What a fun contest! The staff at Freedom Personal Development had a great time reading through all 64 charity nominations and voting for the winners. We wished every charity could have received a donation. It was truly inspiring to learn about the work people all over the globe are doing to help others.

Here are the top three charities that won as well as what the money will be used for:

1st Place – $1,000 to Byron Katie’s The Work Foundation www.thework.com

The Work is a simple yet powerful process of inquiry that teaches you to identify and question thoughts that cause all the suffering in the world. It’s a way to understand what’s hurting you, and to address your problems with clarity.

The donation makes it possible for The Work to spread through hospitals, prisons, schools, universities, events in countries just discovering The Work, and scholarships to the nine-day School for The Work.

Check out this video of the School for The Work: http://thework.com/school.asp

2nd Place – $500 for St. Jude’s Research Hospital – http://www.stjude.org

St Jude’s motto is “Finding cures. Saving children.” St. Jude has made great leaps and bounds in finding cures for many cancers and today’s success rate is good. The donation with help ensure their lifesaving research continues and no family that cannot pay is never turned away.

3rd Place – $100 for Heifer International http://www.heifer.org

This $100 donation allowed 3 gifts to be purchased:

Flock of Hope – This gift included chicks, ducklings and goslings that will grow up to lay precious eggs that mean hope and increasing health and prosperity for hungry families from the Philippines to Rwanda.

Bees – From Uganda to El Salvador, bees from Heifer International help struggling families earn income through the sale of honey, beeswax and pollen. Beehives require almost no space and, once established, are inexpensive to maintain.

Give Where Most Needed Cash Gift – This gift will help provide livestock, seeds, or training to a family struggling with hunger and poverty. We’ll make sure your donation goes to those who need it most.

Thank you to all that nominated a charity and donated to this contest. Freedom has been delivered to people around the world. What a great way to start off 2010.

Be Free!

Roger Seip
Co-Founders and Instructor

PS – A HUGE thank you for all of the Freedom Personal Development staff that contributed and voted in this contest!