charitymatters, Author at Charity Matters

Charity Matters Inspiration March 6, 2015

We can start now

” How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start now, start slowly, changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness.”

Anne Frank

As I wrapped up the week talking about amazing teenagers and young people, Anne Frank’s words from decades ago, are as relevant as ever. Teenagers, regardless of the century or decade they are from inspire hope.

As Anne Frank so wisely said, “You can always give something, even if its only kindness!”

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration March 4, 2015

VolunTEEN Nation

Teenagers get a bad wrap. I love working with teenagers. They are energetic, creative, passionate, full of life and eager to learn and give. The teenagers that I have the privilege of working with, are what I love most about my job. If they believe they can accomplish something, they can.

I recently came across an amazing story about a 12-year-old who wanted to work for a non-profit and was rejected multiple times. Her solution? To start her own non-profit organization and one that was powered by kids for kids. Her name is Simone Bernstein and in 2009 she did just that. She created a non-profit database where middle and high school students across the country can find volunteer opportunities in their neighborhoods, called VolunTEEN Nation.

Today, Simone is 22 and a Fulbright scholar at the University of Toronto. VolunTEEN Nation, which started in St. Louis is currently nationwide and has connected over 78,500 volunteers and funded more than 500 grants and service projects, since its inception. Simone and her brother Jake, plan to take VolunTEEN nation worldwide next year. As Simone said, “I realized that many people fail to understand that youth can make a difference.”

As someone who works with our youth, I couldn’t agree more.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes March 2, 2015

You gotta have faith

“You can work miracles by having faith in others. By choosing to think and believe the best about people, you are able to bring out the best in them.”

Bob Moawad

These past few weeks have been very busy with my day job of running a non-profit leadership organization. Just when I think, I simply have no more to give, these smiling amazing faces fill my soul and give me such hope for our future.

The beauty of what I do is watching high school students teach leadership to middle school students. You remember those awkward years when you wanted to be anyone but yourself.? The past few weeks I have had the privilege of watching hundreds of high school students teach and more importantly believe in these middle schoolers…..the result is the confident, smiling faces above.

When you believe in someone, you bring out the best in them. George Michael may have gotten one thing right in the 80’s…you gotta have faith.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes February 27, 2015

Charity Matters Quotes: Give a little bit….

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.

Edmund Burke

Today, I was supposed to be in Texas attending a board meeting, for an organization I serve on, due to weather our meeting was rescheduled. Sometimes, it is easy to forget how we share our talents and serve others. Many an evening when I am away from my family attending board meetings, I must confess that I sometimes forget why I am giving my time. Meetings are meetings and doing the business of any organization, non-profit or otherwise, feels simply like business.

Yet, this is how I serve. I often need to remind myself, that this is the greatest way to give my time and talents…even if it seems like a little bit. What is the greatest way you can give yours?

Happy Friday!

Charity Matters.

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What Matters? February 25, 2015

Writing your way to happiness?

Last week I wrote about the “mid-life thing” and then days later a reader sent me a New York Times article entitled Writing Your Way to Happiness. The basic jest of it was that recent scientific studies say that writing can make you happier, lower your chance of sickness and have overall improvements on health and well-being.

We all “write” all day long, thousands of emails, texts, even Facebook posts but that type of writing is like showing people your living room. My mom used to say the living room is the room you want people to think you are, rather than your bathroom, which is who you really are. In other words, that kind of writing is for an outward perception, the writing the article is referring to is from an inward perspective.

What are you really thinking? Feeling? Doing? As someone who writes, alot…I think this falls in line with the mid-life posts, the last week. Writing is simply a gift you give to yourself, it is a time to fill yourself up, when you write from your heart and hear your own voice anything becomes possible.

While they say, don’t believe everything you read….this post is proof that once you begin to really listen to yourself through writing….. you can write your way to happiness.

Charity Matters.

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Childrens' Causes February 23, 2015

And the Oscar goes to….

I have to admit that I love the Academy Awards, it is my Superbowl Sunday. While we all love to see the celebrities, the red carpet fashions and the after parties. What we don’t always realize is how many fundraisers and charitable events these stars have been supporting this past week. There were more than a few winners before the academy awards even began….

It kicked off last Wednesday with a Vanity Fair event to support Oxfam, an organization that addresses the elimination of global poverty. Thursday was a A lister’s event called Unite4Good, which honored celebrities for their philanthrophy…who knew? Hallie Berry received an award for her work with the domestic violence non-profit the Jennesse Center, Jeff Bridges for his work with No Kid Hungry and Ewan McGregor for his commitment to Unicef. Friday, celebrities dashed to an Alfa Romeo luncheon in support of the non-profit Girl Rising. By Saturday, it was time for the big Night Before Party in support of The Motion Picture and Television Fund. That was simply the week before!

Last night, the biggest fundraiser was Elton John’s Annual Aids Foundation Dinner which has raised more than $321 million for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS since its inception in 1992. So while we all wanted to hear from the winners, the real winners of last nights Academy Awards were the incredible causes that benefitted from all that star-dust.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes February 20, 2015

Find yourself

The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Mahatma Gandhi

As I mentioned the other day, a number of my friends are disillusioned with their lives, a little lost and are questioning whats next? The more I have pondered about this the more clear it becomes to me.

We feed everything but our souls. I am as guilty of this as the next, taking care of ourselves is always the last on our list.

We give and give and then we realize that we are empty. We are not sure how it happened but somehow we do not feel complete or full anymore. The longer we starve the core part of ourselves, the hungrier we become.

What fills you up? For some it is the simple act of going to church, for others its being in nature, lighting a candle, journaling, a moment of solitude to really listen to yourself.

Whatever it takes, to fill that part up inside you, at least once a week…do it. The fuller you become, the closer you are of finding yourself…..and once you find yourself….then you can follow Gandhi’s advice and lose yourself in the service of others.

It’s really just as simple as a lost and found.

Charity Matters.

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What Matters? February 18, 2015

Is it a mid-life thing or something more?

In the last few months I have had coffee with a number of friends, and friends of friends that are in search of something “more”. When the first few friends called, I was flattered that they thought I could help give them some career direction. Then I realized that many of these friends thought that the non-profit sector was for them and that was why they were reaching out. Being a connector, I love trying to help. However, when the phone kept ringing and none of these people knew the others…I began to wonder why?

Most of the people I have met with are my age, yes…I suppose that you could call it “mid-life,” but none of them are in crisis, nor do they drive red sports cars. All of them have had successful lives, families, careers and are accomplished in many ways…and yet, every single person I have met with feels that somehow they are not living their purpose or their potential. It seems that the more meetings I had, the more similar they all became.

Do we all start down life’s path in search of ways to support ourselves and our families and then once we are on that road, we realize that somehow we need to get off? Yet, how do we continue to provide for those we love and feed our souls? The reality is that I am not the one with answers, but simply more questions.

I do believe that service to others feeds the soul and my advice to all (whether good or bad remains to be seen) has been to find a fit to use your gifts to their greatest potential and to a place that fits you. There is room in life to give your free time and have a job, sometimes they are not one in the same.

One of the most important things we teach our middle school students, at my day job is to,” Find your magis (latin for more) and find a way to give back the gifts that have been given to you.” My sense is if we can all find our “more” and a way to give it back, then I will be having a lot less coffee.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes February 16, 2015

President’s Day

“Believe that you can and you are half way there!”

Theodore Roosevelt

Happy President’s Day!

I was recently asked a question about leadership and when I recognized it in my life. To be honest, the question took me a bit by surprise and required some thought. After giving my answer, I reflected upon a trait that many of us rarely recognize, the gift of leadership.

In a world where we all desperately seek followers, who are our leaders? These are words I often share with the thousands of students who will come through the non-profit leadership organization I have the privilege of working for.

This President’s Day ask yourself the same question, are you a leader or a follower? Be thankful for all of the wonderful leaders we have had in order to enjoy the freedom we all celebrate today.

Happy Presidents Day!

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes February 13, 2015

Love

“Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.“

Jean Anouilh

All week we have been bombarded with images of love, flowers, romance and the trappings that come with Valentine’s Day. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy flowers and chocolates as much as the next girl…but sometimes it seems that we miss the point.

The gifts are great and thoughtful but love is all about the gift of oneself. The more love we have, the more there is to give. Rather than obsess about the card, think about what you can give of yourself to another? My guess, is the answer is the greatest gift of all.

Thank you for all the love you share and give to make our world a better place.

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

Charity Matters.

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Causes February 11, 2015

Catch a Fire

Since this week is all about love, it seems only fitting to talk about the newest matchmaker in town. This isn’t your average speed dating site, but rather a brilliant concept that connects volunteers with non-profits who need help on specific task and its called CatchAFire.

So often when we think about volunteering, we think about stuffing envelopes, collecting trash or the most mundane activities. In 2009, Rachael Chong had an idea to connect professionals and their skill set to non-profit organizations. Rachael had a vision to “forward a cause you believe in” by using your professional skills to help a non-profit organization. So if you are a graphic artist, who is passionate about the environment….Catch a Fire would connect you to an environmental non-profit that is working on a new logo. You get the idea….

Rachael’s platform CatchAFire.Org is an amazing way to make a difference. She is changing the face of the non-profit workplace, creating a pro-bono movement and making our world better by inspiring people to share their gifts and talents for a greater purpose. I think her bio best sums her up by saying, “Rachael wants to leave this earth known as a leader who empowers others to be better than her.”

This Valentines week, I would say Catch A Fire is a match made in heaven and definitely something to love.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes February 9, 2015

Charity Matters Quotes

“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread”

Mother Teresa

As we begin this week of “love” I thought it fitting to focus not on romance and Valentine’s Day, but rather the pure gift of loving one another.

It seems so simple and yet, it is somehow the most difficult. A tiny moment of kindness goes a very long way.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes February 6, 2015

Charity Matters Quotes: Making a difference

“It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”
Tom Brokaw

As I listened in these non-profit workshops last week about the challenges that non-profits face. You have to admit a business model that relies solely on donations is not optimal? Yet, that is the reality for over 1.9 million non-profit organizations.

At the end of the day, the goal isn’t about making a buck but rather about making a difference for others.

Charity Matters.

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Education February 4, 2015

Alchemy

Last week I spent two days at a conference for non-profits, called Alchemy. I sat in a room with 70 non-profits from all over Southern California and was fascinated by the diversity of the non-profit organizations. As we all introduced ourselves, I listened to the wide spectrum of services these organizations provided…everthing from promoting horseback riding in Pasadena, projects for the arts, makeover’s for homeless women to employing Veterans.

Some of the organizations were brand new and others had long histories but as I listened to each organization talk about their mission, they all had one thing in common that made them the same. That one thing was passion. Each person was dedicated and passionate about what it was that their organization did to make the world better.

Of course, not all of the causes spoke to me…or did I really understand. But who am I to judge? It was bringing people together who take their gifts (the fashionista who did makeovers on homeless women and the retired recruiter who finds jobs for Veterans) to make another’s life better. A room full of diversity and yet we were all the same….simply trying to share our gifts to make a difference.

Charity Matters.

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