Back on My Feet

I have never been homeless, and I almost certainly never will be.  I was fortunate enough to be born into a family and a situation that offers me a support system that is stronger than most.  I'm lucky to not know what it is like to be homeless.  But clearly it sucks.  And clearly it often involves circumstances that are out of one's control.  I can imagine that it leads to all sorts of emotional issues that make it even tougher to get out of the situation.  

The Charity of the Week is Back on My Feet, a really cool organization that gets homeless folks moving and in the process helps to grow their emotional strength.  To get started, volunteers host early morning (5:30!) runs for folks who rely on local shelters.  Runners meet 3-4 times per week.  After a month, those who have shown dedication to the program (by completing 90% of the runs) move into a phase of next steps that involves jobs training, help with housing, and other skills that build on the momentum of following a running schedule.  Finally, alumni of the program start their own running groups or continue to run and provide support in their existing groups, compounding the group's efforts.  What a great idea and a great organization!  Who would of thought that something as simple as running every morning could make such a difference?  It really can.  

I am happy to support Back on My Feet and happy to send in my donation of $50 to support the folks who get up and run at 5:30 every morning!  If you are interested in supporting as well, you can find a direct link to the donation page, here.  $50 buys a complete set of winter running gear or almost two sets of summer gear.  That's not bad!  What else could these folks buy if a few others chip in as well? If you do decide to support Back on My Feet, let me know in the comments below!

Happy Sunday, everyone!  -grant

Black Girls Code

February, as you know, is Black History Month.  So in honor of some of the great African Americans that have helped to shape the U.S., this month I want to highlight a few excellent charities that serve Black Americans.  First up is Black Girls Code.  This really cool organization recognizes the underrepresentation of women of color in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) and tries to begin fixing the problem by providing pre-teen and teenaged girls of color with highly marketable, technological skills - particularly computer programming.

Founded by Kimberly Bryant, a professional computer programmer, Black Girls Code originally concentrated its efforts in San Francisco, Bryant's home town.  But in the past year, their efforts have allowed for workshops all over the country and at least one bilingual effort to provide young Latino American girls with an equal opportunity to learn some of these skills.  With programs like Build a Game in a Day Memphis, and Build a Webpage in a Day NYC, and Build a Mobile App, Black Girls Code provides workshop participants with more than the theoretical knowledge to work in computer programming.  These girls are given the practical knowledge to create products that serve their communities and their own needs.  Tapping into these underrepresented communities is also good for the technology industry - diversity in programmers directly leads to diversity in technology and increased creativity and problem-solving ability that can translate to new, lucrative technologies.

I think Black Girls Code is a great idea, and I am happy to support it as this week's Charity of the Week.  If you are interested in also supporting this great org, you can find a direct link to their donation page here.  Let me know in the comments below if you decide to donate!

Happy Sunday, everyone!  -grant

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Ok, I'll admit it.  The commercials got me.  You know the ones.  Those sad commercials, narrated by TV stars, with absolutely pitiful looking animals just looking for some TLC.  In fact, now that I mention it, I probably saw that commercial on TLC.  Anyway...

This update is actually for last week's Charity of the Week.  I was travelling in Ecuador for work, and I did not have much time or access to reliable internet, so I was unable to blog about the charity.

Last Sunday, I donated my weekly $50 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).  The fact of the matter is, sappy commercials or not, the ASPCA does pretty darn good work.  And small donations go a long way.  ASPCA fights to end animal cruelty - whether by rescuing dogs from dog fighting operations; taking care of abandoned animals; urging policymakers to support humane laws; etc.  This isn't an organization that is fundamentally against keeping animals for food, pets, etc.  Instead, it is an organization that wants these practices to be done responsibly.  I can certainly support that effort.

For example, an excerpt from their website:  The ASPCA believes that at every step of their lives – from birth to death – farm animals must be treated with compassion, protected from suffering, and provided with the Five Freedoms: freedom from fear and distress, freedom from pain, injury and disease, freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, and freedom to express natural behaviors.  In my opinion, those freedoms are absolutely reasonable.

The ASPCA, like many charities, really likes to sign up people to monthly giving schemes, so the website is a bit confusing if you are trying to make a one time donation, like I was.  To find that page, click here.  If you decide to support the ASPCA, let me know in the comments below.

Happy Thursday, everybody!  -grant

Malawi Children's Village Donation Page

It's a bit late, do to some hectic travel and wonky internet, but I just sent in this week's donation to Malawi Children's Village in honor of my wonderful friend and her wonderful mother.  If you care to donate as well, you can do so here.  Apparently, a donation of $92 will support an orphan in Malawi for an entire year.  We are more than half way there!  Another $42 and we will achieve that goal.  Who wants to join me?  If you do decide to make a donation, let me know in the comments below.

Today's is a short post, I realize.

Happy Monday, everyone!  (from Ecuador!)  -grant

Malawi Children's Village

I did not plan to choose Malawi Children's Village as the Charity of the Week.  I had some other plan to go with some big, American charity.  But someone close to me lost her mother this week.  It was not particularly sudden or particularly unexpected, but that doesn't matter.  Losing a loved one hurts, and you are never really prepared.  Malawi Children's Village was one of her favorite organizations to support, so given the arbitrary nature of this endeavor, I can't think of a better place to donate this week.

Margaret Mary Elizabeth Warren Jumbe was a brilliant, caring woman with many names - most of which honor the strong women in her family.  She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi and didn't want to leave.  So she didn't.  She fell in love and started a family there, continuing her work in literacy and development.  Once her two beautiful girls were getting further in to school, the Jumbes moved to Minnesota and ~15 years later, her youngest did Peace Corps in Belize.  Service begets service.

I must admit that I do not know as much as I should about Malawi Children's Village before recommending it as a charity to consider.  That being said, if Ms. Jumbe supported it, then I have no problem supporting it too.  Through my little bit of research, I've learned that the organization does both education and health work - two things that certainly improve the lives of Malawians in small villages.  I mean, who can't get behind targeted, grassroots education and health work?

So this week's Charity of the Week is the Malawi Children's Village.  In a couple of days, I'll send in my contribution and will post a link to the donation page, in case you are interested in doing the same.

Happy Friday, everyone!  -grant

Face of America Ride Donation Page

Ok, everyone.  Time to send in my donation for the week - a bit later this evening than I had hoped.  As I mentioned, this week's donation supports two things: the Face of America Ride, which gets wounded veterans out into the mid-Atlantic countryside on bicycles that are modified to fit their needs; and World T.E.A.M. Sports, which supports all athletes, regardless of physical difficulties.

I'm also happy to say that I can support my friend Shani, who raises money for these two causes every year.  If you would like to support the causes and secondarily support Shani and her efforts, you can do so here.  If you prefer, instead, to donate to a general fund in support of the Ride, you can find that here.  Either way, I hope you'll consider giving to the Charity of the Week, even just a couple bucks.  I sent my $50 to Shani's page.  If you decide to give, let me know in the comments section, below.  I want to keep up with it.

Happy Sunday, everyone!  -grant

Face of America Ride/World T.E.A.M. Sports

This is the third week of 2014 and time to highlight the third charity of the year.  This week's is a bit different because it supports an individual event and an organization.  The event:  the Face of America Ride.  The organization:  World T.E.A.M. Sports.

The Face of America Ride is a 110-mile bike ride from Washington, D.C. to Gettysburg, VA in honor and support of wounded veterans and disabled athletes.  The ride supports service men and women who have been injured in the line of duty, some of whom participate in the ride using hand bikes, as they have lost the full use of their legs.  It is a pretty great endeavor and one that my good friend, Shani, will support for the fourth year in a row in a couple of months.

Donations to this "inclusive ride" (one that supports users of all sorts of bikes) help to cover the cost of participation for the wounded veterans, helping these folks get out and spend a weekend riding bikes in the mid-Atlantic countryside.  That alone would be worth a donation, but...

The organizers of the ride typically raise more money than needed to cover veterans' costs, so leftover funds go to support World T.E.A.M. Sports, an organization "dedicated to the premise that 'The Exceptional Athlete Matters'" - T.E.A.M.  In other words, all disabled athletes, veterans or not, deserve the opportunity to challenge themselves to accomplish their physical and sporting goals.  That seems like a pretty worthy goal and one that I can get behind for this week's donation.

So read up on the Face of America Ride and World T.E.A.M. Sports and think about donating to this worthy cause.  When I send in my check, on Sunday, I'll post a link to Shani's donation page (you can support my friend while supporting this cause) and to a general donation page.

Happy Friday, everyone!  -grant