The Walk for Hope is about bringing the community together and inspiring service, but we also hope it can be used as an instrument for non-profits to spread awareness, and for Walkers to introduce their loved ones to the causes they feel most passionately about.

Below is an email that one of our Walkers, Chelsea, sent to her friends and family about the charity she has chosen to support.  If you are interested in fundraising for a charity, you can use her message as a template.

Hey there!

My profile's link for the Walk for Hope is http://www.bethecause.org/walkforhope/web/walker/107.  From MY personal profile page you guys will be able to find a link to the charity I am supporting and after making a pledge you will be directed to the charity's website to make the actual donation.

If you have any questions at all, please let me know! Thanks in advance!

Chelsea

 Jay and I are extremely lucky; as the receiving end of info@bethecause.org our email inboxes are always filled with inspiring messages from all over  the world, like this one from 14 year old Chaz.  Thank you for sharing this with us, Chaz!  Keep on doing what you're doing

Hi, my name is Chaz...I'm 14 years old and I wrote and recorded a song called (R)evolve. I really believe that this song and its video could help change the world, and I feel it is a common goal between us. I would really love it if you checked it out, because your cause fits with the message of what we are trying to get out there. So, here's a link to my YouTube video...
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viaJE-qiwO4
 
I hope you like it. :)  Please feel free to let me know your thoughts and or share with others if you like it.
Thanks a bunch--Chaz

Inspiring email sent in by Julie Nguyen, a 2008 Walk for Hope participant.

 

I want to share something with you that I wrote a while ago for English class. It needed to be a narrative of something significant in our lives. It's not well written, but it's about walk for hope

Walk for hope really changed my life and impacted me with all the inspirational quotes. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this event

“Be Unrestricted”

A Walk for Hope Narrative 

      Be bold. Be in awe. Be passionate. It was one day of the year where baggage was completely thrown off your shoulders, where no one focuses on negativity, where nothing molds itself into the dark and harsh corners of the world. One day of the year, one day to be true to yourself. One day to Walk for Hope, one day to Be the Cause.

     Picket signs were set up among this three mile peace walk. Inspirational quotes splattered with hundreds of different colors, hand drawn pictures, and styles of creativity were put out on display telling me to “speak your mind even if your voice shakes.” Telling me “the only thing that’s worst than being blind, is having sight but no vision.” I took pictures of the quotes I liked the most. After about a mile, there was an activity. I saw strips of white paper fluttering from a tree, all with words I could not quite make out. I was approached by several volunteers. “Can you write the name of someone you want to forgive? If not, you can write your definition of forgiveness on it.”

      I thought about this for a long time. What is there for me to forgive? Isn’t it just, acknowledging someone and caring for them after you’ve had disputes or being appreciative of them after prolonging fights and arguments? It really isn’t that simple. Forgiveness is not a word commonly thrown around.

      My mother walked out on my family, for, I guess you can say a better one. I once had a grip on everything, planned my own pavement towards success. When she left, I saw my grades slip and everything I once had so much control and order over fall flat out of my hands. I’ve seen her cause endless tears to my sister. I’ve seen my dad get sick and weary over her with a new struggle on his plate, trying to keep this family together. But it was far too late. Our family fell apart, shattered to pieces. Life was not as easy as it once was. I was now in second priority to my mother, compared to when I was the focus of her world. I’ve hated her for so long, felt so frustrated and neglected that my own mother left me. It was as though I was no longer important. Still today I know I am not important. It took me endless tears to finally realize it was time to move on.

      I stared back onto this fresh strip of white paper. I grabbed a sharpie from the table and closed my eyes. Swiftly bringing my sharpie to my paper, I opened my eyes and wrote down four words—four words that changed my life forever.

      I forgive you mother.

      

She abandoned me. I understand that, and I cannot stress it enough how much anger I have towards her. But she was never a bad mother. Upon bringing me up, I’ve learned hard work and sacrifice through her. I’ve learned right from wrong, high morals and standings, and for that I have thanks to give. I’ve learned to not let two years of pain overshadow all of this. “Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in our own sunshine.” My wounds will heal if I let it. And I did. 

 
Six months ago you volunteered at the 2008 Walk for Hope and helped make the event a HUGE success! Because of you, last year was our largest walk to date, with about a thousand walkers raising close to $15,000 for various non-profit organizations.
Thank you. It couldn't have happened without you.

...and now we have a date for WFH 2009!
This year's Walk will take place on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17--six months from now. If at any time during these next six months you hear, see, or experience something inspiring, please hold onto that thought! Then, when you have chance, take a moment to share that idea with us so that we can attempt to bring that inspiration to the 2009 Walk for Hope. 

Ways to Get Involved 

Join the Walk for Hope Group on our newly launched website: www.bethecause.com

Planning meetings will ramp up in June, but you can check the group for updates. 

Submit a Quote
If there's an inspirational quote that is especially meaningful to you, submit it by May 15 and it will be considered for inclusion at this year's Walk.  Please include the author's full name.

Sign Up for a Team

An event of this magnitude needs strong leadership. There are nine different Walk for Hope teams: Publicity, Registration, Quotes, Entertainment, Registration, Food, Activity Stations, Booths, and Logistics. Role descriptions are listed here. If interested in leading a team, leave a comment in the discussion thread.

Activity Stations

How can we make the event more innovative and interactive? Past activity stations have included the Tree of Forgiveness, Random Act of Kindness Garden, and Letter to Yourself. Share your ideas here.

Website Development 

Location: Virtual
Time Commitment: 2-10 hours per week
We're looking for a volunteer who can give our current Walk for Hope website (www.bethecause.org/walksite) a complete overhaul. We have an idea of the changes we'd like to make, but lack the technological know-how.

Keep the inspiration flowing, and we'll see you in six months!
-WFH Committee

love notes left by visitorsSeva Cafe,Thank you for a nourishing and delicious meal. It's a beautiful experiment you have going on here. I will be back to volunteer and participate.It touches me that there are kind hearted people who want to simply enjoy the act of caring for others...I appreciate, am humbled, enjoy the emotion, thededication, the time, the thought, the sacrifice,and the act of deciding to be a part of somethingthat is outside of caring for your own needs.I thank you, I applaud you, I appreciate you, I hopeyou are given back beyond your giving, not for thereason of getting what you put into it, because thatwould be for a selfish purpose, but for the reason offeeling full in your accomplishments in your ownchoices and fulfillment in who you are.The waitress, Thu Trang, was very welcoming. We stumbled on this by fate. This is amazing. What a difference you make in the community!Hey! Thanks for your love & generosity! You are the people who make Long Beach beautiful! Much appreciation & respect. With thanks, Jared James GarciaI'm grateful for these times, for the lessons I've learned, for the love I've experienced, & for a healthy beating heart that allows me to love. I'm grateful for hope & hopeful for another day to be grateful. Be open....Open your eyes, your soul, your heart to the worldit will accept you.Ambition is greater than pessimism. Stop creating grief & start a SevaI am visiting from Sacramento but I used to live here and volunteered at the very first Seva (Royal Cup). Thanks for being. Long Beach is lucky to have this effort.Let go of the river's edge and allow love to be your guide.In other words...go with the flow. What we resist persists-Non-Attachment-This is one of the most coolest, unique experiments my family & I have ever been in! I loved everything about it! We all did! This is a wonderful experience, just like what Jesus said, "There is more joy in giving than in receiving." I want to apologize on behalf of my family; we were not aware the donations were cash only, and I know the amount is not sufficient. Thank you so much for the wonderful atmosphere and service." -The Coronado FamilyI am going to give as much as I can next time I come, you all have been so amazing (as always)... I will continue to tell good people about you because it is always good to know about amazing organizations such as yours.Be the change...it's all about the choices we make.Don't wait for circumstances to change to let yourself be happy.Food came out fast :)Salad is super delicioso!BTC is nice and cheesy!Lasagna is better than Olive Garden!Our sever, Amy, was the BEST!!Great idea, everyone was super nice!You are all beautiful people with beautiful hearts. Keep doing what you do...it is greatly appreciated.I had a wonderful experience at Seva Cafe, It's nice to know that there are some good loving people left in the world. I hope and prey that this idea catches hold and spreads throughout the country, and maybe more people will begin to realize that things aren't so bad if you take time to love, care for and share with your fellow man.O! That night whose breath I hear!To feelthat altogetherstill - peace - chaos -rapture!Crackling and flowing, the fire of change,Forever!O! To know that love is love;ravineof love and night!-UnknownThis is beautiful.