Making Memories, One Day At A Time!

Week 10

2011-03-24T19:14:00.002-07:00

Wow! All I can say is that this has been a week to remember. I have learned so much, been challenged like never before, and even slept an hour or so. This week, I was able to attend the Not For Sale Abolitionist Investigator Academy taught by Don Batstone and Dennis Mark. The purpose of the San Francisco Abolitionist Academy is to “educate individuals about the global, national, state, and local problem of human trafficking and modern-day slavery”. 40 hours of intensive training that teaches you how to investigate, research, document, and map human trafficking, all around us. I never knew that there was so much to learn past what I had already known about human trafficking.
It is easy to say that human trafficking is in our own back yard, but there is so much more to that. Human trafficking can literally be across the street in your neighbor’s home, your favorite diner, or even at your local hair salon. At the academy, we were taught to look for the “low hanging fruit” all around us in high Probability locations. We were also taught to look for obvious red flag behaviors for human trafficking and taught how to deal with the information that we receive. Together the information that we learned this week can truly help us to be more than just an abolitionist…we can now be smart activist with the tools to actually help fight human trafficking in the community around us.
The 40 hours of intensive training truly took a toll on each one of us. Each day, we would come home and just crash for the night. So much information being absorbed all week and I know my body just needed a break at the end of each day. All I can say though is that it was completely worth it and I am truly thankful that I got the chance to experience it. If you really want to do more with the movement and you really want to make a difference, I suggest attending one of the Academies offered by Not For Sale. Not because I am biased but because you will actually love it and be able to use the tools and knowledge that they give you! Check it out: www.NFSAcademy.org.

Week 9

2011-03-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

My prayers and thoughts go out to those in Japan and surrounding areas. To say they have gone through a lot would be an understatement. Hundreds of thousands of people’s lives have been permanently changed and it didn’t take more than a few minutes. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed, and families separated. To watch all of this go down the way it did, it made me think. What guarantees us that we will have the next day with family, friends, and loved ones? We must never take a day for granted as nothing is promised to us. Hug the ones you love, and spend every last minute you can with your friends!
This past Friday turned out to be quite a day out of the norm. I was woken up by a buzzing phone at 6 am. 8 missed calls and plenty of text messages. My parents finally got ahold of me with a warning of “It is time for you to evacuate your house.” We were being evacuated from our area due to threats of an oncoming Tsunami. With much hesitation, we got out of the house and headed out for high ground. We stood with several other onlookers, awaiting the arrival of a large tsunami wave. The events that took place the day before and 5,000 miles away were able to change the course of the day here on the coast of Northern California. Luckily, the wave turned out to be nothing more than an average wave and life went on as normal. What if that wave would have been worse? What if I wasn’t able to write this blog from my house? Either way, life would have to gone on.
This upcoming week is the investigator academy held in San Francisco. We will learn how to research, investigate, and document cases of human trafficking so that we can become smart activist. The knowledge gained from this academy will be useful for us as we look to fight slavery around the world. We will be up in SF all week and it will be a great chance to meet others looking to gain the same knowledge.

Week 8

2011-03-24T19:13:00.001-07:00

We are officially 1/3 of the way through our 6 month fellowship. To say I have learned a lot would be an understatement and it has been amazing to look back on the last two months to see what all we have accomplished. We as humans have the ability, with the right mindset, to achieve some amazing things. Working for Not For Sale has been the opportunity of a lifetime and definitely an amazing learning experience. The main goal of the fellowship is to “recruit and prepare dedicated individuals to become leaders in the modern day abolitionist movement”. We are challenged day in and day out to make the most out of our time here and challenged to have ruthless execution in the things that we do. Not For Sale isn’t an organization that is willing to settle for being average. The effort and product that we put out every day has to be of the utmost quality and we are expected to put our full effort into everything.
Along with our work with Not For Sale, we are being challenged to work on our core beliefs and strengths. The topic that we went over last week was the difference between humility and Pride. To be an effective leader you must be able to listen to those around you without putting yourself ahead of them. We must learn to walk a very fine line between being prideful and humble in the work that we do. Although sometimes it feels good to get that praise for the great work you did, you can’t let it affect your performance when you don’t get it. At times our best work will go unrecognized and we need to be just as proud of that work.
I recently got back in from a week trip to Orlando, FL and my home in Manteno, IL. While in Orlando, I took part in the national princess ½ marathon with one of my good friends from school. She needed someone to run it with her and I had always wanted to run one. In fact, I had always said that running a marathon was on my list of things to do before I die. To be completely honest, I really didn’t train for it at all and really don’t know how I survived it lol. But there are a few things I learned about myself during those 2 or three days that I was down there. The body and mind can do great things when pushed to the brink. If you are willing to push through the pain, you can do things you never thought possible. The second thing I learned is that seeing 17,000 other individuals running for the same cause is a great way to stay motivated. To know that every person running around you is aiming for the same goal was a big push to help me make it through the ½ marathon. If you look at this from another perspective, the same thing can be said for anything that we do. If we can find enough support and get enough people around us, we can accomplish anything.
It was amazing to get to see my family for the first time in months and to spend some quality time with some of my friends. I was able to keep everything secret and surprised both of my parents at work. Within 5 minutes of showing up their work, I pretty much had my whole time there booked with plans. I love my family! Also, wanted to send out a shout out to my sister Steph, She just gave birth to an amazing baby boy! Luke Michael Kumor! Now I am back at my desk here in Half Moon Bay and refreshed and ready to go for the next round of fighting human trafficking! Thanks everyone for the support!

Recent Creation!

2011-03-24T19:11:00.001-07:00

Week 7 Blog

2011-02-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

Two months of my life have absolutely flown by and I have gotten so much done in such a little time. It’s easy to think your work is going unnoticed but after doing some research this week for our weekly dashboard I realized that I have an important part in getting the message out about our SAM student programs. The views of my posts on SAM’S facebook have gone up over 6,000 for the week. It was also interesting to see how a small idea that a student has had about an upcoming event called the “slavery still exists campaign”. With the help of our SAM page promotion and their own hard work, this event has went from just over 30 people attending to now well over 1,700 people scheduled to take part in a simple act of smart activism. This simple event, if worked properly can have a major impact in increasing people’s knowledge on the subject. How easy is it? Check it out at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=164451430268043. All you do is change your facebook photo to a picture of you holding a sign that says – Slavery Still Exists -. By putting this photo up, it will generate opportunities to talk to people about the subject because they will ask about it.

People keep asking what’s the point? Will it really make a difference? Before I started at Not For Sale, I might have been as skeptical. But with a movement like the anti-human trafficking, it’s all about having the right people and getting the message out there. All it may take to reach a “tipping point” is a person with the right resources or right contacts. If we can just get people to ask the simple question of “what does your sign mean?”, then we may be able to recruit just the right person to join alongside of us. So to truly answer the question, it could possibly make a major difference. This simple campaign could change the world-- do you want to miss it?

This week I am spending time in beautiful Orlando, FL to run a half marathon. With the right amount of hard work and determination, I will be able to accomplish one of the major goals in life. Our lives are way too short to sit around and dream about what we want to accomplish! Get out and step out of your comfort zone, meet new people, try something daring, work to finish something you never thought you could! Until next week, I love you Mom and Dad, and the rest of my family! Thank you everyone for making this opportunity possible and supporting me through everything!

If you would like to continue supporting me through this journey you can visit:

To help me out financially please visit: https://nfs.webconnex.com/davidquimby

Thanks again,

David Michael Quimby

Last Weeks Blog

2011-02-26T10:43:00.001-08:00

While growing up, you constantly hear the saying, “Time flies by when you get older”. I never really believed it or truly understood what that meant. In my last few blogs I have talked about making the most out of my time while here with Not For Sale and also learning from my mistakes and pushing forward, and now it is time to push forward (but not fast forward)! Over the last week or so this childhood memory has quickly come to fruition and I have realized that time is moving a lot faster then I really want it to. It seems like every Friday comes out of nowhere and I missed the chance to really accomplish what I wanted during the past week. My goal this week is to get the most out of every minute and learn from those around me! We can so easily get so caught up in the things we are doing, that we forget that we are here to learn from the people we are working with!
Growing up and still today, sports have been a major part of my life. As far back as I can remember I’ve always had some kind of sporting equipment in my hands. This past week I really got the chance to open up and talk about something that I love and got some of the crazy ideas out that I had running through my head. A sense of excitement is definitely going to push me through this upcoming week as I have started to work on the Not For Sale platform called Free2play. The basis for this platform is that every child, women, and man should be free to play and it pushes hard to incorporate sports into the rehabilitation process of those rescued from slavery. How cool is that? I know this is kind of an overused saying but sports can truly be an international language when working with those people that have been rescued! Definitely will be more to come about my experiences this next week with Free2play as I am really just diving in head first and working hard to get involved with it! So many great ideas and programs already in place with it, so hope to get more people pledged to get involved!
We have a crazy month ahead of us!
Next week I am flying to Orlando, FL to run my first Half Marathon and I am truly excited about it. As soon as I get back we have a week long investigator training in San Francisco which is going to be a major highlight of the fellowship and I am really looking forward to it. It will be a great chance to listen and absorb information from those that are experts in our field. The academy will equip us with the skills and tools needed to really help to combat human trafficking in the areas around us! We also have a few speaking engagements and then a 45 minute presentation at a catholic school in the area!

Week after Week, it just keeps getting more amazing!

2011-02-12T15:39:00.001-08:00

Map out your future, but do it in pencil. ~Jon Bon Jovi

Two Days ago, was exactly one month from my start date at Not For Sale. One year ago, who would have thought that this is where I would be and what I would be doing. God has an amazing way of surprising me at times when I think I have everything planned out. This quote from Bon Jovi came through my e-mail this week and I found it very interesting because it is sooo true and exactly fits how my life has been over the last few years. We may feel like we have everything lined up for our future but everything can change at the drop of a hat. If we are unable to be accustomed to change, our chances of being successful will fall to the wayside.

During my first few weeks here, it was easy for me to get frustrated when I didn’t know the answer to a question or know exactly what to say. After talking with Jamee yesterday night, I realized that I am really a rookie to working with anti-human trafficking. This is my first experience working with an organization or anything of this sort. I may not know the answer to every question, I may not know exactly what to say, but that is part of the learning process of the fellowship. I’m learning to find the answers and passing on my knowledge to others daily. I now am able to answer questions that 4-5 weeks ago, I would have been completely stuck on.

Last week was a pretty exciting one. We had an event called the Montara Circle. This event brought in 50 of the top global leaders from across the United States and a few other countries to help come up with solutions to deforestation in the Amazon, particularly a part of Peru. These ideas that these leaders came up with on the spot were amazing. Partnering with NFS, these ideas that they came up with will make a drastic impact on this region of the world. To help the event run smoothly, all of us were constantly on the go and overall the event turned out to be amazing and a great success. Overall, the event will lead to many successful ventures in the Amazon region but the most important part is that lives will be changed in a positive way!

Live, Fail, Have Fun, Learn

2011-02-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

"Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human." - Anthony Robbins

While doing our fellowship, we are also reading a few books and taking a deeper look into our core values. During a meeting last week with Jono, Shane, and Keturah, we had an easy exercise of writing down twenty of our core beliefs. I started off with some of the basics like “I believe in God, I believe God has a plan for me”. But when I really thought about these beliefs, I had to ask myself what do they really mean? Do I believe that because I actually do think so, do I believe it because someone told me to? To really grow up we have to take a look at our inner self and decide who we really are. After listing a few basic beliefs, I stopped lying to myself, and I started putting my real core beliefs. I want to be a person of the utmost integrity, I want to experience everything that God has set out for me, I believe that we have the ability to control how good our lives will turn out.

One thing that I learned from all of this is that failure is a part of success. Like the quote from Anthony Robbins says, I am going to fail sometimes. I am going to let someone down here and there, I’m going to make mistakes, I’m going to screw up. But when we fail miserably, we have to learn from these experiences and just roll with it. In the end we will be forced to change, forced to become a better person because we will learn from these experiences.

As part of the exercise, we are also printing out and saving our list. We will be building a foundational set of core beliefs for each of us that we will be able to set in stone. As time changes we have the ability to change or delete our own core beliefs. This list will be an easy way to look at and re-evaluate my core beliefs whenever I am having troubles.

The fellowship has been amazing this week! I finally decided to let out one of my ideas about an upcoming event that I wanted to plan. Within a day, my assignment was to set out and write up a proposal for the event. Three days later, I am researching and getting everything set up for the event. It is amazing to see how every idea or “a brain baby” is not frowned upon here at NFS. They want each and every one of us to come up with crazy ideas and be willing to try them out. They are always willing to try new things and test out new ideas!

Today, Saturday the 5^th is Not For Sale’s 4^th Anniversary and we have celebrated it with an amazing B-day video put together by Shane. It was fun to see everyone let their hair down one day and shoot some hilarious videos that somehow Shane found a way to piece them all together in a genius video. The best part is the enormous amount of outtakes that I’m sure will find their ways out again sometime in the future. We have another video that we are currently working on right now for the fellows, it is top secret but it is going to be amazing! If you have any suggestions for crazy video ideas or things you would want to see, send your questions and we will answer them via a video feed!

Until next week, I’m going to experience everything, I’m going to fail, but at least I will have fun and learn from doing it!

Not For Sale Blog - Week 3!

2011-01-30T14:49:00.001-08:00

WOW! Where have the last three weeks gone! It seems like just yesterday I was pulling in for the night into a new home that I had never sleeping in before. The weeks at Not For Sale seem to just slip away as you are trying to get the most out of every minute, so much to get done in such a little time.

Last weekend we spent all afternoon Friday and all day Saturday at the Freedom Summit in Fremont, CA. The two key note speakers for this event were Condoleezza Rice and David Batstone. Going into it, I was really excited to hear what Rice had to say on the subject. But, once up on the stage it was hard to follow her as the statistics she gave us were old, “safe” numbers that everyone already knows. It was amazing to see what steps the government has taken over the last 5-10 years in helping to fight human trafficking. The yearly TIP report has become a very important piece of legislation, and the US leverages the information in the report to force countries to make changes.

The best part of the weekend was when David Batstone got up on stage. He is SOO passionate about the subject that even if you knew what he was going to say, it still amazed you and makes you give it a second thought. I don’t want to be disrespectful but I really do believe that David blew the other speakers out of the water. To be an amazing speaker, you’re going to hurt someone’s feelings here and there. He wasn’t afraid to “step on toes”. One of his main ideas was that we aren’t asking for people to come and just join the movement, we want people that are passionate and want to make things happen! It felt like everyone in the crowd was just asking for more and more while he was speaking.

Work around the office has been amazing. Yes I am behind a computer screen all day but I am getting more done then I ever thought possible. We are currently working on the Global Forum for 2011 and It is amazing to see the potential that the event has for this upcoming year. We have a great line up of bands and some of the speakers names being thrown around are going to have a major impact on those people that are willing to give up their time to come and listen. I really want to know if the lady that stood up saying she was going to wear the same shirt for a year is holding up her end of the bargain. If so, should we encourage her to change it before she shows up at the forum? J

The weather here has continued to be amazing. The temperature has been upwards of 65 everyday with nothing but the sun over our heads. I keep being told not to get used to this, but I’m being very optimistic and hopefully this sun and temperatures stick around for a little longer! Anything is better than the snow and temperatures that my parents and friends keep telling me they are experiencing at home!

While on the way to the Freedom Summit, Jono, Shane, and I created a masterpiece of a music video to the song A Whole New World. You can check it out at: http://bit.ly/f6Mcgz . These are the two craziest and funniest guys that I have ever met. There is never a dull moment in the house. Sometime in the next few days we are planning on going golfing at an amazingly awesome indoor black light mini-golf course. HAHA it is going to be epic.. well at least we will try and make it be that way!

For any correspondence you can mail:

David Quimby

P.O. Box 2811

El Granada, CA 94018-2811

To help me out financially please visit: https://nfs.webconnex.com/davidquimby

Fellows Week 2!

2011-01-26T21:12:00.001-08:00

Not For Sale - Blog - Second Week

2011-01-21T10:37:00.001-08:00

Wow! What a crazy Second week already! One of the first things I have learned here at Not For Sale is that everything moves and changes quickly. You may be planning something and ten minutes later, you can completely switch tracks. For some this may be hard to follow, but for me it is a welcome breathe of relief. You are always doing something different here but it’s amazing to see what you can accomplish when put under enough stress! One of the coolest things about this organization is to see the amazing leadership and talent that David Batstone has built up around him. Not For Sale is not looking to succeed for a year, they are looking to create a successful organization that will continue to grow and make SIGNIFICANT changes in people’s lives for years to come! I just can’t explain how it feels to know that I get to be a part of that!

This week in the office I have started working on Global Forum 2011. We are looking to step it up this year and the event will be held in San Francisco. The concert will be rocking this time around with three OUTSTANDING bands!

After just two weeks in the office, I am starting to feel comfortable understanding and working on all the projects I have been assigned to. One major push and Idea that I have had is to get the Freedom Store running more effectively and smoothly. Though they had great systems in place in the past, we want to make it easier for all three of us fellows to be able to recognize and sell the jewelries that we have a hard time distinguishing between. After just one week of shifts in the freedom store, I have noticed that having an accent really is a benefit when working in our retail J. Between Shane and Jono, they have sold over $850 worth of merchandise… me ..zero. I’m hoping to blame this on my shift being 1/3 of the length of theirs but I will l let them have the glory right now, it won’t last long!

The last project I have been assigned to is taking over the Student Abolitionist movement. We are currently working on putting a calendar together that shows events of all the clubs on our main webpage at SAMstudents.org. To work a NFS club and know that there are tons of other clubs in the area working towards the same goals, are hope is that it will give these organizations Ideas and support to host events of their own.

On another note, Half Moon Bay’s weather has been a well welcomed break from that of Chicago’s. I left the freezing cold to come to an area that averages 60 degrees daily and for the last two weeks has had an abnormal amount of sunny days! My B-day was last weekend and I made the most out of it. In my e-mail I received a coupon for a 24 hour free motorcycle rental so I spent all Sunday exploring the state park just across the golden gate bridge. I have to admit that being in such an amazing area, working at an amazing organization, and riding a Harley Fat Boy led to one of the best birthdays yet! It only would have been better if I could have had my entire family out here with me! Soon enough!

House: Still enjoying living with two of the craziest guys I have ever met! Though we have all agreed that we will probably hate each other by the end of our three months, we have a lot of crazy ideas for videos that our viewers will eventually get to watch! Keep your eyes open for them as they will be coming soon!

Not for Sale - Blog - First week

2011-01-14T10:50:00.001-08:00

I started off my journey, 2,200 miles away in Chicago, IL. After a few days of straight driving, I pulled into El Granada, California on January 6^th. It has been a definite wave of emotions that are pulling me in both directions. It was so hard to make the choice to be so far away from my family and everything else that I know. One of the hardest parts is missing seven months of my nieces and nephews young growing lives! But GOD has opened a big door and opportunity in my life with Not for Sale Campaign and if I would have passed it up, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. Instead of spending my time making money for someone else, I have the ability to spend my time saving people’s lives!

On Saturday, Jono from Australia arrived and it has been really exciting getting to meet another guy that is so passionate about stopping human trafficking as I am. He was struggling through the first few days because of jet lag but is now getting accustomed to our clock here. Shane from South Africa did not arrive till Tuesday so Jono and I were started on training on Monday morning. Right away we were introduced to what we will be doing and tasks were given to us right away. While with the Not for Sale Campaign I will be working on event planning for the major events coming up. I will also be in charge of SAMstudents.org, updating student club databases updated, and providing material for NFS chartered clubs. The last major task that I am in charge of is the Freedom Store. I will be manager of the store and there are a lot of ideas that I already have just walking into it for the first time to make it run smoother and be more successful!

Tuesday was a very busy day with a major event looming over our heads in early February. Shane arrived at SF airport around 3 pm and I was in charge of picking him up. No form of communication and I had only met him one time in the past so luckily I was able to remember what He looked like when He was there sitting on one of the benches, looking completely lost :).

It has been exciting as well as very interesting to get to know these two guys. Over the past week I have laughed so hard and so much that it has helped me to get past my homesick feelings. There will never be a dull moment in our home and the guys living in this house are on fire for a cause! It’s going to be amazing to see what together we can all accomplish. This is going to be a great 6 month experience and we have some great support behind us every step of the way.

I want to take time to personally thank every person that has helped to make this possible. You have enabled me to make a difference in this world and in turn I will never be able to fully repay you for what you have given me.

For any correspondence you can mail:

David Quimby

P.O. Box 2811

El Granada, CA 94018-2811

To help financially please visit: https://nfs.webconnex.com/davidquimby

First week in Half Moon Bay, CA

2011-01-12T22:54:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Half Moon Bay, CA on January 6th and it has been amazing to see how different everything is from life back in Illinois. The first day I got here I was out walking in a t-shirt and I kept getting weird looks. The area currently is in a cold front right now and the temperatures are in the high 40s. So everyone here is in their thickest jackets and warm clothes. They don't understand that I just left the frigid winter in Chicago, IL!

God has already shown his hand in my first week here. The biggest question mark with this entire move was finances and I was not sure how I was going to cover everything while out here. On Friday, I dedicated the whole day to applying at restaurants in the area for a serving position. After applying at 10+ restaurants, I quit for the day and went into Not For Sale to check out the Freedom store and meet Benita! It was amazing to see everything that they have to offer there. Pretty much everything in the store is produced by survivors of human trafficking and money made off each purchase is sent back to them to help create jobs for more survivors.

While at the Freedom store, Keturah (Fellowship director) mentioned a restaurant that had just opened up across the street. After meeting with them I went and applied at the restaurant called "Flavor" and went home for the night. On Saturday, I got a call from Flavor asking me to come in for an interview in 15 mins and when I walked in He offered me a job on the spot! While in the interview he told me that before I had walked into the door to apply, He had been talking to the owner about the need to hire 1 or 2 others servers. Right after he finished saying that statement to the owner, I walked in the front door! How is that for God's timing? The owners have been more then accommodating for me and I am currently scheduled to work around my Not For Sale fellowship schedule working 15-20 hours a week!

On Monday, I began my first day at Not For Sale and what a day it was. They quickly pushed us in the flood waters, giving us everything that we are responsible for. Let's just say their will never be a shortage of tasks for us lined up.. or stacked 5 feet tall! While working with the organization I will be working on event planning, heading the Student Abolitionist Movement (SAMstudents.org), and also manager of the Freedom store (http://notforsale895.corecommerce.com/cart.html) ! In just a few days I have made a major impact on the anti-human trafficking movement and that is what makes it all so satisfying. I'm not working to make someone money, I am working to save someone's LIFE!

Life away from family and friends is lonely! If you would like, you can send me a postcard, or letters letting me know your praying for me, or even a word of encouragement. E-Mails are awesome toooo! :) !!
David Quimby
P.O. Box 2811
El Granada, CA 94018-2811
DavidQ@notforsalecampaign.org

To help financially please visit: https://nfs.webconnex.com/davidquimby

Travels to California!

2011-01-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

WOW! How it all developed so quickly! Just a few months ago I had been accepted to the Not For Sale Campaign Fellowship and it was very exciting. I had no idea what all it would entail or how quickly it would change my life. First off I want to say THANK YOU to everyone that has made this possible and A BIG thanks to God for allowing this all to work out the way it has.

On January 4th, I left Illinois for the longest drive of my life. One in which I had very mixed emotions, on one hand I was so torn from leaving my family and everything I knew, but on the other hand, God had blessed me with the opportunity of a life time! 32 hours in a car, by myself - 2,200 miles, and it left me with a lot of time for thinking.

Deep, Deep things I learned on my road trip:

Utah and Wyoming are the Windiest states with regular gusts over 50 mph. They even have fences built just to break the wind, EVERYWHERE! How did Chicago get the title of the windiest city?

Don't buy a huge bag of chips to try out for the first time, try a small bag first!
You can survive on Beef Jerky and Chips alone and Its an effective weight loss plan!
Fill-Up any chance you get in Utah because you may not see another gas station for 300 miles
Cars are not made to drive into headwinds of 50+ mph
There are cops in the desert! A car that went zooming past me... was pulled over 100 miles down the road!
Nebraska and Iowa are more exciting drives then Utah