"Make it for Maggie" Fundraiser

"Very good, very good, YAY!"



These words echoed through the room as nearly thirty women gathered in the spirit of joy and love to participate in a special Laughter Yoga session as part of the fundraising event called "Make it for Maggie." The project originated as part of Maggie's Month, a philanthropy project intended to get families involved in working together on things that make a difference in the world. My good friends Tracy and Kat took this idea one step further, orchestrating an amazing community event that involved many, many families, and many, many people!

The idea was this: a couple of dozen women volunteered their time and skills to teach classes in their particular area of expertise. Kat and Tracy organized the classes in a venue which allowed for multiple classes to be ongoing simultaneously, then sold tickets to the full day's events. For $15 you could come and take as many classes as you wanted, all day! All of the proceeds went directly to Maggie for her medical treatments.

I was honored to be a part of this amazing event, and taught two classes during the day. I made my debut as a raw food instructor, demonstrating (among other things) how to lovingly massage kale leaves (yes, you read that correctly: massaging vegetables. ha ha ha!) to break down the tough cellulose fibers and create a stunningly beautiful, tender, healthy, and delicious raw kale salad! Beet and apple salad and raw energy bars rounded out the vibrantly colorful and tasty menu, and I had a fantastic time sharing my experiences with raw, living food!

My second class was, of course, a wildly fun Laughter Yoga session. More than twenty five women joined me on the stage (!) for a fun-filled hour of joyful expression through laughter.

Maggie, age four, is undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy as part of her treatment for cerebral palsy. And so one of the exercises we did was hyperbaric laughter therapy, in which we envisioned laughter molecules infusing every cell of our bodies, just as the 100% oxygen chamber infuses oxygen into the body during the pressurized treatments. Laughter molecules, indeed! Ha ha ha!

In all, the day was a remarkable success, raising enough money for several treatments for Maggie and bringing together a talented, caring, wonderful group of women for a memorable day. Tracy and Kat, you are an inspiration to us all; thank you so much for organizing this fantastic event! My world has been expanded by you and by the spunky spirit of Maggie, her mom, and their journey.

I am reminded of a quote by Leo Tolstoy: "The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity." Indeed, this is why we are here, to contribute in some way, big or small, to making a difference in the lives of others.

Laugh on, my friends!