It's been almost 4 years since Epic Change began. Throughout that time, so many people have had our backs. They've poured their hearts into our work. But I have to admit, at some level, until now, Epic Change always felt like "us". And by "us" I meant Sanjay, Mama Lucy & me. A triumvirate of souls inextricably bound to one another by a superglue of love & common purpose. Our donors & community were a somewhat separate organism that would readily act at our urging, but rarely without our direction. This time was different. I felt like one of many. I felt like part of a team much bigger than me. I felt carried. I wish I could tell you what that feels like. I'm the oldest of four, with all the neuroses of my birth order. I do not readily submit to being helped or held. I am the helper & holder. To be honest, though, for my own health & sanity, and for Epic Change to grow and become, I had to let go a bit. And you gave me permission, by investing the very best of yourselves. I felt like I could rest and eat and play and dance without fear that everything would all fall apart if I looked up from my screen for a minute. For a change, I got to enjoy the ride. Because of you. So many will ask why To Mama With Love 2011 was so successful. Many will wonder how love from across the globe magically morphed into classrooms in Tanzania & Nepal. Of course, we'll run the numbers, analyze our tools and techniques, and reflect studiously on lessons learned. In truth, though, alchemy is probably the only real answer  - a transmutation of this rare blend of extraordinary essential ingredients: Irene's faith. Michael's fervor. Alexandra's kindness. Jon's insistence. Beth's curiosity. Estrella's glow. Debra's spirit. Dave's magnanimity. Carrie's tenderness. Christina's helpfulness. Cate's spunk. Albert's hope. Shelly's verve. Geoff's expertise. Helen's hustle. Carol's enthusiasm. Sanjay's diligence. Akhila's advocacy.  Kristen's grace. Malorie's initiative. Jen's thankfulness. Susan's supportiveness. Addy's excitement. Kimberley's fearlessness. Deb's dedication. Marianne's trust. Fran's generosity. Jen's togetherness. Bonnie's wisdom. Lucy's light. Libby's persistence. Olugbemisola's creativity. Jeff's amplification. Avi's soulfulness. Rebecca's clarity. Shonali's intentionality. Natalie's energy. Megha's patience. Judy's moxie. Pam's willingness. John's playfulness. Robbie's imagination. Emily's activism.  Mickey's consideration. Amy's insight. Devin's encouragement. Diane's commitment. Ann's wholeheartedness. Desiree's thoughtfulness. Ehon's heart. Shivaas' smarts. Lee's friendship. And Lulu's beauty. So many people, too many to count, and far more than I've named here, poured the very best of themselves into To Mama With Love 2011. I am more grateful than you can know. For all the love you poured into the world. For the difference it will make. And for teaching me what might be possible if we dare to allow ourselves to be carried when we feel we just might fall. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The photo above is of me carrying a tired Gideon Gidori after a long walk along the coast of Tanzania - the first time he ever set eyes on the ocean that lays on his country's beautiful shore.

Posted: May 16th, 2011 under The Foundry.
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Listen to Mama Lucy share her thoughts on Mother's Day, love and what it really means to be a mama...[audio:http://www.epicchange.org/audio/MamaLucy_May-6-2011.mp3] There really is another way. The possibilities that exist in our world are only the ones we can imagine. The ones we will allow. The ones we dare to hope for. Maybe it sounds far-fetched. But the truth is, the only way to live in another world is to live as if we already do. It's been said so much more eloquently. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." That's what he meant. Before change happens in the world, it must happen in us. I choose to live in a world where we recognize love as the most powerful currency on the planet. I choose to live where we know the hope in our hearts matters more than what's in our wallets. And where we choose to invest whatever we have in the most audacious possibilities we dare imagine. I choose to live where we never surrender our power because someone has told us we don't have enough money to make a difference. Together, our love, and whatever we have to offer out of love, is powerful beyond measure. I really hope you'll choose to live here too. Epic Change is proof that love builds schools and homes and libraries. Can money do that? Sure. But, I assure you, only love imbues cold stone walls with meaning & purpose. Only love. Today, we can create the future by changing the present we give this Mother's Day. I'm asking you to give love & to invest out of love in the women who create hope in our world. I read a blog post yesterday, one written about To Mama With Love. In it, the author, Heather Plett, was reflecting on Afghanistan and just how much time, energy & resource has been poured out to wage war there for the last decade. She wrote...

A few days ago, I blogged...asking myself (and you) whether there might be a better way of responding to the horror of 9/11... I’m happy to say there is a better way, and it is this: Invest in love instead. Invest in and encourage courageous women (and men) who are committed to seeking peace. Invest in people who live out the call to love."

Today, I'm asking you to do just that. Give your Mom the only Mother's Day gift that really matters: your love. And invest in her honor to create a world that shines love right back on the people who live the call to love. So much love to you, Stacey PS: After you've listen to Mama Lucy's Mother's Day thoughts on our blog, here's two songs that may put you in just the right mood to unleash your love on the world by sharing it with a mama you love... All you need is love Price Tag So many thanks to my friend Jen Lemen who shared just the right song at just the right moment...

Posted: May 6th, 2011 under The Foundry.
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I originally wrote this note from Tanzania a few years ago, but, as we celebrate To Mama With Love in honor of Mother's Day, I've updated it a bit to share how the love in my heart for Mama Lucy was born.

Yesterday, as I sat across the table from Mama Lucy sharing her vast vision for this place, as I played with children who I know in the deepest parts of myself will have better lives because of her work here, I was reminded that it's about so much more:  this is about love. There are women across the globe, like Mama Lucy, and my own amazing mom, who hold onto hope.  Who teach us how to hope. Who give us reason to hope. They are our mothers, aunts, sisters, grandmothers and friends. They are the mamas of the world - those who nurture the hope that lives in each of us.  And it is my gratitude for the hope they cultivate, and especially for Mama Lucy, from which Epic Change and To Mama With Love were born. Most of you, by now, know this about me:

When my brother Josh died, he almost took my mom with him. He left me only with his baby girl and the knowledge that, when he probably needed me most, I hadn't called back. The reassuring voice inside me that had always, even in the darkest hours, whispered: "it's going to be okay" fell silent, dispelled by a fear I've never known that it just might not be. Two years later, I found that voice again here. In Africa. In Mama Lucy. In the audacious hope of a woman who believed money from selling chickens would be enough to build a school and transform her community. There is no greater gratitude Than that for hope restored when you've all but given up. My work here is no matter of owing or debt; it could never be repayment or reciprocity. Instead it is my humble beginner's practice of the lesson she's taught: that hope is ours to create, that it never dies as long as we just hold onto it. that hope is not idle faith, but hard work. It is saving for months to scrape shillings together to buy a tiny piece of land.  It is taking hours to send a single email if that's what it takes. It is learning how to use a computer for the first time in a language that's not your own.  It is negotiating with neighbors who demand dollars from an unknown source to borrow power lines.  It is busing students to town to stand in line all day to vote on the internet, believing their tiny voices can make the difference.   It is trying to understand wireless connectivity when it makes no sense at all.  It is finding a way to keep going when the landlord sells your school.

It is building classrooms from hen houses. Hope is not easy to create. Hope is PowerPoint presentations and pitches, graphics and code.  It is social media and strategy. Hope is hard work. Hope is holding on fast when the whole wide world and every fibre of your weary being says to give up. I'm not sure how in this whole, vast, beautiful universe, I found a hope like hers. But I did.  And I only wish she could know how grateful I am. I love you Mama Lucy. May this Mother's Day shower you with enough love to build a secondary school where you will teach generations of children how to hope. In America alone, we spend $14.6B annually on Mother’s Day for “stuff” that could just never say what’s in our hearts. What if instead, we all just unleashed that love on the world?  This Mother's Day, we aim to find out... In honor of the women who taught you how to hope, celebrate To Mama With Love with us by making a Mother's Day gift that shares your love & transforms our world. Click here or use the widget above to get started. The photo above was taken by my friend Jen Lemen (thanks Jen!).

Posted: May 5th, 2011 under The Foundry.
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