Recently my wife and I watched a movie entitled, “Pass It Forward”. It was a gut-wrenching movie to say the least. (Why do women always cry at a show like this?)

Imagine a child in a social studies class trying to determine how to make a better world. The project he designed was to do a nice thing for three people.

Now this wasn’t just a nice thing like help a lady across the street. This had to be something that took a lot of emotional commitment to complete.

Even as a 5th grader, he could see the significance of numbers. If you do a good deed for three people and they each, in turn, do a good deed for three more, who each do a good deed for three more… and so on, and so on… when you get to the 10th level of people doing good deeds for people, you have a total of 88,572 people having done a good deed for other people.

Keep in mind that this good deed does not require money to change hands. That’s the fascinating thing about the project. These are good deeds and can be done by anyone. One of the people in the movie was a homeless woman who was out buying some liquor for the night. She had no real need to help anyone, but saw a man running from the law. She gave him refuge and kept him from being caught. He asked her how he could repay her and her comment was simply to have him pass the good deed forward to three other people and ask them to do the same.

He ended up in an emergency room being seen because he was bleeding from an injury he received while stealing something during a robbery. While in the ER, he was to be seen next because he was bleeding and a little girl was having to wait though she was having a real problem breathing, but the rules say the bleeding victim comes first. His response was to have the girl seen first because her breathing was extremely labored.

His reward for his action was to be arrested because he didn’t use much diplomacy while in the ER. In fact, he truly got out of line and had to be taken away by the police. The police got their robber anyway, but that made his good deed so much more rewarding to him. He had to do something that was very difficult to “pass it forward”.

The movie went on with more true life (or what appeared to be true life) examples of how people were to pass it forward. So now, 2010 has come around. People are making many resolutions to make things better in their own lives.

I would ask that you take a lead from this movie and make a commitment to pass it forward in your life. Be thankful for the blessings you have received over the last few years and do a good deed for three people, asking them only to pass it forward to three others.

Keep in mind this must be something substantial, not just a simple good deed. Put it in your list of goals for the year. Think about your list often so your commitment to pass it forward becomes a part of your being.

by cheri block sabraw

Joe and I are warming up for the Dark Ages. We are reading (or rereading) The Confessions of St. Augustine, Beowulf, the Koran, The Song of Roland, and Lancelot.

To recap for those of you who have recently joined the readers of Notes from Around the Block:

I met Joe when I was 14 years old. At that time, Joe was 33 years old. He was my humanities instructor. His intensity and brilliance captivated me. His degrees from U.C. Berkeley in English and Philosophy and his big booming voice, peppered with a few bad words, were the credentials that demanded my attendance in his class. I abandoned my dumb cheerleader image for one hour every day, enthralled with Rousseau and Locke. Joe is a master teacher.

He hired me to teach at his new high school when I was 21 years old.

When I left public education to open my own school, I hired him to teach Latin. He was 70 at that time.

Then, on a lark, I decided to apply to Stanford for a graduate degree in the humanities.

I needed three letters of recommendation, one from a former professor.

Joe chimed in on my behalf and the committee admitted me to the program.

Each Monday, Joe and I meet at the Elephant Bar to discuss the material I am reading for my class. Joe is my tutor.

In essence, WE have gone back to school for a new masters degree.

My past posts about Joe are here and here and here.

Perhaps these conversations, twisted into stories,  will be part of the book that I didn’t realize I was writing until someone (another tutor) suggested this notion to me.

Similar to Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie, do you think?

Now, I need an agent.

Any ideas from my other tutors out there?

The New Year is rich with possibility.

Lesson in Love Photo courtesy of Robyn Beck

January 2nd begins a new in many ways at Zuma’s. Our Experiential Learning program consisting of 16 Children, 16 Mentors and 16 Horses launches the first of eight scheduled programs this Saturday with the Mentor Training class. Here the Mentors will learn a bit about the child they will be guiding along with the ins and outs of becoming an effective mentor.Mentor Training is every 7 weeks at Zuma’s, next training being February 13, 2010. Call for details 303-346-7493

Kids from all over the Metro Denver area will be participating in our January 4th- February 12th program, Beacon Center has 5 young ladies coming along with Jefferson County Family Services, Arapaho Foster Parents, and Mt. St. Vincent Center to name a few.

Part of this possible from a grant awarded through Jen Boggs, one of Zuma’s contracted counselors from the Harmes C. Fishback Foundation. Some of the program is also funded with scholarships by Zuma’s and the Program Director Maura Stack Oden.

The programs come with assessment tools, behavioral plans and weekly reports to and from parents and educators. Zuma’s Behavioral Analyst, the parental unit and the educators will form a team with the child’s needs being met in all aspects of his or her life.Upon completion of the six-week (15 hour) program “the next step”to be determined”, be it continuation in the Experiential Learning, private sessions, tutoring, or monthly follow ups the childs’ progress will continue being monitored.

Stay tuned for the results of our first session some time in March! Very Exciting program for at risk youth in the Metro Denver Region.

If you would like to support the At Risk Youth please donate. Zuma’s runs purely from donations and volunteers, get involved today!

Check out my New Year’s entry on CTA’s Young Adult Catholic Blog, entitled “Mother Teresa’s Footsteps.”

So every once in a while we all go through certain stages.  Often times the are just little fads that don’t last very long.  Other times are life changing, and you may find yourself being a deer in the headlights, or maybe you are just lost among the moment.

Sometimes we all just need a little help though to get through it all.  So in order to do so we need to find someone we can trust to lean on.  perhaps a parent or best friend.  Maybe a girlfriend\boyfriend depending on the situation.

With a mentor no matter who it is there should be a special bond between them.  It doesn’t matte gender or age, so as long as there is trust between the two.

It is easy to find someone for a mentor there are Big Brother, Big Sister programs, As well as Kids Hope.  Just look to you local public schools for more information.  If your school doesn’t have any try online.

My ongoing “research” on the mega studio in town has been quite revelatory. First, I’ve found some good teachers at a studio I’d discounted as too commercial. (It is commercial, but that doesn’t mean all the teachers are middling.)

A few nights ago, I took two “Hatha” classes. The first teacher was as detailed in pelvic alignment as any Iyengar teacher would be. She actively observed students and corrected foot placement or overarched lumbar spines with care. The second teacher, an Ayurvedic specialist, made an even-stronger impression on me, combining physical precision and straightforward philosophy (with none of that annoying, flowery Yoga Talk).

Sure, most don’t give as much individual attention as I’ve observed at Iyengar studios, but that’s probably a function of the studio’s business model. Classes are often large and their composition seems to vary from week to week.

Bottom line: the mega studio is reminded me of the benefits of trying different styles of yoga.

Getting out of your element

While I’ve chosen Iyengar yoga as my fundamental practice, I’ve always explored other asana traditions, from Ashtanga (and its vinyasa/flow spinoffs) to Bikram. It can be fascinating, not just the different asana approaches but the novelty of an unfamiliar crowd and vibe.

By trying the gamut of yoga styles and teachers, you develop a sense of discernment. You know what’s “out there.” You have a clear, firsthand basis for choosing one path over another. No fair mocking hot yoga when you haven’t even tried it!

Perhaps I’m also drawn to variety to avoid becoming too insular and narrow-minded. I’ve never been a group person. In high school, I hung out with different crowds at different times, and disliked being pigeonholed. Throughout my life, I’ve preferred interacting with individuals, one to one, rather than hanging out in a clique of peers (the whole Friends concept is alien to me).

Likewise, I suspect that sticking only to one yoga circle might be limiting. Don’t get me wrong: I believe that choosing a main teacher or lineage is necessary, the way a grad student must pick a major field of study and a faculty supervisor. But never to explore related fields is too safe and comfortable; it might breed complacency.

I’m sure that some exclusively Iyengar students would be challenged by the repeated sun salutations of a vinyasa/flow class. Likewise, I’m sure that some exclusively vinyasa/flow students would totally rethink “familiar” asanas, if finely aligned and held for much longer than 15 seconds in an Iyengar class. Getting out of your element is humbling and enlightening, not only for students but for teachers, who must guard even more against ego and tunnel vision.

Exploring your own yoga community

Even within the Iyengar community, I’ve rarely tried new studios once I chose my regular teacher. So, the concept of “trying something new” applies here, too. One of my New Year’s goals is to drop in on a class with all Iyengar-certified teachers in my city. I might have seen their names or vaguely met them in class, but why not go further to discover who they are? As you know, I prefer dealing with people as individuals, so this seems an ideal way directly to support the community. (With drop-ins averaging $20, plus my existing class commitments, it could prove too pricey, but I’ll try!)

Image: Cat and Dog Mask Set (out of stock)

Since joining Twitter in April 2009, I’ve met many gardeners and designers online that I’m proud to call my mentors.  These folks have experience in vegetable gardens, perennial gardens, landscape design, container gardens, garden blogging and/or composting.  They’re also a pleasure to chat with.

Just recently, one of my Twitter mentors, Dan Eskelson nominated me for the Honest Scrap Award. But, since I already wrote my post for the Honest Scrap Award (you can read it here), I decided to talk about what makes Dan a great mentor instead.

What’s great about being friends with Dan on Twitter is that he seems to know everything about gardening and landscape design AND he’s willing to share his knowledge with the rest of us.  He’s also very approachable and often the first to respond to my crazy questions/situations – in my opinion this is what makes him a great mentor.

That, and he’s an all-around nice guy and a great conversationalist.

What’s great about Twitter is that I can also see Dan’s conversations with the other garden/design gurus that I follow (a.k.a my other mentors).  It’s like getting to listen in as the Masters talk poetically about design, landscape design, plants,  latin plant names and organic methods.  I admit, sometimes I have no idea what they’re talking about and have to use “Google” to figure it out – but I enjoy learning new things.

Now, I agree that Twitter isn’t for everyone (I often wonder if it’s right for me since I spend more time reading other people’s posts than actually engaging in conversation) but, finding Dan and other garden mentors/friends online is one of the best things to happen to my garden.  It’s like having an interactive resource manual, cheerleading squad and cocktail party at my fingertips.  It has also helped me realize I have a lot left to learn about gardening and design — especially if I want to be a great mentor like Dan some day.

I’d like to thank Dan for nominating me for the Honest Scrap Award and for being so supportive online — both are apprecited.  You can learn more about Dan by visiting Clearwater Landscapes or by following @daneskelson on Twitter.

In 2006 I was very fortunate to finally meet the nationally recognized non-profit, Step Up Women’s Network (www.suwn.org), while I was covering backstage at the 2006 NAACP Image Awards for WireImage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.   Step Up was there (specifically Alexa Brandt, their membership manager at the time) doing outreach to the VIPs.

Some of those backstage photos are here:

Taraji P. Henson wears a bracelet in support of Step Up Women's Network

Alexa Brandt, Senior Program Manager of Membership, Step Up Women's Network talks to actresses Katherine Heigl and Kate Walsh backstage at the 2006 NAACP Image Awards

Actress Katherine Heigl, backstage at the 2006 NAACP Image Awards, wears a bracelet in support of Step Up Women's Network.

Actress Kate Walsh, backstage at the 2006 NAACP Image Awards, wears a bracelet in support of Step Up Women's Network.

That meeting led me to meet Jamie Kogan, Step Up’s tremendous Senior Program Manager / Community and Girls’ Programs.  I volunteered taking photos at a class they already had going, and that summer I mentored a girl.   I was volunteering at another kids’ photo program, but was dismayed at their lack of interest in putting current digital cameras in the students’ hands, or having them work on the computers they had while at the same time saying they were helping to advance these kids’ job skills.  After  the Step Up mentorship, Jamie asked me if I’d be interested in leading a photo class but she wanted something new, and asked me to come up with something.   Step Up’s strength is that it is a dedicated networking organization; it helps women from varied professions bridge their gaps by holding events ; by getting them together to talk.   It’s precisely what I wanted more of as a young girl –  and it was precisely the strength I exercised in the course of my career as a celebrity event photographer (or as I like to say:  Entertainment Photojournalist).

Any photographer who has made celebrity event photography their business can tell you that half the job is just talking to people, many of whom you are just meeting for the first time.   That, really, is a large part of what makes the job so great.  Of course, as time goes by, you get to know these people because you’ve bothered to talk to them – and not just pop a flash in their face.  You made an introduction.  And I couldn’t think of any other instruction I’d rather give these girls than the skills to make an introduction to the very person they dream to be in the future.   I wanted to help give them extra confidence and a way to leave their shyness at the door.  I had been helping a lot of people enhance their publicity via my photojournalism coverage, and now was my chance to help young women (with fairly insurmountable economic and emotional odds) find a stronger voice and direction towards their future selves.   Jamie Kogan, Senior Program Manager of Step Up, took to it immediately.   I was so thankful for her appreciation of it; still am !   I drafted the twelve week program for our girls.  A web-page of the girls’ meetings with their mentors would be the final project. I guided our camera purchase (manual controls critical), and brought in our additional instructor, Maya Myers, thanks to an introduction by a mutual photo friend (Sarah Poust).   Maya came with a lot of passion for the girls!  Our first classes were for pre-teen girls at LA Leadership Academy grade school.   Each week we taught the girls something more about how to use a camera (shutter speed, composition), as well as how to best interview a subject and everything that came with it (firm hand-shake, eye contact, saying goodbye).   We worked up to the day we scheduled for each girl to meet with her mentor (most of the women were members of Step Up Women’s Network, a few we introduced to the program given a girl’s request for a specific photo/interview subject).   Maya and I drove the girls all over Los Angeles to meet up with all the amazing women, and drove them home afterwards.   The economic disparity between a mentor’s workplace and a girl’s home was striking; just a half hour away from each other and an economic world apart.   Some girls talked about how their family members – brothers and sometimes even mothers – would tell them they shouldn’t bother wanting to be anything because they didn’t have a chance.   It’s a horrible cycle; thankfully there are organizations such as Step Up Women’s Network to bring enriching after-school programs into public schools.   A photo of our first semester’s two classes below, and then the introductions and photographs of the girls:

I Dream to/Photojournalism for Girls 1st Semester at LA Leadership Grade School

Step Up Women's Network Photojournalism for Girls student, Miracle Johnson, and veterinarian Dr. Michele Karron at VCA Hospital, 2007.

The 2007 gallery show, as covered by WireImage:  

Attorney at Pillsbury Winthrop Kimberly Buffington and "I Dream to" student Linda Fuentes

Marleni Davila goes on her "I Dream to"/Photojournalism for Girls Step Up Women's Network project interview at Guerra Gutierrez Mortuary with Liza Saenz on 2/15/2008.

Step Up Women's Network "I Dream to"/Photojournalism for Girls student LaShanae Thomas interviews breast cancer surgeon Robina Smith at USC's Outpatient Clinic on February 27, 2008.

Here are photos from the 2008 Los Angeles “I Dream to”/Photojournalism for girls Gallery Show at the Helm’s Bakery space in Culver City – where the girls got to show off their websites and prints to their families and mentors (prints and framing made possible thanks to Kim Creighton, Matthew Rolston’s long time print manager).

Step Up "I Dream to"/Photojournalism for Girls student Genola Thomas with her project at the 2008 Step Up Gallery show.

"I Dream to"/Photojournalism for Girls student Dayana Masariegos and Senior Program Manager Step Up Women's Network Jamie Kogan.

Sr. Prog. Mngr./Step Up Jamie Kogan, "I Dream to" prorgram creator / photographer Amy Tierney, and 2008 co-instructor/photog Maya Myers.

2008 Gallery Show at Helms' Bakery space for Step Up Women's Network's "I Dream to"/Photojournalism for Girls program.

The girls' final projects for "I Dream to" 2008 were websites and were projected on the wall at the show.

In the summer of 2008 I introduced the New York Step Up Women’s chapter to Getty Images new Varick Street studio, NY (thanks to my credentials as a Getty Images/WireImage photographer, and especially in thanks to Peggy Willett, Community and Industry Relations, Getty Images Seattle, who really took to the program).  It was there that a Summer 2008 Gallery show happened for the New York Step Up students, and it was great!   I loved having Nicole Tammelleo as their instructor !  We got to share a lot of inspiration across the miles as the program progressed.  Here are few images from that August 2nd, 2008 New York gallery show:

2008 "I Dream to" New York Gallery show at Getty Images' Varick Street Studio.

Lida Orzeck, Founder of Hanky Panky (short blonde hair) with New York Step Up photojournalism students.

Nicole Tammelleo, photographer and instructor of the first NY "I dream to" program with student + mentor

Here is a link to the WireImage photo coverage of the New York show at Getty Images’ Varick Street studio: www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=gls====327444

In Fall 2008 a new photographer and co-instructor, Emily Hart Roth (www.emilyhartphotography.com), came on board in Los Angeles.  We were sorry to see Maya go, but glad she introduced us to Emily.   Emily came with a lot of passion – and an appreciation for blogs which she wanted to share with the girls.  So we changed our final project from websites to blogs.

Photographer and Co-Instructor Emily Hart Roth hugs a student

In the Fall of 2008 Step Up worked with the partner schools (LA Leadership High School and Gertz Ressler High School) to extend the program – so instead of twelve weeks we had twenty.  Emily and I redrafted the program.   We gave the girls more time to learn about composition and how to photograph; we also taught them how to organize their photos – rating and selecting the best via the Adobe Lightroom application.  We went back to the Canon A520 cameras which, while introductory point and shoot cameras, also allowed us to teach the girls about manual controls.   For the girls’ blogs,  Emily wanted to use WordPress.com as she had been using it for her own blog and liked it a lot.  I certainly agreed, and transferred my own blog to WordPress.

Meanwhile New York students were plugging away.

Here are some photographs from our Fall 2008 Los Angeles semester:

Fall 2008 "I Dream to" classes at Soul Studios, Los Angeles, 12/2008

LA "I Dream to" student Kalen Isreal and mentor, CEO of Dermalogica Jane Wurwand at Soul Studios, 12/2008.

Fall 2008 "I Dream to" student Frankie Jo Gonzalez gets her picture taken by mentor, actress Ashley Jones.

Fall 2008 "I Dream to" student Paola takes a picture of mentor actress Shannon Komai McClain

Immigration Attorney Victoria Duong and her mentee "I Dream to" student Gigi

Student Leslie Guzman photographs her mentor, Veterinarian Annette Le Pere at Soul Studios 12/2008.

The Fall 2008 Los Angeles’ students final blog projects can be found online here:   http://stepupphoto.wordpress.com

A review of the program can be found here on Livebooks Resolve blog: blog.livebooks.com/2009/05/teaching-teens-to-photograph-role-models-then-become-them/

Now, four years later, my baby (as it were) “I Dream to”/Photojournalism for Girls has become a signature program for Step Up Women’s Network.  Every Fall a new class of freshman gets a chance to choose “I Dream to” as an after-school class, learn the math and light of photography, the writing and social skills of interviewing and the confidence to meet with anyone, anywhere.

I have continued on as an Ambassador for the program, while we brought in new instructors:  Laura Grier (www.beautifuldayphotography.com), Sarah Horowitz and Melissa Fargo.  Luckily Emily Hart Roth taught at the new, additional school that Step Up partnered with: the Environmental Science and Technology High School where we held  our LA mentor days this year on December 5th and 12th, 2009.  Photos and video to post soon.   We also had SanDisk www.sandisk.com, the global imaging company (who I encouraged to give an in-kind donation of SD camera cards and card readers to the program) come to film and interview the girls and women on their experience with the program.   Video and images to post soon !

The “I Dream to”/Photojournalism for Girls photos were displayed at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, and decorate the National Step Up Women’s Network offices:

"I Dream to" photos show at the Pacific Design Center, Nov. 18, 2009.

"I Dream to" photo projects show at the Pacific Design Center, Nov. 18, 2009.

"I Dream to" photos at the entrance to Step Up's national office in Los Angeles.

"I Dream to" photos permanently hang in Step Up Women's Network's national office.

Three of my favorite ladies: Jamie Kogan, Sr. Prog. Mgr./Step Up, instructor Emily Hart Roth, and volunteer supreme Edie Ortenberg

More photos of the girls and stories of Chicago and New York classes to come !

working on a promo poster for small ONLINE COMIC DON’T HAVE A NAME YET HERES THE MUSIC IM LISTENING TO WHY L IM DOING THE POSTER

“courageously light the candle of today

and lead the way”

(c) 2009  Unknownheartist@gmail.com

My Uncle Everett only had one arm.

He lost the other one in an accident, working at Dow Chemical in the early 60’s.

After he healed, Dow Chemical gave him a new job as a security guard— since he couldn’t do the job he had before with only one arm.

But Uncle Everett could do more with that one arm than any man with two.

I never heard him complain, cuss, or say anything bad about anybody.

He was a quiet sort of guy with a dutiful demeanor.

As a child, I would try to emulate Uncle Everett as he worked in the garage or did tasks around his house and yard.

I wanted to see how it felt to try to do things with just one arm.

I always gave up and ended up using both my arms, and remained in awe that he could accomplish the things he did.

He could paint a house, move furniture, and hug kids with that one arm.

Sometimes, when I feel limited by circumstance or feel like “my hands are tied” I think of those days when I would follow Uncle Everett around, trying to do the things he so creatively accomplished.

Sometimes, we just don’t know what we’re capable of until life shows us how strong we are.

And even though Uncle Everett was not the sort of guy to bully anyone or be pushy about anything, he sure did know how to Strong Arm a situation when it was needed.

Sometimes I need to Strong Arm myself in a situation when I think something is impossible.

And usually I find out that my strong arm is more creative than I thought.

Ronald Wimberly

on another note becuse of him ill be trying to do a video drawing every month of a picture the size of 18″x24″ if im not able to get it on video ill at least post the pic of it .im also doing tattoos so some of the tattoos ill do might sneak up in the shadows of things  well thats it for to day have a  good Xmas eve

It isn’t often that a report emanating from a global corporation offers small libraries and nonprofit organizations some much needed guidance and inspiration, but Sun Microsystems has accomplished exactly that with its “Sun Mentoring: 1996-2009,” by Katy Dickinson, Tanya Jankot, and Helen Gracon.

“Sun Mentoring” is both a report and a user’s handbook for anyone interested in designing and implementing a mentoring program, and it doesn’t much matter that the project is enormous, having matched more than 7,000 mentors and protégés worldwide between 1996 and 2009. Smaller organizations looking to create a program with much smaller numbers of participants will benefit from the details contained within the report. It covers topics including formal vs. informal mentoring, mentor selection systems, matching mentors and protégés, best practices for mentors, and mentoring in good times as well as bad times.

What is striking here for anyone who reads between the lines is that what works in that enormous global program can just as easily be replicated in settings with fewer resources since the principles remain constant regardless of the size of the organization being served. And the principles are equally adaptable. At Sun, for example, “people usually join a mentoring program because they are curious and want to learn, or are ambitious and motivated to improve their career, or are stuck personally or professionally and want to find a new way to proceed,” the writers note on the first page of the introduction to the report. That summary doesn’t sound much different from what we see among our library and nonprofit colleagues. The Sun program, furthermore, benefits tremendously from careful matching of mentors and protégés, from having well defined goals and objectives, and from engaging people who genuinely want to learn from each other; none of these elements are beyond the capabilities of even the smallest organizations.

When we look at all the components which coalesce to create successful mentoring programs, we begin to realize that they parallel the components of a successful workplace learning and performance program. They start with individuals, grow to meet increasing needs, and contribute to the development of a community of learners with far-reaching impacts for individuals, organizations, and the customers they serve. And for those who want to know that the effort produces results, the Sun authors conclude (in section 11 of the report) that mentoring “returns good value for the time and money it takes. ROI (return on investment) on mentoring can be 1,000% or better and grows as the program matures.” Who could ask for more?

Those interested in learning more about how to organize a successful mentoring program within a library or nonprofit organization will find plenty of guidance in “Mentors and Protégés: Creating Successful Workplace Programs,” the new online, self-paced course I’ve written for the LE@D (Lifelong Education @ Desktop) project through the University of North Texas.

Frank Fidel was a former army medical doctor.  As he would later tell me, a chemical warfare triage training unit for soldiers and medics had been named after him at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds.  I loved him instantly.  He was open and forthcoming and brilliant.

Frank picked up the phone after it had rung close to 10 times. “Dr. Fidel, ” he answered quietly.

“Hello, I’m looking for Frank Fidel,” I said.

“This is Frank Fidel. Who’s this?”

“Dr. Fidel, my name is Norah O’Connell and I’m a producer at CAB news in New York.”

“Hello, Norah.  How may I help you?” he asked, almost in an amused way.

“Dr. Fidel, I’m working on a piece about domestic preparedness in New York City.”

“Well, I’m the right person to come for for that. In fact, I’ve been on your station quite a few times,” he said.

“I’ve noticed – but this is a little different,” I had to catch my breath.  I silently thanked Ganesha for opening this door.  “Well, I have on my desk an EMS training manual that instructs New York City EMTs to not treat kids under the age of 10 in the event of a chemical attack. I figured you might know something about auto-injectors.”

“Well, Norah, you figure correctly. I have trained many soldiers on how to use auto-injectors.”

“Do they save lives?”

“They do,” he said softly.

“From what I understand, Dr. Fidel, it’s a 2 pronged cure. There are these preloaded injectors and you get injected with atropine first. This calms the symptoms of, let’s say, VX gas.  So, your eyes stop running, you can breathe.  Then you are injected with 2PAM Chloride – which cleans your blood.”

“Well put, Norah, except in the army, we inject ourselves.”

“Wow. Would you show me how?  Do you have auto-injectors that I could shoot footage of?”

Frank laughed. “I have some very old ones that are not usable.”

“So, Dr. Fidel –”

“Frank, please,” he said.

“Ditto. Norah,” I said. “So, can we go back to this manual for a sec?”

“Sure thing.”

“Okay,” I continued, “The ambulances here in New York supposedly – and this is corroborated by the manual I’m speaking of – are stocked with 100 adult size auto-injectors of both the atropine and the 2PAM. We can save 100 adults and no children. Why is that?” I asked, as if he could answer. He continued to listen.

“Where are these auto-injectors made?” I went on. “Do you know the company that manufactures them?”

“It’s a company called Universal Pharmaceuticals in Maryland.”

“Do they even make child size auto-injectors?” I felt desperate. It was as if I had to save myself.

“And that, Norah, is the 64 dollar question.”

“Do you know the answer?”

“I have been waiting for this call for a very long time. The auto-injectors do come in child size  – only they are not used here. We make them and ship them overseas. Can you guess where?” he asked.

“Iraq?”

“No,” he said, sort of proud of his answer.  “Israel, Norah. They’ve had them for years.”

“Of course,” I said.

“Yes, of course.  They live every day with the possibility of an attack. They are quite prepared.”

“I’m going to call Universal.”

“Make sure you ask them about the expiration dates of the auto-injectors,” Frank coached me.

“Frank, I’m going to call you tomorrow. What’s your email?”

“HIP71@aol.com.”

“I’ll IM you. I can’t thank you enough.”

“The pleasure was mine, Norah.”

As we await God in human form during this Advent season, it seemed only appropriate that we think about what our image of God is in the first place.  Confirmands, mentors, and leaders drew and sculpted some ideas.  Enjoy…

!!!

There are only a few days left in 2009. It has been a challenging year, both for nonprofit organizations and the communities they seek to serve.

But as the year draws to a close, our overarching sentiment here at ASF isn’t one of futility or frustration. It’s one of awe.

Awe at the commitment and dedication of this year’s Schweitzer Fellows, who are impacting the health outcomes of society’s most vulnerable members through innovative service projects like this and this.

Awe at the strength of community members like Rosemary, who remain vibrant and optimistic in the face of individual and systemic challenges.

Awe at the generosity of the mentors — both from academia, and from community-based organizations — who provide invaluable guidance to Schweitzer Fellows as they carry out their service projects.

Awe at the Schweitzer Fellows for Life network’s collective power, and individual achievements.

Awe at the dedication of the Schweitzer Program Directors, who have found their own Lambarenes by helping others do the same.

And finally, awe at the breathtaking generosity of the funders, sponsors, and partners who make all of the above possible.

From all of us at ASF, thank you, and warm wishes for a peaceful holiday season.

Beyond Boulders will be on break until Wednesday, Dec. 30.

We are staring at the fag end of December now and before we head to 2010, lets take a look at the year 2009 was. For starters, 2009 was a great year for Gurudakshina. It was not only conceptualised this year, but we also managed to set the ball rolling with successful implementation of our mentor-mentee pairing program in several cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Surathkal ) in India. That we were able to achieve this in less than 8 months, since Gurdudakshina was first conceptualized proves that we are heading in the right direction. We also owe our progress to our partners- Youth For Seva, Nirmaan, Young Parliament Foundation, Rotaract Clubs of Mumbai , Dream a Dream, AID – Delhi,  who have been providing us with both manpower and infrastructure at various stages of our program.

The mentor-mentee relationship forms the backbone of our model, and the initial response from both the mentors and the mentees has been very encouraging. Let’s now take a look at the response we got for from mentors, mentees and their families.

Mentor Tasneem with her mentee Sultana

Sultana is a differently-abled Class X student, who is being mentored by Tasneem, a Journalist by profession. Tasneem has been guiding Sultana, who is at a critical stage of her academic life. Over the last couple of months, Sultana has been showing renewed interest in her academics, clearly benefiting from the guidance and encouragement from her mentor Tasneem.

While its clear that the mentees are no doubt benefiting from our model,  let’s now take a look at what our mentors have to say from their mentorship experience:

Thank you Gurudakshina for giving me such an opportunity to a mentor a kid… Its a GREAT experience for me..

says Jagath Venkat who is mentoring Class 6 student-Naveen Kumar. Jagath also mentions that Naveen’s family was overwhelmed by the  YFS scholarship, which has been partially funding Naveen’s education.

Lalitha is very fond of her studies and a very active and brave child. I was so inspired  to see her interest towards her studies and felt proud to be her mentor too…. Thank you one and all for giving me an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life…

says Vairam S who is mentoring Lalitha, a class 8 student. Lalitha was recently moved from a government subsidized Kannada medium school to an English medium private school, and thanks to Vairam’s guidance, Lalitha has been coping well with the new study environment, and continues to impress everyone with her academics. Lalitha’s mother has been striving hard to provide the best of education to her daughter and together with Vairam’s support and guidance, Lalitha is on track in realising her mother’s dreams.

It’s not all stern tutor work for our mentors, as we do encourage them to involve in some leisure activities with their mentees. We believe more in enriching the lives of the kids, than just guiding them in their academics.

Tasneem and Sultana sharing a lighter moment

The year 2009 was all about laying the foundation for implementation of our model, and kick-off of local chapters across India. Now, the emphasis is more on penetrating across India to forge more mentor-mentee relationships and with support from our partners and volunteers, we promise to take Gurudakshina to greater levels in the coming year.

This month I was saddened to learn of the death of a very influential man in my life. My career mentor, Milton Murray, died at age 87.

During the first 10 years of my career, Mr. Murray was the most influential person in my professional development. Somehow the label “mentor” understates the profound influence of this larger-than-life man.

I first met Mr. Murray at the airport in Nashville, Tennessee while I was still a college student. He later helped me land my first job at a hospital in Kansas City where he was serving as a fundraising consultant. During the next four years I spent countless hours with him. I was a dry sponge soaking up the endless flow of wisdom from this wise, old sage. (At the time, anyone over 30 seemed old.)

As my career progressed, he introduced me to another of his clients—a hospital in Portland, Oregon. I moved my family there and for the next four years I had the privilege of continuing my education under the guidance of this great man. He taught me so much about fundraising, communications, nonprofit management, office politics and life in general.

As I think of Mr. Murray’s passing, my eyes brim with moisture. It has been years since I last saw Mr. Murray. He retired and moved to California. Once, probably 10 years ago, he and I had dinner as he passed through town. After his retirement we lost touch and never corresponded again.

I hope he knew how much I appreciated what he’d done for me. Sure, I expressed my gratitude on numerous occasions, but there are some people—parents, teachers and mentors—who can never be properly thanked.

One of my resolutions for the coming year, and even during this holiday season, is to express gratitude for all the people in my life who mean so much to me.

Now here’s a strange coincidence:  As I’m sitting here at my computer writing these thoughts, I get an inbox message from a new Facebook friend I haven’t seen in years. After updating me on her roles as a wife and mother, she shared these thoughts—

You know, I’ve always wanted to tell you thank you. You are really the reason that I fell into marketing. As a new college graduate and new into the working world, I will never forget the conversation that you had with me in your office about pursuing a career in marketing. It was so nice to have someone see something in me that I didn’t see in myself. And I guess our conversation served me well! So for that, thank you. Even more than that, our conversation showed me the importance of being a mentor to someone. I’ve told this story about you probably 50 times. Kinda sad I’ve never said it to you!! Thank goodness for Facebook!

Wow! I honestly don’t remember that specific conversation in my office. Until she wrote I had no idea that I’d had more than a passing influence on her life. I guess one never knows. But I’m certainly grateful for her expression of gratitude.

Ready for another coincidence?

When my son, Greg, was in the 5th & 6th grades he had a gifted teacher who took a special interest in each of her students. My son received an excellent education in her classroom. Thanks in part to Trudy Hoffman and other inspirational teachers who taught him, Greg went on to became an elementary school teacher himself.

Next month he returns to the same school he attended in the 5th & 6th grades. His new job is to teach—you guessed it—5th & 6th grades. And what became of his teacher from way back then? Well, she’s moved up to become the principal of that school. So, not only did she mold the life of one of her young students, she now has the opportunity to be a mentor to that same person. He, in turn, will have the opportunity to expand the minds of the next generation of 5th & 6th graders. The ripple effect will continue indefinitely.

There’s something special about teachers and mentors.

Thank someone who has been instrumental in your life. And then become a mentor to someone who will forever be grateful for your unselfish efforts.

“there is no separation

between the self and the rest of creation”

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“life is a drop

containing the ocean”

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“powered by the central meridian

that all and everything lives in”

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“souls pass through stained glass

no colors contain us”

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“sandcastle and a feather

the mud that holds you together”

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“the Great Mind knows

how all books go”

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“the master intelligence

each of us contains and represents”-

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“what thunders

lightening’s power?’

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“many in body, one in mind

we are intertwined”

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“viscous and meniscus

the flow of what life is”

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“where liquid sunshine also hides

for drops are thinking deep inside”

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“there is no present, future, or past

because through eternity the mind is cast”

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“there is another realm it’s true

the vibratory field we cannot view”

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“there are no others just different kinds

of many bodies and one mind”

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Click on < or > to visit other categories, hundreds more “miniatures” will be posted soon.

(c) 2009    Unknownheartist@gmail.com

Socrates often called himself a “mino,” a midwife; it was one of his favorite metaphors for the teacher.  He believed that teaching was not a matter of bestowing information upon a student, but rather coaching one through the process of giving birth to the knowledge that is already within oneself.  I think there is something to this pedagogy.  Even when one encounters “new” information, real learning and radical comprehension requires that one situate it within the complications of his/her greater intellectual framework.  Surely, that is an active and arduous process.

I feel as if I have been in labor for the past four months, trying earnestly to birth the nascent knowledge of my time at Harvard Divinity School.  There have been times in the last few weeks when I have reached out desperately for the hand of a partner, my mind amid intellectual exhaustion, my fingers tired from pushing, pushing the keys of this tiny white keyboard. “I don’t know if I can do this….” I had to keep pushing. It had never before been that hard to process, to write, to read again and again and again!

“Push!” my midwives insisted. “Keep pushing!” they encouraged. “We see this precious child within you! We see it coming! Push!”

With a sigh of relief and satisfaction, the infant arrived: ideas I had not entirely known I possessed, or at least commanded enough to reproduce in the tangible form of written word.  “It is a miracle!” I always observe with delight whenever I create something of which I can manage to be proud. “What a miracle!”

I have never birthed a human being, but I think I have a little glimpse into the patience such a strenuous labor would require, and perhaps a tiny insight into the pride experienced when holding the infant in her arms after working and waiting for so long.  “It is a little me,” she sighs, “This is my creation!” Starring down at an essay composed of so much of me, these are my words, too.

…on creativity: “Artistry will always lead to anguish… I don’t want to see that perpetuated.” – http://bit.ly/7kU5cz