Monday, April 19, 2010

Walking For A Cause

How was your weekend? Frank Marzullo Here...
Sunday evening I had a chance to spend time with a great group of people in the Gas Light District, at Aquarius Star Cafe, all to bring awareness for a wonderful cause. A gathering of 20 some got together over hummus and a chat with Johnathon Stalls and learn about his mission to raise awareness for a organization called Kiva. Johnathon is walking across the country on a journey that started March 1st in Delaware and will eventually end in California. Kiva is a organization that empowers individuals to loan money to entrepreneurs across the globe in poverty stricken areas. It works by combining microfinance with the internet. Microfinance is defined as a loan that empowers individuals in order to participate in their community. In short lets say someone loans 25 dollars, that money is then used and paid back, you can keep it in your account and it will continue to get recycled and paid back. It's a constant positive cycle that helps those in need and gives opportunity to those less fortunate. The value of Kiva loans has reached up to $131,840,735, and the great part is that the loan repayment rate is 98.56% .

A native of Denver Colorado, Johnathon and his dog Kanoa are traveling by foot with one back pack and along the way are meeting new friends, sometimes staying with host families, or pitching a tent in small towns across the country. He experienced Skyline, Graeters, and the landscape of our Queen City. He did a mix of the mint chip and carmel and gave it two thumbs up. Last night at the gathering we also experienced dancing in a drum circle at the Aquarius Star. I of course could not pass up the chance to grab a drum and tambourine. It was a awesome experience, I felt like a kid again. It was quite a site to see walking by the large picture window I loved the reaction of people watching us dance and play our musical instruments.

Johnathon and Kanoa are now on there way through Kentucky and Indiana and will continue to make there way west, you can follow his journey here at http://www.kivawalk.com/.

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