Wishadoo!

The New Wishadoo!

2010-07-17T03:27:00.000-07:00

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

Indeed, how wonderful it is that there are more and more ways to help improve the world. Wishadoo! is one such way; an easy-to-use, comprehensive way to connect to create a better world.

Wishadoo! is a free service providing ONE place to reach out and connect directly.

Everyone has a dream , hope or need. Everyone has something to offer another person in need. We ask you to join the new site and then go to the Wishlist and post one or more of the above.

Challenge yourself to: ASK. OFFER. DREAM. BELIEVE.....

Please share this message with others and ask them to also join Wishadoo! and post in The Wishlist. Ask them to:

ASK. OFFER. DREAM. BELIEVE.....

The more who gather, the better the chances of connecting to fulfill needs and wishes.

Watch and share our video, join our Facebook Page, and JOIN US at Wishadoo!

We look forward to seeing you there!

An Invitation to Wishadoo!

2010-06-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

The Wishadoo! Vision

2010-01-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

Wishadoo is a free service to connect people directly – all people — empowering citizens, easing the daily struggle and enriching lives, and in the process creating more compassionate, caring communities. Wishadoo! is where people discover they are part of something bigger than themselves as we all work together to create a New Way.

This New Way will be achieved via Wishadoo! online and “real world” local communities where people connect directly, sharing needs and wishes, and helping to grant others’ needs and wishes. The Wishadoo! Communities are developed one person at a time, growing to include families, schools, organizations, and businesses, all working together to improve daily life for everyone in their own “backyard.” As each backyard grows and strengthens, the Wishadoo! Effect expands and radiates beyond geographic boundaries ~ there are no limits ~ creating a new way…a new world…thinking, wishing, doing, and creating outside the box.

Wishadoo! is a social visionary enterprise committed to and infused with the core values of integrity, respect, and compassion. The intent is to be self-sustaining and to eventually create jobs and income opportunities for others through a cooperative model.

What Wishadoo! offers is a bridge to create this new way. We invite you to take a step toward active compassion…step into a new world…and welcome to Wishadoo!

Rising from the Ashes (Spirit of Wishadoo)

2010-01-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

Within the next few days, we will be back to post more, explaining how this story ties in with Wishadoo.

Indeed, this process of coming together as related to this tragedy, is Wishadoo In Action.

For now, this post is fully focused on Dan's story and one way you can help -- how you can "Chip In." (see widget below)

As many of you may already know, Dan and his son barely escaped a fire at their complex in the early morning of 12/28/09 while they slept. They literally came away with the pajamas they were wearing. Here is a news link, detailing the event:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/fire/early-morning-fire-strikes-palm-harbor-apartments/1061620

"They ran to the safety of a neighboring apartment building. Behind them, everything else was consumed by the flames, including fish, a turtle, a rabbit, and his dog, Daisy."

While they are grateful to be alive and safe, this tragedy is more than most of us can imagine; they lost so much...their beloved Daisy...and they are truly having to rebuild their lives from scratch. As Dan says, "one hour at a time."

Were it not for Dan's immediate family (many of you know Steph/Rain, his mom), they would be on the streets. The safety nets just aren't in place in our society as they should be, so we must help one another.

They all know they are blessed, yet this is a very, very difficult path they are walking. A path most of us can't imagine. There but for the grace of God....

Please contribute what you can -- even $5 adds up when others join to do the same -- to help them in this process of rebuilding. This is a family who has given to others...to their family,friends and their community throughout their lives. It's time to help them. Please join me in doing so.

I can already tell you that the simple act you of taking the time to read this means the world to them all. :)

You can email Steph directly: rainspirite1@gmail.com

Here is a direct link to the Chip In page for Dan if the following widget doesn't work for you: http://onevoicerising.chipin.com/dan-scharaldi

Please note that you can copy this widget into your own blogs, websites and Facebook pages to spread the word. :)

2009-10-31T16:52:00.001-07:00

The Wishadoo! Challenge - It's Finally Time!

2009-03-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

The only true gift is a portion of thyself. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are delighted to announce the full launch of Wishadoo! -- a place where people can connect in a New Way, a way based in integrity, responsibility and compassion; a place created to fill a void, to show that we're not alone and to encourage direct interaction; a place that creates a full circle of giving, receiving, and paying it forward.

In a nutshell, Wishadoo has been described as the "Craigslist of Compassion." It's where you can share your heartfelt, lifelong wishes that seem out of reach, as well as urgent daily needs of survival. Many of us have been conditioned to not ask for anything and to be embarrassed that we are in need, let alone have the audacity to ask for help making a dream come true. Our hope is that Wishadoo will change that.

We're asking you -- we're challenging you -- to start somewhere. Post your needs, wishes and offerings. Put it out there. Enable others to act as human angels, and empower yourself to do the same for others in ways you never could have imagined. (no personal ads, please. ;) )

A kind word, hug, $5, or 30 minutes of your time can be a grand gesture which can change the course of someone's life. And yours. We believe you'll find the simple act of sharing, even anonymously, can be profoundly liberating.

There is no judgment, no expectation, no requirements to 'qualify.' We simply ask for respect, for oneself and others. If you enter with an open heart, with positive intention and no expectation, you have nothing to lose.

When we learn to ask for help – and then graciously receive it, and if possible pay it forward – so much can change. It could create this New Way. Wishadoo is part of this New Way, which is about taking responsibility for ourselves and others; forming real communities again; learning that it's okay to ask for help; learning that it's okay to give.

We offer this well-meaning challenge to step outside of your comfort zone and post your dreams and needs. We're inviting as many people as possible who resonate with Wishadoo!, asking you to help us by doing the following:

· Register at Wishadoo! (it's free, no requirement or commitment), which provides more opportunities for wishes and needs to be fulfilled and helps the Wishadoo! Community grow, online and in the real world. We have big dreams but will take it one step at a time.

· Forward this message to your contacts; insert a link to the site in your blog or website; put it on Facebook and other networks; share it with co-workers, church members, school contacts, organizations, and neighbors (how many even know our neighbors' names these days? Wishadoo can be your excuse to meet them).

· Once registered, check out the Wish List at the Main Site, and our Wishadoo! Community where you can join groups (feel free to suggestion new ones) and discussions, create a blog, and customize the "my page" area to promote your business, organizations, or simply share about yourself. We can create customized Wishadoo! Community groups for organizations, schools and workplaces, each being one piece of the Wishadoo puzzle.

· This is as grassroots as you can get; this is the creation stage, and we're simply there to provide the space and help it grow to be what can help as many people as possible

Again, we invite everyone to the Main Site, and to please join the Community Forum. As you'll see, we've entered into Google's Project 10 to the 100th, so the more members, the better chance we have of getting noticed! We're aiming for 144,000!

We're all creating it together now, and we'd be honored for you to join us!

Beyond The Holiday Spirit

2009-01-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

Each year from mid-November through January, stories of kindness pour forth, as people take time to see how they may help another in need during what is supposed to be the festive season. These acts of often simple yet life-changing generosity are unforgettable for those involved, and they never fail to impact others who hear of them, inspiring and warming our hearts.

Sadly, the occurrence of such acts diminishes as soon as the holiday decor is tucked away for another year.

Please read the two stories below, two more examples of Wishadoo In Action. They are perfect examples of the direct connections and compassion, of the giving and receiving to take place via the bridge, the gateway that is Wishadoo. As you read, see how a simple act can change lives...how one simple act can multiply to become a movement.

The essence of the holiday spirit lives on at Wishadoo 365 days a year. It has been called "the Craigslist of Compassion." Wishadoo is the one place to reach out and help another when Season of Goodwill has dissipated, when the credit card statements from December have arrived, when the heating bills are at their peak, when the filing of taxes looms.

Connecting with one another -- giving, receiving, and paying it forward, with gratitude and grace...no expectation -- is what Wishadoo is all about. Please contact us to get on our mailing list to be one of the first to know when Wishadoo officially launches, and feel free to join the Wishadoo Community.

Wishing you and yours a joyous, compassionate and rewarding new year.

* * * * *

Elf Louise

Inspiration struck about five days before Christmas 1969, when Locker, on break from her junior year at Trinity, watched an episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in which the host did a segment reading kids' letters to Santa.

"It came to me in a flash. This is how I could give my dolls away," Locker, 59, said. "I thought, 'What if I could find a little girl who maybe never had a doll?' I just knew I'd find some little girl.

"There was no plan — it seemed whimsical at the time, but looking back on it, it was powerful."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/holidays/36551219.html

A Full Holiday Table

An impromptu open invitation to Thanksgiving dinner yielded dozens of replies. "... People laid off work. People with no family. People ashamed to bring their children to a charity Thanksgiving dinner at a soup kitchen."

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_11079316

The Good Samaritan in a Station Wagon

2008-12-04T04:34:00.000-08:00

There are silent heroes, angels, good Samaritans...whatever you would like to call them...out there. Not only do they perform heroic deeds, they provide hope with the simplest acts; they let others know they're not alone.

In this knowledge that we are not alone, we can move forward, and help another as we lift ourselves.

This is Wishadoo. This is the New Way that we shall see more and more in these challenging times. Wishadoo is where we can all come together.

Very soon, we shall invite you to Be The Missing Piece. We can't wait!

Until then, we hope you are inspired by another story of Wishadoo in Action:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/12/assignment_america/main4446290.shtml

The Dance of Gratitude

2008-11-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

“Let's be grateful for those who give us happiness; they are the charming gardeners who make our soul bloom.” -Marcel Proust

We have been in search of "good news" stories to share here, and in the process stumbled upon this delightful video to share. We hope it brightens your day.

"So many people in the world today are too focused on what's missing in their lives," observe the two young men from Victoria, Canada, who introduce--and helped produce--this video. "And when you focus on what's missing, you miss the many amazing things that are already there." Their solution? Some shimmying with a twist. Check out the Gratitude Dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NeMC1Fl3J0

Here is what we ask of you today: Think of what you're grateful for, in this very moment. There is always something to be grateful for, no matter how seemingly trivial it may appear in the scheme of things.

Hold on to that feeling...the feeling inspired by what, or who, you are grateful for. Then do the Gratitude Dance.

If you can't move your legs, dance with your arms. If you can't move your torso, dance with your mouth and eyes. If you are physically unable to dance with your body, then dance with your heart….that's where the root of gratitude resides.

When one is aware of gratitude, they can then open to kindness…to give and receive. That is the next step, and the next message here at Wishadoo.

And remember: “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.” –Buddha

Another Example of Wishadoo In Action

2008-11-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

As we continue to work on creating the "big" website, we want to share another story of Wishadoo In Action.

Brendon Foster is only 11 years old, but his time to die has come. No more chemo, just comfort medications. In these last days of his life, while returning from a clinic appointment, he saw a "tent city" of homeless, and he wanted to make a difference.

What a beautiful soul, what a beautiful gesture. One human being to another...one step at a time.

Please watch Brendon and see the difference this child is making in the lives of others.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2008/11/09/jaffey.wa.last.wish.komo

Wishadoo! In Action

2008-10-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about the "Foreclosure Angel"?

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/SmartHome/story?id=6118522

Click the link above to read the story of how one woman's generosity and compassion created a miracle for a soul in need. Or, watch a video of this story here:

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2008/10/26/diaz.tx.foreclosure.angel.wfaa

This is an extraordinary example of Wishadoo In Action.

However, please remember: sometimes a kind word or the gifting of an unused item in your closet or offering $5 or providing one hour of your time can be an extroardinary act to change the course of someone's life.

And yours.

It's about a hand up, not a hand out. It's about tapping into the best of humanity.

It's about you. You are a missing piece of the puzzle.

This is the First Step for Wishadoo! :)

2008-10-28T10:28:00.001-07:00

As we wade through the technicalities of launching the official website at www.wishadoo.net, we welcome you to this space...the first space for us to gather and start creating the Wishadoo! Communities, where you will find how you can be part of the puzzle coming together in your community ~ online and in the "real" world.

At Wishadoo every single person can choose to Be The Missing Piece, connecting DIRECTLY, human to human.

Support, encouragement, and a hand up to ALL is found here, including those who are not used to asking for a helping hand ~ and don't know where to begin to ask ~ or receiving it when it is offered, as well as people who feel they have nothing to offer. Wishadoo opens a world of giving and receiving, making us all the givers and receivers.

Wishadoo provides the space to meet a neighbor: the single mom who cannot pay her electric bill; an elderly gentleman who unexpectedly has no transportation to his doctor’s appointment; a child asking for people to send his dad get-well cards at Walter Reed Hospital; the teacher who has written a book but can’t afford to pay an illustrator and is seeking help to bring this dream to life.

Wishadoo can also simply be a place to reach out and hold someone's hand ~ or provide a helping hand ~ locally or across the country. We are a network of individuals and will grow to invite businesses, organizations and schools to partner with their community, flourishing and manifesting dreams for those who had lost hope.

Wishadoo is about reaching out, receiving, and paying it forward, done with dignity, grace and personal responsibility, and with an open heart.

Welcome...you have found a new home, and we are profoundly grateful you have joined us. It's time to start creating this new world together. :)