by JD | Jun 30, 2017 | Uncategorized
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:
- A Computer Lab at our project for Tibetan Refugee in McLeod Ganj, India.
- Funding a new furnace for winter at The New Hope Foundation in Bejing, China.
- 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.
by JD | Sep 14, 2012 | * Making A Difference!!
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.
That’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.
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!
by JD | Jul 3, 2012 | 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.
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.
We 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?
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.
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.
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.
I 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.
In 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.
We 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.
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.
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.
Our 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.
He 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.
Port-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.
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…
And again, The Love Revolution continues… More to follow.
by JD | Jun 1, 2012 | Peru
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….
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.
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.
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.
Another 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.
The 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.
And 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…
Candy, 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.
Our days were filled with walks to the village, taking in the views of the sacred valley and spending time with these amazing kids.
One 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.
We 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.
We 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.
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!
More to follow…
by JD | May 1, 2012 | Argentina
You’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.
Directly 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.
I 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.
We 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.
After 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.
Then 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.
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