One Purpose One Million Ways

At long last, the weekend is here. A few days of rest and relaxation from all the strenuous work of the past week. Not so for Ethan Sawyer and Veronica Lauren, who have every intention of working hard to help those in need. And they are not starting small. Case in point: raising $20,000 for a school bus.

"I'm waiting for someone to tell me I'm crazy," Ethan Sawyer says in between sips of his coffee. Smiling at Veronica Lauren, his girlfriend sitting next to him, he is at complete ease discussing what has become his baby.

"We're both dreamers," notes Veronica, returning the smile to her partner.

This shared love child between Sawyer and Veronica has a name: One Million Ways, a non-profit organization dreamt up, created and carried out by two young adults. The theory behind One Million Ways is simple: there have to be one million ways to make change. All Ethan and Veronica want to do is find them and put them into action around the world.

What makes One Million Ways unique is that it was started by two people who just want to help make the world a better place. Unlike many organizations who do not always utilize their profits ethically, Ethan and Veronica are ordinary people with one extraordinary dream: to help people everywhere

Having been smacked upside the head with the service bug, Sawyer and Lauren decided to begin by videotaping children performing random acts of kindness. Sitting with his family one night, Ethan came up with the name One Million Ways.

"The goal of the project is that we want to sponsor grassroots organizations, to know that 100% of our dollar will go to the cause," explains Veronica.

One way that Ethan and Veronica are doing that is by connecting through bracelets. Bright blue and printed with the words, "What can I do?" and the One Million Ways website (onemillionways.org), these are physical representations of a good deed. Take Ethan's example.

"You see a woman spill her coffee and you stop to help her clean it up. You give them your bracelet and say, "Thanks for making the world a better place. Check out this website." When she goes to the site she sees that by logging her good deed, $1 will go to charity. When she enters that bracelet's number, she's taken to a page that tells her that bracelet's history, seeing every time that bracelet was passed on in recognition of a good deed...she's now part of the ripple effect. A message tells her to "Pass it on!" and for as long as she's wearing the bracelet, she'll be looking for opportunities to recognize acts of kindness wherever she goes. The bracelet has shifted the way she sees the world."

It is this kindhearted spirit that is likely to make One Million Ways contagious.

Being college students, money is not easy to come by, which makes it even more incredible that they are putting theirs to such good use.

So how was such an undertaking born? It was at a quaint coffee shop in Berkeley, California, that Ethan and Veronica began brainstorming ideas for a documentary while working with young children. Only two years prior, Sawyer had created a non-profit organization, Salt and Light (after salt of the earth and light of the world), that teaches underprivileged children about the arts. Having attended a film festival advocating children's rights in Los Angeles, they met a woman from the UN named Jenna Arnold, who shared an inspiring concept.

"Jenna said that if you can teach children how to learn kindness and hit them with the service bug, they will do it for the rest of their lives," says Veronica.

Ethan hopes that One Million Ways will have a ripple effect; once people see how effective good deeds are, they will follow suit. And it appears that his wish is coming true. Two undergraduate students, Bianca Rodas and Ioana Marin, are traveling to Ghana, in hopes that they can spread One Million Ways worldwide with the Good Shepherd Orphanage, where they will help needy children and raise money. The crucial item on their list? A $20,000 school bus.

"It feels impossible and too big to tackle - poverty, hunger - the core issues of our environment. But if you can break it down, it seems much more accessible," explains Ethan.

Combining three aspects - deeds, money/sponsorship, and the actual project - Sawyer and Lauren are just trying to shed a little light on a world that seems so focused on the negative.

"The really interesting thing about this organization is to get people involved in their community, not to drop money off at a faceless organization. I want it to be an outlet for projects in people's communities," says Veronica.

Together, Ethan and Veronica plan on making One Million Ways their career path, fundraising for the rest of their lives.

Perhaps the most inspiring fundraiser was their recent endeavor: setting the world record for the most random acts of kindness in one day at UC Irvine. Beginning at noon, hundreds of students performed as many good deeds as they could in 24 hours, logged them, took pictures, then celebrated their success that night with a huge party hosted by One Million Ways. And that is just the beginning, because kindness is not only contagious, but also infinite.

For more information and to dive into the deeds, visit www.onemillionways.org.

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