Power of One helps Elephant Nature Park ring in the New Year

For the last seven years, the first of January brought not only the new year, but also an amazing group of inspirational people – The Power of One!

Led by Americans Juelle and Donovan and their foundation, Blue Star of Hope, the Power of One is a concept dedicated to bringing young people of all cultures, from all corners of the world together to share in a volunteer experience.

This year the group had 36 participants at Elephant Nature Park, coming from the USA, South Africa, England and Thailand, of course! All involved were happy to work hard with a smile on their face — whether scooping ele-poo, cleaning out the mud pit or preparing food in the elephant kitchen.

Geared towards kindness and compassion, Juelle and Donovan encourage each participant to bring an extra suitcase full of items to give away to people in need. These donations are then distributed to the Karen hilltribe people at Save Elephant’s Journey to Freedom, as well as to Karen and Karenni student refugees at New Star boarding school inside a refugee camp in the Mae Hong Son Province, and to students at schools in the south of Thailand.

ENP’s flamboyant Volunteer Coordinator Chet has become the official VC for the Power of One as his spirit and energy matches with this group perfectly. Joining Chet in the coordinating task the past two years was Kwan, one of our day guides.

Each year, we are amazed by the sheer amount of talented people and how much joy is brought through their entertainment.

We all look forward to “Showtime,” which happens at the end of their stay. Emcees Chet and comic/magician Sylvia announce the acts and bring comic relief in between. The crowd is delighted by the many acts ranging from African dancing, Thai dancing, Karen mahout dancing, Mexican dancing, even Gangnam Style dancing with an elephant twist! This year there was singing and  a magic show!

Song and dance feed the spirit, and by the end of the night all are filled with the glow of unity, peace and love. The week always seems to go by too fast and it is hard to say goodbye to the new friends and old ones who return each year. Thank goodness for the mighty and incredible Asian elephant and our undying love and appreciation for them … if it was not for them, none of us would have met!

Thank you Juelle and Donovan, for being the amazing and inspirational people that you are and helping to change the lives of young people and Asian elephants … ONE person and ONE elephant at a time … with the POWER OF ONE. We love you!

Please, learn more about the Blue Star of Hope foundation by going to their website: bluestarofhope.org