To My Facebook Friends – Please Donate to the Cause:

As most of you know I am going to do my first IronMan Lake Placid on July 23rd. The distance is 140.3! Swimming 2.4 Miles, Cycling 112, and running a full marathon! I have been training for the last year… thus the trim figure. LOL

Please consider donating to our project, The Twelve In Twelve Foundation, so that we can continue the work we have been doing Worldwide since 2011.

Currently Twelve In Twelve has three projects in the works:

  1. A Computer Lab at our project for Tibetan Refugee in McLeod Ganj, India.
  2. Funding a new furnace for winter at The New Hope Foundation in Bejing, China.
  3. Helping with housing cost for our kids going to college from
    Ninos Del Sol in La Maya, Peru

Based on the 140.3 Iron Man Distance, please consider making a donation in one of these denominations:

  • $1,403.000 – Ambassador to Twelve In Twelve
    Your name and/or your company name on all race wear and promotional material.
  • $140.30 – World Traveler
    Acknowledgment on our material and on our website.
  • $14.03 – Kind and generous friend!
  • $ – Whatever you are able to afford!



Twelve in Twelve is a not for profit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.

Whatever you can contribute, I’ll be racing with your name in my heart. I’m proud to be participating at IronMan Lake Placid and even more proud of our work with The Twelve In Twelve Foundation.

One Journey Ends and Another One Begins!!!

We have returned to the homeland. We’ve hit the ground running, full-tilt boogie. After 13 months on the road, we have returned to the Queen City – Charlotte. How does it feel? Bittersweet. Happy to be home and see all the people who are near and dear to us… to experience a hot shower, air conditioning, french fries, a car, and our beds. But I have to admit, I miss the adventure, the sense of deeper purpose, the present moment “day to day” living and I miss all of our friends that we have made along the way from all over the world. But no time to wallow in it because now the real work begins with the Foundation – Twelve In Twelve.

After Haiti, we arrived in Durant, Mississippi. Greeted by both of my sisters and their families, we had a few days rest before we headed to Jackson to work with an organization called, Operation Upward.

 

 

This organization’s summer program feeds kids that are used to getting a school meal during the year but were not getting fed over the summer. A husband and wife team, they have created an incredible after-school program for kids with snacks, art program and sports. An inspiring couple and an organization that we are committed to continue working with.

After finishing our work there, we headed to the Gulf Coast to Gulfport to work with Habitat for Humanity. What an amazing group! The community is still in the process of rebuilding from Katrina. I was under the impression that Habitat for Humanity built homes and gave them to under-privileged families.

IMG_0927That’s not how it works. They educate individuals and families… helping them to get their credit in order, to learn to budget for a mortgage, and then actually helps them build their own home. The person getting the home is require to participate in the building of the house and will then have a manageable mortgage on that home. That’s way better than a “hand out”… they train people to become responsible homeowners. Very cool.

 

 

Jackson helped build a deck, Buck stained wood and I helped with flooring. Hard work but so gratifying. The Habitat for Humanity staff could not have been cooler.

Our last stop was the 9th ward in New Orleans. We were pleased to see a lot of homes rebuilt. There is still a long way to go, but there was definitely progress!

And now we have returned to Charlotte. The boys are back in school, and I have returned to teaching acting and doing weekend seminars in Atlanta, Wilmington, Williamsburg, and any other city that will have me… 🙂

But my focus has changed. I am on a mission to help the organizations we were lucky enough to work with on our trip. The world needs our help. And the Lewis family is committed to do our part. We are in the process of building our business plan for our foundation with the help of an incredible Board of Directors and team of administrators. I am the luckiest man alive when it comes to being surrounded by smart, focused and supportive people. Thanks to all that are helping me to focus on the task ahead. A special “shout out” to Mike Watson, Candice Langston, Desiree Kane and Jillzey. You are my Dream Team and I feel so fortunate to have you on my side. Beyond grateful. And to Larry Sprinkle, Rob Shapiro, Kristina Haddad, Bo Henderson, Ed Springs, LuAnne Bernier, Liz Branca, Ed Smith, and a ton of others who are the absolute best!

My reflection on our journey… I know I’ll start crying writing this. There I go… didn’t take long. I feel so blessed and fortunate to have had the journey of a lifetime with my two sons at my side. All three of us are different people now. We have seen things that so few will have the opportunity to see… good and bad. We have met extraordinary people all over the world whose kindness has touched us so deeply. My sons have learned that the world is an incredible place with wonderful people everywhere…regardless of race, color, creed, and orientation. This journey is my legacy…. Something that will stay with my sons long after I am gone. Something they will share with family, friends and their kids. It has not only changed their lives but will also change the lives of all those they interact with forever.

Buck said to me the other day that he is committed to making a difference in the world. Do you know what it’s like to have your 9 year old say that to you and mean it? I am the proudest father on earth.

My sons were so brave in so many ways on this trip. They were thrown into situation with a language barrier, tough accommodation, intense weather conditions, questionable health conditions, crazy food, and yes, they had to share a room with their dad for a full year! But, I’ll tell you, they worked their butts off… sometimes 10 to 12 hour days. For all of you who backed us up on this project… our friends, family, followers, supporters and sponsors… Jackson and Buck Lewis did you proud! And heck, I did okay myself!

So now the work begins. Stay tuned as we name our new Board of Directors, our administrative staff, and the 12 projects that Twelve in Twelve is taking on. So much is about to happen with this organization. I’m beyond excited.

Oh, yeah… The Huffington Post named us, “American Heroes”, I got to meet Arianna Huffington (who couldn’t have been more supportive and kind) and they are giving us our own blog on Huff Post. What an honor!

Let us know if you would like to be involved with Twelve in Twelve, as we head into the future with sails wide open.

 

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Oh, believe me… the Love Revolution continues!!!

And you can always donate to the cause as well.. Link on the website. Spread the word!

Big Love from The Lewis Boys. More to follow!

The Heartbreak of Haiti….

After a layover in Panama and a chance to see the Panama Canal, the boys and I arrived in Port-Au-Prince. After a year on the road, I thought that culture shock was a thing of the past. Wrong. The aerial view of Port-Au-Prince from the plane was mind-boggling.

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Even after three years, Port-Au-Prince continues to face desperate times. The poverty, the pollution, the state of the roads and buildings, and the over-all living conditions are unthinkable. Though some of the tent cities have been taken down, PAP remains a city of crumbling buildings, debilitating air quality, and homelessness.  The streets are filled with rubble, potholes and trash. One truly has to experience it to believe it.

IMG_9278We spent our first week here in Port-Au-Prince working with Pastor Olrich. He is a wonderful man helping to do what he can in a city with so much need. His efforts include helping to build schools, organizing after-school programs and the plans for a new orphanage.

 

 

We visited a school outside of the city. I did an acting workshop for the kids and they seem to really love it. The children are absolutely beautiful…. kind hearted and so welcoming. They all asked me if I knew Kobe Bryant. They love him. I guess that will be one of my assignments when I get home. Anyone know Kobe?

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The boys and I were hosted by Fritz Valescot of Ecole de Musique Dessaix-Baptiste (Jean Baptiste Dessaix Music School). A special thank you to Janet Anthony from Lawrence University who set up our itinerary in Haiti.

IMG_9625 Fritz is a charismatic man who was a radio personality in Haiti for years. He’s funny and incredibly soulful. He spoke only Creole but we had no problem communicating. Though not a musician himself, he felt the need to give people in the community a space to get involved in the arts. Now the school has hundreds of students. Fritz has teachers from all over the world come to teach the kids and adults, alike.

 

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Amongst the heat and humidity, the crumbling buildings, and the crowded streets, there is a school that offers its students a haven… a place to focus on music. We were able to document by video, a lot of the work at the school including interviews with Fritz and other teachers. Jackson got to play alto saxophone with the school too.  Was a great treat for him.

While in Jacmel, I was invited to do a master class at The Spare Change Theater. So the kids and I organized an on-camera week-long workshop with acting students at The Jakmel Ekpresyon Community Arts Center. What an incredible group of actors. We had a lot of fun and I think they all learned from the experience.

IMG_9809I was also invited to visit the Cine Institute. Amazing. It’s a film school in Jacmel that offers a two-year filmmaking program tuition-free to Haiti citizens. The school was founded by American filmmaker, David Bell, who also started the Jacmel Film Festival. The campus is absolutely beautiful. They are training the future Haitian filmmakers with visiting professionals like director, Paul Haggis. I have been asked to come back in a few months to do a class to train the directors how to work with film actors. I’m very excited and feel honored to be a part of the school.

IMG_9544In between teaching classes and visiting schools, the boys and I visited Basin Bleu, an incredible waterfall and swimming hole that is so crystal blue it almost looks surreal…. so beautiful.

We also cannot forgot to mention our friend, Jacque.

IMG_9819We met him on the streets of Jacmel selling electronics from a little table.  He spoke perfect english.  He was severely physically challenged, but was out on the street working.  We stopped by everyday and had the best conversations.  He was a man who didn’t let his disability effect his life or his attitude.  Such a great guy. Thanks, Jacque for making Jacmel so memorable.

 

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After our work was finished in Jacmel, we headed back to Port-Au-Prince to work at Foyer Maurice Sixto – a school and arts program for restavek children (kids in domestic servitude). These children come from families with too many children and their parents send them away to work for another family for room and board. Many of these children are horribly abused and treated like slaves, working all day, given limited meals and offered no education.

 

 

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Pere Miguel is another one of my heroes. He is a selfless man, working day in and day out to help build up their school, offer positive opportunities to these kids, and he also has a great vision for the future of the school. Twelve In Twelve is committed to working closely to help this cause. I have also been asked to return to do a workshop here as well.

IMG_0104Our friend, Stanley, has a great project going on.  He has organized an arts program that takes trash from the streets of Port-Au-Prince and recycles it into works of art.  While we were there, we got to participate and sculpt beads made of cereal box cardboard.

IMG_0106He is a great artist and is doing great things with these workshops.  It’s such a pleasure to see a leader in the community like this. Stanley is such a hard worker and when he’s not putting together workshops, he is organizing camps and classes for kids in the community.

 

IMG_0683Port-Au-Prince. PAP is a difficult city. It’s an assault on the senses. Loud, dirty, tent cities abound, a sense of danger in the air. There are so many people… so much trash and rubble. The boys and I were heading back to where we were staying and witnessed men with wheelbarrows dumping trash into the river. For an American, that is difficult to watch. But that is their reality. That is were the trash goes. Of all of the places we have visited, I think Port-Au-Prince was one of the most over-whelming.

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And now… Now we are stateside, having just arrived in Ft. Lauderdale. We head out tomorrow morning to work in Mississippi. We will be working with Habitat for Humanity on the Gulf Coast and also for an organization in Holmes County, one of the poorest counties in America.

So many feelings have been running through my head. It sure is nice to be back in the good ole USofA. I never have appreciated the conveniences of home more. We have been living a life in huts, cinder block shelters, yurts, hostels and dormitories. We have spent a good amount of the trip without electricity and have taken most of our shower with a bucket tossed over our head. All of that was magical and I will miss it…. And I know the boys will too. The journey is not over yet. We still have Mississippi to tackle with 100+ degree weather. But we’re home…

 

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And again, The Love Revolution continues… More to follow.

 

A Call To Action / Niños Del Sol Children’s Home – La May, Peru

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The boys and I arrived in La May, a beautiful pueblo in the center of The Sacred Valley in Peru.  Breathtaking is putting it mildly.   Because of an all-night bus ride, we arrived at Niños Del Sol Children’s Home bright and early (6am) in time for breakfast prep.

How Niños Del Sol Children’s Home came to be….

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A woman from the states created it by the name of Mama Kia.  Her son and daughter-in-law were living in Peru and gave birth to a child (Chandler Sky) who died two days later.  Mama Kia had a dream that the child visited her and asked her to save the children on the streets of Cusco.  And that’s how it began.

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Niños Del Sol Children’s Home is a very special place.  It is not a traditional orphanage and the children are not available for adoption.  The home is a permanent home for these kids.  The other children and adults are their family.  They get a lot of love and support, a great education, nutritious meals, and live surrounded by stunning natural beauty.

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The kids are incredible… there are 24 in all, though the home is set up for 36.  The kids are so well behaved and respectful.  The older kids help with the younger ones and they truly are a great family.   The entire time we have been here I have never heard a voice raised or anyone complain.   And they welcomed the boys and I with open arms even though there was a bit of a language barrier.

The adults of the home are quite simply, saints.   Michael (pronounced Mitchell) is one of the original children who came to the home, and now has stayed on to help run the house.  He’s an amazing guy.  He gave up opportunities to move to the U.S. and also put University on hold because he says God has lead him to stay and help the Home.

IMG_8892Another saint… Mama Jeni.  Wow!   What a woman. She’s the main Mama of the Home and is a true example of a self-less, hard working, loving mother to 24.  She’s the first one up at the Casa and the last one to bed.  She cooks, cleans, helps with homework, bandages a scraped knee, wipes a tear, organizes trips to the local swimming pool and has adopted two more kids, Jack and Buck.   The home is Mama Jeni’s life work and she obviously loves each and every one of the kids.  Her patience is remarkable.  In the entire time that we stayed in the home, I never once saw her raise her voice or be short with one of the kids.   Amazing.

And there is the incredible Mama Miluska who is another angel and great cook. Michael’s younger brother, Exwar, who helps with the kids and the house…the house psychologist, George, who’s also a great chess player, I might add…and the gardener/maintenance man, Martin who keeps the garden and landscape green… and the two ladies that cook in the kitchen who are the best… they make up the home Family.

IMG_8591The two youngest kids of the home are characters…. Rosbel is the youngest boy.  He is destined to be a musician or dancer.  He spends his day snapping his fingers, dances in his every step and has the most infectious smile.   This kid is special and I adore him.

IMG_8622And the youngest of all the kids, Soledad.  She’s just plain adorable and has the most amazing imagination.  She taught me tons of Spanish and I taught her some English.   I dubbed her the Princess of The home…. Everyone there dotes on her and she is a beam of light…

Jackson and Buck held a carnival for the kids.  It was a blast… We set up games for the kids and they won prizes…

IMG_8752Candy, mostly.  We also did a piñata.  I taught an English class which was a lot of fun.  The kids taught Buck the fine art of playing marbles and Jackson learned to do laundry by hand with the girls while getting soaking wet.

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Our days were filled with walks to the village, taking in the views of the sacred valley and spending time with these amazing kids.

 

 

 

IMG_8853One day after the kids left for school, Jackson and I decide to climb the mountain behind the home to check out the Inca ruins at the top.  7 hours later we got back to the house, exhausted.  But the ruins were incredible.  For those who have never visited the Sacred Valley, the altitude is a killer.   Many visitors get extremely ill from the lack of oxygen.  Jackson and I just panted like to old people climbing Mt. Everest.   Was the toughest hike I have ever experienced.

 

 

The toughest part of our journey is the good-byes.  Sobbed all the way to Cusco.  It kills you to leave, especially knowing the dire situation at the home.  That’s why I’m dedicated to help keep it going.    I will keep you all posted as to how you can help with this project.   Twelve In Twelve made a donation to the project and helped with expenses while we were there.

IMG_9147We managed a quick overnight trip to Machu Picchu to check it out.  Holy cow!  Unless you are standing there in person, you can’t possibly imagine the grandeur.  I’m so grateful to have stood next to my two sons and see the sunrise over this Wonder of the World.

IMG_9131We now head to Lima and then a stopover in Panama…then on to Haiti.

And now the Call To Action:

Mama Kia passed away a few years ago, and due to some mismanagement, the home has been struggling.  In fact, the U.S. Board of Directors disbanded this year and has left Niños Del Sol Children’s Home with little support.   I just can’t let these kids, who have been here their whole lives, be split up and sent to different living situations.IMG_8827

If you were planning on donating to Twelve In Twelve and haven’t gotten around to it, now would be a good time, as funds are getting low and we are doing our best to keep afloat as our trip nears an end.  In South America, we have made substantial contributions to the Refugio de Monos in Argentina and the Niños Del Sol Children’s Home here in Peru.  Still to come, our work in Haiti, staring next week.  Thanks for your continued support.   We couldn’t do it without you!

IMG_8630More to follow…

 

La Cumbre, Argentina – In The Presence of Greatness

IMG_7321You’d think after the overwhelming experience of Antarctica, things couldn’t be topped. Well, think again. The Love Revolution continues to amaze and inspire us.

We arrived back to Buenos Aires by plane from Ushuaia, and were invited that evening to a night of music in one of the oldest theaters in Argentina. An evening complete with orchestra, and from what I could gather,  four famous tenors of Argentina. What a night! Front row seats. I sat that so thrilled that my sons were once again having another experience of a lifetime, thanks to our friend, Kirk Boswell.

IMG_7203Directly after the show, because we are the guys on the go, we headed straight to the bus station at midnight, for our overnight coach to Cordoba and then our connecting bus to the little town of La Cumbre, in the Argentinian Sierras. We arrived the next morning, quite haggard, and took a taxi up the mountain to our next volunteer location, The Refugio de Monos (also known as Proyecto Caraya)… and the beginning of another mind-blowing adventure.

IMG_7628I have to preface this story by saying that we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We knew we wanted to work with at least one animal organization in South America and we found these folk’s website by chance. It described long hours of work and basic accommodation…. No electricity or hot water. Yikes. But working with the rehabilitation of Howler Monkeys sounded too good to pass up.

IMG_7361We arrived on the property, to a field of llamas, wild horses, dogs barking and few people. I have to admit we were a bit nervous. Pia and Juan, the volunteer coordinator, and manager of the property, instantly welcomed us. Little did we know that, over the next three weeks, these two people would become our dear friends.

IMG_8149After dropping off our bags in our room, (it was true… rustic, basic housing), we were introduced to the baby Howler Monkeys. What a blast. They jumped all over us…. pulling at our hair, wrapping around our necks, and even grooming my goatee. The boys and I knew at that very moment, that this was going to be an experience of a lifetime.

IMG_7462Then the real magic began. A teal-green truck pulled up, and out walked a spitfire of a women, who I knew instantly would be a life-long friend… Alejandra Juarez, the inspiration for and owner of The Refugio de Monos. Sometimes you just get hit with that instant connection of friendship… a sort of “past life” thing. Whatever it was, it was instanteous.

She walked over and hugged all three of us, and there and then, began a great journey of three weeks that would change all of our lives forever.

Alejandra came from simple means, with an undeniable love for animals. She received a lot of recognition for her work at the Cordoba Zoo, caring for Tigers, her first love. She’s fearless in the animal department. We saw some footage of her on the local news, rolling around with tigers in a cage that was just stunning. Truly Fearless! And animals love this woman.

But she would outgrow the zoo environment and long for a less confining experience for the animals she loved. A great believer in the Laws of Attraction, she began to visualize creating an oasis for animals to live in freedom. That’s where her work began with the Howler Monkeys.

The Howler Monkey has a rich history in Argentina and the unfortunate part is that it includes being domesticated. These monkey are made to be household pets because they are so adorable, but as they mature, their instincts kick in and they become more aggressive with the host families. The families give them alcohol to mellow them out, but as you might guess, that sometimes makes them even more aggressive. Then these families abandon them.

In steps Alejandra – her goal, to rescue domesticated Howler Monkey. Also she rescues monkeys abandoned in their natural environment rejected by their mothers, and/or from zoos. Then she works to rehabilitate them back into living in their natural environment. This is not an easy task. Much time is spent grouping monkeys together to see if they can co-inhabitate, forming an alpha male and alpha female in a group environment. Groups can vary from 3 to 20 monkeys. The monkeys begin in cages and are let out slowly and then set up into groups. The goal is to have the monkey lose interest in human contact and once again adjust to living in the forests on the property of The Refugio. Currently there are 13 groups set up for monkeys. Those that are successfully living in groups are delivered leaves, fruit, food, and water each day to make sure they are getting ample nutrition, but have little or no human contact – Alejandra’s ultimate goal.

Another interesting note is that they are the loudest mammals on earth. They go through a daily ritual of howling very loudly to establish their home territories and to let other howler monkey groups know not to invade their domain. It’s really fascinating to experience. So freakin’ loud.

Volunteering at the Refugio is not for lightweights. It’s hard work, most of the time between 8 to 10 hours a day of preparing food, cutting leaves, getting water, delivering food and water to each group throughout the forest, helping with the baby monkeys, etc. And the refugio is not exclusive to monkeys. Alejandra’s love for animals includes many other rescues. On the property, they have both Howler Monkeys and Cappuccino Monkeys, llamas, pumas, wild horses, donkeys, cows, geese, dogs, and cats. In addition to all these animals, indigenous to the area, there are “rat rabbits”, foxes, bats and a huge array of exotic birds…an animal lovers paradise! The dog rescue program at the refugio is huge, saving all the dogs that are due to be killed at the local pound. Alejandra just doesn’t allow animals to be killed. They have dozens of dogs and are the leaders in dog adoption in the La Cumbre area.

Jackson has never worked so hard. Up at 8:30am, he gathered leaves, food, and a bucket of water and hauled it over a mile to the furthest groups of monkeys in the forest. After that, he helped build dog enclosures, watched the baby monkeys, observed behavior of the groups of monkeys in the forest, stood guard so that two groups in the forest didn’t invade each other’s areas, herded llamas and brought water to the pumas. Needless to say he was exhausted by day’s end.

Buck was given a bit of an easier task, as the youngest volunteer ever at the refugio. He was in charge of the newborn kittens, caring for the baby monkeys and herding the llamas. It was amazing to see all the baby monkeys jumping all over him, Buck calling each of them by name. I mean how many kids get to make friends with baby monkeys, know them all by name, and swing them around by their tails all day? Or herd llamas? Two lucky kids.

And yes, they put me to work as well. I delivered food and water to monkeys, observed a number of groups in the forest, painted the volunteer quarters and the kitchen, cleaned the “banos”, and even cleaned the monkey houses. Phew…

I fell in love with a few monkeys. One was a “special needs” monkey named Lennon. He was born with a physical challenge, was rejected by his mother, and had a hard time walking. As some of you know, Yoko Ono sent us a note encouraging us on our journey and so to come across Lennon (named after John), we had an instant connection. What an adorable animal. Unfortunately, while we were there, he had a bit of a stroke. I was elected to carry him around in my sweatshirt all day and keep him warm. The bad news, Lennon past away a few days before we left. I was devastated. A great lesson in the circle of life thing. Broke my heart. Another monkey crush was Cookie. She took an instant liking to me and everywhere I went in the forest she followed me. The goal in the wild, is limited human connect, so it was hard for me to keep putting her down when she would want to jump on me and cuddle.

 

Pia and Juan run a tight ship at the refugio, keeping all the volunteers on their toes. Most of the volunteers were from Germany, Norway, Denmark and Australia. A huge shout out to Eja, Sandra, Anna, Joshua and Morton, some of our favorites.

The greatest part of our time there was spent watching Alejandra at work. I had the good fortune of spending a lot of time with her. She is truly an extraordinary woman doing great things in the world of animal rescue and rehabilitation. She is also the director of the Argentinian division of Projecto Gap, an organization working with primates all over the world. Alejandra is a woman with a point of view. She’s a tough cookie and knows what she wants to do and gets it done, all while raising two amazing daughters, Marlen, 15, and Mayu, 17. She is a woman of vision and an inspiration to be around. But her sense of humor was the best of all. We spent the days laughing our heads off communicating in broken English and Spanish, building a bond that I know will last a life-time.

The boys and I will always remember the great family meals we had together. And, of course, the Mate! The tea they drink in South America that is so awesome and I think majorly addicting. I’m returning home with my own Mate cup in my baggage.

 

 

 

 

 

You can check out their website at: http://www.proyectocaraya.com.ar
This is a project going places. They are going to be expanding their project in the northern region of Argentina in Chaco (which is the more natural environment for Howler Monkey) and also including chimpanzee to the mixed of animals at the refugio. Alejandra has dedicated her life to helping abused and displaced animals live freely. She also does her work quietly without looking for praises or accolades.

If you want to help The Refugio de Monos go to their website and donate or you can also volunteer. Do yourself the favor – Volunteer! It will change your life! When’s the last time you got to visit Argentina and work with Howler Monkeys?… Monkeys you can hold, feed, play with, and love. It’s a life-changing experience. And you’ll get to meet the one and only, Alejandra Juarez! And the coolest, Juan Pablo and Pia! So if you are interested in a visit to the Refugio, let me know and I’ll hook you up!

Thanks to Pia, Juan, Alejandra’s Mom and Tia, Mayu, Malen and, most importantly, Alejandra – you are an inspiration, and now, part of the Lewis Family!

So with tears, we leave the Refugio and have just arrived, after a 2 day bus ride – Arghhh! – in Uyuni, Bolivia for a visit to the famous Salt Flats and a few days off (definitely needed), then on to La Paz and Lake Titicaca, enroute to Cusco, Peru to the Casa De Milagros, our next volunteer location.

More pictures of The Salt Flats and Lake Titicaca to follow.

As always, thanks for your continued support. We love and appreciate you all.
And the Love Revolution continues… getting so much closer to home all the time.

Antarctica… Come for the cold. Stay for the Freeze!

I know, I know.  Every experience is the best. Every new adventure, a life changer! So shoot me…

How do you describe the Antarctic?  Baby blue etched in ice, black pounding cresting waves, gales as sharp as a razor’s edge, towering majestic glaciers, sky-souring gulls, bomb-diving petrels, cliff dwelling cormorants, waddling penguins of the IMG_6158Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Macroni persuation, their arch-enemies – the leopard seals, barnacle-covered Humpback and Minke whales, cascading avalanches… A frozen Neverland. Nah. That’s all way to cheesy.   I’m not ashamed to admit that I am not the poet for that level of prose…. Just not equip with the words.

All I can say, is that it was another IMG_6003childhood dream come true.  A plunge into a textbook of National Geographic proportion.  All that, while traveling with a crew of marine biologists, geologist, ornithologist (I didn’t know either – bird experts), and oceanographers.  And to top it off, the bridge was open to the boys and I… we got a crash course in ocean navigation.   Remarkable.

A Picture Tells A Thousand Stories….

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IMG_7108And along with the Beauty, comes the crossing of The Drake Passage, separating the men from the boys. Well, not really. My boys, especially Buck, fared far better than I.  I have never been on a ship where you are thrown from one end of the cabin to the other.

IMG_7109Wow!  We hit a storm on the way home from Antarctica in the “Drake Shake” and all hell broke loose.   I dreaded secretly wishing the experience on us.  The first 3 hours were exciting, but 2 1/2 days into it, I was hoping for a helicopter airlift.

But after the storm, comes the rainbow and sure ‘nuf.   It arrived.  Picture doesn’t do it justice.

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Upon our return to Ushuaia, Twelve in IMG_7155Twelve had the great honor of donating two bicycles to kids in need in the southern province.  Was really cool.  We are working with Ushuaia Extremo doing bike donations to kids to disadvantaged neighbors.  You’ll be hearing a lot more about them and the project.

 

 

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Anyone have any connection with Huffy or Schwinn?

IMG_7251We have just arrived in the northern central area of Argentina working in the Sierras with Howler Monkeys… that’s another “Most Amazing Experience Blog” next week.   Sending big love and thank you for your continued support of our project.  It means the world to us….

What’s New – Buenos Aires!!!


IMG_5633We have been in Buenos Aires for the last two weeks, working with L.I.F.E. (Luchemos por una Infancia Feliz y con Esperanza – roughly translated means, Fighting for Children’s Happiness and Hope).   LIFE arranges after-school programs, birthday parties and other activities for kids in the less fortunate suburbs of Buenos Aires.  They also have programs in homeless shelters within the city. Jackson, Buck and I have been splitting our time between the suburbs and homeless shelters.  


IMG_5647Our work certainly gives us a greater appreciation for all that we have.  Our first day on the job, we worked at a birthday party.  LIFE holds birthday parties once a month in a specific location for all kids with birthdays in that particular month.  Each child with a birthday in that month is given a present and shares in the birthday cake.  It’s really a sweet program and the kids have the time of their lives, with games and activities.   

We have also been working with the after-school program, doing art project, worksheets and activities.  The kids really like the one on one attention and our spanish is getting better with each passing day.   I have to say, that love and attention breaks all bounds of language and culture.  We have yet to walk away frustrated by not being able to communicate fully.  By the way, the sign below translated reads – “When there is a will, there are a thousand resources.  When there is no will, there are a thousand excuses.” 

I think the most meaningful work has been at the homeless shelter.  The families live in a large shelter separated by cubicles.  They get 3 meals a day and have shower and bathroom facilities.  LIFE offers different fun activities for the kids… Jewelry making, art projects, school materials, and sports equipment.   Buck has taken to playing Futbol (soccer with the younger kids) and Jackson has become the guy that they all love to tackle.  It’s amazing.  When we arrive, they all run up to us, so excited that we are there to play.  The appreciation is so sweet and makes the work so incredible. There is one little boys who has stolen our heart, Brian!  

He has adopted Jackson and Buck as his big brothers.  There are just some kids that you know will grow up to do great things in the world, despite their circumstance.  I know that to be the case with Brian.  Smart as a whip, greatest smile on earth, and a pure heart of gold.   All the coordinators have said that Brian has really come “into his own” since Jackson and Buck have taken him under their wings.  Now he’s super feisty, funny beyond belief…but the coolest thing is watching Brian look after his little sister who is 2.  Whenever snacks or art supplies are handed out, he always makes sure his little sister gets her fair share. When we left yesterday, he gave us hugs and then found his sister, took her hand and walk her back into the building.  Now that is a sign of a guy going places.  Brian, you are a class act!

And more luck for the Lewis boys.  I found out my friend (and old neighbor), Mark Lennon, from the band, Venice, was in Buenos Aires touring with Roger Waters of Pink Floyd and the show, The Wall! I sent him an email, had lunch an hour later and then the boys and I got invited to see The Wall at The River Plate Stadium.  It gets better, we got band seats – 18th row center and got to go backstage and hang out with the band.  Picture to the right is of Buck center stage sporting his new mohawk in front of 60,000 fans.   How lucky are the Lewis Boys… Jackson and Buck even got drum sticks from the drummer and Buck got a Roger Waters guitar pick, his new prized possession.  The Wall is one of the most incredible shows I think I have ever seen.  If you get the chance to see it, go for it… They are touring around the world.  Thanks, Marky for my kids’ first Rock ‘N Roll stadium show.  Will be hard to beat. 

We are off this afternoon to do our after-school program and then tomorrow, back to the shelter to see Brian and the others again.  Buck has arranged for his sponsor, Lego, to ship Lego to LIFE  to distribute to the kids.   Very exciting.   

We leave Saturday to return to Ushuaia for our ship to Antarctica.  Holy cow!  

Then we will return to Buenos Aires to catch a bus to Cordoba to the mountains to work at a wild life sanctuary for Howler Monkeys… but that’s another adventure.     More to come… and thanks, as always for all of your support and encouragement.  

 

 

Argentina! En unión y libertad!!!

We have arrived in South America!  We just spent a week in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. The views are surreal… painted with jagged snow-capped mountain ranges and rugged windswept seas.  It brings up thoughts of how the early explorer must have feasted their eyes.

We met up with Osvaldo Estevez who is the owner of Ushuaia Extremo, a great shop for all things Extreme Sports… bicycles, skis, snowboards, trekking equipment.  But more importantly, he is doing great humanitarian work in the south of Argentina.  He has a program for recycling older bicycles and distributing them to the less fortunate kids in Ushuaia.

Though the city is a tourist destination, Osvaldo gave us a tour of the struggling neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city.  These people live far below the poverty level in houses with no plumbing or heating.  And even in the summer, it’s a cold place.  Osvaldo is committed to making a difference in his community and I have great admiration for the man.  Twelve in Twelve is partnering with him, to help bring relief efforts to this community.

We stayed at Antarctica Hostel, which was a total blast.  For those of you that have traveled on the cheap, you know hostel living.  Shared rooms and bathrooms and usually a communal area where everyone hangs out.

We met the coolest people.  Was really like a family.  Big shout out to Ellie, Charlotte, Biscuit (Oriol), Elvis, Gabriel and all the others.  We will miss you guys.  It was great to get to know people from Spain, Belgium, South Africa, Holland, Canada, Australia, Germany and even New Jersey!  Buck and Jack had the time of their lives.  If you get to Antarctica, stay at Antarctica Hostel… it’s the best.

 

Also I want to thank Alicia Petiet from Antarctica Travel (http://www.antarcticatravels.com) who took us under her wing and did everything for us while we were there.  Such an incredible woman.  She has a daughter that lives in Charlotte, so we get to see her again in the states in August.  She sorted out our Antarctica travel where we will be speaking about our trip on a ship starting March 25th.  We were originally going to go to the South Georgia Islands, but that was a tough one to work out.  We thought that we would have to miss doing all seven continents until our guardian angel Alicia arrived on the scene.  It’s the last ship of the season and we managed to get on it. Amazing, eh? We will be traveling for 10 days to Antarctica working with the ship captain (a friend of Alicia’s) and hopefully with some of the scientists onboard.

 

But we have a lot to do before that happens.  We are on a plane right now to Buenos Aires where we will be working with the organization, L.I.F.E.  We will be volunteering there for two weeks before we return south to Ushuaia to work with UE (Ushuaia Extremo) giving out recycled bicycles in the community, which we feel honored to be a part of, and to catch the boat to the ends of the earth… Stay tuned.

 

 

 

One last note… thanks to so many people that continue to support our efforts.  Just want to name a few (in no particular order)…. Murphy (God Love You!), Robert Shapiro, Kristina Haddad, Bo Henderson, Ed Springs, Ed Smith, the incredible Bert Woodard!, Wheelock Whitney, R.A. Buck (Uncle Buck), Tony Lydgate, my mentor Sue Sanford!, LuAnne Bernier, The Klug-Price Family, Andrea Cooper, Peter Cipkowski,  my agent Steve Ross, The Branca Family, The Grey Family, the always patient Rachel Woodhouse, Robert Kanter, Larry Toppman, Lisa McLeish, Kathy Abernathy, Scott Pacitti,  Jennifer Taylor (happy birthing!!), Dolores Scozzesi, Meredith Jones, Patrick Elliot, Barry Alpert, Les Satinover, Jackie Burch, Michael Lightweaver, Steve Bearden, John Kurc, Nick Corley, Cher Ferreyra, The Dyer Family, Linda Britt, The Aceti Family, Jodi B. Wise, Linda Guth, Kenneth Wyse, Andrew Beachum, Meera Gandhi, Heather Gilliland, Renee Moore, Nina Giovannitti,  Sara Giovanitti, Gary Peters, Heidi Dove, Mary and Mike Gutowski, Laura Diaz, Lindsey Moser, Juan Carlos Piedrhitas, Anna Shaw, Paige Hauff, Patty Strader, Kent Smith, Elise Duquette, Barnet Sherman, Roberto Elinan, Chris Totty, Ben Kubie, Allison Flanagan, Valerie Bobo, Scott Galliher, Norbert Weisser, Francine Popkin, Andrew Martin, Susan McMullen, Theoden Janes, Ray Cline, Todd Plocharczyk, Jessica Milligan, Jon Davis, Monk Duke (Losang Tenpa), NoDa Yoga!!!, Doug Nydick, The Roush Family, Jay Everett and The Wachovia-Wells Fargo Foundation, Marcella Detroit, Lance Aston, Kellin Watson, Xan Spencer, Esther Benjamin, John Kennedy, Rickie Lee Jones, Yoko Ono, TedXCharlotte, the late Dr. Barry Bowe (who we miss terribly), and of course, my sisters, Laurie Wilson and Linda Frazure.  And all the others who I will thank in the next email… I’m on a plane and it’s late… so forgive me if I’ve forgotten.

Everyone’s support has meant the world to us. You have no idea.  My kids and I have been changed for life from this opportunity.  I feel confident that our efforts will continue to make a difference as the organization, Twelve In Twelve, builds momentum.  We are committed to continue our efforts back in the states to support the organizations we have had the good fortune of working with on this journey.  We are also committed to support others in their efforts to do humanitarian work abroad.   There’s so much more to do!

More adventures to follow.  Love you all!

 

 

The Magical Outback!

If you are lucky, once in awhile, a cosmic occurrence confirms that there are greater powers at work beyond your immediate understanding.  The Lewis boys experienced that very thing in White Cliffs, NSW.

The RFDS (Royal Flying Doctors Service) suggested we take the weekend off and head to White Cliffs for the weekend.  They let us borrow the 4X4 and off we went – on a three-hour drive through the outback, in search of adventure and kangaroos.

We pulled into the tiny mining town and found our hotel.  The famous Underground Motel.  Yes, the entire hotel is underground…. way underground.  With just a light shaft to brighten the room in the daytime, these rooms are kept cool by the mere fact that they are so underground.  Being a tad claustrophobic, there was definitely an adjustment period for me… some deep breathing and Jedi Mind tricks.  The kids needed no adjustment period.  They just plain loved it.

We loaded the bags into our room and headed out to explore the downtown area of White Cliffs that consisted of a pub, convenience store, and the opal mine fields.  We had seen a sign for Red Earth Café, and being in dire need of a cappuccino, I dragged the kids in that direction.

When we arrived, a young Liam Neeson look-alike met us at the door.  He acted as if he were expecting us.   “Oh!”, he said, “You’re the guys that are traveling around the world.  We’ve heard about you”.  The boys and I look at each other, a bit full of ourselves, and acknowledged our new found fame.  See, we had just been in the local newspaper, that apparently everyone in town reads and were used to a bit of attention.

Then Liam’s wife arrived… Mother Earth incarnate.  Sacha was a walking Déjà Vu experience.  Having never met her, I instantly felt like I knew her and our conversation flowed as if we were old friends.   Sacha explained that she was expecting us to stop by… which I thought was a bit eerie.  And then she talked about how her husband (his real name, Graeme) was an opal miner and used a divining rod and his intuition, to find his mother lode.  I thought, “These guys are hooked up… big time”.

She then asked us if we would like a tour of their home – one of the largest underground homes in the area.  It was amazing, with tons of bedrooms all under the bedrock of White Cliffs.  They have five kids… three currently away at school.  They are an “Outback Brady Bunch”.  She had two kids from a previous marriage and he had three.  Sacha explained that her daughters were students of “School of The Air” and had watched us on the Internet during the last Friday’s assembly.  We thought that that was pretty cool.

After a tour of their home and a great cappuccino, Graeme offered to take us down into his opal mine.   He instructed us to meet him up in the minefield in a half an hour.  We agreed and headed out.  When we found the place, Graeme arrived in his truck just as a huge cloud appeared overhead, bringing with it, a dust cloud, rain, and lightning.  We postponed the mining for the next day and off Graeme went in his truck.  The boys and I got lost in the minefield in the pelting rain and lightning, sure that we would be struck by the next flash of light.  We managed to find out way back to The Underground hotel, to hold up for the night.  There I discovered a note given to me by Alex at the RFDS.  I opened it up and there was a request from the owners of The Red Earth Café to come visit them, if we happened to pass through town.  How crazy was that.  They had no idea we were headed up that way, but Sacha and Graeme had extended an invitation to us… without even knowing our plans.  And without reading that note, we happened upon their cafe.  Which, of course, explained their welcome when we arrived.  Cool, eh?

The next morning arrived, we had some breakfast and back to Sacha and Graeme’s house.  Their daughters were there this time, having returned from a sleepover the night before.  The kids all hit it off.  We all loaded into the truck and 4×4 and headed out to the minefield, with a generator in tow… all 7 of us.

When we arrived, we were introduced to the oil drum of an elevator that would carry us down to the center of the earth in search of the always elusive opal.  The elevator shaft was just a bit larger than the rusty makeshift lift.  Sacha would go down the hydraulic lift first to make sure the lights were on and that there were no snakes.  Yikes!   Then, Jackson, the warrior descended. Then the two girls went down and then it was my turn.  Buck and I went down together.  With a pounding heart and chanting Jedi mind mantras, we were lowered into the bowels of the earth… and I mean the bowels of the earth.  It must have been 100 feet below the surface when the rusty drum stopped to reveal the inner workings of a real life opal mine.  Wow!  With lights working from the generator above, a magic world we had never experienced before was revealed to us.  A series of tunnels, big enough to stand up in, lay before us.  It was surreal.   Awestruck, the boys and I explored the caverns and Graeme even invited the boys to use a jackhammer and do some drilling of their own.  And yes, they both walked with a piece of opal!

It was an exciting day for the Lewis family.  We then returned across the blistering outback to Broken Hill.  Before we left to return to Sydney, we cooked a BBQ for all the staff at RFDS and then we were honored at a dinner with the local Broken Hill Rotary Club. The following day, Buck and Jackson were invited to attend a day of school with the local kids.  They had a ball.  I boarded a plane with the clinic doctors for Tibooburra, a small town in a remote area of the outback.

 

 

I joined the pilot, a doctor, a dentist, a woman health practioneer, and a psychologist for their weekly clinic.  It’s quite inspiring, as this is the only healthcare these people see in their neck of the woods.  I met some interesting characters out there.

 

 

 

I have to include a shout out to Robin Nelson, a wonderfully talented artist that we had the pleasure to meet while in Broken Hill.  She had a exhibition of her work at The Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery.  I am a big fan of her work.   We are the proud owners of a RFDS inspired piece she crafted to honor the RFDS airlifting her daughter to Adelaide.  She also gave each of the boys original artwork and jewelry that she made. Thanks, Robin!   What a pleasure to meet you.

The boys and I flew back to Sydney, where we enjoyed yet another rare treat, hosted by the RFDS.  They arranged for us to fly an actual 747 simulator.  Was incredible.    Even got to fit in a lunch with my dear friend and remarkable cinematographer, Peter James, and long time pal, filmmaker, J.T. O’Neal  who was “down under” promoting his new film, The Soccer Nanny  (Au Pair, Kansas) at the Mardi Gras Film Festival.

As cheap airplane tickets would have it, we were routed through Dubai, United Arab Emirates, were we stayed for two days, checking out the sites… Very cool place. Visited the tallest building in the world.

And have now, after two full days of flying, arrived at our next location.  Ushuaia, Argentina!  We are in the south-most town in all the world… at the south tip of South America.   More to come.

 

Outback Extraordinary!

We come from the Land Down Under.   Where woman glow and men plunder.  Not sure what glow and plunder means, but I haven’t seen any of that.  What we have been seeing is the amazing outback of Australia.  Off the charts, people!

Heading out of Sydney, the boys volunteered as porters at Central Train Station, with all donations going to The Royal Flying Doctors Service.

Then we boarded The Indian–Pacific, as guests of the train company, headed for our next destination, Broken Hill.  We were invited to walk the train, meeting travelers to talk about RFDS and to accept donations on their behalf.  Everyone loves the Royal Flying Doctors here and many have stories of having relied on them in a life or death situation.

The Royal Flying Doctors Service is an awe-inspiring organization that not only does emergency evacuations, but also its largest contribution is actually primary healthcare in the most remote areas of the Outback.  They hold clinics that include general practice, dentistry, dermatology, mental health, women’s services, and more.

The beauty of their work is that the services are free to the recipients.  And though RFDS is partially funded by the Australian government, they rely on private donations for a good part of their budget.

There is not a more worthy cause in Australia.  The company is first class, professional, and they genuinely care for their clients.  It’s really been an honor to be part of the Broken Hill group.  Alex Lean, Robyn Taylor, Reta Elliott, Vanessa Latham, Barbara Ellis, Trish McCarron, Sheree Quinn, Michael Grogan, and the rest have been so incredibly welcoming.

What can I say about Broken Hill?  It’s the gem of The Outback.  A mining town built in the 1800’s with many homes made of corrugated iron, it’s reminiscent of a 1950’s mining town with an incredibly quaint downtown area and a great sense of community.  It hosts the richest silver mines in the world.  And all the miners have such great stories.  The boys and I have fallen in love with this place.

And the people could not be nicer.  We are based here at the South East headquarters of RFDS.  We have been working at the Visitor’s Center, helping clean up the storerooms, and also working in the hangar with the fleet of planes.

We visited the rural campus of The Sydney University hospital where we met with Dr. Malcolm Moore. We were also asked to speak about our trip to 60 students at the local elementary school.  They were a great group.  The Barrier Daily Truth, the local paper, did a story on us this week and also ABC National Public Radio did an interview with us.

Friday we visited the local, “School of The Air” office.  For those of you that don’t know about them, they are an online learning center for students in remote areas of Australia.  The students do their classes over the Internet, with a teacher at the office teaching in front of a camera.   The boys and I joined in at the weekly assembly and I spoke about 12 in 12 in front of a camera going out to over a hundred students all over Australia.  Was a huge highlight for me.

We also visited Maari Ma Health Clinic, an organization that focuses on healthcare for, but not limited to, the indigenous population. It was such an interesting visit to discuss concerns and issues revolving around the aboriginal community.

Jackson, Buck and I got to visit Silverton, the little town were the Mad Max movies were filmed.  We were also honored at a dinner at The Palace Hotel, where “Priscilla, Queen of The Desert” was filmed.  We really enjoyed ourselves, thanks to our hosts, Alex and Peter Lean.  It was also a pleasure to get to meet Clyde Thomason, the executive director of RFDS South East.

But one of the biggest highlights was visiting John and Lynne Gall at their station (or ranch) called Langawirra.  John is on the Board of Directors of RFDS and Lynne is an active member of the Women Auxiliary of RFDS.  What a pleasure to spend some time with them and their son and daughter-in-law, Lachlan and Jo.  They live on a breathtaking property where they raise sheep and cattle.  We were invited to lunch and then watched the sheep get sheared. It is a family business and the entire family work incredibly hard.  It was pretty surreal to be in the middle of the outback watching Australian wool getting sheared off sheep. Cool, eh?

This weekend the boys and I visited the opal-mining town of White Cliffs and got to spend the night in an underground motel.  Was awesome!  But a whole blog will be dedicated to that story, because it was just plain amazing.  So stay tuned….