8123: The School For Compassion & Kindness (Part Three)

An 8123 Community Blog by Josie Bircham.

This is the third part in a blog series, be sure to check out parts one and two previously published!

8123 has built something that I’ve never seen anywhere else before. The community spirit surrounding it seems to keep growing and growing. I remember a few weeks back when 8123 Fest was announced; people were getting tickets for one another, arranging to car share and get air bnb’s together, getting excited to be reunited with friends who live far away and to meet friends they’ve never met before. A lot of people complain about social media, but every day I see people building one another up, supporting one another, making plans together... I have received so many kind and lovely messages from people about various things and I’ve never experienced positivity like that before and it all stems from the same place. 

There are people I know who live hundreds, even thousands of miles away from me, many of whom I’ve never met, that I consider my friends. People who I know if I was having a hard time I could rely on to pick me up, and I would do the same for them. 

Many of you are probably already familiar with the lovely Lauren Santana, and her beautiful brave Mum who has recently been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Lauren shared her story and set up a gofundme to help raise money for her Mums medical care. The response was overwhelming to see. The 8123 family, band members included, all rallied together to share her story, raise thousands of dollars, and to show their love and support with uplifting messages and kind words. Sometimes, the toughest parts in life bring people closer together, and brings out the very best in them. 

(If you haven’t already and you would like to help Lauren’s mumma kick cancer in the butt then her story and gofundme can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/supporting-momma-santana )