Thursday, December 04, 2008

Looking to increase everyone's joy this holiday season? Yeah, me too.

Nearly 9 years ago I was lucky enough to stumble upon poi.
Nearly 7 years ago I was driven enough to establish Temple of Poi.

4 years ago I was serendipitously granted the first of a series of opportunities to bring poi fire dancing to a credible stage, namely, Union Square. This was a donation of our time and money to be a part of the San Francisco Food Bank's (SFFB) Canned Food Drive. Each year, the SFFB hosts an annual event to help raise awareness and increase donations for people who are less fortunate and unable to feed themselves. Throughout the day, they have artists perform -- this year's performances include our beloved Shamanic Cheerleaders who will be performing earlier in the day Monday.

Temple of Poi's first performance in 2004 was such a success, they invited back. Again. And Again. And Again. This year, we are lucky enough to contribute once more as we present the finale of the day's events with a 40 minute fire show performed by students, alumni and friends of the school (as well as the closing performance by me).

In these times where things seem darker, I invite you share your light and be part of the solution. Here's how you can participate:

- Buy a holiday gift for yourself or friends: Temple of Poi is committed to raising funds for the food bank by offering 50% of our proceeds from sales of our Temple of Poi 2006 Fire Dancing Expo DVD to the food bank. Purchase a copy in person from us at Temple of Poi for $20 or buy your own copy to be shipped to you.


- Stop by on Monday and donate a canned good item

- Spread the word about the SFFB's mission by sending this message far and wide

- And joining us for:

WHAT: The San Francisco Food Bank's Canned Food Drive
WHEN: Monday, December 8, 2008
WHERE: Union Square, San Francisco
WHO: Temple of Poi Fire Dancers (4:40 pm), Shamanic Cheerleaders (3:05) and more