We are always honored when we get enthusiastic emails of support.One volunteer’s story touched many of us at Embrace. He wanted to help other babies that faced similar circumstances as himself, and threw an amazing fundraiser for Embrace in Mission Viejo, CA. We are proud that he will be attending the University of California, Berkeley (my alma mater!) this fall.Congrats Paras!!
Paras shares his story below.
It began with an idea. A simple desire to effect a change, to forge an impact, to embrace the problem and create a solution. As I sat in front of the television, the first fragments came to me—and over the course of six months—those fragments materialized into an event larger than anything I could have dreamed up. The program was an ABC 20/20 special “Be the Change Save a Life” and it spoke of the plethora of problems faced by millions of people on every continent and every nation, then presented innovative solutions to these problems. The story that truly hit home for me was a tale of hope via Embrace for thousands of premature babies born every year across the globe. They often die within their first few months of life simply because they are too small to keep themselves warm.
I had an instant connection to the vital work that the Embrace team is doing. You see, I was born three months premature, weighing one pound, six ounces. I remained in the hospital for 110 days and am now legally blind as a result. I cannot imagine the plethora of emotions my parents felt at my birth. In Sanskrit, Paras means “Remover of Obstacles.” Unsure if I would live or die, they had faith that I could overcome. Time and time again, I have proven doctors wrong and accomplished what they said would be impossible. The doctors told my parents I had little to no chance at a “normal’ life. They told my father when I was a kid that I would never ride a bike. My father, determined that his son could do anything in life, bought me an apple-red bicycle. Three months later, I rode that bike around my neighborhood.
I contacted Embrace and reached out to my local city community and school, and within three months, we knew we had something special. I assembled a team and together we began to brainstorm ideas for an event, “Embrace the Talent”. The event would be a comedy night and talent show, which would highlight acts from the local area. Throughout the successive three months we gathered numerous acts, and gained sponsorships from various companies. On Monday June 27th 2011, the fruits of our labor were visible as over 150 people, including the mayor, gathered in the local Community Center to enjoy the event. In total, “Embrace the Talent” raised $3,029.10 all of which will go directly to saving the lives of premature infants.
As I look forward to the next four years at the UC Berkeley, I am reminded of what Robert Kennedy once said, “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” That is advice I will certainly embrace, as I continue to live my life in the spirit of service.
Posted by Ana Manzur-Allan
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:00:00 GMT
You may not know us, and let’s be honest, you probably don’t, but we’re raising money for Embrace in what is arguably the LEAST conventional way possible: Three intrepid, or possibly very foolish, adventurers, Travis Senor, Justin Pendergrass, and Adam O’Sullivan, are undertaking a rally across the width of Northern India and Nepal: approximately 2,300 miles over 16 days…in a tuk-tuk.
If you’re not familiar with a tuk-tuk, it’s a 3-wheeled, 7 (yes seven!), horsepower beast of locomotion with a top speed of 35mph and is usually reserved for taxiing people around crowded cities in Southeast Asia. But us? We’re taking this lovely little motorized tricycle off-road; through the jungles, mountains, and deserts of the Indian subcontinent.
And we’re doing this for charity. Yes, we love the thrill of adventure and the idea of testing ourselves against supremely harsh conditions, (which we expect in this case will have a lot to do with traffic and trying not to get run over…oh yeah, and the water), but to undertake a journey such as this for those reasons alone might sound needlessly foolhardy.
So we’ve set our sights on helping Embrace. To be perfectly honest, prior to last Christmas none of us were familiar with the organization. One of our friends tipped us off to it during a cold night on the DC metro (after seeing a special on ABC News’ "Be the Change: Save a Life" initiative http://abc.go.com/watch/2020-/SH559026/VD55102823/2020-1217-world-health) and after doing some quick research we quickly realized that this was a project warranting substantial support; something we could really get behind.
Some of us have seen firsthand the effects of premature or underweight births, and it’s not a stretch to imagine how those effects are compounded due to conditions in the developing world, particularly where incubators are scarce. It’s not pleasant, and certainly isn’t a condition a Westerner would still believe exists in the 21st century, but it is still there. And it’s heartbreaking. The preservation of human life, especially in its most fragile state, is something worth going to great lengths to achieve.
The people at Embrace are trying to give lives a chance, lives whose impact on the world would never be known if they were not given the help to survive through the delicate period of infancy. No child should ever be resigned to a life of disability or disadvantage when the resources and the skills are available to prevent it. It is our duty to help those who are most in need of it, and this is what the team at Embrace is trying to do. And while we on the tuk-tuk don’t know a damn thing about human physiology, or how to build an incubator, we can help those who do. And that is why we’re raising money for Embrace, why we’re taking the great risks to do our part in helping save the world.
So by now though, you’re probably wondering how the lot of us even found out about such a crazy adventure in the first place. Well, we’ll tell you!
Roughly five years ago, the three of us were sitting around in a gym, ostensibly exercising (but mostly talking about video games), when Justin mentioned this crazy adventure he heard about online. It was called the Rickshaw Run.
After a brief explanation of the rudiments of the enterprise, any question of us having to do this was answered. It was supremely crazy, highly adventurous, and quite dangerous, everything we possibly wanted in a jaunt overseas. We immediately made an agreement to tackle this thing before we all turned 30. All of us being close in age, we had a pretty good time-window to work with. After a few years of graduate school, moving around, and finding jobs, conditions finally came together that made the Rickshaw Run possible.
We started seriously making plans in late 2009 to sign up for the next available Run. After some discussion of logistics, it was decided that the autumn 2011 event was our best possible shot. And so we took it.
But why? Why take the risk? Why absorb the expense? Why take on all of the stress associated with even the logistics of the thing?
For us, adventuring is still about discovery. Yes, while the blank spots on the map have long since been filled in and strange and exotic locations are vicariously accessible via the Internet, there is still no substitute for being there yourself, in a completely alien environment, and seeing if you can hack it. These undertakings are about personal discovery. While these parts of the world are ‘known’ writ large, they are unknown to us, and we have no idea how we will react to them. That is the challenge and the beauty inherent in efforts like these. It’s about finding something deep within yourself that you may have never known was there. Sometimes it may be rewarding and great, and sometimes you might not like what you find, but for us we would rather face that chance than live without knowing.
And so here we are, three young men strapping themselves to a glorified lawnmower for the love of wild adventure, and doing our bit to try and save the world. With enough people like us and the folks at Embrace out there, we think we can do it.
When buying baby shower gifts, or for any holiday for that matter, I always ask sales associates if they know of any products that give back or donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. Surprisingly, the answer is always ‘No’. We’ve decided to put together a list of baby products that give back…to different organizations including Embrace! So hereare some of Embrace’s favorite products –
Our exciting and first corporate partner, Million Dollar Baby (MDB)has committed to helping Embrace because children are their priority. But many children around the world are less fortunate. Some precious babies might never have a proper place to sleep, much less a safe and stylish nursery. This is why MDB has committed to giving back – back to the children of the Embrace. Partnering with Embrace allows MDB to support an organization that touches infant’s lives but also families and communities around the world.
One of the many ways Million Dollar Baby has shown its support for Embrace is through the development of their Snuggle Wrap. A modern day swaddle blanket that was inspired by the actual Embrace warmer. Even more exciting is that for the entire month of July, MDB has offered an exciting promotion for Embrace readers only that provides 20% off the Snuggle Wrap. Just use promotion code EMBRACEBABY at check out.
MDB has contributed a generous $10,000 donation and are also donating a portion of the proceeds from their Babyletto line to Embrace. MDB has two new stylish products – The Nara and Kyoto Gliders. Both are modern versions of a rocking chair, sleek and simple. Both are made of a water-repellent and stain-resistant microsuede, perfect around babies, and are detailed with a hand-sewn piping accent with a solid wood base. Beautiful furniture that gives back.
Saffron Press has debuted their next book, Dreams of Hope. Inspired by global mantras of peace, the book takes a father and his daughter on a dream journey that explores the beauty of the world. The book teaches children the importance of acceptance through teaching the word ‘goodnight’ in multiple languages, showcasing a travel guide of world peace monuments, and also includes a keepsake feature page to record dreams of hope for children. A portion of its proceeds benefits Embrace.
Skip Hop’s products are ridiculously adorable. They have matching animal toys, and bathtime and mealtime friends that are great for children’s gifts. Check out the backpacks that are BPA and PVC free, particularly the cutest Bee, Penguin, and Owl designs. A portion of its sales benefits charities that give back to parents and children including the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Baby Buggy, and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
Lastly, Toms shoes. A pioneer in the buy one, give one space, Toms shoes are super comfortable, come in practically any color, are affordable, AND for every pair you purchase, Toms will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Since 2006, Toms has given over 150,000 pairs of shoes to children around the world. Its new faux lace up and nautical inspired shoes are cute enough to buy on their own, but I can also help buy shoes for a child too. Similar to Saffron’s Dreams of Hope book, Toms aims to inspire a generation that will grow up with the idea of giving and philanthropy as a standard in their livelihood.
And we’re doing this for charity. Yes, we love the thrill of adventure and the idea of testing ourselves against supremely harsh conditions, (which we expect in this case will have a lot to do with traffic and trying not to get run over…oh yeah, and the water), but to undertake a journey such as this for those reasons alone might sound needlessly foolhardy. 
