All you need is love – and a truck

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Imagine if someone launched a movement that was not about money, religion or politics — an effort that was simply based on the idea of spreading love from one person to another.

That seems to be the story behind that brightly colored truck and camper shell plastered with messages like “You are a miracle” and “Love wins” that has been making its way around Boulder County and the Denver metro area.

It is the creation of Louisville resident Jeffrey “Yahva” Krumholz, who is hosting a party to kick off his “oneness” movement from 7 p.m. to midnight on Friday (11/11/11) at the Millennium Hotel’s grand ballroom in Boulder.

Krumholz insists that his initiative is not about making a profit and is not motivated by any particular religion. His father was Jewish, and his mother was Christian, but he says he never became attached to any belief system.

“We didn’t celebrate anything, but we did have a Christmas tree,” says Krumholz, who, fittingly, is a carpenter on the side.

The guy genuinely seems to simply want to hug total strangers. He parks his rig along busy roads in Boulder and Denver and asks passers-by to hold giant signs that read “IAMLOVE.org.” His umbrella organization, The Gardening of Love, offers games, books, apparel and stickers trumpeting the message, as well as free email workshops.

He insists that he’s not some kind of hippie, and he says the response to his outgoing approach has been uniformly positive.

“People are waving and honking all the time,” he says.

One man asked him if they could agree that Jesus is the only path to salvation, and Krumholz stopped short.

“I’m not going to make the call on any of that,” he says. “Judgment is a funny thing. … I love Jesus in the sense that he served people and washed feet. I love Buddha because he practiced mindfulness.”

Plans for Friday’s drug- and alcohol-free party, where a $20 donation is suggested to help him pay for the event, include dancing to music from the ’60s and ’70s. There will also be large-scale artistic installations and a series of stations where visitors can create art or participate in a “garden of love” that involves choosing a seed or potted lettuce seedling and assigning it a concept they need to work on in their lives, such as “gratitude” or “forgiveness.” The event will also feature short inspirational speeches every half hour and a special musical surprise at 11:11 p.m.

Krumholz’s next stop is New York City. “We’re looking for what’s really genuine in the world, not Walmart or Target,” he says. “I just pursued love.”

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com