Lillistones: Help social artist launch business!

After a life-altering event in 2010, Lilli Valencia embarked on a journey to inspire good thoughts and good deeds in her local community. Since that day, her movement to spread good has grown to inspire thousands. Her product, Lillistones, have made their way into the hands and homes of people throughout the world. Help Lilli Valencia grow her passion project into a business venture by donating today.

Lilli's story may be familiar to many but shared here for those of you that have not had the opportunity to meet her.

From time to time, you come across people in your life that you believe are extraordinary. They possess passion and drive to want to change the world. Such is the case with our dear friend, Lilli Valencia—known as a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a public speaker, an artist, and a sassy community crossing guard. A true ray of light in Los Gatos, California.

In 2010, Lilli's world was turned upside down. She hopped out of bed one summer morning a healthy and vibrant 43-year-old mother of two, only to find herself lying in bed that evening hooked up to machines in a hospital. Emergency caregivers suspected stress and anxiety were the culprits, as she was far too young for a serious life event, but fate had something else in store. What Lilli experienced that hot day in July was a Pontine stroke. A small blood clot had blocked the flow of blood to her brain. Lilli described the experience as the feeling of a circuit breaker popping in her head. It was not painful, but the event made her feel disassociated from her body, and her vision was “wonky”. In the ER, she lay quietly, alternating between moments of fascination and fear. It would be hours before she would be correctly diagnosed.

Recovery led Lilli down a challenging path that took years to navigate, but once she emerged from that journey, she felt as if her brain had been rewired. She had become acutely aware of her surroundings and their influences on her. She made a conscious decision to focus on only good things from that point forward. The words, "say good. do good. be good." grabbed a hold of her imagination and she knew she needed to do something with them.

One night while Lilli laid in bed, just about to drift off to sleep, ideas about what she was supposed to do next kept streaming in and out of her consciousness. Suddenly, an epiphany! In the quietness of the night, the answer came to her. She was supposed to combine her love of clay with her fascination of rocks and stamp each stone with the powerful phrase, “say good. do good. be good.” The stones would act as a vehicle for her to share her story and spread her message of goodness with the world. She closed her eyes and happily drifted off to sleep. Soon after, Lillistones were born.

A Lillistone is a touchstone, a trail marker, a catalyst, and a cornerstone that reminds us that we all have good within us — the capacity to choose to say, do, and be good. Each day, we have a choice of how we want to show up and share ourselves with the world. Offering a Lillistone to friends or strangers presents an opportunity to connect with people, to draw on your own unique good to build a bridge to others. Lillistones can also be hidden in the "wild" for someone to find. Lillistones are a fun and magical way to spread good in the world.

Over the last 10 years, Lilli has made roughly 5,000 stones. She's been inspiring community members at speaking events, sharing the enchanting powers of her stones in local shops, and connecting with children in local schools. At each event, attendees are given a Lillistone. Recipients are inspired to hide a stone for another to find, tuck a stone in their pocket to use as a touchstone, or gift a stone to another to make a connection. Stones have taken on a life of their own with sightings in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Croatia, Scotland, England, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Ukraine, Russia, UAE, India, Japan, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and while writing this post, Isreal.

Lilli is ready to inspire millions with her Lillistones and their message of "say good. do good. be good." It's a herculean effort, but with your help, she is eager to take on the challenge.

We invite you to join our crowdsourcing effort. Lilli is ready to ignite a wave of goodness in the world.

Money donated will:

• Produce two new inspirational and informational videos

• Create new programs and speaking opportunities

• Design a new global website

• Refresh Lillistones product and packaging

• Create new tools and products for tracking and sharing good deeds

• Consult with experts to establish the business

This holiday season, we encourage you to consider donating to Lilli and her Lillistones' business venture. Help her create a movement of love and compassion across the globe.

Thank you and happy holidays!

Deb Ross, Jen Lambert, Julie Still, Judy McCool, Kerry Tranduc, Stephanie Nelson, Varily Isaacs, Jen DeWinter and Jennifer Colson