Here we are. It is February again. These are the shortest, darkest days of the year, and in many parts of the country, the coldest as well. And yet, these days are also filled with light. The year is young. Everywhere there are fresh starts, new beginnings, and the promise of a bright and flourishing spring. The holidays around this time are filled with hope and love: Martin Luther King Day, Lincoln’s Birthday and Valentine’s Day too.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time of honoring and remembrance of the gift of love for everyone in this country. So, how utterly ironic that on this past holiday weekend, we must mourn the loss of a boy who was stabbed by his ten-year old best friend to death in Cajon, California.

Not only that, but just last week an 18-year-old girl was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her nine-year-old friend when she was only 15 years old. Both of these children, at the time of the incidents were being treated for serious brain disorders.

There is no doubt that tragedies like these can happen. That they do, and that they could happen anywhere at anytime is a deeply disturbing and heart-wrenching truth. We shake our heads and wonder, what can be done? It is easy when faced with such horrendous violence to cast blame and to want to hold someone responsible.

The fact is, we are talking about children, children whose biological brain variations profoundly affect the ability to control extreme impulses.

Yes, this is grief, darkness, outrage, but I would argue that the most terrible and shocking things are really just enormous cries for love. And not just any love, but a profound and expansive love, a love of action, a love of new ideas, a love which brings deep, compassionate understanding to places few would dare to enter.

It is awe inspiring that the family of the victim in the case of the ten-year old boy responded in compassion not hatred. They chose love. They said, “He is not a monster.”

That is courage and compassion in action. It is what we see everyday in our work at Flawless- the magic of love, miracles and a world that is moving towards seeing the perfection in every child.

When you take incredible grief, mix it with hope and then add love, you have what we have come to call the “Flawless Elixir.” It is a potent and gorgeous force. At The Flawless Foundation, we believe that we need to stop blaming, discriminating and casting aside.

At Flawless we have seen children, who everyone has given up on, completely turn around. They do not just improve, but they thrive. And so we dream…….

• We have a dream that the healing miracles we have seen with yoga and mindfulness practices will be integrated into every school system in this country.
• We have a dream that the revolutionary work of Dr. Ablon of Think:Kids called, “Collaborative Problem Solving” will be a household name, where every family and teacher is trained in this effective evidence-based therapy.
• We have a dream that every teacher, parole officer, judge and person who works in the juvenile justice system will understand and adopt Dr. Ablon’s philosophy of “Kids do well if they can” and stop shaming and blaming children with these brain based behavioral challenges.

We are finding that all these dreams are coming true….flawlessly. When you believe in, and show up for a dream, amazing things start to happen… We have proven to be a viral grassroots movement, fueled by love itself. People have rallied around us to support our work in every way, every day.

The list of generosity, hope and love is endless. Yes, broken hearts can heal.

With hope, with love.

Happy Valentines Day.

Dear Flawless Friends,

Thank you so much to all of you who have performed pure acts of kindness and supported our $25 thousand dollar matching donation campaign. I was moved to tears almost everyday last week by what we call the Flawless elixir – Love, Grief, and Hope. Please watch this video to hear more about it.

12 people donating $12 dollars helps 12 people and the viral effect is stunning! Here’s to 12 months of good karma in 2012!

Our goal for our “12 in 12″ starting yesterday was 50 gifts per day and in about two hours we hit the mark – looking forward to another day of 12ness!!! Please join our kickoff in 12 of 12 days, 12 bucks, 12 months of good karma and your dollars will be matched!!

Whether you are lighting candles, thinking of your 2012 resolutions or welcoming the official beginning of winter with the solstice, this time of year offers a special opportunity to reflect on the past year.

We are deeply grateful for the immense growth we have gone through in 2011.  Join us as we raise a glass in appreciation for the top 11 in 2011 highlights that have strengthened us as we continue our commitment to take a stand for our Flawless Children. We are grateful for…….

1 – The success of our Perfection Party in New York City with a groundbreaking and educational panel discussion. The Honorable Patrick Kennedy as Chair, sponsorship by Cigna, catering by David Burke, and wines from the Staglin Family Vineyard added to the truly perfect evening!

2 – Being one of the sponsors of the One Mind for Research launch at the JFK Library where Patrick Kennedy, Garen Staglin and Vice President Joe Biden inspired us all to activate around unraveling the mysteries of the brain and finding cures within this decade.

3 – To have expanded our yoga programs in Portland and to be partnering with Bent on Learning in NYC, where we launched yoga classes in District 88 for teens who have received a superintendent’s suspension for serious behavioral challenges.

4 – That we  funded more trainings for educators, parents and mental health professionals in New York City with Dr. Ablon, Director of ThinkKids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

5 – That we launched in LA and were greeted with an extraordinary welcome at Fred Segal, where “An Evening of Gratitude” was created to provide an opportunity for Flawless friends to shop, gather and rally around our cause.

6 – All of the press from LA featuring Flawless in many media outlets: LA Times, USA Today, Dallas Morning News and many others.  Special thanks to the 200 guests and to all of our incredible corporate partners that night!

7 – For Grammy Award-nominated musician and philanthropic activist Moby, who generously created a beautiful video endorsement about our work.

8 – For our email inboxes that fill with people’s individual stories sharing how hearing our tagline of  ”See the perfection in every child” inspires and heals them.

9 – To have our Thanksgiving Gratitude Blog published in the Huffington Post.

10 – To live the Flawless elixir, which is the perfect combination of Love, Grief and Hope every day.

11 – One of the biggest highlights of this year is the generosity of our board member Robin Janis. Robin has created a very special gift – every dollar donated by January 15th will be matched and if we reach the goal (we are already halfway there), Robin will donate another twenty-five thousand.

Double your impact and please give generously! Thank you for your ongoing support, and during this season of light, may we all see the perfection in every child and especially in ourselves.

Have a Flawless New Year!

Janine Francolini

Dear Flawless Friends,

One of the highlights of our time in LA a few weeks ago was catching up with Moby about all things mental health. Check out his honest, insightful thoughts about the increase in solidarity around people being more authentic and open.

Flawless Board Member, Robin Janis, will match every dollar donated up to a total of $25,000. We are pleased to announce that Robin will make an additional gift of $25,000 if we hit that $25,000 mark by January 15th.

Flawlessly yours,
Janine Francolini