Civic Engagement: October 2008 Archives

At most recent Potluck Dinner at Peleg Top & Rick Hoyt's house in the hills of Silver Lake, I tasted my first Carrot Souffle. It had all the flavors of the Fall Harvest, sweet, with a hint of the soil that the carrots sprung from. I asked Peleg to introduce me to the talented chef, Ronna Jones. I expected to have to wrangle the recipe from Ronna, but she happily shared the recipe, which lead us to a conversation about giving, and she told me about how she joined the 29 Day Giving Challenge during a stressful period in her life. For her first day, she went to her mother's and cleaned the entire house, an act of love that brought her and her mother closer.

The Los Angeles-based 29 Day Giving Challenge was started by Cami Walker (pictured to the left) who left the world of advertising after it had become unfulfilling and because her struggle with Multiple Sclerosis made it imperative to change her life path. It is a simple challenge; for 29 days you give one gift a day, it could be anything from money, food, clothing to a kind word or thought.

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