Kindred, a documentary by Mike Sternoff and Beth Bennett, won an Emmy for Best Documentary at the Chicago Midwest Emmys. Kindred is the story of Kindra McLennan's cancer journey, the journey which inspired Human Tribe Project. It is a superb film and can be purchased from Amazon here.
Congratulations to Mike, Beth and the rest of the team!
Due to production issues and hurricane Sandy in the northeast, we are experiencing an unfortunate delay in sending out steel tribe tags. Steel tribe tags ordered 10/24 and later may take an additional 2-3 weeks to arrive. We sincerely apologize for this delay. Please feel free to contact us at info@humantribeproject.com with any questions, to request a refund or to change your order to a silver tribe tag.
This delay will not affect silver tribe tag orders.
UPDATE:
All steel tribe tags that have been delayed will be shipped from our New York facility by November 27, 2012. We sincerely apologize for this delay and thank you for your understanding and support.
For those of you that know the history of Human Tribe Project, you know that this website, and the support it provides for loved ones going through a health crisis, was inspired by Kindra McLennan, a dear friend who lost her battle with cancer. I'm happy to announce that on September 24, 2012, my husband Ryan and I introduced Maryn Kindra Foutz into the world. She is named after my grandmother Mary and Kindra, two women who made the world better just by being a part of it. I hope to pass on to her the joy, love and laughter for which both Mary and Kindra are remembered.
For those of you that have ordered silver Tribe Tags over the last month, we finally have them back in stock and will be shipping them out over the next few days. We sincerely apologize for the delay and we thank you for your patience. If you'd like tracking information on your silver Tribe Tag order, please email us at info@humantribeproject.com.
Thank you, Human Tribe Project
I'm so sorry to report that we are temporarily out of stock of silver Tribe Tags. We won't have them back in stock for another 2-3 weeks. But, if you order a silver Tribe Tag, your monetary gift will still be sent to your Tribe beneficiary. It will just take a little longer than normal to receive the tags. Please contact me directly at jaclyn@humantribeproject.com regarding any questions or refunds. We are so very truly sorry for this inconvenience.
Sincerely, Jaclyn Foutz Human Tribe Project
When we launched Human Tribe Project a year and a half ago, we knew how helpful it would be for family and friends to support a loved one, but we didn't realize how helpful it would be for us personally. But, several months ago Matt's daughter (my niece), Mia was diagnosed with brain cancer. Princess Mia's Tribe Page has been a life line ever since. Here are Matt's own words about Human Tribe Project:
I want to talk about Human Tribe Project again for a minute. Last night's crowd was easily a couple of hundred people. It's impossible to know because you overpaid for the door fee, but for almost the whole night it was difficult to get around through the crowd. We had friends and family fly in from as far as Ohio, Colorado and Virginia. I saw faces I haven't seen in a decade. I met people I've never spoken too. I was surrounded by the most important people in our lives but also by people I met for the very first time.
So what does that have to do with Human Tribe Project? When Steve and I came up with the name for HTP, the name came to symbolize the human connection that runs through us all and makes us who we are. The ability to connect with strangers based on a primal, hard wired answer to a call of distress in a fellow person. It meant that we are all part of this universal tribe and if given the opportunity to connect, we would rally together, even for someone we didn't know.
The people that came last night that have a personal relationship with Mia were a very small minority. The people that came that have a personal relationship with BOTH Sandra and I would have fit in the kitchen. The vast majority of you last night barely know us or didn't know us at all before this all started.
But through HTP and Mia's page and blog, you have been invited into our struggle. Into our nightmare. It's not like reading the paper or seeing us on TV. It's much more personal than that. We've opened our lives to you all and asked you to take part in healing our daughter.
Last night's event proved to me that Human Tribe Project works. It's bigger than the sum of the parts. It's not about selling necklaces or blogging or posting cute pictures of puppies. It's about joining the human race and tapping into our universal spirit. What we created here is special.
I don't mean this statement to be controversial. Were it not for HTP, last night would not have been very successful. That's not taking anything away from what Becky and Chris did. It's about the why. I have hundreds of friends on Facebook that didn't attend last night. That's nothing against them. Some aren't from here and some were busy. But I promoted the event much more heavily on Facebook and There wasn't a single person that attended last night that was a friend of mine on Facebook but not a member of Mia's tribe.
Think about that for a minute. Facebook has changed the world since it launched by connecting people. Long lost friends, far away relatives, former colleagues. HTP isn't on the radar yet. It's an infant and totally unknown website. And we were able to create a connection with our guests last night that brought you out to a fundraiser of for all intents and purposes, strangers.
Hot damn, that feels good! We will change the world. And when we do it will be for the better. HTP has changed my life and the lives of my family and it has given my daughter the most precious gift. I'm gushing here (and I realize that my 1 minute of talking about HTP expired about 60 ago) but I think it's vital to point out the why.
Why do you care? Why do you read this blog every day? I believe the reason is that we all want to help. We're in a world where all people really want to do is make a difference. There are so many things that we can't affect or are beyond our control. But with HTP you have the opportunity to contribute in healing and supporting a fellow person's struggle. It's so very, very powerful and all I can say is thank you for helping. Thank you for participating. Thank you for joining Human Tribe Project.
Ok, minute is up.
Last week marked the first anniversary of Human Tribe Project’s website launch. We didn’t have any big celebration but we did take time to think about all that has happened in the past year. On a personal level, my life changed dramatically when my son was born at the end of March (which explains why I haven’t posted a blog since March, sorry). For the website, we have grown to 4,500 users and over 200 Tribes and have gifted almost $60,000. For the individual Tribe beneficiaries, many have gone through cancer treatment and come out cancer free, others have successfully rehabilitated themselves after car accidents, some are no longer with us and many are still fighting with the help and support of their wonderful Tribe Members.
A lot can change in a year; this year proves it. But, as the saying goes, life is the journey, not the destination. It’s what happens in between the anniversaries that means the most. So, instead of looking forward to our second anniversary, I’m focusing on our Tribes and how Human Tribe Project can help them support their loved ones. I welcome your feedback and suggestions!
A few weeks ago, the Today Show’s Nancy Snyderman did a piece on 7 Ways to Simplify Your Life and how simplification can improve your health and well-being. The first thing on her list? Give back!
Giving back might be a strange suggestion for a medical expert to give on how to improve your health and well being, but plenty of other experts have weighed in on the health benefits of altruism. Whether you believe the reports that giving back makes your heart grow stronger, slows the aging process or just gives you a “helper’s high,” there is plenty of evidence that giving to others can be good for yourself.
In the midst of the aftermath of the hurricanes in Haiti and Chile, and local problems affecting our own communities, there is never a shortage of places, people or organizations to give back to. Oftentimes however, there is an equally great need to give back to a loved one in need. Human Tribe Project is here to make it as easy as possible to give to your loved one facing a health crisis. Who knew that buying a Tribe Tag could not only support your loved one but improve your health as well!
Whether you are a member of a Tribe or not, take a moment to give back to someone. You’ll feel so good about it, you won’t even realize the benefits you have reaped yourself!
For those of you in the Phoenix area, please join one of our Tribe Members as she raises money for the Happily Ever After League at Wildflower Bread Company in North Scottsdale from 5-8pm on February 17th. Just bring the attached brochure and 15% of the cost of your dinner will be donated back to HEAL.
It seems natural to begin each new year with a look back at the one that just ended. 2009 was a rough year for many of us. The economy tanked and however directly you were affected, we’ve all had to tighten our bootstraps. It was a rough one for me personally as well. My friend Kindra died in January and my grandfather died a few months later. Friends got sick, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, friends’ parents passed away . . . .
This last year had its fair share of heartache. Yet, with each tragedy, we were able to learn and live life a little better because of it.
2009 also had plenty of joy! Four of my close friends all had healthy happy babies this year and a handful more are pregnant now. New relationships have blossomed, family has celebrated and Human Tribe Project was launched.
It is impossible to remember the past year without thinking of the people we’ve shared it with. Some are no longer with us but most have helped us make it through. It is these relationships that carry us along, make the sad times bearable and the good times better. These are the relationship that make up our Tribe and help us along the way.
To my Tribe, thank you for your love and support this year. I’m looking forward to whatever 2010 has in store for us all!
From my experience, when an otherwise healthy person finds out she has cancer, she goes through a multitude of emotions. Disbelief, denial, fear, anger, frustration, depression and loneliness to name a few. Apparently, these emotions are all very common. And, if the patient is able to express them, they are actually all very healthy. The trick is to eventually move beyond these negative feelings to focus on the positive. This isn’t always easy to do and it’s definitely not easy to do alone.
That’s where websites like Human Tribe Project and organizations like The Wellness Community can help.
Human Tribe Project allows you to connect with and receive support from your loved ones and your community. It’s a forum that lets loved ones remind you how important and loved you are. And, it’s a way for your community to show support by purchasing Tribe Tags to help fundraise to alleviate the cost of treatment.
The Wellness Community provides a different type of support. It’s a nationwide organization with local chapters in over 50 cities. Its mission is to provide support, education and hope to all people affected by cancer. All services offered are free to cancer patients and caregivers. Instead of connecting you with loved ones, it connects you with strangers, but strangers that know exactly what you are going through because they are often going through the same thing themselves. It can be hard to open yourself up to a support group of this type but when you do, the rewards are great. Oftentimes, the best way to lift your spirits is by helping to lift someone else’s.
These two organizations may take different approaches, but both are coming together to “connect and celebrate everyone touched by cancer” this Saturday, December 5, 2009 at the Cancer Connections Walk and Hope Café in Phoenix, Arizona. If you are in Phoenix, please check out the [website] (http://www.twccaz.org/events/cancerconnectionswalk.aspx) and join Human Tribe Project in its support of The Wellness Community. When we can all come together like this, we can all stay positive and have hope for the future.
I had the privilege of meeting many of our Tribe Members yesterday and spending time getting to know three of our youngest Tribe Beneficiaries and their families. Whether they had lymphoma, leukemia or tumors, these children were just children. They watched television shows, made crafts, liked to play with gadgets and loved ice cream. They were beautiful, wonderful and happy, despite whatever was happening within their bodies.
Their parents were equally wonderful. They were all very positive and making the most of what life has given them.
I also got the chance to meet the siblings of these children. All three have a brother or sister - beautiful, healthy children that require equal attention from their parents and families. It dawned on me that these families more to handle than just a sick child. They have to be strong enough for their sick child, their healthy child and others in their life. These parents are not only wonderful, but they are strong beyond belief.
I want to thank them all for letting me get to know them yesterday and let them, and all of the rest of our Tribes, know that Human Tribe Project is here to help. We can’t begin to fully understand all you are going through, but we have been through some hard times too, and we want to be here for all of you. Please let us know if there is anything more we can do.
It’s not magic.
Human Tribe Project isn’t a miraculous website that just sends money to people in need. It’s not the saving grace of sufferers and it is definitely not a last resort. Think of it as a Flintstone car; you get in with a place in mind to go and then you move your feet to get there. We are powered by you.
It can’t be emphasized enough that we are not a non-profit organization. It scares people. But in the scheme of things, we aren’t really a for-profit either. Our tax status is as such, so we have the ability to sell the Tribe Tags and direct the money to the specified individual. According to current tax code, it is not legal to sell a product and donate the money tax-free. We would have to pay tax on the entire transaction in order to make it work for the IRS but unfortunately, that doesn’t work for Human Tribe Project and it definitely wouldn’t work for the Human Tribe Members. Human Tribe Project doesn’t rely on outside donations to pay the electric bill and we don’t hold annual fundraisers in high society venues to glad-hand powerfully rich people. We are not a non-profit organization.
That’s where the other part of the “project” comes into play. Will it work? I don’t know. It’s part of the excitement of doing it in the first place. Is there enough trust in the world to sustain a business that is not veiled by the sacred letters “NPO”? Do people have enough motivation in general, to power the vehicle that could bring healing to the aide of a friend? I don’t know. But I like to think they do. I also like to think they can see the sense in having the power to direct their money where they want it to go instead of it being swallowed and rendered into pennies before it hits its target. Please don’t get me wrong. There is a place for everyone at the table. Research needs money to solve the problems that we face but not in lieu of the people facing them personally.
Non-profit organizations are their own worst enemy. What would happen to the organization for cancer research if a cure was discovered? That would be a glorious day but there would no longer be a need for that organization. Our business model works because there will always be people paying for treatments and other expenses related to health crisis and there will always be people wanting to drive the car that brings them answers; Even if they have to use their own feet for power.
There’s a reason people turn to Human Tribe Project for help--It works. But being off and running doesn’t mean that it won’t stop. It stops when motivation is gone, it stops when they are not fresh in your mind, it stops when your legs get tired, it stops when you do. As long as there are people suffering from disease and bills, Human Tribe Project will have the vehicle ready and waiting for them to come to the rescue. Motivation is not an option. Drivers wanted.
Although we didn’t launch Human Tribe Project until July 21, 2009, we had been working tirelessly on it since September 2008. At that time, I was coping with my friend’s cancer diagnosis and learning about ways to better support her. Since our launch, I have met many more cancer patients, survivors and caregivers through Human Tribe Project. I am always saddened to hear their stories, hopeful for their recovery and inspired by their courage and optimism. I have also met with health care providers, social workers, administrators, support groups and cancer support organizations to introduce them to Human Tribe Project in the hope that they would pass the information on to those that need it. For someone who has thankfully never been diagnosed with cancer, I am knee deep in the cancer world.
Last week however, I got in a little deeper. My mother, who is my best friend, was just diagnosed with breast cancer. It is in the very early stages and at this point we believe it is 100% curable, but it doesn’t change the fear, helplessness and yes, anger, in receiving the diagnosis.
I share this with all of you to let you know that I am no different than the rest of our Tribe Members. I’ve worked really hard this last year to make Human Tribe Project available to all in need, but at the end of the day, I am just a Tribe Member myself. I am struggling to find a way to support and help my mom through cancer treatment. I am watching her worry about medical bills, surgery and losing her hair. I want to help her in any way that I can. So today, I’m starting a Tribe Page for her.
One of the first questions we always get is, “Why aren’t you a non-profit?” It’s a reasonable question. I can understand the cynics’ concern that we’re profiting off of sick people. I get it, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth.
The truth is that we can’t operate our business and give back as much money as we do if we were a non-profit organization. According to the IRS, we can’t sell a product and give away profits the way we do if we were incorporated as a 501(c)(3). So, instead of giving up on our dream, we came up with an innovative way to give to those in need.
When we sell a Tribe Tag, there are two elements of the sale. The first is the straight sale of the necklace for $5. It’s a necklace that could easily retail for more than $20, so the $5 retail price of the necklace is not only reasonable, our business advisers thought it was crazy.
The second part of the sale isn’t actually a sale. It’s a monetary gift from you to your friend for $15. Essentially what we’re saying is that in order to get this necklace for slightly more than it costs, you have to give your friend $15. That’s it.
So where does that $5 go to? Well, first of all it pays for the necklace itself, which also has an extra 2 inch detachable chain so you can convert it into a key chain if you prefer. And we throw in a free website to boot. That website allows your friend to communicate with family and friends about their ordeal. It allows you to build them a living pillar of support in their guestbook, complete with photos.
It pays mundane stuff like our rent and our maintenance on the site. It pays for our phones and our server and internet connections. It doesn’t yet pay for any salaries. We all work as volunteers right now. We hope to someday pay ourselves modest salaries, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Non-profit organizations are wonderful institutions that provide funding for a number of much needed projects. But we want to help people as individuals. We want to use our capitalistic talents for socially responsible purposes. Since we don’t fit into the traditional non-profit organization framework, we had to be creative as to how we could accomplish that goal.
We’re pretty proud of what we have accomplished. We can help give more money to more people in need, in a very efficient way. We don’t rely on outside funding and we don’t seek donations from any other agency. We are 100% self-sustaining. We hope to have started something that causes people to re-evaluate how they look at business and support. Human Tribe Project is as much about changing business as it is about changing lives.
That’s why when people ask why we’re not a non-profit, I’m happy to have the opportunity to explain. The truth is, well, because our way just works better.
At the center of the ever-popular and over-exhausting current health care debate is the cost of health care in the United States. National health care spending is expected to reach $2.5 trillion this year1 and projected to represent nearly 20% of the United States’ gross domestic product by 2017.2 These figures are fueling the debate and motivating our leaders to propose various options to overhaul health care. The numbers are shocking but they fail to adequately humanize the problem. The real issue isn’t the percentage of GDP or total spending, it is the cost to individuals at the time of their need.
Approximately 62% of all personal bankruptcies filed in 2007 in the United States were filed due to medical expenses (nearly 80% of those were filed by people with health insurance).3 In addition, approximately 1.5 million families lose their home to foreclosures every year because of unaffordable health care.4 For breast cancer alone, it is estimated that out-of-pocket expenditures and lost-income costs for women with insurance coverage average $1,455.00 per month.5 In 2006, twenty five percent of cancer patients reported to use all or most of their savings dealing with cancer.6
This reality has sparked a growing trend towards “compassion technology” or social networking websites that help facilitate support for those enduring a health-related crisis. Some websites facilitate emotional support and some promote charitable giving, but one website stands out above all others.
Human Tribe Project is the only social networking website that targets both the financial and emotional burdens of health crises. Initially created to help cancer patients bridge the gap between insurance coverage and real costs, and to provide emotional support along the way, Human Tribe Project allows friends and family to unite, raise funds and show support for a loved one during a health-crisis. Human Tribe Project sells Tribe Tags - tangible tokens of support that remind a loved one that she is supported financially and emotionally.
Human Tribe Project combines the progress of technology with the power of the humanitarian spirit to tackle the costs of health care one health-crisis at a time. While our political leaders are debating the public option and the single-payer option, Human Tribe Project is providing a direct option to help those in need at the time of their need.
Siska, A, et al, Health Spending Projections Through 2018: Recession Effects Add Uncertainty to The Outlook Health Affairs, March/April 2009; 28(2): w346-w357.
California HealthCare Foundation, “Health Care Costs 101.” www.chcf.org/documents/insurance/HealthCareCosts08.pdf.
Himmelstein, D, E., et al, “Medical Bankruptcy in the United States, 2007: Results of a National Study,” American Journal of Medicine, May 2009.
Robertson, C.T., et al. “Get Sick, Get Out: The Medical Causes of Home Mortgage Foreclosures,” Health Matrix, 2008.
"The Financial Burden of Cancer: Estimates From A Study of Insured Women With Breast Cancer." The Journal of Supportive Oncology, May/June 2004.
USA Today/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health Cancer Survey (conducted August 1-September 14, 2006).
A few months ago I was walking through an airport when I noticed a small sign that a vendor had displayed on his counter. It was hand-written and caught my eye immediately.
“Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, you haven’t yet reached the end.”
I at one once thought of my friend Kindra, who lost her battle to cancer months prior. My mind effortlessly started to debate the premise of what I had just read. My first inclination was that this statement could be easily discredited based on my friends experience. As I said, Kindra lost her battle with cancer. Anyone who has faced such an ordeal knows that this is the least desirable of all possible outcomes. But there was something unsatisfying with that conclusion.
Last week I was in Belize with Kindra’s husband, spreading her ashes in one of her favorite places. I again started my mental debate about the sign, probably because I was still searching for meaning in such a tragic and painful loss. It was then that I came to a realization. Perhaps Kindra’s story isn’t finished being told.
As human beings we see our lives with beginning and ends, the beginning being our birth and end coming when we pass away. Lately however, I have started to see a flaw in this seemingly reasonable belief. There is something that it doesn’t take into consideration. It fails to recognize what we leave behind. As human beings we have an immeasurable power to inspire. And this inspiration lives on without the burden of having a shelf life.
Nothing will change the fact that Kindra is no longer here. But when I think about her I remember how she made the people around her so happy. I remember how she loved others with such willingness and ease and I am filled with peace and happiness. It was how she lived that inspired Human Tribe Project. So, as new Tribe Pages are created and people are united with their Tribes, I am reminded that it was her inspiration that made this possible. I am reminded that her strength was always to bring people together, to make them see the positives and to help in anyway she could. I am reminded that her story has not reached its end. Not yet.
At Human Tribe Project, I have taken on the responsibility of reviewing new Tribe Pages as they are created. By our second week of launching this project I knew that this was not going to be an easy task. The stories are often times difficult to read as those who find us are struggling with something profound. But there is a common thread amongst almost all Tribes that I feel compelled to share, as it is a common thread that I never would have anticipated. More often than not, the word “fortunate” is used when the Beneficiaries are describing their stories.
It is baffling to think that someone who is battling a serious illness or injury could consider themselves to be fortunate. But there it is, time and time again, that curiously placed word on each Tribe Page that seems to have no contextual relevance to the struggle that is taking place. They aren’t speaking to the struggle itself of course, but to the unintended consequences that the struggle has produced. They are speaking to the recognition of love that the struggle has highlighted. It is enough to break your heart. But it is also enough to mend it. I have always been fascinated with the raw power that lies inside our shared humanity. I have always believed in people. These last few weeks have offered staggering verification to the premise that human beings are capable of much more than we let on in our daily lives.
When we dreamed up Human Tribe Project we knew we were taking a risk. Like all ventures you risk that certain assumptions are true before they are proven. Put simply, you have to place a bet. We bet on the goodwill of human beings. We bet on the power associated with that goodwill. It was a bet that we were proud to make. There were of course a few cynics that thought we were making a mistake. That it was dangerous to count on people. I am pleased to report that they were wrong. Though I have a great deal of trouble expressing the full emotional effect that Human Tribe Project has had on me I have little trouble finding a word to describe how it makes me feel to be apart of it. The word: Fortunate.
In the scheme of things, you have to fit somewhere, though, where exactly you may not know. Maybe it is on a sport team or office clique or a group of high school friends that refuse to let time pull them apart. We have roles to play if we want to feel wanted or want to feel needed. There are places in your existence that were made especially for you, voids where only you fit. The hard part is finding them and filling them as best you can. Perhaps your place is keeping a household together and raising children to be great people, or contributing to a technology that could change the world. Maybe you are just a good friend to someone who needs one at the time-All are equally important. Most likely, there will be a time when it is demanded that you fill all three. Nobody said it was easy.
Facing things that challenge us everyday is important in finding that special place where things feel right. In doing so, we learn about ourselves and other people that show us the way to who we are or what we aspire to be. These challenges are part of our journey and elemental in our search for the answer to the age-old question: What is the meaning of life? Well, simply put, it is to have a meaningful life. It is that simple and the only answer fit for everyone.
Human Tribe Project is designed around a challenge to see if people fill the holes opening up around them and how well they’re held when they become difficult places to be. Lending a hand or sharing a thought when someone needs one or both is a way to own those places; or being a bridge between people with questions and those with answers. Everybody plays an integral part in this project. All the spaces need to be filled with people ready to be challenged and ready to have the staying power to see things through. You may be a Tribe Leader guiding the way, or the one single Tribe Member connecting the Americas with the rest of our Human tribe. You could be a Beneficiary, having the greatest challenge of them all, drawing support and motivation from those filling the spaces around you: To show courage to fear and strength to weakness and love for life when you feel there isn’t time. Yes, there are inequities in the challenges we face in life because sometimes our role in this project picks us.
I just read an article from Investor’s Business Dailey entitled “New Social Network Sites Give Ailing Folks Support.” The article described both CaringBridge and CarePages and discussed the benefits of “compassion technology” for patients, families and the medical staff during a health crisis.
The article was a great plug for two of our most respected competitor websites but it failed to mention the one thing that neither CaringBridge nor CarePages can help with, the unspoken stress of medical crises – the financial burden.
According to a study in the Journal of Supportive Oncology, the estimated annual costs of cancer alone are $171 billion. Public and private health insurance only covers approximately one-third of these costs and patients are left holding the bills for the rest. Those bills are so hefty that the study found that one-third of families spent all of their savings on cancer treatment.
As the debate in Washington rages over a massive health care reform, it’s important to note that whatever plan we end up with still won’t address the substantial out of pocket costs associated with a significant heath crisis. Loss of work, co-pays, deductible requirements, need for domestic help and uninsured medical procedures combine for an often catastrophic financial burden. This burden exacerbates stress and inhibits the body’s natural healing process.
Too often we feel helpless when a loved one struggles with health problems. We don’t want to crowd our loved one or intrude. We want to give them space but let them know we are thinking about them. We want some ability to help them get better. And now everyone can do that both from a financial standpoint and an emotional standpoint.
Human Tribe Project is the only social networking website that facilitates financial support in addition to emotional support. Human Tribe Project is the only social networking website that targets both the financial and emotional burdens of health crises. Human Tribe Project is the only social networking website that has Tribe Tags, tangible tokens of support that remind your loved one that he or she is supported financially and emotionally.
Human Tribe Project combines the progress of technology and the humanitarian spirit to take control of dealing with a health crisis. We believe that all of us belong to one tribe and now there’s a place for entire world to reconnect, to share support and to stand together.
Are you a member of the Human Tribe?
Welcome to Human Tribe Project. This website was inspired by a dear friend, Kindra McLennan, who passed away from cancer earlier this year. Kindra gave us so much during her life. She was an amazing friend, wife and daughter. She was supportive, kind and caring. She was a fabulous listener, she gave the best hugs and her perpetual good mood was infectious.
True to form, Kindra also left us with something just as great. Kindra’s parting gift was to show us how strong we can be when we come together in a common cause to support a loved one in need. Her struggle united her friends and family into a Tribe, bound together by the humanitarian spirit, in a manner that I never knew was possible.
Kindra reminded us that the things that bind us together are much more powerful than the things that tear us apart. That this humanitarian spirit is the common thread that connects us all. It is the thread that shines above all things and reminds us that love heals all.
This is the foundation of Human Tribe Project. In tragedy and triumph, in crisis and conquest, we are one Human tribe.
This website is dedicated to Kindra’s memory and to her Tribe, her wonderful family and friends who showed us all what it means to support a loved one in need. Human Tribe Project was Kindra's gift to us all.
Check out today's USA Today article on Crowdsourcing and how Human Tribe Project can help. While this…
MoreKindred, a documentary by Mike Sternoff and Beth Bennett, won an Emmy for Best Documentary at the…
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