Amaru, Peru Festival and Fundraiser

Hey everyone!

We are excited for our upcoming expedition to Amaru, Peru this August!  Everyone here is anxiously preparing and getting ready to travel to Amaru and create a meaningful affect on the lives of others.  As another part of our preparation for Peru, we are announcing our Amaru Festival and Fundraiser to support our expedition.  This next Saturday, June 29th from 4:00-9:00pm, the Rindlesbachs have graciously opened their yard to host an evening of music, culture, and food, all for the benefit of supporting costs associated with the expedition.  Come and enjoy the following:

Live music from local bands
Authentic Peruvian delicacies
Artisan and crafts market
Chances to win giveaways
Meet the team leaders and learn more about the trip

We would love to have you come to our festival and fundraiser and support our future goals and initiatives with expeditions.  Your support for us is what keeps our vision of humanitarianism alive, and allows us to facilitate our missions abroad.  We humbly ask for your support with this current endeavor.  Current expense needs are funding for in country expenses and construction projects of a greenhouse and a production center.

Tickets may be purchased online on our homepage, or though ascend.webconnex.com/amaruaugust2013

Event Details:

Saturday, June 29th
4:00 - 9:00 PM
2489 E Haven Ln, Holladay UT

Tickets:
$15 in advance
$18 at door
$10 kids 14 and younger

We Are Pleased to Introduce Hunter Frederiksen - One of our Phenomenal Interns

My name is Hunter Frederiksen and I’m an intern at Ascend Alliance. I will be going on both expeditions to Peru in the summer and I’m incredibly excited. My incentive to work as an intern for Ascend rooted for my desire to go on a humanitarian expedition outside of the country. I wanted to become less philistine by experiencing other cultures first hand. It’s important to experience life in different perspectives, and I’m hoping this expedition will allow me to become more open-minded about different lifestyles. We are hosting an open house on Friday, May 24 at the Ascend Headquarters if you want to come and learn about the Amaru, Peru expedition we are going on in August. It should be a lot of fun as we will discuss the actual project in Amaru, how to fund for the trip, and enjoy some delicious, authentic Peruvian food. I’m super excited for the expedition in the summer because it’s an opportunity for me to give service and develop my character. I have only been out of the country one time and I’ve never been to South America. The expedition will dramatically improve my Spanish. I have been taking Spanish in school for about five years and I have desired an opportunity to use the language in a setting outside of the classroom.

I have been an intern since January of 2013 and was originally placed as the committee leader of volunteers for Ascend’s Gala. I learned a tremendous amount about leadership, organization, and my individual capabilities. This upcoming expedition is exciting as it will take the skills I learned from the Gala and manifest them into a foreign country where I will complete service. Leading up to the actual expedition, I will be helping to organize and set up the expedition. I highly recommend signing up as an intern as it will positively impact your character by making you a more efficient leader.

I am a Junior at Skyline High School and am actively enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program. One of the requirements for the program involves completing a certain amount of service hours. Expeditions are a great way to increase your service hours for school or for fun; They are also very impressive for your college applications if you are in high school. If you can’t go on an expedition, internships at the Ascend office are a great way to learn key elements to how non-profits organizations work, such as marketing methods. The experience you learn as an intern will dramatically help you in your future career.

Follow me through my journey as an intern working on expeditions. I will post commentary on the process of organizing the expedition and will track the actual expedition with pictures and videos. I can’t wait for the expedition!

Viviendo entre dos Culturas - Una serie escrita por Ashley Patino

Hay una cita que dice: “A veces te encuentras en medio de la nada, y a veces, en medio de la nada te encuentras a ti mismo”.

Mi en medio de la nada, donde yo aprendí más a cerca de mí misma, fue un pueblo llamado Olmos.  Este pequeño en medio de la nada está ubicado en Argentina, que es donde yo empecé a sentir amor por la gente Latina y su cultura.  A veces siento que dejé mi corazón allá, un lugar al que amo y que también me ama. La gente de allá realmente influenció, y me hizo ser más humanitaria en mi vida diaria, tengo el deseo de prestar servicio en su favor. Es asombroso encontrar personas y sentir que las conoces desde siempre, ellos me ayudaron a encontrar el balance que necesitaba en mi vida. No se trata de lo que tienes, sino de lo que puedes compartir con ellos, es una actividad que ya no hago, pero me gustaría seguir intentándolo. Has estado en una habitación y has podido sentir cuánto te aman y  qué emocionados se sienten de verte? Hace mucho que no me he sentido así. Adoro regresar a Perú, porque al saludarlos me abrazan, me besan, y festejamos.  Cuando pienso en regresar a Olmos, puedo imaginar a la gente corriendo en la calle y gritando  Herman Bach! Hermana Bach, regresó, No puedo esperar!  Quiero dedicarles mi mensaje y compartir las razones por las que me inspira a vivir y servir en la cultura Latina.

·         LA FAMILIA ES TODO

Usualmente pienso que familia es solo mi familia personal, nunca antes había experimentado otra clase de acercamiento con alguien más. La gente de Olmos me enseñó a aceptar a otras personas en mi vida, como familia.  Ellos me cuidaron, y me dejaron ser yo misma. El primer Domingo que llegué a Argentina, conocí a la Hermana María, Ella me cuidó, me escribió, quería enviarme regalos, incluso me visitaba si yo necesitaba ayuda.  Ahora cuando hablamos es como si el tiempo no hubiera pasado, y puedo escuchar en su tuno de voz, el amor que me tiene, eso me inspira. En Español lo llamamos “Cariño”. Espero un día tener la misma fe y amor que ella tiene.  Te amo María!

·         SEGUNDO, LA VIDA ES UNA FIESTA, DONDE SIEMPRE DEBE HABER COMIDA

Nunca me he reunido con alguien o estado en alguna casa, que no incluyan comida y música, adoro esa tradición.  Ellos te alimentan incluso cuando ellos no tienen nada, te invitan aunque no haya suficiente, eso me enseñó que no hay que vivir en escasez sino en abundancia. Otra tradición que me ha inspirado, es que ellos nunca dejan a nadie afuera, cuando alguien llega a casa a la hora de la comida, siempre lo van a invitar, si están jugando, lo invitan a jugar con ellos, o si están bailando también lo hacen bailar. Maravilloso!

·         LA ULTIMA TRADICION QUE ME HA INSPERADO ES LA FORMA DE DAR LA BIENVENIDA

Cuando entras a alguna habitación, cada persona que está ahí, saluda con un abrazo y un beso, reconocen tu presencia, y al despedirse ellos lo hacen con cada uno también, construyendo confianza y cercanía, cosa que yo realmente disfruté.

No mucho de mi esposo y yo esta semana, pero quise compartir las experiencias que me ayudaron a encontrarme a mí misma. Vivo para amar, para inspirar, para tener esperanza, y servir a otros, todo por ti Olmos. Mi en medio de la nada, mi refugio.  Besos.

Hasta pronto.

 chao chao

Ashley.

Living Life in Two Cultures - A Series by Ashley Patino

There is a great quote that says, 

"sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself." 

My middle of nowhere, where I learned the most about myself is a little town called Olmos. This little nowhere in Argentina is where I fell in love with the Latin people and  culture. Some days I feel like I left my heart there, a place that I loved and loved me back. The people really influenced me in wanting to become more of a humanitarian in my life and every day I  still want to serve for them. It's amazing how you can meet people and feel like you have known them your whole life. They helped me realize the balance that I needed in my life, and had longed for such long time.  It's not about what you have but, who you share it with.  I still am not great at it in my personal life, but I know what it feels like and I want to keep trying.  Have you ever walked in a room and could feel how  much everyone loved you and how excited they are to see you?.  It's been awhile since I have felt that way.  I love returning to Peru, because I know when I walk in everyone will hug and kiss me, and we will celebrate.  When I return to Olmos I can see it in my head now. Everyone  running onto the street yelling Hermana Bach! Hermana Bach is back! I can't wait!  I want to dedicate my blog post to them and share some reasons on why living and serving within the Latin culture is inspiring.

·         IT'S ALL ABOUT FAMILY

I used to think family was just my personal family. I haven't ever experienced that kind of closeness with anyone else before, or enough to say they are my family.  Olmos taught me how to be open and learn to let others into my life, just like family. They took care of me, and let me be myself.  The first Sunday I arrived in Argentina I met my sister Maria.  She took care of me, wrote to me, would send me presents, and even would come visit me when I needed support.  Even now when we talk it's like no time has passed and I can hear in her tone a love for me that inspires me.  In Spanish the word is called  "Carino". One day I hope I am as faithful, and loving as she is. Love you Maria!

 Maria and my family!

SECOND THAT LIFE IS A PARTY, THAT SHOULD ALWAYS INCLUDE FOOD

I've never been to someone's house, party or gathering of some sort that didn't include food and music! I love that tradition.  They will feed you, even if they have nothing.  They will invite you, even if there isn't enough.  It taught me that it isn't about living life in scarcity, but living life in abundance. Another tradition that has inspired me, is they never leave anyone out.  If you walk in and we are eating, they will always invite you.  If we are playing a game, they will have you join in.  If were dancing, they will get you dancing too! Amazing.

Their first time at Mcdonalds!

·   And last tradition that has been inspiring to me, is the way they greet you.

When you walk into the room everyone will greet you and give you a hug or kiss. They acknowledge your presence, and even when you leave, you will say goodbye to each person.  It builds a confidence and a closeness, that I have really enjoyed. 

So not much this week about my husband and I, but wanted to share my experience that really helped to find myself . I live to love, to inspire, to hope, and to serve all because of you Olmos.  My middle of nowhere, my safe haven.  Besos

Hasta pronto,

Chau chau

Ashley

Introducing Halen Seevinck The Winner of Our Expedition Giveaway

We want to introduce you to someone really special! Her name is Halen Seevinck, and she is a REALLY lucky girl :)

Halen attended our winter Sundance Eco-Hideaway Brunch, where we gave away an expedition for two. But enough from our perspective, let's learn more from her!

"Hold on - let's see who wins! I have really good luck..." And those were my famous last words before I heard my name, or a version of my name, called out over the loud speakers. And here I am now, planning out a trip to Peru with Ascend Humanitarian! I can't wait to experience a humanitarian service project with the fine folks at Ascend, my husband and the Peruvian community we'll be working with this summer.

I've been a part of a non-profit for the last few years, and have been privileged to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo to visit our program headquarters and meet the people I raised money for. It was an incredible experience and my heart still swells when I think about the good things happening out in the community we've been working with. However, as a project coordinator, I was definitely in work mode. I'm really excited to work with Ascend on this trip and to experience it without the to-do list of what needs to be followed up on, or how to communicate the project to donors, or keeping track of all of my foreign currency, which I inevitably lost. I almost wrote that I wanted a trip with 'no strings attached' but aside from the coordination details that I'm happy to leave behind, I know it's not possible to invest in a community with a group of likeminded people and not get attached.

And to be honest, I want to be moved by a mission. I want to be reminded of the good in humanity and that we all have the same baseline needs. I want to have the same teary response and fierce devotion to a country after visiting it, and loving its people, and playing in its dirt.

There's something about humanitarian travel that overwhelms your system and starts pumping new blood through your veins. It grows your heart and your dreams to believe in greater connectivity and goodness. Adventure and mishap tinge your memories into bravery and laughter.  And I hope after this trip to Peru with Ascend, my heart beats faster for doing good, and the subsequent process of 'getting good'.

So there's my heart dump. The next post will be more practical and involve things about wet wipes and medicine and what to do about missing green cards in the mail, or something...

Until then, your excited traveler and thankful trip-winner,

Halen Seevinck

eBay Summer of Giving Event Day May 3rd 2013

We were so grateful to be selected as beneficiaries for the eBay Summer of Giving 2013, the day was filled with fantastic events and memorable moments!

First, our Lynn Merritt, our Director of Humanitarian Services was invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new eBay facility which is completely state-of-the-art. He watched and listened to the CEO of eBay, Mr. John Donahoe share his vision and ideas.

Utah Governor John Herbert, Congressman Jim Matheson and the Mayor of Draper Darrell Smith also all shared some time on the podium.

Brenda and Ashley Rindlesbach spent the afternoon with the employees as did a few of the other non-profits that were invited to participate. They manned a booth with loads of information about Ascend Alliance and the work that we do. They were visited by John Donohoe as well, and were even asked a few questions for the eBay video that was being filmed throughout the day :)

Becky Olsen, Ken Sharrar and Wendi Coccimiglio brought the event to a close by participating in the fundraiser 5K that eBay had organized for anyone who wanted to do a little running and share a little good will. The money that was raised from the run was distributed between the non-profits that eBay had invited to participate in the day.

The team from Ascend Alliance wants to thank eBay for their generosity to their community and for being a great example in Corporate Social Responsibility! Every action makes a difference!

Ascend Annual Gala 2013 in Review, We Hope it Starts "The End of Begging"

To have an event where there are 650 seated guests, it takes 30 staff and interns, 50 volunteers and close to 100 vendor support and service staff to make sure that they have a memorable experience. We are so very grateful to all of those who were willing to spend their Saturday evening with us to help provide not only an enjoyable, but a memorable experience.

Master of Ceremony Dan Clark and CEO Matthew Casto

• We had a beautiful event with wonderful people who joined us for the evening. 
• We had the opportunity to share our message and our passion to develop a community who will help us in creating the end of begging.
• We heard empowering and inspiring messages from our CEO Matthew Casto and our Master of Ceremony for the evening, Dan Clark.
• We delivered a message of collaboration with other non-profit organizations benefitting from the evening as well.
• We encouraged our Socially Responsible Business Partners from the Ascend Resource Center to become an integral component to our "Community Effect"

Lion Hunters Drumming Group

Vocal Point A Capella Group

  We wish to recognize with much gratitude the following:

• Dan Clark, Our Master of Ceremony for the evening.
• Modern Display, exceptional decor and display 
• WebbAV, audio/visual magic 
• Creative Media, capturing the stories of our community 
• Pulse Interactive, story telling and power presentation 
• First Financial Give Back, financial processing with a heart 
• Mantyla McReynolds, registration and auditing with class 
• Vocal Point, singing and dancing with spirit and soul   
• Marriott, spectacular venue 
• Code Blue Communications, keeping our team connected 
• Ken Sharrar, generous and enthusiastic supporter of the vision 
• Espero, classical quartet musicians 
• Lion Drummers, sharing history and experiences through rhythm and dance 
• Brian Zwahlin, inspiring invocation
• Extraordinary volunteers
• Incredible Interns   

Please watch and share our "End of Begging" Video

A Community of Collaboration

A Community of Collaboration
Lynn Merritt, Ascend Humanitarian Director 

We invited nine other non-profits to join us and to benefit from our gala, it was an opportunity to multiply our impact in this important work. 

 Humanitarian work comes from our heart. It is the core of who we are as a person. Often it is sparked by an encounter, an experience or a person that has touched our soul and we are inspired to change, to make a difference, to make things better. It may have been in the eyes of a child or in the needs of a mother or the hopelessness of a father that we find the strength to act. With this new found courage we look for ways to serve, to lift others, to make that difference, but in the journey of service, we find that we ourselves have been lifted. There is wisdom in the saying that as "we lose ourselves in service, we find ourselves". So to find our true core, our true self, we have to give of ourselves and look outside our own needs and desires to find who we truly are or who we want to become. Service gives us the chance to renew, redeem and to grow. We will find that we have not only have a greater capacity but we find ourselves on the path to our destiny. At Ascend, we create the opportunity to "become the humanitarian you were meant to be". 
Our focus and vision is to make a difference for those that we serve. We become inspired to create programs and projects that come from listening, watching, learning and then listening more. We listen because knowledge is our ally and as we understand cultural differences and what defines happiness and peace for those that we serve, we have the opportunity to make true change. Those that we serve know joy and their divine nature allows them to find the true joy that comes from within. By finding ways to share knowledge, we allow them to learn, to grow and find their own capacity. By collaborating with other non-profits we multiply our impact, determine efficiencies and eliminate overlap and waste. We believe that humanitarian work is allowing all people the chance to become who they were meant to be by meeting basic human needs, teaching skills to create income, and sharing opportunities for the same. It is something that we can all do together, won't you join us in developing a "Community of Collaboration"?