Volunteer Vacations, More or Less
July 2, 2009 | 1 Comment
Earlier this week I listened as Jeff Turner interviewed Shelley Seale, author of The Weight of Silence: The Invisible Children of India. I was following their conversation while I worked and know that I missed a lot, but Shelley mentioned “volunteer vacations” and the phrase really stuck in my mind.
I looked around a little online and found that there are plenty of companies happy to help you fill a need anywhere around the globe. I liked how it was phrased on the Charity Guide website, “It’s important to be realistic about what can be accomplished in a couple or few weeks. For perspective, think of your volunteer vacation as part of a relay race. You will take the baton from volunteers that came before you, and you will pass the baton to those that follow to finish the race.” Much like volunteering in any other form, each bit you can do helps, so don’t sell it short.
Recently I took a business/pleasure trip to Chicago. I enjoyed this trip immensely, in part because I felt a connection to the city. I had friends there already and met more before I arrived, I was able to see a friend’s apartment, visit his place of employment and walk his route to work. I visited parks and buildings I was already familiar with through movies and TV. I think part of why I enjoyed this trip so much was that it gave me a feeling of connection to a place that was totally new to me.
I don’t think I could fit an entire volunteer vacation into my schedule any time soon, but I’m a strong believer that you shouldn’t let what you can’t do get in the way of what you CAN. Maybe I can’t take a whole week off to volunteer, but what if I made a special effort when I traveled to do something extra for someone else? What if while visiting Chicago I’d done something as simple as donating a baby blanket to a homeless shelter? Would my connection to Chicago be stronger? I think so, as it could have lifted one more burden off a young mother and I’d feel good about that. My memories of my trip might also include imagining a child finding comfort and warmth from a gifted blanket, or like my kids using it for creative play - spread on the floor to become a lake, draped over a chair as a tent or flapping behind to be a super hero cape.
If pressed for time on my trip, I could still use my travel prep time to think of others. After I pack my bag, maybe I could gather up some groceries to drop off at the local food pantry. I want to train myself to associate packing my suitcase with doing something that makes life a little easier for someone in need.
Giving
June 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Most of us are born hearing “give in order to receive” and if you really pay attention, they are both the same and one can’t occur without the other. Whether it’s giving compliments, volunteering your time, sharing talents or going out of your way to help people around you.
There’s an ever universal equilibrium with giving and receiving and it simply translates into… the more you give, the more you will receive. I have never been the one to struggle when it comes to choosing where to volunteer and how to give my time, but I know many out there do. You may ask yourself “What organization do I donate money to?” “where do I volunteer?” “where will my time be better spent?”. You are the only one that can answer those questions and my only advice is to choose something you are passionate about - you WILL make a difference.
I volunteer at a local cancer association because the disease has hit home and know in my heart that I’m making a difference. I also choose to contribute here at Mothers Fighting For Others because I see the passion of all the writers and know that we have the power to inspire people into giving. But just this past week, 2 people came before me that are passionate about their own projects and I wanted to share a little about them.
The first one is Suzy Newhouse. Suzy blew my mind with a donation drive she is organizing for a needy family in Miami. She read an article in the local paper about an unemployed widower raising 4 kids on his own after his wife passed away from cancer and whose 16 year old daughter is completely disabled. Instead of just reading the article and feeling badly for this family, Suzy chose to do something about it and took action. At the end of the article she writes:
I’m not asking you to give because God will reward you- because there’s no more proof of that than there is proof of Leprechauns. I’m asking you to donate because if it was you, you’d appreciate the same.
The second one is Tom Vanderwell, a mortgage broker from Grand Rapids, Michigan. After chatting with him on Twitter he told me about his 2 adopted children and the challenge and life-awakening experience of raising a trans-racial family. He was so passionate about the adoptions and how he felt blessed and was about to celebrate the kids’ 5-year “coming home” anniversary. Take a minute to read his story - Tom is now involved in helping the Haitian orphanage raise $2 million to build a new orphanage.
So there you have 2 examples of extraordinary human beings that don’t just sit idly by and watch others make a difference. What’s important for us to understand is that we all take action in different ways and there is nothing wrong with that. But I personally feel inspired when I hear great stories like that of Suzy’s and Tom’s.
I will leave you with some words by Kahlil Gibran in “The Prophet”:
There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.
And there are those who have little and give it all.
These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;
They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.
Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles the earth.
The Struggle for Freedom
June 26, 2009 | 2 Comments
I hear about the struggles for freedom following the election in Iran, but for me seeing photos is what makes it real for me - and I wanted to share them with you, too. Please note that these are some of the less violent pictures. I’m not trying to hide the blood, but to highlight the strength and courage of the Iranian people.
Her sign says, “They Killed my Brother Because He Asked “Where Is My Vote?”
It is noted in the description of many of the photos that the pictures do not necessarily belong to the person who shared them. The photographers risked their lives to get them to us, and the people republishing these images do so in the belief that it will save lives and help bring peace to Iran.
The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India
June 24, 2009 | 1 Comment
Dog’s Eye View Media proudly presents a true-life story straight from today’s headlines. Shelley Seale’s narrative non-fiction book follows the lives of just such children as those brought to life in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India depicts Shelley’s journey into orphanages and through the streets and slums of India where millions of innocent children live without families.
Slumdog Millionaire is a fictional movie ending with a bizarre twist of fate. However, the reality of the story is that for millions of children in India, the life portrayed in the movie continues beyond the rags-to-riches ending of the film. Today there are 25 million Indian children living without parents, on the streets or in orphanages or other institutional homes – some good, and some bad or corrupt like that portrayed in the movie. Many of these children become victims of trafficking, prostitution and child labor. Slumdog Millionaire shows us a side of India, and a way of life, that hundreds of thousands of children in Mumbai alone struggle to survive every day.
During her three years of writing The Weight of Silence, Shelley has befriended and told the stories of many such children – and has born witness to their struggles first hand. Little did she know how much they would change her life. Their hope and resilience amazed Shelley time and time again; the ability of their spirits to overcome crippling challenges inspired her. Even in the most deprived circumstances they are still kids – they laugh and play, perhaps far less frequently than others; they develop strong bonds and relationships to create family where none exists; and most of all they have an enormous amount of love to give. Foreword by Joan Collins, with endorsements by Geralyn Dreyfous (Executive Producer of Born Into Brothels), Dominique Lapierre (Author of City of Joy), Save The Children, Human Rights Watch and more. Order the book from weightofsilence.wordpress.com and receive an autographed copy and bookmark!
“Amidst the growing prosperity of India, there is an entire generation of parentless children growing up. They are everywhere. They fill the streets, the railway stations, the shanty villages. Some scrounge through trash for newspapers, rags or anything they can sell at traffic intersections. Others, often as young as two or three years old, beg. Many are homeless, overflowing orphanages and other institutional homes to live on the streets where they are extremely vulnerable to being trafficked into child labor if they’re lucky, brothels if they’re not. They are invisible children; their plight goes virtually unnoticed, their voices silenced. The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India is a non-fiction narrative that gives a strong and hopeful voice to its most vulnerable citizens. The stories told in this book do not belong to me. They were given to me as a gift, often because I was the only person who had ever asked.”
A Little Fresh Air Does the Body Good
June 22, 2009 | 1 Comment
My great-grandmother had two cure-all remedies for every ailment imaginable…
One, put some Vics Vapor Rub on it.
Two, get out of the house and get some fresh air.
The benefits of the first were often lost me (vapor rub on a toothache? Are you kidding, Gram?), but the second very rarely failed to help me clear my mind and lift my spirits.
Which is why I simply love the people and mission behind The Fresh Air Fund.
The Fresh Air Fund provides some much needed fresh air to New York City children from disadvantaged communities via their Friendly Town Program and Fresh Air Fund Camps. Connecting children with volunteer host families in rural/suburban areas or camping programs , the Fresh Air Fund has provided more than 1.7 million children with experiences centered around enjoying the simple pleasures of life outside of the city.
Want to get involved?
Volunteer
The Fresh Air Fund is always in need of volunteer host families in the U.S. and parts of Canada who have room in their home and hearts to host a child for a few summer weeks. According to their website, more than 65% of all children are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year.
Or, if you live in the Northeast, consider volunteering your time to any of the Fresh Air Fund’s great and inspiring programs.
Donate
Can’t volunteer? One of the easiest ways to help support this great program and the millions of children that it helps is to donate. And through June 30th, any gift you make to The Fresh Air Fund will be matched dollar for dollar by a group of generous donors. So hurry!
For more information or to find out how to sign-up your child for a summer of fresh air, please visit The Fresh Air Fund website today.
Tell ‘em my grandmother sent you.
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