Help Support The Doug McNeil Family (Fight ALS)

Hello, Peeps ...

I have a huge favor to ask, and this is two-fold: one personal and one for a cause and person I believe in deeply. I just interviewed Jessica Eastland on a podcast I host, REAL Eyes Realize where the REAL stands for Ripple Effect Actualizing Love. Jessica and her family have been a very endearing and important part of my journey. If curious, you can listen to the most recent podcast here: https://www.realeyes.love/podcast/episode-08-riding-the-waves-of-uncertainty-with-grace-with-jessica-eastland

For many of you, you know one of my passions is taking groups of people on service-based retreats to developing countries and installing solar light kits that are made by children in the Silicon Valley and given to kids and families who live off the grid, with no electricity. To date, I have been involved in installation trips to Malawi, Africa, Collado, Nicaragua, Osa, Costa Rica, Ladakh, India and we're planning one in Cusco, Peru soon. These trips are amazing. I met the founder of this lighting organization, Lighting for Literacy , Doug McNeil, in the most synchronistic way, and he literally swept me and our groups under his wing of mentorship, service, and love.

Doug is battling ALS and has been since 2016 and I have recently come to realize how much the family is fronting on their own. All the home care, nurses around the clock 24x7, equipment - very minimally covered by insurance. They are givers and a "service-above self" family, so the last place you'll ever hear about need is from them. I went to a recent fundraising event called "A Day for Doug" where we celebrated Doug's birthday (he was on Zoom with his wife, as he cannot be out in public right now since his immune system is greatly compromised with ALS). It was incredible to feel so close to him and his family again. I also learned more about their need for financial support.

I also felt awful because our finances are such that we can't donate any sizable amount to them and it tears me up inside. Doug would be the first person to give handsomely to others. I also had decided to stop publishing the podcast this month because the operating costs are too expensive for me without sufficient income coming in (COVID has hit my self-employed bank account and business hard!). I hate it when passions from the heart fall upon hard times due to funding challenges.

So, I decided to put this request out to all of you ...

I'm asking for $10,000 as an annual operating budget to keep the REAL Eyes Realize podcast and website running. I'm happy to do the work, and yet I realize, I need help. A lot of resources to help with promotion and keeping this machine running. After that, any and every last penny raised will go to Doug McNeil and his family to help with their operating costs. I'm asking for another $10,000. Let's see what we can do!!!