Filed under: Give to Children, Inspirational Thoughts, Social Change, Twitter 4 Good | Tags: awareness, change, children, community, homelessness, service
By Cheryl Mahoney
Thanks to the unexpected connections of Twitter, I found an amazing story yesterday. I manage UniversalGiving’s twitter account (we love followers!), and yesterday my notices of new followers included ZachyB1. ZachyB1 is Zachary Bonner, the founder of The Little Red Wagon Foundation, Inc.
I checked out his website, ZachTracker.com, and learned that Zach is walking from Tampa, Florida to Washington D.C. That’s one thousand, two hundred and twenty-five miles. (I thought if I wrote it out in words that might capture the scope of it better than numbers…but nothing really can.) I don’t think I can really imagine walking that many miles. I walked across San Francisco once, but that’s only about seven miles–no comparison.
So, the big question–WHY is Zach doing this? He’s walking to raise awareness of homeless children. The march is called “My House to the White House.” Visit Zach’s website, and he’ll tell you all about it himself in a video.
But here’s the best part of the whole story. A walk like that is impressive. Raising awareness like that is impressive. But it gets better–Zach is eleven years old.
I’ve loved reading Zach’s Twitter updates. They’re full of wonderful references to “stranger friends” met along the road, and written with a maturity that, if it weren’t for the video, would almost make me suspicious that he was secretly older. But if there’s anything Zach’s proving, it’s that you’re never too young (or too old, for that matter) to make a difference, and that there’s no such thing as “can’t.” Because if there’s anything that can’t be done, it’s a kid walking over a thousand miles–but he’s doing it.
You can donate to The Little Red Wagon Foundation through Zach’s website. Or for another option to help homeless children, click here.
By Jacqueline Labrador
Who can resist the sight of a litter of puppies or watching a polar bear slide down a snowy hill on its belly? Almost every day I have some sort of encounter with animals, and not only do I learn something new from them; they also never cease to amaze me. I wanted to dedicate this post to my love for animals. For the way they offer a person so much, and how a deep bond can be forged without uttering a single word.
At a Memorial Day barbeque my family’s dog Oddie would flit from person to person leaving smiles on everyone’s faces. He added a little something extra to that day. There is definitely a reason that people have photo albums of their pets and why they tell stories lovingly of their mishaps and adventures. And we all know the health benefits that pets can offer us including stress relief and as an aid from mild depression. Whilst out in nature there is a certain excitement that comes with the encounter of a wild deer or a koala nestled in the branches of a tree. During the recent fires in Australia a story emerged of a firefighter and his encounter with an injured Koala that awed the whole world. Life just wouldn’t be the same without their presence. And with that in mind it is our job to make sure that we can protect those creatures we love so much by being mindful of how we act toward our environment and how it can also affect them. Orwell said in his 1945 book Animal Farm; “he [man] is the lord of all the animals”, if this is so then we should try to be just rulers. We can enrich the lives of our planet’s creatures and in turn they will also enrich ours.
Filed under: Inspirational Thoughts, Social Change | Tags: change, commitment, entrepreneurs, future, resources
By Cheryl Mahoney
The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. I admit that name made me blink a little the first time I saw it. Turns out that it’s a book and website about “cleaning up in business, even if you are at the end of your roll.” Cute.
Mike Michalowicz wrote the book and runs the blog, which offers great advice on how to be an entrepreneur, with posts on advertising and unexpected books to read, how to be green and how to feel inspired. My favorite thing–he gathers up tips from other entrepreneurs on a particular subject, like ways to grow a business, then posts a list of advice on the blog. I have to particularly recommend his latest one, “How to Grow a Business, the Eleven Ways,” because our founder and CEO Pamela Hawley contributed tip #11!
So today I’m offering a slightly more indirect resource for giving, but if you have an idea for changing the world, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur might have advice to help you do it. Even if you’re feeling at the end of your roll. 
By Cheryl Mahoney
I was musing over what I might write about today. While I was still thinking, I happened across a wonderful post on Tokoni. MichaelG wrote about how our perceptions create our happiness (or unhappiness). And I thought, now here’s someone who’s written many things I’d like to say, and written them very well. So I decided I’ll write something myself in a day or two, but for today I’d just like to recommend “Don’t Worry – Be Happy” by MichaelG.
Here’s a few of my favorite quotes from the story:
“As one person said, “I spent my life worrying about so many things that never came true.” And personally, I’ve never seen worry change a gosh-darn thing. It either IS – or it isn’t – and all the worry in the world never changes that.”
“One of my favorite things to tell people is: “Just because you are upset doesn’t mean I have to get upset.” Note that doesn’t mean I might not CARE – but you can care without getting all emotionally wound up and involved…”
“What IS the nature of happiness? I’ll tell ya. It’s your perceptions of how you see things, ability to accept what does not affect you, and knowledge of what you can not change — and accepting that, too.”
“Happiness is looking for the brightest things in the darkest times; and when you can’t find that light, accepting the darkest times as just another experience in your life. Happiness is seeing your roof get blown away, and thinking: I needed to get a new roof.”
MichaelG also had a new post up today about worry, if you’d like to read that one too.
Filed under: Inspirational Thoughts, Poverty, Social Change | Tags: community, generosity, Pamela Hawley, respect, sharing
By Cheryl Mahoney
Our founder and CEO, Pamela Hawley, was recently in Colombia for a conference with the Inter-American Development Bank. While there, she had the opportunity to volunteer in the local community, which led her to write some beautiful thoughts I wanted to share here:
“One of my favorite parts was visiting the community where some of the women had participated in building and buying their first homes. The pride, the ownership, was so palpable. Nothing was taken for granted. Whereas in the past, a home consisted of one, wide, open-space room, now there was the privilege of having separated rooms as a sign of status and increased wealth.
“An interesting concept: Separation as status. It does seem right in many ways: There was a room for the children to sleep; there was a private bedroom for the parents. Often animals were kept inside the home, and now they had a place outside. Of utmost pride were gardens outside, where natural food was being grown, harvested, for use in the day to day.
“But it also gets me thinking about the sense of community. Certainly privacy, protection of the husband-wife relationship, and having defined space is a respectful element we all appreciate. On the other hand, communities are often compacted — dozens of people can and do live together in a shared space.
“What happens here is truly the utmost in ‘client service.’ People must learn to share and be respectful – albeit forced at times due to the circumstances — on an entirely different level. I can’t even imagine the patience, perseverance, kindness and utmost of common consideration that entails. These values must be demonstrated consistently, simply in order to live harmoniously. It makes me think about how much respect I can give — and all the more I can give — to those with whom I live, especially since I do have my separate room. I think these communities are made up of remarkable people.”
Personally, I love my separate room. I have two roommates, and even with my own room sometimes it feels a little crowded. It’s good for me–for all of us, I expect–to remember what a privilege space really is, and also to remember the opportunity presented by shared space. Living together creates a bond of community, and also creates an opportunity to practice patience, respect and consideration–to create a harmonious space for everyone.
Pamela was also interviewed with the Inter-American Development Bank; check out the podcast. And if you’d like to help build a home in Colombia, you can do that too.
