Lynne Twist changed my life, and her book, “The Soul of Money” is one of the most empowering gifts I give my friends. On Nov. 12th I saw Lynne in San Francisco as she and her husband Bill welcomed 1,500 friends of the Pachamama Alliance to their annual fundraising luncheon. Held in the Fort Mason building, it was transformed into an Ecuadoran rain forest, and leaders of the Achuar tribe were on hand to greet us. Inspirational–that’s the best description of this amazing two hour, million dollar fundraiser. 

Paul Hawken (author of “Blessed Unrest”) and Jack Canfield, of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, both addressed the crowd. But of course, Lynne Twist stole the show. She is one of the most open-hearted and charismatic women on the planet, and she can squeeze money out of a banker in an economic crisis, I’m certain of it. 

I was invited to the luncheon by Elizabeth Murray, who I met at the Children & Nature Network meeting in Nebraska in September. Go to her website to see the most beautiful images of Monet’s garden, which she has been instrumental in restoring and documenting for the past 25 years. Liz couldn’t be there and had graciously arranged for me to be at a table hosted by my new friends, Jody and Noel. We had a delightful afternoon getting to know each other, and I found myself warmly embraced by this former Disney landscape designer (Jody) and her British beau, Noel. 

The highlight of the luncheon was meeting the leader of the Anchuar rain forest tribe afterwards and having my picture taken with him. The Pachamama Alliance’s efforts to preserve the planet’s vital heart has had amazing results, including policy now written into the constitution of Ecuador that gives legal rights to nature. The Achuar tribe has built an eco-lodge and now has an airplane (thanks to a $100,000 donation from Jack Canfield and his wife) in order to encourage travelers to visit and experience the rain forest firsthand.

In the lobby after the luncheon, while reaching for a brownie, I found myself nose to nose with another Kansas Citian, June Holte. I had last seen her a month before at Obama headquarters in KC, and we met when I brought Majora Carter to town as our second speaker in the “Conversations on the Environment” series. Turns out June is one of the top trainers for Pachamama Alliance. She introduced me to everyone!