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Charity Matters Inspiration December 21, 2016

The spirit of giving

“Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting.

It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others.

It is discarding the meaningless and stressing true values.”

Thomas S. Monson

I know this is a crazy week for everyone. We are all running around, checking off our list and trying to get ready for the big weekend ahead.

With so much to do, it easy to focus on the list, the food, the gift and….

Not the moment, the people and the joy we get from giving…

Not just giving presents but presence.

Time is the greatest gift, use it well, cherish each moment and remember to discard the meaningless and find time for others.

Charity Matters.

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Causes November 30, 2016

826Valencia

There is something magical and cathartic about writing. For me, it is a time to hear my inner voice and explore the outside world, as well as a gift that I cherish. That is why when I heard about 826National.org I was smitten with their mission and story to encourage the gift of writing.

Their story began in 2002, when author Dave Eggers and educator, Ninive Calegari were looking for a solution to help overburdened teachers, while connecting talented working adults and students who needed help. They located a store front in the Mission District of San Francisco, aptly at 826 Valencia Street, where they opened a pirate store in the front and built a writing lab for kids in the back of an old gym space.

Word spread quickly and before long 826 Valencia was serving 6,000 students, between the ages of 6 and 18, annually with over 1,700 volunteers.

Only two years later in 2004 a second chapter of 826NYC, opened in New York City and the following year chapters opened up in Los Angeles, Ann Arbor and Boston. By 2008, 826’s fifth anniversary the non-profit had published its first book with their students work and opened their national headquarters called 826 National with a mission that believes great leaps in learning can happen with individual attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

Today, 826 National.Org serves over 30,000 students across the country with over 5,300 volunteers, the organization has been a part of over 886 publishing projects and currently has seven chapters nationwide.

Now that is something to write about!

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration November 10, 2016

TED

Last weekend, I attended my first TED talk. While I have listened to an occasional talk here and there, I am one of the rare people on the planet who is not addicted or really even familiar with TED. I was even more surprised when I learned that TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a non-profit organization….but isn’t everything these days?

The TED concept was created in 1984 from Richard Wurman’s observation of three amazing fields converging, technology, entertainment and design. The very first TED talks included demos from revolutionary new products, the compact disc and the e-book. However, even with such a wow factor the conference and idea lost money and six years later, in 1990 Richard Wurman tried again and this time it worked.

A decade later, media entrepreneur, Chris Anderson met with Wurman and in 2001 Anderson’s non-profit, the Sapling Foundation acquired TED. Anderson believed in the concepts that make TED great and was determined to seek out the most interesting people on the planet and let them communicate their passion.

So as I sat in an auditorium and listened to speakers talk on such topics as, The Future of Women in Science, Troubled Water on water conservation, Transforming Prisons from the Inside, Out, Accepting my transgender daughter, and the list goes on….I was inspired. Each speaker and topic more unique than the previous, and yet they were all the same.

What was it that made this very different group the same? Their passion. Each speaker was passionate about their topic and their passion and insight was real, it was human and the hundreds of us in the audience became one…..and that is the magic of TED.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration October 19, 2016

When two worlds collide

Don’t you love it when your worlds collide? As many of you know I have been a passionate supporter at an all boys school in Watts, called Verbum Dei, also referred to as “The Verb.” The Verb is a school where young men come from poverty, are given a white-collar job one day a week and attend school the remaining four days. One hundred percent of these amazing young men are accepted to four-year colleges.

Another school, that I am a passionate supporter of is Texas Christian University, also known as TCU. A school that has incredible connection culture and a spirit of kindness. The other day, it was brought to my attention that one of our Verb boys is at TCU playing football as a Quarter back, his name is Caylin Moore.

Caylin was raised in poverty by a loving single mother. He went to Verbum Dei High School, where he was a star student and athlete. This past week he was recognized for his community service work as the founder of SPARK, which stands for Strong Players Are Reaching Kids. A TCU Student organization whose mission is to, “Inspire the youth to rise above their circumstances, build bridges to success and ultimately spark a change in their communities.”

Caylin and his fellow TCU athletes are traveling around the Fort Worth community inspiring children to reach for their dreams, regardless of where they are starting. Caylin uses his own story to encourage others. As he said, “I’ve seen how important education is and how it can change a life.”

One amazing young man and two incredible institutions collide to create a SPARK of goodness for so many.

Charity Matters.

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Causes September 21, 2016

Crayon Collection

Ever wonder what happens when you go out to eat and your children leave all their free crayons behind at the restaurant? Well, you are not alone, one LA mom did too. Her name is Sheila Michail Morovati and after dining out weekly at their families’ favorite restaurant, she noticed all of the unused crayons being left behind. After a little research, she learned that there are actually 150 million neglected crayons that get tossed every year in the U.S. Who knew?

Determined to teach her children about waste and giving, the Crayon Collection was born. Here is how it works: The non-profit organization creates presentations for each restaurant that signs on, gets trained in how to collect the crayons so that they are clean and not soiled, and how to store them. The restaurant is paired with a school about 2-5 miles away and a crayon pick-up is scheduled for about once a month, to get those crayons to the school and in the hands of students who will actually use them.

Believe it or not, they even take those scrappy not so pretty crayons too. “The schools we are serving are so undersupplied that even the chalky crayons offer some benefit,” said founder Sheila Morovati.

The goal is simply to reallocate gently used crayons from restaurants, and in the process begin to teach children at a very young age about the needs of other children who can benefit from this simple resource so often taken for granted, teaching the joy of generosity and recycling for a greater good….all while helping another.

Now that seems like the perfect art of childhood….

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration September 7, 2016

Women in leadership and a life full of purpose

Last week I was privileged to speak at the launch of the USC’s Women in Leadership Society at the Annenberg School for Communication, my alma mater. An amazing organization founded by Professor Christopher Smith to provide support, build self-confidence, build community and connect young female undergraduates who are at the intersection of tech, media and entertainment. So what could I possibly say to these young women?

First, I remembered what a challenging time USC was for me, my parents had gone bankrupt and I was putting myself through school. I had boyfriend problems, was trying to figure out my path and the basic challenges of having fun, growing up and juggling it all that all young co-eds face.

I wanted these young women to know that we all go through this. More importantly, I wanted them to have a bigger goal and keep their eye on the prize. So often, the vision is short-sighted and they can only focus on the internship, the A, the diploma or the job. I want them to focus on living a life full of purpose, where you are using your gifts to the greatest ability.

While leadership is a tool that helps you on the path to acquiring all of the above, isn’t the real goal of leadership simply one life inspiring another? I shared my favorite leadership quote by Woodrow Wilson who said, “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

Because Leadership is at its essence….one life simply inspiring another and after all, isn’t that is the purpose?

Charity Matters.

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Education September 5, 2016

Happy Labor Day!

I hope this finds you enjoying sometime relaxing with friends and family, as we celebrate Labor Day and the official ending of summer. This year, I found myself curious about the history of Labor Day and thought this little snippet did a good job explaining why we have this wonderful holiday.

So enjoy learning a little…..

And wishing you a wonderful Labor Day!

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration August 31, 2016

Back to school…dear teacher

As thousands of students head back to school in the next few days and weeks ahead, it is time to take a look at what these young brilliant minds have to say about school and learning. More specifically, these wiggly little souls with learning disabilities, who are now facing months of sitting still, (oh the agony ahead of them) after a summer full of playing.

As the mother of children that faced similar challenges, once upon a time. Brilliant and extremely smart, but their brains do not process like the average brain, the following video really spoke to me.

Today, there a so many resources for parents and students with learning disabilities. The most well-known, is The Learning Disabilities Association of America or the LDA, which was founded in 1963 by a group of parents in Chicago that wanted to explore their concern over this growing group of students. By January 1964, these parents had formed a 501c3, non-profit to do just that.

Since that time, a number of significant Federal Legislations were passed because of these passionate parents. Today, hundreds of volunteer leaders across the country continue this important work and LDA‘s national conference draws over 3,000 people committed to the mission of helping those with learning challenges.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes August 29, 2016

Time for school

“Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire.”

William Butler Yeats

It is amazing that learning as an adult, is something so exciting and fun. My memories of school, which I liked, would not necessarily be described that way.

Today, there is nothing I love more than learning something new and being involved with education.

I spend a great deal of time volunteering on a number of school boards because an education is truly the greatest gift you can give anyone.

So, as we begin another school year, it is time to celebrate all those who volunteer to make our schools great and perhaps light a fire for those of you who might just want to go back to school….to volunteer, that is!

After-all, there is always something to learn.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration August 1, 2016

Guest blogger: Molly Yuska Project Giving Kids

Since Charity Matters just celebrated its 5 year anniversary it seems time for some fresh perspectives. So I have invited our first guest blogger, my friend and non-profit founder, Molly Yuska. Molly is not only a mother but founded Project Giving Kids, a place to empower and teach children about philanthropy.

So, without further ado, here is Molly….

For many of us, the world has started to feel rather scary lately. Almost every week there seems to be a report of some major attack somewhere on our small planet. I can’t help but think how much scarier it must feel to kids who can’t remember a time when the world seemed at peace.

I believe when faced with these kinds of tragedies, we have a choice – to move away in fear and try to hold on even tighter to safeguard our own self-interest in hopes the tighter grip will protect us just a little bit more (or at least make us feel that way) OR to put the fear aside and see it as a call to action, a call to spread kindness and to turn that dark tide back toward the light.

I recently came across an article about kindness and kids. In it, a teacher by the name of Marlem Diaz-Brown states: “I have learned that when you teach kindness and compassion to students and they really understand the concept, everything else falls into place. This should be the first lesson of every teacher.” (Article: http://bit.ly/25IIynS)

Whether the teacher be a parent, an after-school mentor, a grandparent or an actual teacher, I think our children today, perhaps more than any generation that has come before it, need to be reminded of the power of kindness. I want my children to live in a world where they don’t walk the streets in fear of what senseless tragedy may come next. I want them to walk the streets knowing that the power of kindness is stronger than the fear that drives violence. And the sooner we turn them on to their own power to create ripples of kindness, the better off we all will be. After all, kindness is a choice like any other.

I couldn’t have said it better myself! If you want quick and easy project ideas your family can use to begin teaching kindness, visit Project Giving Kids.

Charity Matters.

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Childrens' Causes June 29, 2016

A privilege

Do you remember going to camp as a kid? I never did and maybe that’s how I am fulfilling my childhood dream as an adult. This past week we had 150 sixth, seventh and eighth graders singing songs, playing games and learning about leadership.

While running a summer leadership camp can be challenging at times, there are not words to describe the privilege it is to plant the seeds of compassion in hundreds of middle school students. Our students not only learn about leadership but they learn you can not lead unless you serve others…..my favorite part of the job for sure!

So for those of you who didn’t get to go to leadership camp this week, here is what our kids thought.

I am blessed and privileged to be a part of an organization that inspires true goodness in so many. You just have to love camp, summer and service….a perfect pairing. I may have gotten to camp later in life but it was so worth the wait!

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration April 8, 2016

Thread

“Invisible threads are the strongest ties.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

A few weeks back, a dear friend sent me a New York Times article on a non-profit called Thread, and I was instantly sucked into this beautiful story. Perhaps, a tale as old as time, but one that never gets old, the story of amazing people who take their own tragedy to make someone else’s journey better.

This story begins with a young man named Ryan Hemminger, who was a straight A student in high school in Indiana, when his mother was in a bad car accident. Her injuries resulted in her no longer being able to work, a subsequent pain pill addiction and a downward spiral into poverty. What happened next was that a community of teachers rallied around Ryan and provided clothing, bus fair and mentoring, to save him. The support resulted in transforming Ryan into a varsity athlete, an A student again and he was admitted to the US Naval academy.

This however, is not the happy ending, but the beginning. Flash forward to 2004, when Ryan, now married to Sarah, a John Hopkins biomedical engineering grad student, was driving by a local high school and saw a group of students. Sarah, realized that many of them could be like Ryan,”Exceptional individuals with extraordinary situations.” Sarah realized, that she and Ryan needed to be a part of community that could pay forward the gift that was given to Ryan. It was out of that moment that Thread began.

Thread’s mission is to thread people together, regardless of socioeconomic and racial barriers. It is their belief that by building new families, not defined by DNA, but rather love and support…that they can change the world. Since 2006, that is exactly what they have done.

This year alone, over 255 students have been touched by the Thread family. Ninety-two percent of their students graduate from high school and go onto college and 80% have completed a college degree or certificate program. It is these invisible threads that create the connection that changes another’s life forever, the best ending imaginable.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Quotes January 27, 2016

Full circle moment

Have you ever had a full circle moment? A moment when you can’t believe that your life started at one point and somehow came all the way back around? Last week, I had that moment. I was invited back to speak at my alma mater, USC’s Annenberg School of Communication, as a guest lecturer.

As I stood in front of the class full of freshman Communication majors, I really couldn’t believe that I was no longer the student. How was I standing here? When what seemed like moments before, I had been working full-time to put myself thru USC. Trying to hold down a job, my full class schedule, a social life and find direction in my life.

Now, here I was sharing my journey of life, loss, growth and philanthropy with the class. It was surreal. I spoke about failing, struggling, not knowing what to do, which way to go and trying on so many things until I found the right fit. My message was the biggest roadblocks, were my greatest gifts.

The students asked me about so many great things, but one question that I loved was, “How did you find your voice?” They were referring to Charity Matters and I almost laughed at loud when the professor rephrased the question as, “your journalistic voice”. It took everything I had not to look over my shoulder to see if a journalist had entered the room.

After a pause, the answer to the question was, listening to myself. Giving myself time to reflect on what was true, honest, what fit and felt right. As I sat in that class room and looked at those fresh faces, I realized that it was that gift of listening and knowing what felt right that brought me to this moment. Full circle.

Charity Matters.

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Charity Matters Inspiration September 17, 2015

All you need is love….

“I live in a small town where things rarely change.” This is the opening line from Steve Martin’s movie, Father of the Bride that references the tiny suburb I live in outside of LA. However, today this statement isn’t as true as it once was, things they are a changing.

Our little town is infamous for having great people hail from it who changed our world. Henry Huntington, one of the first railroad barons and General George Patton, to name a few. One of the most recent, is someone you have never heard of, but in her short life she created enormous change, her name was Sophia Tam.

Sophia was a bright light who was inspired by her grandfather at the early age of 10 to help the children of Burma, who were fleeing war, poverty and enormous challenges. Sophia’s teacher Erin, learned about these children and traveled to Burma or modern-day Myanmar to see first hand. Almost immediately, Erin and Sophia began working, fundraising, advocating and donating their summers to begin to build what would become the non-profit All You Need is Love, which supports the Good Morning School.

Sophia was diagnosed with brain cancer her junior year in high school and despite treatments she was undeterred in her commitment to these children. Three weeks before Sophia died at age 18, in August 2013, she hosted a fundraiser to keep this school open. This weekend her family will do the same once again and continue to spread her message of All you need is love charity.org.

Change only happens when people educate their hearts and their minds in tandem. Sophia Tam was and will continue to be a change-maker who has left her imprint on our tiny town and the world with her love, light and compassion for others.

Charity Matters.

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