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Go Inspire Go...

Friday, March 13, 2009
I've created a movement!!!
Hi Everyone!

I've created a movement! I am very humbled, and inspired to have had such a tremendous response to my new YouTube webchannel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ToanLamTV
(I set up this little corner of cyberspace where people could go to and share/upload/e-mail in/ inspiring stories, a quick pick-me-up -- the goal: To UPLIFT and INSPIRE others through their amazing stories.)

So I've decided to create a blog so my subscribers and viewers could be updated on the latest and greatest, inspiring stories in my queue. So much has transpired since I've gotten laid off from my TV Reporting job, which pushed me to create this space to share stories of ordinary people, with extraordinary stories. What I didn't expect was a huge domino effect.

1.) First, off, I've been receiving so many awesome e-mails, maybe I'll select some and share it on this blog soon. After hearing about the heart wrenching story of what's known as "Tent Cities" or the new face of homelessness during this economic crisis spring up across America and in my hometown of Sacramento, I was inspired by a viewer to go inside one of these homeless encampments and meet some of these middle class Americans, who have lost their jobs and home and are pitching up tent encampments and creating their own communities. You may be asking, how is this inspiring? Let me tell you, the stories of the unbreakable human spirit gave me chills, made me teary eyed and gave me so much hope for humanity.
I'll upload the story today, so stay tuned...

2.)While shooting the story of Tent City Sacramento, I ran into an old highschool friend Erika Duran, while on my way to dinner -- call it serendipity, coincedence or fate-- but something amazing happened. I told her what I was doing with this webchannel and she was so inspired that she asked me if she could use my site as a tool to teach her social studies class a lesson about civic duty and how to be a good citizen. She will document it and upload the video to my webchannel. What will the class be doing? Well, they're going to break up into groups and go from class to class to make presentations on how they can help the homeless people living in Sacramento's Tent City. They'll talk about their cause, what they need to make it happen and how the other students can help.

3.) Several media outlets are going to feature my webchannel, and one of the shows I used to report and field produce for, (Pacific Fusion, an internationally syndicated magazine show that focuses on Asian-American lifestyles is going to give me a free commercial spot. We're working on it as I speak...or write.

4.) Stories have been coming in from around the world. I just uploaded a story sent in from Africa, titled A-to-Z. Keely Stevenson, a social entrepreneur e-mailed the story to me. It shows how one little idea can save so many lives, lost by a preventable disease, malaria. It also shows what they did to help!

5.) And my friend, Nielma Bassig Hock, who has an incredible passion for fashion, owns a charming boutique, "The Firm," in San Francisco. Nielma says she's so inspired by this site, she is going to hold an event at her store to help the unemployed network and get out of the post-layoff-funk. I promise I'll keep you posted on this one.
Oh, and she wants to host an "Inspiring stories" launch party there too.

6.) To my delight and joy, I've been slammed with so many amazing stories, and e-mails of how so many people say this site made their day, and how this timely project helped them get through the day-- which is hard to do during these very uninspiring times... So I promise, I am going to definitely post some of the inspiring emails because they've generated some great stories ideas that I will go out and shoot, others who've sent me links, I promise I'll get around to posting them too!

I'm experiencing the true meaning of paying it forward and having it return 10 fold!
Thanks everyone, for your support and love... and for being a part of my dream, to inspire and uplift people one story, one conversation, and one connection at a time!

-TL