Thanks to all of those who have become Facebook Fans and especially those who have signed up to give on June 15th, the Worldwide Day of Giving. So far there are only a little over 300 people who have committed to giving in their own community on June 15th…so pass the word along. My goal is to get 10,000 people around the world to do this and then have them share their experiences, pictures, etc. here with the rest of the world. It should be amazing, but I need your help to make it happen!
Will and Matthew (Photo: Reed)
Last Thursday I found Will with his skateboard at the north end of Dupont Circle. Will is an 18-year-old who lives in the Fort Totten area. He was reluctant to accept my $10 because he felt there were others who were more deserving of the money, but then he decided to accept it and pass the money on.
He describes himself as a “furry artist, tattoo apprentice, capoeira student, skateboarder, traceur (person who performs parkour), film editor, and musician.” I have to say that I felt like a huge under-achiever after learning all about his interests. I had never even heard of parkour for example. It is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible.
Will said that he was going to give $5 to his mom who “could really use the money right now.” He is going to break the other $5 into singles and give out a $1 to 5 random people. I asked him if there was anything that people reading the blog could do to help him. He shook his head “no” and said, “I feel that I can give more than I can receive.” I definitely understand his thinking.
About this time, Will’s friend Matthew came along. Matthew and Will met at the same capoeira training center. They both share a lot of the same interests. Matthew also trains in Japanese sword play and Japanese staff fighting.
Here is a small portion of our conversation.
If you would like to check out some of Will’s artwork, click here.
Year of Giving 
Lol, these guys are amazing. 🙂 And they are only 18?! I have a ton of guy friends and still have yet to meet GUYS that age who seem so MATURE! Just…w-o-w.
They were very interesting…I enjoyed every minute of our discussion. -Reed
Parkour is amazing; it takes a lot of physical discipline and work to be able to do that. I like his idea of breaking up the money into smaller portions and giving that away; it’s like taking the whole “pay-it-forward” principle and multiplying its effect.
Those guys are amazing! Many kids today could take a few lessons.
This has inspired many people and looks like it is growing.
Aww these guys are super cute! It’s so refreshing to see the youth in this state of mind 🙂