Yours is a story so brave and so true. And life is awaiting the hero in you.” – Unknown
It was one year ago that I was inspired to start a Wave of Change. As I parked on the eerily empty street on my way into work, I felt a culmination of sadness. All spring and summer I had been a masked witness to the deserted streets, empty stores with “sale” signs and shop owners standing idly at their open doors, the dark and closed restaurants with “to go” and “delivery available” signs in the windows. My normally bustling summer town of Laguna Beach was deserted and had been that way since March. Our world had changed with the pandemic and I was feeling the weight of all the loss, sadness, and anxiety.
As part of our new daily morning Zoom team meeting, I read our quote for the day:
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa
And so, inspired, I resolved to cast my own stone and create a ripple. Our first ripple – supporting small business by sending my team on a one-hour shopping spree with $100 each – went so well, I committed to making more ripples, to create a small change for good. And maybe over time, bigger ripples for bigger change, enough to form a wave – a Wave of Change.
Over the last 12 months my team and I came together each month with a different project, a new Wave of Change, where we contributed to local businesses and non-profits. In doing so, we have succeeded in building stronger relationships with ourselves and our community. We forged bonds, a sense of purpose, reconnected in a time of isolation, and took back some control where there was so little. See below for a summary of the past 12 months Wave of Change campaigns.
September Wave of Change
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Each year, more than 15,000 children and young adults are diagnosed with cancer — approximately 43 per day. Though the 5-year-survival rate for childhood cancers has reached 80 percent, nearly 2,000 kids under age 19 die each year, making cancer the leading killer of children by disease. And that’s just in the United States. In 2016, over 300,000 kids and young adults were diagnosed worldwide. Read more …
For this important cause, we decided to go to great lengths, literally! My partner Moncia Schutt, attorney Delynn Arneson Axelberg, and I cut off our lengths of our hair to donate to children with cancer.
If you would like to learn more about donating hair or money for children undergoing cancer treatment or with other medical conditions resulting in hair loss, you may find out more here. Or to make a donation to the American Cancer Society, you may do so here.
This cause has very special and personal meaning to me. My father and brother both survived cancer, but were left weakened and scarred from it. And just this past week, we lost my beloved uncle, Liam O’Mara, to cancer. He in turn had lost his only daughter, my cousin Nicky, when she was only 29 years old to cancer. I know this terrible disease has touched each of us, whether with family, friends, or self. I dedicate this month’s Wave of Change in loving memory of my Uncle Liam.
I want to thank all of you that have contributed, encouraged and acknowledged our Wave of Change campaign for the last year. You have inspired us, encouraged us, and made our Wave stronger. Thank you.
Meldie Moore
and the whole team at Moore Law for Children
Summary of Wave of Change:
2020
September: We supported small local stores for National Small Business Week by spending $1,000 in one hour.
October: I supported small women owned service business for National Women’s Small Business Week by treating my team to massages, pedicures and haircuts.
November: We selected and donated to 10 local non-profits.
December: We supported small businesses and donated holiday gifts to a local shelter for teenagers, Waymakers.
2021
January: We held a clothing drive for The Friendship Shelter, a local homeless shelter in Laguna Beach.
February: We collaborated with the Council on Aging to deliver handmade Valentine’s Day cards to over 1000 seniors and disabled adults living in facilities.
March: We participated in a 5K walk and donated business attire for Women Helping Women, an organization dedicated to helping men and women reenter the work force.
April: We organized a beach clean-up at Crystal Cove.
May: Gratitude Practices: we participated in daily gratitude practices as a team for 30 days.
June: We supported local restaurants by bringing in lunch once a week for the team.
July: We donated to the Arthritis Foundation as a tribute to my living with Rheumatoid Arthritis since age 10.
August: We celebrated the arts at Pageant of the Masters and donated to the Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts which serves disabled children and their families.
