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October 2014

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Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween 620x413

Halloween is a mystery to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love all holidays, especially ones that are centered around candy. I think you either are someone who loves costumes, dressing up, being someone else for a day or a few hours….or you’re not.

For me, I love seeing the kids, the happy faces, the tradition and the pumpkins. I love giving away candy and eating it. Whether you are mad for Halloween or your more like me,….I hope yours is spectacular!

Wishing you all a very Happy Halloween!

Charity Matters.

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Joe Torre

photo via:bronxbanterblog
photo via:bronxbanterblog

I thought since this week is the World Series, it would be a great time to look at some of the wonderful work that has come out of baseball. Believe it or not,  baseball is not just about the Royals and the Giants! There are so many baseball players that continue to use their position to bring attention to causes they care about.

One in particular has created a foundation to do just that, and his name is Joe Torre. A Hall of Fame manager and now MLB’s vice president of baseball operations, Joe grew with a father, who physically abused his mother. In 2002, Joe started his Safe at Home Foundation in the hopes of “educating to end the cycle of domestic violence and save lives.” Joe was determined to help other children avoid this same fate.

At least three million children are affected by parental violence each year.  Margaret’s Place was founded by the Joe Torre Foundation to counteract that statistic. It is an after-school program that functions as a safe-haven for children who suffer from a troubled home life. It welcomes children who are affected or have witnessed violence, trauma, or abuse.

Students learn that they are loveable and form bonds with one another and their community. They are taught to be leaders and to believe that they can and will make a difference. Joe founded ,Margaret’s Place, in honor of his mother to give a voice to students who do not believe they have a say. In addition to empowering children, Margaret’s Place brings hope and light to students in order to replace the dark face of violence.

As October comes to an end it, is important to note that it is also Domestic Violence awareness month. Joe Torre has used his position bring light and hope to thousands of children. That is what I call a true home run!

Charity Matters.

 

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Tradition

tradition, pumpkin carving

There is something to be said about traditions, rituals and tried and true events that anchor your life. Think back to one of  the traditions in your life…you know exactly what it is, don’t you? That one event that happened every year that you looked forward too and that no matter what was happening, you somehow attended.

I grew up with a Mid-Western mother who loved and created many a tradition for us growing up and I have started a few of my own. Last night, we celebrated our annual pumpkin carving party. It’s not a huge crowd and we have had most of the same families the sunday before Halloween for well over 15 years. We have the same menu, off the same dishes and do the same thing and while it is nothing special….it is special, simply in the fact, that it is tradition.

Now that we all have children in college, and some of them are making the trip home for pumpkin carving, I realize how this simple tradition has become an anchor. Our lives are so full and the days so fast, that we can barely process what has happened in a 24 hour period. I am blessed by traditions given to me and by the ones I have given to others.

Anytime you give of yourselves to make another’s life better, it is a gift. Last night my gift was not service. My gift to those I love was the gift of tradition.

Charity Matters.

Copyright © 2014 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

Gotta Have Sole

photo via: makeadifferenceday.com
photo via: makeadifferenceday.com

I have the privilege of working with amazing high school students all the time. The story I am about to share with you really hit a chord with me. This summer at the leadership camp I organize, a young girl arrived with shoes that were literally falling apart. We could tell she was embarrassed by her shoes but the reality was she couldn’t run and play games with the sole flapping around. So we used a little shoe goo, some fun colorful duct tape and made her smile and love her overhauled shoes. We saw first hand how much she wanted to fit in and the power of a simple pair of shoes.

An amazing young man, named Nicholas Lowinger, had the same realization as a very young boy visiting a homeless shelter. Nicolas saw first hand children who missed school because they shared shoes with their siblings and it wasn’t their day to wear them, so they couldn’t go to school.  So Nicholas began donating shoes and clothing to the shelter but he knew these children needed new shoes that fit correctly.

A few years later, in 2010, when Nicholas had his Bar Mitzvah he used the opportunity to begin the Gotta Have Sole Foundation  to donate new footwear to homeless children. Nicholas said, “My goal is to reach as many children living in homeless shelters in the US as I can. It has always been my hope that the children will feel more confident about themselves because they have new shoes to call their own and that they will have the same opportunities afforded to them as their peers.”

Today, four years later Nicholas  has donated new footwear to over 10,000 children in homeless shelters in 35 states throughout the United States.  Rather than rest on his achievements Nicholas keeps expanding his program. He recently established SOLEdiers to assist disabled and needy veterans and their families, in honor of his WWII Veteran grandfather. This program provides veterans with gift cards to footwear stores so they can select the shoes they need, for their children.

Nicholas Lowinger is truly inspirational. While his peers are out running around in their new sneakers, he continues to expand his mission of providing new shoes to as many homeless children as possible. This inspiring young man elevates the meaning of Gotta Have Sole.

Charity Matters.

 

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Charity Matters Quotes: Soul

“When you do things from your soul you feel a river moving in you, a joy.  When action come from another section, the feeling disappears.”

 Rumi

Soul sunrise

Soul. What is it? Where is it? How do we define it?

I only have the questions, not the answers, that man has asked for an eternity.

However, I do know that when you perform an act of kindness, compassion or charity that the river of joy Rumi speaks of does exists.

What is better than a river of joy?

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes: Belief

“The eloquent man is he who is no beautiful speaker, but who is inwardly and desperately drunk with a certain belief.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

belief, sky divers

After a week of pondering lessons learned from creating a life of meaning, I have no definitive answers. I simply have more questions.

What I do know is that without beliefs, values or core principles that guide you, a life of meaning is futile.

Each day I strive to do my best, give my all and live my purpose.

Some days I do better than others. What matters is the belief in striving because without that, what is there?

The next time you find a minute, rather than looking at your phone, give your self the gift of pondering what it is that you believe?

Your answer is a gift.

Charity Matters.

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TCU Frogs for a Cure: Follow Up

photo via: WestFWlifestyle.com
photo via: WestFWlifestyle.com

The main reason that I ended up in Texas last week was because of a remarkable woman named Ann Louden. You may recall that I met Ann through Charity Matters a few months back when she came to Pasadena to film a video at the Rose Bowl for her non-profit, TCU Frogs For a Cure.  She is dynamic, compassionate and determined to eradicate breast cancer.  She is a woman on a mission and she has the state of Texas cheering her on. It is no wonder that Texas is the home of The Susan G. Komen Foundation because these women make change happen.

The official video will be debuted later this month at the TCU Frogs for a Cure benefit with Former First Lady, Laura Bush.  I wanted to share a little piece of Ann’s story and passion because it is the story of thousands of women across this country.

Ann is a role model of what being Brave is all about and her passion is contagious. She has taken adversity and turned it into inspiration. As TCU Frogs for a Cure celebrates their 10 year anniversary, I am inspired by the continuing message of hope they bring to so many truly brave women.

Charity Matters.

 

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This I Believe

This I Believe

As I mentioned on friday, I spent the later part of last week at TCU, on a panel, discussing the topic, “How can you better prepare students for lives of meaning?” A question and topic that inspired many amazing discussions about service, faith, and leadership. One segment that stood out as a highlight of the trip, was a piece entitled “This I believe.”

At TCU, they have asked their students to begin their first college essays as freshman writing 500 words on the topic “This I believe.” The goal is to challenge students to think about their values and their core beliefs. There is no right or wrong answer, it is simply your story. The hope is that by articulating your beliefs, that when faced with a difficult life decision, students will know the answer because they understand what it is that guides them. The stories that we heard were inspiring, amazing, full of hope, adversity and perseverance. I wish I could share them all with you here. What I can share is what I learned about This I Believe.

Believe it or not, This I Believe, Inc., is a non-profit! In March 2003, National Public Radio Executive Producer, Dan Geldman came across the original book This I Believe. Dan became intrigued with the history of the 1950s radio program based on the same name, that was hosted by Edward R. Murrow.  The original radio show featured compelling essays from cab drivers, secretaries, corporate leaders as well as people such as; Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller, and Harry Truman. Anyone who was able to share a few minutes of the guiding principles by which they lived.

Dan and his co-producer Jay Allison decided to bring the series back to National Public Radio. In reviving This I Believe, Dan Gediman said, “The goal was not to persuade Americans to agree on the same beliefs. Rather, the hope is to encourage people to begin the much more difficult task of developing respect for beliefs different from their own.”

Dan, Jay and their team at NPR brought back the topic, the radio series and then a few best-selling books. The proceeds from all of those went into forming the non-profit This I Believe. Org, which was founded in 2004, to engage youth and adults from all walks of life in writing, sharing, and discussing brief essays about the core values that guide their daily lives.

Today, almost a decade later This I Believe Essays have spread across the globe through universities’ curriculum, in a variety of publications, numerous local public radio stations, newspapers, and magazines all challenging us to ask the simple question. What is it that you believe?

 

Charity Matters.

Copyright © 2014 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

Learning

“The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.”

Mortimer Adler

Learning

Today, I am in Texas attending a meeting at TCU where the topic will be “How do we prepare students for lives of meaning?” I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing and inspiring people. I can’t wait to share with you some of the insights from my day. There is nothing better than learning. A new idea, a new approach or even someone’s interesting opinion always leaves me feeling as if I opened a present.

In the meantime, I hope that each of you has an incredible weekend and that perhaps you have the chance to learn something new. Learning is a gift you should give yourself. You deserve it!

Happy Friday!

Charity Matters.

Copyright © 2014 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

Send Silence Packing

send_silence_packing

Last week at TCU the main part of campus was littered with backpacks. It wasn’t a fraternity prank or lazy students but rather a nationally recognized traveling exhibit called Send Silence packing which is used to bring attention to the 1,100 students who die from suicide each year.

Each backpack has a personal story that represents and honors the memory of loved ones impacted by suicide.  The hope is that by  displaying backpacks with personal stories, Send Silence Packing will put a “face” to lives lost to suicide and carries the message that preventing suicide is not just about improving statistics, but also about saving the lives of daughters, sons, brothers, sisters and friends.

These backpacks are the brain child of Alison Malmon, whose brother, Brian, committed suicide in March 2000, when Alison was a Freshman at the University of Pennsylvania.  Following the suicide of her brother, Alison learned that Brian had been experiencing depression and psychosis for three years but had concealed his symptoms from everyone around him.

Recognizing that few Penn students were talking about mental health issues, though many were affected, Alison was motivated to change that culture on her campus. She wanted to combat the stigma of mental illness, encourage students who needed help to seek it early, and prevent future tragedies like the one that took her brother’s life. After searching unsuccessfully for existing groups that she could simply bring to her campus, Alison created her own and formed the non-profit Active Minds, Inc.

Today, eleven years later Active Minds, Inc. has grown with more than 400 campus chapters, hundreds of thousands of young adults all across the country are benefiting from the Active Minds model. As Alison says, “The work is never done.”  Alison has started and continued a conversation about mental health that is a beautiful legacy to her brother.

Charity Matters.

 

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Charity Matters Quotes

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” 

Frank Zappa

open parachute

I find myself regularly telling my sons that I want them to “open their minds.”  This week, as I head to a college campus for meetings, learning and being open in on my mind. I talked with a friend, a while back, and left our conversation thinking that he had really aged. What I realized after some thought, was that he had not aged physically but rather mentally….all because of a closed mind.

That conversation, made me sad. It wasn’t that he and I did not agree on a topic but rather that he refused to be open to anything but his own view.  I remind myself of that conversation regularly so that I do not fall prey to the same path.

The people who I profile here each week all have many things in common. One trait that I find over and over in non-profit founders is their ability to be open. Their experience motivates them to create a better path for the next person to come along. It is their openness to that enables them to achieve so much for so many.

Charity Matters.

Copyright © 2014 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

October

“The days may not be so bright and balmy—yet the quiet and melancholy that linger around them is fraught with glory. Over everything connected with autumn there lingers some golden spell—some unseen influence that penetrates the soul with its mysterious power.”

~Northern Advocate

fall-inspiration-5

This past week I was in San Francisco on business and I loved the crisp air and the taste of fall in the air. It is one of those seasons that bring family, comfort and fun. Fall is more than a season, but rather it is an internal clock that tells us that it is time to begin to slow down, watch some football and spend time with those you love.

I am happily back at home this weekend, doing just that.

Charity Matters.

Copyright © 2014 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

Project Giving Kids

project giving kids

One of the best things about Charity Matters is that I get to meet amazing and inspiring people who make our world better. Each conversation I have with a non-profit founder never ceases to leave me feeling uplifted and hopeful. Last week’s conversation with Molly Yuska was no exception.

Molly is the founder of Project Giving Kids , a nonprofit which  connects busy kids and families to fun, meaningful and age-appropriate service activities.  It all began when Molly co-founded a group at her church to connect families with young children to charitable organizations in need. Despite Molly’s graduate degree in Non-Profit Management, the challenge of connecting families to causes was not as simple as she initially thought.

Undeterred, Molly began to envision what a resource like that might look like. The criteria were simple: Fun for kids; reliable and convenient for busy families; and partnered with nonprofit organizations that could really use the compassion and energy of young volunteers.

Molly said,” I wanted to show my family how to give and realized that there wasn’t a resource for young families to begin the conversation of giving.” The result was tireless research and an incredible web-site she created as tool for families who want to start the conversation and process of incorporating service and giving into their lives.

Project Giving Kids started with a color wheel full of causes kids care about, and the belief that kids could be powerful drivers of the entire process. Molly believes that this continues with you and your family. She said,” If I only impact 100 children, imagine their ripple effect in the world? That makes this all worth it.”

Charity Matters.

 

Copyright © 2014 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.