy and tried to make things as comfortable as possible. As we made our way to Brett and Betty’s homes that evening, more than a thousand dolls lighter, we already felt as though our mission was a success.

Sally, Cameron, Mark, & Eric stop for food.

Our final full day was filled with a variety of experiences both positive and negative. We made our way to a soup kitchen where we assisted in giving out clothing and food to homeless people. This was a connection made through the YMCA the previous day and one that was interesting to many of the group. My eyes were opened on a world that lives beneath the surface of our daily lives. The homeless and what they have to do to survive every day was shocking and sad. It furthered my belief that there is so much more that we as a society need to do. That we should not wait until tragedy strikes before we act. Still, I came to the honest conclusion that I wanted to continue our mission to deliver dolls to Katrina victims and I was ready to go to our next location.

The giant Red Cross shelter in Baton Rouge seemed like an ideal place to distribute dolls. Brett was not able to guide us that day so we went without any connections and after hearing horror stories about dealing with the organization. When we arrived, Mark went to seek out the person who would decide if we could stay. We were told that we could not – that they would not even take dolls to distribute. On a national level, many organizations were of no help on the trip. I admit, at times before we began I wondered if we were doing the right thing going ourselves. But speaking with the heads of smaller organizations and really getting into the communities assured me that we were really helping.

Mark unloading boxes for the kids.

We left the Red Cross Shelter disappointed but still excited that we could give a local organization even more dolls. Our contacts from the previous day allowed us to deliver our remaining boxes to an organization that had already distributed what we had given and were eager for more! So, with one final stop and a celebratory cheer we delivered the last of the 5,000 dolls with the knowledge that they would find their way into the children's hands.

With an empty truck and full hearts we said our goodbyes to our gracious hosts and made our way back to Houston. Along the way we drove through some of the hurricane-ravaged shore of Texas. So much destruction and so many lives that were forever changed, all connected by the same interstate that is only a few miles from my home in Tucson. Connected by a common country, a common humanity connected by a common road. In the end, I believe we are all connected, some by an interstate some by something larger. And it is up to all of us to jump in our own truck and deliver a few dolls.

I have since been asked numerous times what I will remember from the trip. The victims we met? The destruction we saw? Mark’s generosity? In the end, I think I will remember the volunteers. The ones that were part of our trip and the ones we found along the way. People who dedicated themselves to helping others regardless of the cost. Brett and his mother who opened their home to perfect strangers because they saw us doing good. Betsy, Sharon, Sally and Cameron who shared in the triumphs and defeats. The volunteers in the shelters and the leaders of the organizations who spent their lives trying to help. It is the hearts of these great people that give me the belief that no matter what tragedies may come, that there are truly wonderful people in the world who will stand up and meet them dead on.

Richard and Angela Hoy

AdventureView:
Hittin' the Road with the Whole Family!
by Kellilynn Hann