Articles from our E-Update


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Fred's Blog: A Thanksgiving Irony
Leigh December 2, 2011

Fred's family.jpg "I think ironies make life interesting unless they become cause for cynicism. One of those ironies is our spending a full day of thanksgiving with our attention on gratitude and blessings, whole families volunteering to feeding the poor at the Salvation Army or a homeless shelter and, so far, the retail industry has not figured out a way to turn the focus to presents, cards and extravagance - other than food."

Read "A Thanksgiving Irony."

Dr. Sasha Vukelja, or "Dr.V" as she is affectionately known, is a cancer doctor. But that label doesn't even begin to describe her calling to heal, help and encourage those who have found this dreaded disease in their path. In fact, she likes to say that the "V" in her name stands for "Victory."

Dr. V and her husband, dermatologist Larry Anderson, are also prominent figures in their community, giving back in their time, talents and resources to make sure others can live the best lives possible.

Dr. V will be with us for The Gathering 2012 to give her testimony, including the story of how she and her mother took flight across Eastern Europe in a desperate attempt to escape communism and start a new life in Americ

Read more about Dr. V.

Read more about Sasha and Larry as the "2010 University of Texas Patriots of the Year."

If you would like to order a copy of Dr. V's books, please email us at The Gathering, and we would be delighted to help you.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Founding Pastor Tim Keller was one of several evangelical leaders to honor the life and legacy of Dr. John Stott at the U.S. Memorial recently in Wheaton, Ill. Stott passed away July 27 of this year, but his impact for the kingdom will last for eternity.

Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen is a lecturer focusing on strategic philanthropy at Stanford University. She also is the founder and chairman of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and the founder of SV2, the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund. And if that isn't enough, she is married to Netscape creator Marc Andreessen.

Laura wrote "Giving 2.0" based on the belief that "all you need to have to be a philanthropist is generosity." Melinda Gates, co-chair and trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said, "Giving 2.0 empowers everyone - from volunteers to donors to advocates - to get the most out of their giving and themselves."

Visit the Giving 2.0 website.

Read more about Laura's new book on "All Things Digital."

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Common Dreams In Haiti
Leigh December 2, 2011
Justin Dillon directed the documentary Call & Response, is the CEO for Slavery Footprints and is a musician in the band Tremolo. He is also a leading voice on the issue of modern day slavery.
Justin recently spent time in Haiti shooting footage for his documentary on the issue of Restavek. A French word meaning to "stay with," Restavek began with good intentions to educate children from rural villages. Unfortunately, many Restavek children (an estimated 300,000) today are forced to work long hours in other people's homes. Worse yet, many of these children are not even allowed to go to school.
The documentary, "Common Dreams," is a collaboration with Grammy-award winning musician Common and CNN. Celebrity photographer Steven Taylor also went to Haiti with Justin and Common, capturing another part of the story of these beautiful children.

Learn more about Call and Response.

*"Vogue" magazine is known for its cutting-edge fashion, not its commitment to causes - unless, of course the cause if backed by a well-dressed celeb.

 

In this case, that celebrity happens to be Tony award-winning and big screen star Hugh Jackman. Jackman loves coffee, and he loves World Vision, having served as a World Vision ambassador to Ethiopia back in 2009. His story of Laughing Man Coffee begins there, and it is a story well worth knowing.
Steve Haas, friend of The Gathering and "chief catalyst" of World Vision, wrote on his Facebook page, "Jackman is the real deal...so is the coffee...so is World Vision...so is the assistance to the hard-working farmer."