Fiesta De Milagros, Giving Thanks To The One That Has Given So Much
The possibility of peace starts with who we are every day; not only for ourselves. Be a piece of the peace for one another.
In 1994, Mama Kia founded the Chandler Sky Foundation, named for her grandson, Chandler Sky, who passed away two days after his birth. In a dream, Chandler told Mama Kia to share the immense love with others that she could no longer give to him. After traveling to Peru and witnessing children suffering on the streets from physical, emotional and sexual abuse, Mama Kia was called to action. As she is quoted on enlightenedconcierge.com, “I wanted to go do something that was going to actually mean something for the long term. Like change a life. Change their lives.”
Mama Kia started Casa de Milagros, a healing home for orphaned children that provides an extraordinary environment with love, education, health, art, recreation and social activities. The children arrive with nothing except the clothes they’re wearing and Mama Kia accepts them into her home, loves them and adopts them. They are raised with abundant love, learn the importance of giving back, are educated and offered the tools to live a prosperous and beautiful life. “We at Chandler Sky Foundation are dedicated to helping raise awareness for a new global culture to emerge that lifts the boundaries of discrimination so we can function as one world, one people.” chandlersky.org.
Mama Kia, now sixty-one with ailing health, has so far adopted thirty-one children off the streets. She has four organic farms, which support the family, community and two soup kitchens in Peru. The school children help with farming, meal preparation and serving the less fortunate children and elders in their town; through this, they’re building community and receiving education on organic, sustainable farming, health and nutrition.
However, Mama Kia cannot continue this amazing work from a hospital bed in Texas. There is a loud call for love and support for rising medical bills, the shared vision of global change, and most importantly, a fast recovery to get Mama Kia back to her community in Peru. As many in LA have been touched and inspired to action by this wonderful woman, on November 14, that call was answered. We came together for a fundraiser to support the medical expenses, adopted children and soup kitchens in a night of giving, love and elevation that will not soon be forgotten. Hosted and organized at YogaGlo in Santa Monica, by an unstoppable team (pictured, left to right): Ted McDonald of Adventure Yoga Retreats, Yoga instructor and therapist Ashley Turner, CEO of Enlightened Concierge Brian Mahan, and Cristina Urioste of RassaFoods.com, it was a massive success and all-out party.
Feathered headdresses, roller skates and asana-like movements powered the live and eclectic evening performances of Lucent Dossier Experience, while KCRW’s Jason Bentley, Carmen Rizzo and Jeremy Sole grooved the musical mixes. The energy at YogaGlo buzzed and most inspiring was our community coming together in gratitude to raise over $12,000 to celebrate the incredible work Mama Kia has done and will continue to do.
Enlightened Concierge has donated seed money for the second soup kitchen. Ted McDonald and Ashley Turner are offering a Yoga Pilgrimage to Peru with service work in March, 2010, in which a portion of the proceeds go directly to Casa de Milagros. McDonald says, “I support Mama Kia because I believe in people who help those that are less fortunate than ourselves. Especially standing in our abundant Western civilization, I wanted to raise awareness about this amazing woman and give back as a community, and that’s the bottom line.”
To learn more, visit: chandlersky.org or email: brian@enlightenedconcierge.com
For the retreat, visit: ayretreats.com or email: ted@ayretreats.com
Jacki Carr can be found at lululemon athletica Beverly Hills rocking goal setting, sweating once a day around town, helping everyone find those perfect-fitting groove pants and blogging about riding a bus in LA: SnobOnaBus.blogspot.com. She is building her own nonprofit, AuthenticPR, providing PR for any and all choosing to elevate the world to greatness. Email: jqcarr@lululemon.com.
Jeffrey and Jason Baietto (Yes, they’re brothers. Jason’s a chiropractor and Jeffrey has a masters in spiritual psychology.) The co-creators of The Innergizer, Complete Balance and the inspirational Innerwear clothing line, have pledged their support for Casa de Milagros, Mama Kia and the community of people impacted by this mission. Two calendars created in a joint project spearheaded by the Baietto Brothers will raise funds for Casa de Milagros. The Love Everyone 2010 calendar features photos submitted of people around the world wearing Innerwear while engaged in activities they loved doing as a child. The Yoga 2010 calendar is filled with Jasper Johal’s gorgeous photographs of many yogis known to people in the LA community. Just like Casa de Milagros, the images on these pages provide inspiration every day of the year. All proceeds support the work, making these stellar holiday gifts that give back on many levels. Find out more at: completebalance.com.
2010 For Casa De Milagros
By Jacki Carr
