It's no secret - Good Inspires Good - and at Project Wildness we want you to inspire some good today! A donation to a traditional nonprofit starts and finishes with the writing of a check. We believe your donation should only be the start of something much greater. When you donate to Project Wildness you are writing the first page of your donation story - a story that is only limited by your imagination. We ask that you tell us how to use your donation (buy someone a meal, honor a veteran, brighten a child's day, etc). The Project Wildness team then travels the country seeking out serendipitous situations that fit your request. When we find it (and we will) our team documents the story and shares it back with you through our website, social media, and video!
In a short walk down 6th Street, we brushed elbows with more tattooed, cooler than us 20-somethings than we’d seen since Portland, their hair perfectly unkempt and clothes just vintage enough. But just as prominent as the Austin hipster was a group of people just as noticeable but less advertised: Austin’s homeless.
On a hot Oklahoma City day, we found ourselves somberly sipping ice cold drinks waiting for a couple of burgers at The Garage Burgers and Beer. A better part of the morning was spent touring the former site of the Oklahoma City Bombing and current site of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. We weren’t sure exactly what to expect prior to the memorial and museum. With vague memories of news coverage in our minds faded by over two decades of life we entered the exhibits and traveled back in time to April 19, 1995; the time was 9:01 AM.
For a second, we could hardly believe Ray’s weathered hands had created such beautiful drawings. Primarily black pen drawings, they expressed an artistic ability very few possess. We flipped through his unfinished work in awe. Immediately we pulled out two and committed ourselves to buying them at any price. “You want that one?” Ray asked. “It’s not quite done, but I can finish it for you.”
At the checkout counter an incredibly friendly cashier asked which state we were from. “Minnesota,” we answered in unison. “Oh, I know another guy from Minnesota,” she replied. “He’s a friend of mine and owns the local board shop downtown. You guys should check it out.” Her name was Hilda, and she widened our eyes to yet another serendipitous moment for Project Wildness.
At 6:00AM on June 7th, U.S. Army SPC Ross Cameron attempted to turn a corner on a rainy Sunday morning only to miss the turn by less than a foot. His car caught a curb and rolled over a median, hitting two trees before landing upside-down in the opposite lane of traffic. His airbag deployed leaving behind a gruesome memory as he died of positional asphyxiation.
It was a Wednesday afternoon and Project Wildness was running into the first bad weather of the whole trip. Driving in and out of torrential downpours throughout the day created an ominous prediction of what our night would be like in the mountain forests of Wyoming. As we passed through Daniel Junction in southern Wyoming we noticed a man standing on the side of the road hitching in the rain. Nate turned to Shane and asked, “Should we pick him up?” Shane immediately responded, “Yes we have to give this guy a ride.”
That moment was one of the most special moments we’ve had along this trip. Kids flocked in and surrounded the cart walking away with their ice cream treat. Some held them in the air with smiles on their faces and showered Kian and Shane with thanks. There is no description for that feeling that comes with putting a smile on a child’s face.
Today we met a man from New Mexico named Andy while at a beach in Seaside, OR. We were just walking back to the car from the beach when we noticed a man sitting in the back of a mini-van with the side door slid open. He wore a U.S. Marines hat as he looked quietly toward the ocean.
At Project Wildness we believe your experience shouldn't end when you donate - it should be the start! The start of a great story written by you! When you donate to Project Wildness we ask that you tell us what to do with your donation. Honor a veteran? Brighten a child's day? Buy someone a meal? The options are only limited by your imagination. Our team travels the country seeking out serendipitous moments that fit your request. When that moment happens (and it will) we take action - documenting the story the entire time. Follow The Upbeat regularly to see your story post.
Do you ever catch yourself reading The Upbeat, thinking, "These Project Wildness stories are great! How can I do one?" Well, you are in the right place, because The Challenge is your chance to inspire good and share your story. Each week the team at Project Wildness will post a random act of kindness challenge on our social media and website. Our followers have one week to carry out the random act of kindness and share their story with Project Wildness. We will feature our favorite shared stories on our website and social media. Not that anyone needs a reward for doing good, but at the end of the year we will recognize participants in categories such as most successful challenges, most liked story, and the Team Wildness favorite. Good luck and remember - Good Inspires Good!
The nights are long, the days are cold, and everyone wants to stay in bed until summer arrives - so let's try to make the next few months a little brighter! Kindness comes in many forms and this week we want you to show your kindness by bringing a smile to someone's face.
It's not about the dollar value, but the value of your gesture. Life gives us a mountain of worries and negative things that cling to our thoughts day in and day out - why not give someone something positive to think about?
Our country is heavily divided on many issues and social media has become the medium for which both sides voice their beliefs. The ability to communicate and debate topics has never been greater than it is right now, but with that comes differing views and some extreme negativity and hatred.
For our first week we want to keep it simple. In the next 7 days we want you to take time to talk to a stranger. Ask them how they are doing and stick around to actually find out. It becomes very easy to glue our faces to our phones and avoid the outside world. This week, take the time to connect with another human - if only for a minute.
Updates
Updates
It’s a new year for us at Project Wildness and we have some exciting, new developments in the works! The summer of 2016 culminated with us covering another 15,000 miles across 32 states totaling 20 unique stories of kindness. Can 2017 top that? We think so!
It’s official, folks! Project Wildness is back on the road for another summer filled with random acts of kindness, travel, and adventure!
All of my aforementioned interests tie into my passion for social progress. I ardently stand for issues like LGBT+ equality, gender equality, and racial equality. To me, these issues are not about the politics– they’re about the people. I believe in building bridges and establishing ties. In order to accomplish either of these things in any circumstance, I believe that we need to educate each other, engage with each other, lead each other, and contribute our individual gifts to our causes.
Monday night we left Denver in search of even more wildness. Just before leaving we wrote up an ad in search of a videographer to follow this trip with hopes of turning the next month into a feature length documentary. As expected, Craigslist summoned the masses, and we received a great deal of emails, some promising and others laughable. A man named Keenan floated his way to the top with his vast travel and camera experience and an artistic side we knew would be a tremendous asset behind the lens.
As the last drops of sunlight faded behind an eastern mountain I climbed down and met Nate back at the car. As we stood by the car and took in the last moments of a dying day I turned to Nate and said, “I don’t know if I have ever lived in a moment as much as I have lived in this moment right now.” It was at that point that Nate expressed his reluctance to leave this all behind and we decided that this trip would not end, but only take a break.
We want to introduce everyone to our newest Project Wildness team members; Chloe and Kian Rowshani. Nate first met Chloe and her brother, Kian, while traveling in Central America. Kian was gracious enough to put us up in his place in San Francisco for a couple days while he and Chloe introduced us to the beautiful city.
We looked at each other with wide eyes and dropped jaws as LouAnne continued talking. Her voice seemed distant for a minute as we processed what we’d just heard. Nate shook his head in disbelief and his eyes welled up for a second. “Wait, your granddaughter was born with a congenital heart defect?” Nate asked.