One is Mykael.
One is a dear old friend who knows all my secrets.
One shares his name with a dead celebrity and is my go-to for zombie apocalypse advice.
Two went to grade school with me for years.
One is my father's brother-in-law.
One is my mother's brother.
One is my step-father's brother.
One is my cousin.
One was in my high school youth group.
One dated my best friend for a minute one summer.
Some are brothers of friends.
Some I went to high school with.
Some I met in college.
And this is a story about one of those Michaels: Michael Krepps.
I met Michael during my sophomore year of college. The next year, he lived with my friend Austin, whose brother and sister-in-law would have a group of us students over once a week to hang out and play cards and eat Pizza Rolls. I went to EJ and Chad's with Austin and Michael and a collection of other friends most Wednesday nights over the course of three school years.
Michael was always pretty quiet, but as he began to open up, I realized how funny and genuinely caring he was. He spent last Spring studying abroad, and unfortunately for me, it was my last season in Colorado so I haven't seen much of him over the last year. I still have a Paragon magazine (our college's yearly literary publication) sitting just across the room from me with a post-it on it that reads: "Send me to Michael!" along with the Florida address of the office for the mission organization he worked with this summer. (Sorry I never sent that Michael!)
Being so far away, sometimes you forget to remember the people who played different roles in your life. Ready for a cheesy metaphor in which I explain Michael's role in mine? Here it is:
If my life was a weekend-long party, the main players like my family and closest friends would be sitting with me on the patio hanging out and telling stories. There would be other people mingling and scattered about throughout the venue, maybe a restaurant or some kind of big estate. Michael would be the guy who would show up early to help set up on Thursday. He'd quietly help until things were pretty much set, and at some point he'd slip out and head home. He might not even come to the party on Friday, but at some point during the event, he'd show up while I was feeling overwhelmed about running out of guacamole, and he'd stand in the kitchen with me cutting avocados and hearing about what he'd missed, just smiling, for as long as I needed him. I'd dash out of the room to go refill the bowls, and he'd wander the party, people watching, until he found someone else on the sidelines. It would probably be someone that I'd just met once or twice, but who had to be at the party because to some degree, they were an important part of my life.
Michael would be the guy to sit down and ask that person their story, and to invest a little bit of who he was.
Like I said, it's a cheesy metaphor, but the point is that Michael takes notice of the broken or the lonely, and he cares for them. He is a seedplanter, and a thoughtful, kind man. I'm proud to have been a friend to him. And now I'm excited to share what he's doing.
On January 31, Michael kicked off an experiment: His goal is to ask 1 million people to each donate a dollar to him over the course of the next year. He has pledged that the first $10,000 will go to charity. If the donations surpass this amount, he will then begin using the remaining money to enable his work for those in need. I could tell you what I know about the work he has already done, but I'd rather you explore for yourselves.
The link for Michael's experiment and for the Facebook event page are below:
You can use the first link to visit the Experiment website where you can learn more about Michael and donate $1. You can further help by going to the Facebook event and inviting your friends to donate as well.
I understand that this may sound completely crazy, especially for those of you who haven't heard of Michael, not to mention those of you reading who don't even know me personally, but let me tell you this: If Michael Krepps collects even half of the million dollars he has set as his goal, he will change the world for good. I know this because he is already making a positive impact through his work with the International Action Club at Colorado Christian University and through the missions work he has done over the several years in eight countries.
I believe in Michael's experiment, and in the charity and hope of the people I know, and of the people who read this blog. I can promise you that Michael is not and never would be scamming anyone. His desire is to do good things for people who have little, and who need love. So please, give a man a dollar, and help him change the world.
If you have any questions about the experiment, you can comment or email me at emilyymariee@gmail.com and I will forward them on to Michael for you.
Thank you for supporting a dear friend.
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