“We are together” — we say this every day in Hopeful World. Now is a time to turn those words into action. As you know, Nepal is suffering. I have dear friends there, both in Kathmandu and outside the city.

Jen, my dear friend and partner in Hopeful World (expert at getting funds and refugees across borders) posted this on the HW blog yesterday…

Subhash Ghimire and Sabi Gurung, dearest friends of myself and Hopeful World, are on the ground now, directing relief efforts to the remote regions where traditional and governmental aid cannot reach, specifically the villages in Gorkha, closer to the earthquake epicenter. I have been in contact with them almost nonstop via Viber since the quake, ready to do whatever they ask.

These two are no ordinary people. Subhash’s mother died when he was eight and he left his remote village when he won a nationwide contest to attend the British School in Kathmandu. No child had ever attended this school in the history of his village. Barely 18, he founded Sarswati Foundation, a Nepal-based non-profit in 2009 to support educational and health needs in his home district. Last year, he graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government while Sabi graduated from Boston University’s School of Public Health.

This is the latest update from Sabi from six hours ago…
We have food and basic items ready to be taken to Gorkha. Pilot and helicopter are both ready.

She is asking that we DO NOT STOP, for the sake of her village, her family and friends and by extension, mine and ours.

If you are inclined to support their efforts, we are putting money directly in their hands. You can donate here. We’ve raised $6K in the last 24 hours. It’s something… but the need is great. So for the next 7 days, 100% of the profits from my Etsy shop will go directly to our friends in Gorkha. I have over 100 items to choose from—inspirational sayings, unique party invitations and decorations. You’ll have a birthday party sometime this year, I’m guessing! 🙂

Please help by buying what you need in advance… or buy yourself or someone else a thoughtful gift (Mother’s Day, graduation, end-of-year teacher gifts). Your purchase will have a direct impact on the lives of my friends and their families.

Above is the gang at Hope House: Sabi on the left with Jen, Stephanie Calabrese (founder of Lens on Life) and Renu Bagaria (also in Kathmandu now).

In the hallway of my apartment building, many moons ago, a woman stood with an elaborate purple hat. She was on her way to an art opening or some such but I remember being impressed with her flair. She has since become a dear friend, Janet Riehl, “Auntie Janet” to my kids. But this isn’t a Janet story, really. It’s a brief homage to her father, Erwin A. Thompson, who seven years ago at 92 became my Facebook friend (I only mention that because it’s so like him). He recently made his final journey home.

Every year, he would make my kids a little animal whittled out of wood with his pocket knife. We have a small collection of them now and they’ve even managed to make cameo appearances in a few product shots! The first one was the dog you see above—which came with “official documentation” typed by Pop himself on his vintage typewriter “I am a dog.”

Occasionally, we would visit his farm in Alton where my kids would help work the cider press and jump from the hayloft and climb trees and eat berries straight from the bushes. Last summer, he taught them how to whittle.

He is described in this article as a folk artist, philosopher, philanthropist, author, musician and Riverbend historian. We were blessed to know him as Janet’s dad.