www.shewrites.com.

ATTENTION:  WOMEN WRITERS

A   website has been established, specifically  for women writers.

She Writes, has joined in on the latest social networking trends. It provides a place for women to exchange ideas and support each other in every genre of writing. Approximately four thousand women writers – poets, biographers, memoirists,novelists, fiction and non-fiction writers have joined this community.

Connect with other women writers, read member’s blogs, forums and take advantage of educational opportunities through Webinars, created through She Writes.com.

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There is a new feature-length, independently produced documentary that all families faced with putting a student through college should see. It is called Default: The Student Loan Documentary. The film is educational, eye-opening and informative.

The best way to pay for a college education is a real conundrum. For average or below average income families, obtaining student loans are a necessary evil to putting a student through college. The film educates prospective college students and their families about  the difference between federal and private student loans. This documentary helps to sort out many of the questions that arise when making choices about paying for a college education.

The film’s highlights also include interviews with students from all different backgrounds affected by the real and dire predicaments of paying back student loans.

I read a recent report that tuition fees at public universities have risen close to 50% in the past five years. Some how, some way, as a country, we need to make sure the college enrollment rate continues to climb despite these discouraging statistics. To compete in this changing global world, we need the most highly qualified population our nation can possibly produce. 

“Only the educated are free” ~ Epictetis (55AD to 135AD)

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I thank Mike practically every day, but today, I wanted to write it down.

Mike and I went through a lot, when we were in High School and then again, when we reunited in 2005.  Mike and I had a long distance relationship from the time we got back together, December of 2005 – after 13 years, to the time I moved out to Las Vegas to be with him in October of 2006.  When he and I got back together, I was still drinking, and so was he.  We talked on the phone for hours and hours each day.  And we drank.  I can not tell you how many times I woke up realizing that I had passed out or blacked out leaving me not remembering the ends of our conversations.  Did he say ” I love you” and i didn’t answer?  Was he talking and then realized that I wasn’t really “there” anymore.  It happened too much.

Mike and I talked at length about our drinking problems; we both knew that we had to stop.  Mike was the first one to tell me that I might have a drinking problem.  “I think you might drink too much”, is what he said.  I was sort of offended, especially this coming from him, who did drink too much, but that doesn’t matter.  And i knew that.  I knew I believed him and that was when I really started to see that my drinking was a problem.  It was being with Mike that woke me up to what I was doing to myself.  It was being with Mike and wanting to spend the rest of my life with Mike that led me to see myself from outside myself and get a different view.  It was being with the man who I had thought about being with since the day we’d met, Sophomore year in High School, that made me want to try harder and really make an effort to get better.  I was embarrassed of my behavior.  I was ashamed of myself, for being nothing.  When I was really only answering to myself, I let myself get away with everything, or pretended to not really notice what I was really doing to myself.  I wanted to be everything to him.  I wanted to be the greatest.  We had such great plans to be together, the spirit was there, but I knew, in the state I was in, I wouldn’t be capable of anything but dreaming.  I didn’t want to disappoint him, and I didn’t want to disappoint me.

He felt the same.  We talked about it, all the time.  On May 31, 2006, I quit drinking.  I’ve been sober ever since.   I owe a lot to my brother John and my friend Kelly too.  They quit with-in the same year.  Those are two people who a great many people never thought would quit.  They did, and they are inspirations, and I thank them greatly too.  But,  my wanting to spend the rest of my life with Mike was really the catalyst, John and Kelly gave me the strength.

I moved to Las Vegas in October of 2006.  Mike and I have both struggled with depression, on different levels.  He was concerned that his depression was going to push me further down.  I always said that we would deal with this, that we should not wait any longer to be together, that we were supposed to be together and years down the road, when things are better we would look back on these times and be proud that we got through the toughest times together.  He would agree, but he was scared of what his depression was going to do to me, ’cause I was getting better…Well, it did affect me, but that was ok.  I remember feeling it, and watching it happen.  His reclusive nature mixed with mine was not good.  But, since I had quit drinking, I was worlds better than I ever had been.  I had much more strength to push through.  It was about a year after I had moved to Las Vegas that I really felt bad.  I was sleeping until noon, totally un-motivated, and always waiting for him to do something with me, something, anything and doing nothing for myself.  But there was always a reason to not go somewhere…and it had taken its toll on me, I had let it.  So, I had enough.  I felt like a lump again, and I felt like a terrible girlfriend, well, by then, we were engaged.  I remember writing him a letter, because I didn’t have the energy to say everything I wanted to say to him, to apologize for how bad I had gotten.  I wrote him the letter to say I was sorry and that I would be better and worth being with.  I said I had enough of me and that I was finally going to go to a doctor and see if I should be put on medication.

Mike and I talked a lot about it and he made me feel a lot better about trying medication.  He struggle too, and he really made me feel strong and didn’t judge me but wanted to help me feel and get better.  I remember feeling like everything he was saying he meant for himself too, but he had so much more faith in me than he had in himself.  He had such fight for me.  Left on my own, I never had the strength to make the phone calls to doctors; to find one.  He helped me, he reminded me, he wanted me to fight for myself to get better.  I found a great doctor and went on Lexapro, and had blood-work done to check my thyroid and other “stuff”…i don’t know what anymore,  regular type blood work.  Then my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist to have me checked for Celiac Disease, which runs in my family and has depression (among many, many other things) as a symptom.  I started going to the gym regularly, and it was during this time that I went to my first Yoga class, with my sister, when I was back home in Palatine, IL for a couple of weeks.  We went to a class (I had always been interested in Yoga, but had total nervous anxiety about entering a studio) and I’ve been practicing ever since and am finishing my Yoga Teacher Training as I write this.

Turned out, I do have Celiac Disease and going to the gym regularly did make me feel worlds better.  And practicing Yoga did help me calm my mind and helped me feel more free and less anxious.  I stopped beating myself up about things I wasn’t doing.  I felt totally energized and inspired.  Somehow, at that time in my life I had gotten sick of myself enough, ashamed of myself enough, disappointed in myself enough.  But, being with Mike absolutely gave me the strength to do it.

Mike is not here anymore.  He killed himself this past July.  I often think that Mike saved me.  I often think Mike’s complete understanding of depression; how it feels, is what made him so capable of helping me.  He was telling me to do what he knew he should be doing for himself, but he didn’t feel he could do.  He always told me I was stronger than him.  I told him he was wrong.  He always told me I was better.  He always made me feel I could do this, that it could and would lift.  It was being with him that gave me the courage to do it, for myself and for us.  I would see Mike and see him in his depression and it was like looking at myself.  I have to say, I would often think I was looking at myself, and I didn’t like the look of it; the look of depression.  He helped me come out.  He helped me grow.

That’s what I remember of Mike.  That’s what I keep with me.  Not the bad times and the hard times.  Those aren’t fair to keep, I think.  He didn’t mean the bad and hard times.  He was sick, and he was screaming out for me to get better.  And for that, I thank him.  He loved me and for that I thank him.    I always thought we were each others other half.   I live now and he is gone.  He helped save me and I carry that part of him with me.  I hope he has a bit of me with him.

Thank you Mike Powroznyk, for loving me enough to tell me and help me see how to get better.  I work daily to stay better for you to be proud of me and for me to be proud of me.   I love you.  I will love you forever.

Kory

A volunteer helps fill bags with food at the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project. After the meeting, more than 200 families who work on the farm fields in Ventura County will take home the donated food.

I’ve been doing research on farm workers and pesticides for an upcoming story and was recently introduced to a non-profit organization, Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project. The organization focuses on the needs of indigenous farm workers from Oaxaca, a southern Mexican state. Because they speak mainly their own Mixteco language, it’s easy to discriminate against them.

I recently spent a few hours at a meeting, where the founder, Sandra Young, oversaw not only an H1N1 vaccination clinic, but also food distribution. Hundreds of people — mainly women and their children — were lined up for hours prior to the meeting to be one of the lucky 200 or so families to receive a bag of food that held rice, beans, flour, oil and canned fruit juice. Another bag, filled with produce, had bananas, onions, cucumber, oranges and tomatoes.

A volunteer at the Mixteco/Indigena Community Project fills a bag of food for Oaxacan farm workers in Ventura County. Photos by Denise Vastola

It’s ironic that the same, small group of people who work in fields, harvesting crops capable of feeding so many, must get a portion of their own source of nourishment from a non-profit organization that distributes food only once a month.

On Thanksgiving, I am thankful that I not only have all the food I need, but I am most thankful for the chance I have to write about Sandra Young, Donna Foster, Arcenio Lopez and the volunteers who help the people who work so hard to harvest crops in Ventura County.

“True prosperity is the result of well-placed confidence in ourselves and our fellow man.” ~  Benjamin Burt

On this Thanksgiving Day, I would like to thank all independent publishers everywhere who are finishing their books and films by the end of this year, 2009.

Blessings to You, who work hard and dare

Blessings to You, who wish to share

Blessings to You, who have penned, produced and toiled

Blessings to You, who have burned the midnight oil

Thanks for sharing your independently published books, music and films so that we may be enriched, educated and inspired. May you all find fulfillment in the work that you do, and be rewarded with an abundance of personal prosperity in 2010.

Blessings to You

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If are confused with numerous organizations around you and are not sure which one to choose for making your donation, there is an easy way to figure out which organization is the right one for you.  Its called charity navigator.  The link is provided below.  This website provides a detailed breakdown of expenses by each organization so you know what percentage of your donation is actually reaching the people you meant it to reach. 

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Healthcare is an issue that evokes very strong opinions, no matter where you stand on the political spectrum. It seems to me, the media has our population believing our healthcare system is completely inadequate, broken and unavailable to the majority of the population. Remember, approximately 70-75% of our country’s population is insured. Many countries around the world would give anything to have the kind of healthcare our society has. Sure, there are many improvements that could and should be made to the healthcare system, but Americans completely loose sight of what we are all blessed with.

In this week of remembering our Thanksgiving blessings, it seems to me we all need to put the healthcare issue into perspective by remembering the huge strides that have been made in medical research over the past 50-60 years. Many countries do not have the resources to train and educate healthcare professionals, never mind have the money available for research and development.

Just the availability of knowledge alone, regarding feeding our bodies nutritionally, is so far beyond what many countries of the world have at their dispose. In many countries, there are no food choices to make on a daily basis. Eating to survive, one day at a time, is struggle enough. To much of the world’s population, a daily menu consists of whatever kind of food can be scrounged.

I count myself fortunate  because I know, when I have needed it, I have had some of the best medical care available in this world. We Americans are truly blessed! As Thomas Carlyle said so many years ago, “He who has health has hope. And he who has health has everything.”  In many countries, even hope is hard to find.

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Yes, that’s exactly what I meant. Non-profits, community and faith-based organizations that subscribe to the get a grant, save the day mentality are putting themselves on a welfare system.

Why?

Because the welfare system is designed to help people get on their feet; however, should you stay on this assistance, it is not up to another entity/person to decide how valuable your needs and your results are to the society/community at large.

You are no longer in control…

…you never thought about it like that, did you?

Well, now the truth is out, it’s time to get off of welfare and put a game plan together that keeps you in control of your ability to serve the people that depend on you.

Are you ready?

If you are, then I’m waiting for you.

The annual United Ways – Centraides fundraising campaign is organized to raise much-needed funds to support valuable community organizations and initiatives. The annual campaign enables United Ways – Centraides to strategically invest donated dollars in their communities. The United Way – Centraide movement is the largest funder of the voluntary sector and social services in Canada, raising upwards of $480 million each year to support programs and services directed at improving the social conditions of Canadians.

The United Ways – Centraides campaign is dedicated to long-term improvements to quality of life in Canadian communities, addressing the symptoms of social problems and their root causes. This year, the United Ways – Centraides campaign is hoping to increase their donors from last year’s 9,000 to 12,000 in order to reinforce the idea that everyone has something to give and every little bit counts.

When you donate to your local United Way – Centraide, you are investing in community identified priorities, such as eradicating poverty and homelessness while creating equal opportunities for everyone.

YOUSPOKE is new and growing. I want to tell you how it came into my life, how’s it’s helped me and how happy I am to have become a part of this organization.

On the morning of July 17th, 2009, I checked the message on the answering machine that I had ignored the night before. The message was from a girl I went to High School with, that had dated and was very close to a man who I went to High School with as well and whom I was recently engaged to, whom i had left a little more than the year before and had hopes he would come back to me, someday. He had always felt like “my other half”, from the moment he and I met, we both felt it right away, we acknowledged that we felt like we had known each other before. 

She called to tell me that he had been found dead “yesterday”, from a self-inflicted gun-shot to the head.

I was glad it was she who called to tell me; it just made sense. She and I were sort of rivals over our lives with him.  But, I always had a respect for her and their deep friendship and she seemed to feel the same about me. So, when she called to tell me, there was a sort of “coming full circle” that was and is felt deeply by us both. The beauty in the relationship that we have since built, is another story…

Over the next few days, many talks with she who told me, and his parents, it was agreed that I would go to Las Vegas (where he was living) and pick up his dogs and bring them home with me, and we would figure it out in time, but at the time the only thing that made sense to me was to get his dogs that meant so much to him, that were there with him always and in his last days of his life.  And, I wanted to be in the town that I had lived with him. I had never been to Las Vegas but to be with him.  So, aside from the dogs, I believe I would have gone there anyway, to be in that space, to feel it, to say a sort of “goodbye” or something. It just made sense.

My mom and I went and picked up the dogs after a good friend of mine, in Las Vegas, rescued them from the shelter they were taken to, that has a very bad reputation…he helped us so much, getting the dogs to a safe place, to our vet, until we could get there to pick Tommy and Jack up.

We picked them up and headed straight home to Illinois. The whole trip was so cathartic. The whole time was quite sad and quiet beautiful. On the day I found out Mike had died, my family was in the midst of our family reunion. The day before, my great-aunt died. We were having a family reunion and we were dealing with great loss. We were so incredibly lucky to be around each other, we couldn’t have been more fortunate.

All the time since has just felt surreal.  i’ve been floating and i’ve been lost. A few weeks after his death, i suddenly felt my heart cry out for something else. I’d been getting such amazing support from everyone, and unbelievable messages from people on Facebook, some people I knew, some people I did not know, but they all new him, and we connected with our grieving and were helping each other through…My family and my friends and the friendships I have since built with people who were most close to him are remarkable. I have a few really great friendships now with people who were closest with him. We are there/here for each other in indescribable ways and are indescribably beautiful. I am so blessed for having them. But, that day, my heart screamed out, my soul screamed out for something different; a support group, something, somebody with some time on a similar situation. Some way for me to find out that I would heal. Some way that I could know that I would not feel this pain forever. That I would not feel surreal for the rest of my life. I had been to AA meetings, and that’s what occurred to me, what I had received at those meetings; somebody with years on me.

That evening, without actually asking, my sister, Wendy, sent me a text telling me that she thought I should contact a friend of hers that had just recently connected with a woman who started an organization called YOUSPOKE, for people who have been deeply affected by suicide in any way. I couldn’t believe her timing. (not that it’s shocking that she thought of telling me that, or that anybody would recommend a support group to me) I e-mailed her friend and told her a about me. She e-mailed me back and we decided to meet for lunch. We connected in so many ways and it helped a lot. She told me about Stefanie, the woman who created YOUSPOKE and said we had to meet.

I had received an e-mail from Stafanie already, saying that she really wanted to talk. We spoke on the phone soon after my lunch with my sister’s friend. Our phone conversation was amazing, and it was in that conversation that I admitted to Stafanie that I had tried to commit suicide in 2004. We talked about all the sides of suicide and how even when you think you understand it, it still hurts when you lose somebody to themselves. But only talking about it can shed any light on it. Stefanie’s point to starting YOUSPOKE is to bring some understanding of suicide to people who don’t understand it at all. Not to give it allowance, but to help people who are grieving, understand where the people who made the choice may have been coming from and to make the topic of suicide less taboo, so people aren’t as afraid to talk about it.

The more I talk about Mike’s suicide, the more I see my own suicide attempt as a helpful part of my story and my healing. Not just for myself, but for others’ healing and understanding as well. I am so different since my attempt. I have grown so much and have done so much work to get past and through those feelings I had so much of my life that led me to that decision.

When I met Stefanie and we shared our stories, I knew that she and this organization; what her plans for it are, were just what I was looking for. The afternoon she and I met, she was going to meet Travis, to hear his story and see how he wanted to be a part of this. She told me that day that she wanted she, and my sister’s friend and Travis to have a meeting together to start brainstorming about what YOUSPOKE could be and how it can grow. We agreed to stay in touch and get all of us together to get moving with YOUSPOKE.

It happened fast from there. We walked with The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in the “Out of the Darkness” walk in October and soon after Stefanie asked me if I would like to be on the board and I accepted, with honor.

When I first heard about Stefanie and YOUSPOKE, I checked out the website and watched her story and read her mission statement, I was almost jealous that I hadn’t thought about starting an organization like this myself. Then I thought, I was just glad somebody had. I love the idea that not only is she promoting actually talking openly about suicide, but creating art; any form of expression to help us heal, and putting it up on the site, for people to see, to inspire and share.

With all that I have felt, my whole life; my journey to getting better, and Mike’s passing, it just continues to feel like my mission is to help people feel better and the best way I can see to do that is by sharing my story with others and showing the huge steps I’ve made; from a person who just did not believe that those feelings of depression and wanting to die would or could ever go away; that i didn’t have the strength to do it, into a person who still struggles, but is constantly amazed at how much better I feel and how wrong I was about myself. I really want to share this with the world, especially with people who have lost or are losing hope. It gets better, it is unbelievable how it does. When I kept all of this to myself, I struggled more. We can help each other through, if we speak.

thank you for listening,

with love, kory

Start your year out right! The American Library Association will be holding it’s Midwinter Conference on January 15 at the Boston Convention Center.  Members and non-members,alike may display their publications with the Independent Publishers of New England. For more information visit their website www.ipne.org.

Your book may be the very thing librarians are searching for,  an uncommon book that meets their patrons needs!

For more information on the event, visit http://www.ala.org/conference/upcoming/midwinter./2010/index/cfm.

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Filmmakers – Are you looking for an opportunity to combine Art and Travel? The 12th Annual Green Mountain Film Festival is slated for March 19-28, 2009. This is a curated film festival and an outstanding selection of independent films will be shown throughout the 9 day festival.

For more information, visit http://www.greenmountainfilmfestival.org

Make your travel plans now! And see what the Green Mountain State has to offer for fans of independent film!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

   Much of what I’ve read about those of us in the sizeable now over 10% minority, is that at some point in our journey, we feel the pull to volunteer. I had considered it back in October- for Friends of Animals, but it is a 40 minute drive away and I just couldn’t get myself to schedule it in. I should also disclose that I have a temporary consulting gig coming up (a week or two worth of work), and a part time position- with the potential to become full time, offered, but with no set start date on the latter. It may well be into the New Year before anything happens on it.

  So- that said, I still have some time now- about 3 weeks (not including the time for the consulting gig) before my husband and I head “across the pond” to visit his family for the holidays. (He’s British). Last week, a friend posted a link to some places where a person could volunteer from home, from their own computer, doing things like research, grant writing, brochure design, etc. This apppealed to me very much, and I started looking. I applied to one organization, but while doing this, it occured to me that I have a friend here in town with a very worthy non profit organization that she started from nothing, that could use my help as well.

  Yesterday I went and stuffed envelopes for a lovely gal whose boss I once was. And did it gladly. Going forward, I have offered up 1-5 hours a week, and I believe they will be coming up with some projects that will better utilize my experience, skills and abilities. While I’m helping them, I’m going to soak up all the arts based not-for-profit org  knowlege that I can. I certainly have loads of production and business experience at this point, and much of it transfers into this milleu. The part time position I have been promised will partially be in this realm, so I really feel like this is going to be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

 I came across a very interesting downloadable book for mid-career individuals looking to change sectors on idealist.org:

http://www.idealist.org/en/career/guide/sectorswitcher/fullbook.html

Idealist.org is also one of the resources for online volunteering, in addition to:

http://www.nabuur.com/  Nabuur.com and The UN Volunteer network: http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en/vol/index.html

Not all volunteering is going to the soup kitchen to dole out supper or even going to another locale to do it. Many organizations and causes can really use the help of experienced and talented inviduals and it is a good way to “feel useful” and also to keep your work related skills honed. And do good. And help others.

  Now a shameless plug for my friend’s organization. They’re called “Wide Angle Youth Media”, and they are a very grass roots one on one organization that teaches media skills (mostly film and video) to urban youth here in Baltimore. As I was reading what I was stuffing into the envelopes I read that every kid who enrolls in their program goes on to graduate from High School. Quite an impressive feat in a city where the graduation rates hover at about 60% +/-. (Courtesy Google-edweek.org)

 I am already formulating ideas on some projects I might do to help them out – a “Production Design on a Shoestring” master class, perhaps, not sure- I know they’ll have ideas of their own on where they really could use  help. I realize I felt bad- my friend did one major motion picture and realized that life wasn’t for her, and went on to start this org- and over the past 8-1/2 years I had been so absorbed in “slaving away for the corporate man” that I rarely saw her socially, and had nothing much to do with her organization other than to wish her well. I mean to amend that now. Charitable donations are one thing we have cut from our budget for the time being- charity begins as home after all, but my time is worth something, so I can at least offer a little bit of that.

Turning over a new leaf, me.

Here’s her Organization:

http://www.wideanglemedia.org/

Read up and do good. You’ll feel better for it.

We are proud to announce that Finance Fund has received $50 million in New Markets Tax Credit funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury! A long-time Marketing Works client, Finance Fund is a statewide organization that connects Ohio’s distressed urban and rural communities to funding resources that create and sustain jobs and improve quality of life.

This is the organization’s fifth round of New Markets funding and a 150% increase over the award it received in 2008. Finance Fund has previously received $75 million in New Markets Tax Credits, which it has leveraged to spark $212.2 million in funding – resulting in an investment in 26 projects.

The impact this funding has on all Ohioans is truly remarkable – leading to creation of more than 1,249 full-time jobs, 1,467 construction jobs, safe child care for 536 children and 431 units of for-sale housing.

Learn more about Finance Fund at www.financefund.org/blog! And, follow them on Twitter at @financefund.

Research Works is now offering non-profit organizations with proof of 501(c)(3) incorporation status a 20% discount off of the hourly base rate for most services.  Invoices will show the regular base rate, payment from the organization, and a line for “In Kind Services” for the remaining balance.

If you or if your organization is in the process of writing a grant proposal, I strongly suggest leaving a line item for writing and editing services from Research Works.  Non-profits of any size can benefit from our excellent powers of persuasion through the written word in fund raising letters and grant proposals.  Services such as e-newsletters, blogs  and social media integration are also of great use, especially to organizations that work with youth, as youth are adept at communicating through social media.

In November, Research Works provided content for the first edition of The Showcase of HBCU newsletter.  Sign up for the newsletter via the Showcase’s website, or contact Research Works to have a copy of the first edition emailed to you. It’s just one example of the many ways in which Research Works can help your organization!

Like what you read? Then don’t miss any recent findings! Subscribe to Research Works by Email or

Subscribe in a reader

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© Mariam Williams, aka researchworks, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mariam Williams or http://www.letresearchwork4you.net, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Any use and/or duplication of any photo contained within this blog without express and written permission from researchworks and Mariam Williams is strictly prohibited.

“When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into it’s writing.” ~ Enrique Jardiel Poncela

Someone not too long ago made the comment to me that “I am a brave woman to bare my soul through blogging.” Her remark took me by surprise and I began to think about why people write and whether putting pen to paper is an act of bravery.

I came to the conclusion that, yes for many, writing is an act of courage. Therapeutic writing often addresses wrongdoings or failings in one’s life.  Topics of therapeutic writing can be ugly and fraught with raw emotion. Feelings of victimization, being punished or bullied, thoughts of resentment, shame, grief or frustration is often addressed in therapeutic writing. Acts of contrition are often mentioned.  Writing is cathartic and a useful tool of psychological therapy for many.

Writing a memoir takes guts too! Reflecting on one’s own life is not always easy. The act of sharing one’s own life story takes courage.  Deep reflection on one’s own life and it’s purpose often digs up unpleasant moments and times that have been pushed way back, lest they be remembered.

No, I am not a brave woman. I write because it is fun. It gets my fingers goin’ and my thoughts flowin’ and if someone likes my writing, it is all that more satisfying and fulfilling.

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“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word; freedom,  justice,  honor, duty, mercy and hope.” ~ Winston Churchill

November has almost reached the midway point, and I  would like to take this day to honor a segment of our population that I consider to be the most noble of all. They are those who put themselves on the line for others, each and every day. They have witnessed end of life like no others, and have helped families come to terms with their losses. I am speaking of our military service men and women as well as all the paid and unpaid hospice workers across the country and around the world.

Last week, my friend Marina Carter of www.VermontPianoMusic.com volunteered her time at a candle lighting service in Middlebury, VT in support of National Hospice Month. Her exquisite piano music comforted and soothed those in need. Over a several hour period of time, those families who had lost their loved ones filed into a church to light candles in remembrance of those whom they mourn. The service was a somber occasion yet, it was also a time to uplift the individuals who cared for those at the end of life.

Let  us not forget the visionaries whose work inspired the hospice movement around the world and transformed end of life care. They were the pioneers of hospice and their work has been documented on the film www.pioneersofhospice.org. To better understand what the modern hospice movement has meant, this film can be purchased and shared with family members who are facing the end of life.

So, on this day, and every day, let us remember the Veterans who have protected and served us so that we may live, and those who so compassionately and tenderly care for the dying.

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At this years Governor’s Housing Summit I took some time to walk around the exhibit hall and interview some of my favorite non-profits.

Jennifer Barrie works for Kilowatt Ours which is actually a movie her brother, Jeff Barrie, filmed about a plan to re-energize America. The film is a “timely, solutions-oriented look at one of America’s most pressing environmental challenges: energy.” In the Interview, Jennifer demonstrates the differences between regular light bulbs and energy efficient ones. She also speaks about ways to save money by saving energy and electricity; and who doesn’t love to save money?! Take a look at the video to learn more about Kilowatt Ours and for some great tips!

Parkinson Society Canada is the only national full-service Parkinson’s organization serving Canadians living with Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson Society Canada has 12 regional Parkinson’s Societies and 235 support groups and chapters across the country.

The purpose of this non-profit organization is to ease the burden of those living with Parkinson’s and to find a cure through support services, education, research and advocacy.

With the support and funding of committed Canadians, the Parkinson Society of Canada is able to provide educational workshops, conferences, a 1-800 National Information and Referral Centre, bilingual print materials and supportive services.

Advocacy initiatives are helping to change policy at all levels of government and are helping identify new voices to speak out on behalf of people living with Parkinson’s.

The Epilepsy Support Centre is a non-profit organization specifically concerned with the non-medical welfare of people with epilepsy. The goal of the organization is to enable people with epilepsy to fully participate in all aspects of community life. The Epilepsy Support Centre has services available in London-Middlesex, Sarnia-Lambton, Elgin, Chatham-Kent and Oxford counties.

In 1976, the Epilepsy Support Centre was initiated in London, Ontario and became known for its slogan: “It is not what you think.” The organization established a relationship with the London medical community and started holding seminars at the University Hospital. Today, the Epilepsy Support Centre is helping people with epilepsy participate in normal, everyday life.

Do you know 100 people? If you do, you know someone living with epilepsy.

At this years Governor’s Housing Summit I took some time to walk around the exhibit hall and interview some of my favorite non-profits.

I started out with speaking to Sandra Noble Canon who works with eHome America. eHome America allows first time home-buyers to take a class online and educated themselves on the process of buying a home. Sandra speaks about the actual program, who it’s for, and how it can help people. Check out the video to get more information on the great program!

Lewis Latimer House

Presenters Susan Schear of Artisin and Elizabeth Wagner of JC Geever said that your competitors aren’t who you think they are—they’re not the other historic houses or local museums, since missions don’t overlap that much.

Rather, the competition is other entertainment venues. For example, competition for the Latimer House is the US Open. Not only are the roads jammed, but airplanes are rerouted overhead so Latimer House can’t hold outdoor programs–too noisy.

Also, NYC museums aren’t necessarily competition for local museums. People staying in Queens hotels, for example, are there for family events and aren’t interested in going to Manhattan. They may be more interested in local museums.

Other things that affect attendance include disease and weather. The Queens County Farm Museum lost a lot of its student groups this fall to the H1N1 virus. Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island loses student groups whenever it rains, since the program requires students to walk from house to house and teachers don’t want those kids getting wet.

Historic Richmond Town

One of the highlights of my childhood was when my parents took my two brothers, my twin sister and me to the World’s Fair in New York. The year was 1964 and car travel from Maryland to New York was not quite as convenient as it is today.

The exhibits were awe inspiring! I remember the exact details of many of them. General Electric had a pavilion called “Progressland” which had a revolving theatre. As a child, I felt like I was a member of the Jetson family, circumnavigating the earth in outerspace, as I sat in the theatre seat. The exhibit was an audio-animatronics presentation of the progress of  the use electricity in our homes. Our world has gone so far beyond the use of electricity exhibited at the New York World’s Fair that it is unfathomable.

Disney’s creation of the “It’s a Small World” exhibition at the Pepsi pavilion was the exhibit that took the cake, for me, though. We were treated to a boat ride around the world with little dolls in their native garb dancing to the wonderful song the exhibit was named after. The song will be remembered by all of us in my generation. What vision Disney had back in 1964 for their company and our world’s economy!  I just read on msn.com that Disney has gotten the okay to build a theme park in China. That’s progress!

Yes, indeed, “It is a Small World” and it keeps getting smaller with each generation of bright, imaginative  young people. They are all our future!

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Munoz approaches the ring

Last year our table didn’t expect actual boxing at this gala. Our surprise turned to concern when County Judge Nelson Wolff got a bloody nose and fell down inside the ring.  Judge Wolff wasn’t in the ring this year but before dinner we watched a video of him showing off his championship belt around town. The 2009 boxing gala featured four matches. Match #1 had City Councilman Philip A. Cortez vs. Pete Lozano.  Match #2 was Ruben Vasquez vs. Curtis Melle.  Match #3 was State Rep. Jose Menendez vs. Michael Grossman and Match #4 was Henry R. Munoz III vs. Adrian Arzola.  The second person listed won every match but I was impressed with all the participants’ stamina and effort.  .

Match #1

Following a very long live auction, Match #4 proved to be the closest battle of the night.  Henry R. Munoz III (The Fox) entered the ring in style with a mascot (a guy in a Fox costume), signs and an entourage. 

The Honorary Chairmen for the gala were Jesse James and Lisa Leija.  Gala chairman was Jorge Herrera and the Master of Ceremonies was KENS metereologist Paul Mireles.  Sonya Medina of Silver Eagle Distributors was announced as next year’s gala chair.

The gala was held in the University of Incarnate Word Sky Room.  Music was provided before dinner by Youth String Quartet and Conjunto Taller.  Henry Brun & the Latin Playerz provided music for dancing. 

Announcing the round

The gala benefited the South Texas Hispanic Fund administered by the San Antonio Area Foundation.  It seemed rather cruel to me but representatives of the non-profit organizations receiving money from the Fund had to crawl into the boxing ring to accept their symbolic checks.  Luis de la Garza, chairman of the Fund, and Clarence R. “Reggie” Williams, CEO of the Area Foundation, announced the awards. 

Salad and dessert