"The Lewis family’s journey began with a single question. One day in the fall of 2010, Jackson asked his dad, “Why aren’t we doing more to make a difference?” Taken aback, J. D. suggested they volunteer locally. But as he pondered his son’s query that night, he recalls, “I thought, ‘Let’s do 12 in 12—12 projects, 12 countries, 12 months.’” An acting coach and single dad who adopted both boys at birth, J. D. was a strong believer in exposing his children to other cultures, but he knew that taking a yearlong trip would require special expertise. Among the people he consulted was Esther Benjamin of the Peace Corps, who suggested safe destinations and worthy organizations. Next, he had to figure out the trip’s cost—and how to pay for it. He calculated a $100-per-day budget for food, lodging, and other necessities, plus $25,000 for transportation. J. D. used his savings and took out a loan. Friends organized fund-raisers, and through the family’s website, TwelveinTwelve.org, strangers contributed as well. “People who’d been out of work for two years were sending us $10,” J. D. marvels. Since leaving Russia, the Lewis family has worked with children with Down syndrome in Thailand, taught English to Tibetan refugees in India, spent Thanksgiving in Rwanda, and worked with kids in Kenya who have HIV. The family volunteers three weeks a month (the other week is for travel), and four hours a day are devoted to homeschooling. Both boys keep journals, and Jackson and J. D. also blog." - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

Wow! - vicster

That's incredible! People amaze me! - Jeanine W.