We did it! -6 children sponsored!-

Mariah

Today was our first day of fundraising, and it was incredible! We all went together to the mall in the morning (it sort of felt like a field trip to the mall). John and I went to work our shift and Mel and Sean went on a recon mission, to check out the grounds. The morning started a little slow for me and John, but after the first hour mall traffic started to pick up. John had no problem with stopping people! He was out there, all pumped up and excited, rejections seemed to have no effect whatsoever!

John, smiling after
getting his first sponsor!

All of a sudden, bam! Two hours after we started, we signed our first sponsor of the campaign! Mariah, a university student with a huge heart! She sponsored a cute little girl from Ethiopia. After 45 minutes came the second sponsor! At 12:50pm I took my lunch break and left John by himself for half hour. I came back and John had already signed up his first sponsor (with no assistance)! We were so excited and happy (I think we both felt like jumping out of joy, but of course we didn't)! Right before finishing our shift we stopped a couple and inspired them to sponsor a little boy from Peru! 

Mel, with her first sponsor!

In the afternoon, it was Sean's and Mel's turn to work their magic! They worked extremely hard and it paid off. Mel, like John, had no problem stopping people. Her passion was stronger than any rejection she faced out there. She also got to sign her first sponsor today (by herself)! Sean, with his kind personality and determination, also inspired another couple to sponsor a child. 

John and I showed up at the booth before the mall closed and we all (the four of us) high-fived each other on a job well done.  We all left the mall knowing that, today, we helped to change the life of six children and that we inspired others to take action by helping people realize that it is possible to give if we put our hearts into it. 

The Lantern Project

-Javier Cuellar-