The Story of Nikki

Over the past year, we have found ourselves working with over 500 schools that have implemented our YOU MATTER School Curriculum. Along the journey, there have been numerous moments and experiences that have made us realize that we are right where we are supposed to be.

Meeting Nikki is one them. She is an absolute inspiration. Please enjoy this video about this young woman who has moved all of us at Every Monday Matters to work even harder to make sure that every child knows how much they matter.

The Story of Nikki

Nikki Matters from Every Monday Matters on Vimeo.

Relive Our 1st Annual “Party with a Purpose”

On Monday, May 3rd, we launched our OUR SCHOOLS MATTER Campaign with a bang. We held our first annual “Party with a Purpose” at Smashbox Studios in West Hollywood. The event was hosted by Keisha and Forest Whitaker, Lyn Lear, and a bunch of friends.

Thank you to everyone that came out to support the launch of this campaign. The night was an enormous success. We all need to get involved to help our schools and our youth.

To learn more about the OUR SCHOOLS MATTER Campaign or make a donation, please click here.

To just enjoy some of the memories, keep scrolling down. And, hopefully you can make the next one.

On The Red Carpet

Inside The Party

Watch The Interviews

Click here.

Click here.

E&J Gallo Does It Again

For the second year, E&J Gallo Wines has partnered with us to go out into the community and make a difference. Here is a video of our day together. Gallo is an amazing company that definitely understand the definition of Corporate Social Responsibility. Thank you for all that you do… it is a pleasure working with you.

We also want to thank all of the members of the Gallo Marketing Team for their hard work and amazing spirits. You made a big difference. You matter.

Enjoy the video…

E & J Gallo reaches out… again. from Every Monday Matters on Vimeo.

EMM on NBC News.

Check us out on NBC News!!!

The Elko County has made it official. Let it be stated. Mondays are now officially Every Monday Matters Day in Elko County, Nevada. Thank you to all of the EMM Elko Team that made this happen.

Is your city or county next? We hope so.

EMM on NBC. from Every Monday Matters on Vimeo.

Elko County, Nevada … Officially Declares EMM Mondays!

I just spent three days in Elko, Nevada. That’s right … The City of Elko. Ever heard of it? I hadn’t. But let me paint a picture for you. A picture that hopefully makes you want to visit.

I was contacted by a woman named Jesse James who asked if I would come out to Elko because she wanted to make Every Monday Matters a city or countywide campaign. First of all, I have never received a phone call from a “Jesse James” before, so she immediately had my attention. Secondly, I have never had a city/county want to officially proclaim the first Monday of every month the “Every Monday Matters Monday.” Lastly, I have never been to Elko and it sounded like an interesting adventure.

I flew from Los Angeles to Reno, Nevada, rented a car (they gave me a pick-up truck), and drove for four hours through some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. It genuinely felt like I was driving on a snow-covered moon … with a bunch of trains and riverbeds on it.

Elko, Nevada is a gold-mining town of 20,000 residents. Actually, one of the goldmines in Elko is the largest goldmine in Northern America and the second largest goldmine in the world. I was told that it has the lowest unemployment in the country and the average salary is $70,000. Most of the men work at the local mines, and 90% of the population, male or female, drives a pick-up truck (so I fit in nicely with my rental). Recently, Oprah voted Elko, Nevada the “Best Small Town in America” and their Chamber of Commerce building is an old log cabin built over one hundred years ago. Hopefully this is enough of a Wikipedia-style description to give you an idea of where I spent those three days.

But Elko also offered something else that was so refreshing and addictive. I have never experienced such a “love your neighbor” mentality in all of my life. I believe Elko’s slogan should be “Elko, Nevada – The City of Huggers.” There is a genuine appreciation for one another in Elko. It felt like a family of 20,000 people. They all knew one another by first name, greeted one another with a smile and a hug, and genuinely cared about each other’s life.

I never had to struggle to change lanes on the road. In fact, I think that fellow drivers would actually brake to even give me more space in order to change lanes comfortably. I never had to wonder where a disappearing waiter or waitress went; they were always there to make sure you were ok. Crossing the street at a crosswalk was never a life-threatening experience, as cars would gladly stop to let you walk across. And, I have never had so many people walk up to me to introduce themselves and ask genuine questions about me and my life.

Now, for some people, it might have felt a little strange, but not me. I thought it was beautiful, because it wasn’t just towards me (the guest in town) it was something that they all do with one another. They care, and it showed. They love doing life together. And, if twelve hugs a day is what we need “for growth,” they I grew quite a bit in those three days.

I understand that Elko might not be the destination of your next vacation, but just know that there is a pretty awesome town out there on the Interstate 80 (halfway between Reno and Salt Lake City) that would welcome you with open arms. They might even teach you a few things about Cowboy Poetry, Basque Food, Gold, and the power of hugging. Elko Matters.

Perfect Storm or Perfect Opportunity? … Your Call.

The Perfect Storm of the holidays is nearly blown over.  We are still feeling the third and final stage, but that usually doesn’t last for more than a few weeks.  Let me explain…

Stage #1:

Thanksgiving – A time for family, friends, and loved ones to come together to be grateful and celebrate life.  In theory, sounds like a day to enjoy and be thankful to have; but, in reality, it means long delays at airports and increased traffic on the roads.  It means eating way too much food and asking over and over why we went for seconds.  And, it means waking up at 4:00 am to get in line for Black Friday to spend money we don’t have … especially this year.

Slightly weary and a little bruised from this first punishment, but having survived, we travel back home to get ready for the much heavier onslaught of Stage #2.

Stage #2:

Christmas – Another time for family, friends, and loved ones to come together to be grateful and celebrate life.  In theory, also sounds like a time to enjoy and be thankful to have; but, in reality it means even longer delays at airports and even more traffic on the roads.  It means eating way too much food on multiple occasions.  And, it means spending money we don’t have on many different shopping sprees, not just one.

This one hit a lot harder and started to rattle the foundations of our peace and happiness.  And, if we listened closely, we could hear the words “It’s over!” muttered by those around us.  “It’s over!” … said with so much relief and satisfaction.  I don’t think that even leaving the dentist’s office gets this kind of enthusiastic response.  Bruised and battered, we staggered and swerved our home again to get ready for the knock-out punch of Stage #3.

Stage #3:

New Years – A time for family, friends, and loved ones to come together to be grateful and celebrate life.  In theory, also sounds like a time to enjoy and be thankful to have; but, in reality it means that most us are wiped out from the first two parts of the storm.  We are tired, broke, overweight, and sick of traveling.  It has gotten so bad that most of us actually look forward to getting back to work again.  The old “Grind” sounds fun and fresh again. 

To make matters worse, this final stage of the holiday storm seems to linger on for a bit and doesn’t offer any relief, because it carries with it a whole new set of dreadful tasks.  And, today is the first Monday of 2010, so most of those tasks start today.  In theory, a time to be grateful for another year past and excited about the promise of a new one; but, in reality, it means starting a diet and joining a gym.  It means quitting smoking … again.  It means making more money than last year.     

With all good intentions, we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps today and start on the “new us,” but this often fizzles out after a few weeks and we beat ourselves up again for failing to achieve our unrealistic, misdirected goals. 

And, finally, after about 8 weeks of getting pelted by the self-imposed Perfect Storm of the holidays, we are back to our normal everyday life.  Slugging it out, wishing for me, working for the weekends, and searching for soul.

Now, I understand that I may have written an over-dramatization here, but I am not sure how inaccurate it is.  Actually, I don’t think it is inaccurate at all … and this kind of bums me out.  Somehow, someway the holidays have gotten completely off course.  We have created a monster out of them … a Perfect Storm.  But, unlike the weather, this is something that we create ourselves and impose upon our life.  And, for what?  Why do we do this to ourselves?  What is the benefit?  Why do we ruin such an inherently good thing? 

These are questions that I think each of us needs to ponder on this first Monday of 2010.  We can’t change the past few weeks, but we can change the next 52.  And, that starts today.  Spend some time this week making of a list of the things that matter the most to you.  Hundreds of people have emailed us this exact list or have posted it on our website and here are roughly the top 10 items we get:  Family, God, Friends, Health, Joy, Love, Happiness, Pets, Peace, and Purpose.

I couldn’t agree more with this list.  I truly believe that a life spent focused on these 10 items is an amazing way to spend life.  And, I do my best to live by this exact list.  I am not perfect, and I have my days, but, for the most part, this list is my compass throughout the year.  And, for this reason, this is why I LOVE the holidays and I don’t see them as a Perfect Storm.  Actually, I see them as a Perfect Opportunity to express everything on my What Matters Most list. 

And, I think that we should all see life this way.  Not just the holidays.  Life is a Perfect Opportunity to do what is most important to us.  To live and focus on our What Matters Most lists.  To be fulfilled and excited about the direction we are going and to enjoy every moment.  To see all of the promise that this New Year has in-store, and to be grateful for everything we see, hear, smell, taste, feel, receive, give, and do. 

So make your list today and start to live it out.  I promise that the holiday season will never be a Perfect Storm again.  And, everyday this year will present itself as the Perfect Opportunity for you to just be YOU … as defined by your What Matters Most list. 

Have fun being YOU this year.  And, have the best year of your life.  You Matter.

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE ON YOUR “WHAT MATTERS MOST” LIST. 

http://everymondaymatters.com/1/

Gurrie Middle School EMM Club

The EMM Club at Gurrie Middle School does it again.  They hit their goal of doing 1,000 positive things as a club.  So, they celebrated by volunteering at two homeless shelters in downtown Chicago, having dinner, and ice skating.  What a celebration.

Thanks Gurrie Middle School EMMer’s.  You rock.

A 7-year-old’s Birthday “Party with a Purpose”

We just got a great email from a proud mother. Her name is Lana. She wanted to share with us a newspaper article, from the Merced Sun-Star, that was written about her daughter, Raine. Raine decided that instead of getting gifts for her 7th birthday, she wanted to have an EMM “Party with a Purpose.” Please read the article below. What a beautiful little girl…who already understands how much she matters. It doesn’t get any cooler than that, in our opinion.

By CAROL REITER

Raine Sloan likes cats.

The 7-year-old Atwater resident has a cat named Serafina, a feral kitten that found a home with Raine and her mom, Lana Sloan.

Raine likes cats more than most folks, though. She likes them so much she gave up getting gifts for her seventh birthday a couple of weeks ago. Instead, her party guests brought donations to the Last Hope Cat Kingdom, a local nonprofit cat rescue.

“I’ve always been someone who wants my daughter to be aware of the world,” said Lana. “I want her to know there is more to life than just presents.”

Raine learned about cats from her friend, Jasmine Schmitz. Her grandmother, Renate Schmitz, and her mom, the late Ramona Schmitz, gave Last Hope its start.

“My daughter knew Jasmine because they both go to St. Anthony’s Catholic School, and they are good friends,” Lana explained.

The friendship led to a lot of playtimes together, including some at the cat rescue center in rural Atwater.
“My daughter just absolutely loves cats, and when I asked if she was interested in raising money for Last Hope, she jumped on it,” Lana recalled.

Jasmine’s mother, Ramona, was murdered by her boyfriend in June 2008. Lana had to talk to her daughter about the tragedy because the two little girls were friends and Raine knew Jasmine’s mother.

“When I talked to Raine about helping the cat kingdom, I reminded her that Jasmine’s mommy started it, and that’s all it took,” Lana said.

Staging a party with a purpose isn’t the first time Raine and her friends have helped others. The little girl trick-or-treated for UNICEF at Halloween, along with other students from St. Anthony’s.

Raine is an only child, and her single mom adopted her when she was 9 months old from China. The 7-year-old has reached the age that she wants to help others, and first Lana thought that maybe Raine could hold a party for children in China.

“But then I thought about it, and she doesn’t really have strong ties there,” she said. “But she loves cats and always wants to help them, so this worked out well.”

Now other students at St. Anthony’s have jumped on the “party with a purpose” bandwagon. One little boy is going to have a party soon where children bring a book and a bear, or a stuffed animal.

“The books and the stuffed animals will go to the Atwater Police Department,” Lana said. “They can keep them in their car trunks, and when they come across a child in need, they can give them a book and a bear.”
Renate, Jasmine’s grandmother and one of the founders of the cat rescue, said the money Raine raised has been a solid contribution.

“We got more than $350 in money and donations,” Schmitz said. “Think about it this way: $350 feeds 200 cats for two weeks. That’s a huge help.”

Lana Sloan is pretty sure her daughter isn’t going to stop helping others.

“She didn’t really want the presents this year,” she said. “She’s old enough that she gets it now. It’s not all about her.”

Raine’s own cat’s name, Serafina, comes from the Latin, “seraphim,” or fiery ones. Like Raine, they too were angels.

Mya wears a YOU MATTER Tee on “Dancing with the Stars”

We were pleasantly surprised when someone emailed us that they just saw Mya wearing a YOU MATTER T-Shirt on “Dancing with the Stars” last night. And then the text messages starting coming in…and more emails…and phone calls. What a nice surprise.

Here are some of the screen grabs.

And, of course, thank you Mya. Our resident dancers here at EMM say that you are by far the best and they hope you win it all. Thanks again. You matter!

If you want to buy a shirt for yourself or someone that matters to you, click here.

JS West Matters

On October 2, 2009, JS West joined us and did our EMM Corporate Social Responsibility Program. It is a one day event that focuses on “team building through making a difference.” We spent the day with 30 JS West Execs and went out into the community and volunteered for four hours. They painted bathrooms and hallways, removed bushes, built houses, sorted clothes, and anything else you could imagine.

It was pretty awesome to watch these men and women step up to the task and fully commit to do whatever was needed. In the end, everyone had a great day and benefitted from the event: the employees, the company, the non-profits, and the people who rely on those non-profits.

It was a pleasure for us to work with such a great company that truly understands what it means to give back. Enjoy this short video of our day together.

Every Monday Matters and JS West from Every Monday Matters on Vimeo.

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