a summit series mom

ever since i started going to summit series in 2010, my mom has been a big fan of all the inspiring stories i bring home. from being a regular evangelist for kiva to hanging a holstee manifesto in her bathroom, my mom is a big supporter of all the great energy coming out of generation Y and the summit series community:

last christmas, she only asked for one thing: a whistle from falling whistles. after reading about the organization and hearing me talk about the great work the founder -- my friend sean carrasso -- is doing, mom was set on becoming a whistleblower for peace.

mom on christmas morning, 2010

this year, for her birthday, mom asked for a pair of warby parker glasses. i've been talking them up since i met co-founder neil at DC10, and mom's been waiting for the right time to get a pair. my sister and i got her a gift card for her birthday, and mom finally settled on a pair of begleys with whiskey tortoise frames. she's a bit of a desginerd, so she's into the aesthetics, but also likes that for every pair purchased, warby parker gives away a pair to someone in need.

mom in her birthday warbys, 2011

mom loves one-for-one business models, so when she came to visit me for thanksgiving, we went on a shopping expedition in search of some TOMS shoes. she was wearing them around the house when my nieces and nephews were visiting. "are those TOMS?" they asked. "wow, you're so cool!"

mom buying her first pair of TOMS shoes

she's also down for a little dubstep and house music. after i came back from summit at sea raving about swedish house mafia and axwell's mind-blowing set the final night, mom rushed out and bought his album. days later, i got this email:

i share this not just because my mom is tremendously cool (she obviously is), but because it underscores the power of modern communications. mom lives in rural british columbia, an hour from the nearest grocery store, but all she needs is an internet connection to tap into the innovation and inspiration of summit series. can't wait to see what we dream up at basecamp. neither can mom.