feel better about yourself!

has the news got you feeling despondent about politics? people?

HELL!! The Whole World?

well.

i’ve got a solution for you.

annnnnnD.

the more you do it the better you’ll feel…

about yourself & your place in the world.

intrigued?

take the jump…….

recently i came across this article which quite inspired me.

[Labor Day] Monday, while you were polishing off that last Budweiser, New York City’s Z100 radio host Trey Morgan was volunteering at Jerry Lewis’ annual Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon. He filmed a live spot to publicize his 30 Deeds, 30 Days initiative, in which Morgan will lend a hand to 30 different organizations daily, for a month. Feel guilty for relaxing on Labor Day? Don’t … well, maybe a little.

“As it stands now, I’m not taking any extra days off [work] for the month of September. It kinda shows that if I can do it for 30 days, then Joe Schmo, who I hear is busy with, you know, two kids, a mortgage, job, a wife and in-laws coming to visit can find time [to volunteer] one day a month,” Morgan told Tonic. “One of the things I’m hoping to inspire in this is to have people look at their schedules and say, ‘You know, I can do a day. I can handle that.’“

this is what his calendar looks like:

look at what he’s already done this month:

Habitat for Humanity

Food Bank NYC

American Lung Association

Ronald McDonald House

Humane Society

Muscular Distrophy Association

Musicians On Call

Gods Love We Deliver

Autism Speaks

NY Blood Center

Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network

Susan G. Comen for the Cure

Housing Works

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Success For Kids

NativityMiguel Network of Schools

City Meals on Wheels

East New York Farms

Partnership for a Drug Free America

Rosie’s Broadway Kids

New Yorkers for Children

(a list of these with addresses & clickable links is HERE

not all of these will be available in all areas, but a whole lot of them are)

i read another article this morning The Angry Left: Rougher Roads, Steeper Challenges to Get Here by Rayne

this is part of a series on political activism that i think is well worth reading(Part One, Part Two)

in this article she talks about what she found at her local dem. party meeting & how she worked to change things.

this bit struck me:

(my emphasis)

Before I began this journey on the road of activism, I believed there were adults in charge, that I could simply show up and vote at mid-terms and presidential elections, and those trusted adults would make sure that our democracy continued to run smoothly.

What a stupid and naive notion that was.

One of the most important things I’ve learned along the way is this:

Leadership is showing up.

Things don’t change, progress isn’t made until leaders show up and do the damned work.

For too long nobody showed up, and there are still not enough people showing up.

The corollary lesson is this: Leadership-by-default runs this country.

this is pretty much “be the change you want to see in the world”

this is edgers look in the mirror

only WE, each and every one of us, can change the world around us

and we can do more to improve things hands-on-locally than we can nationally or globally.

it’s dealing with the problems you see around you every day.

Step Up. Take Charge.

as i said in the dkos version of edgers there is no reason essay:

look around you

in your neighborhood…

what needs doing?

start there with what you can do:

~volunteer at a school

~collect food or clothing for food banks, homeless shelters.

~shop at your local stores, not national chains

~support your local farmers by going to the farmers markets or joining a CSA

~start a neighborhood co-operative for people to exchange skills on a barter basis & teach skills to others.

~start a soup kitchen.

~get your doctor to volunteer one night a month to help those less fortunate.

~encourage your family, friends and neighbors to do the same

~encourage those you think have good ideas to run for office locally- school boards, city/county council, city/county positions….& that’s just off the top of my head.

there are boat loads of opportunities locally.

what are you interested in?

what is your passion?

there’s some volunteer position somewhere with your name on it!

or you could start something that there’s a need for in your area…

Original hospital, established in 1923, desperately needed financial support by 1993.

Children’s Hospital Association was created in 1993 by women fundraising volunteers.

See the story at the North Platte Telegraph ($$$FEE$$$) at: http://www.nptelegraph.com/art…

Leadership Lincoln County, a group striving towards strengthening the community one person at time by providing experiences to increase awareness and stimulate involvement, chose for one of their projects several houses in the area that needed painting and recruited volunteers such as Lynnsey Williams to help with the work. Description from Telegraph site.

Park West Gallery Foundation

Mitsie Scaglione of Park West Gallery Foundation is pictured here with Saba. In 2005 Albert and Mitsie Scaglione, owners of the acclaimed Park West Gallery® and Cruise Art Auctions, founded this not-for-profit organization as a way to give something back to their Detroit community. The Park West Foundation® was organized to provide much needed help to youth where it is needed the most. Of the many groups the foundation helps, New Directions For Youth aims to provide under privileged children with a support system to ease the difficult transition from foster care to a fulfilling life as young adults. Currently focusing on young women, the Park West® Foundation diligently works for those about to “age-out” of the state-sponsored support system. Literally overnight these essentially parentless young women are handed a plastic bag with their belongings and sent out survive on the street. Feeling abandoned, and without the skills needed to find a job or a place to live, the girls face a host of problems. They are looking for help and the Park West Foundation is there to assist them in both simple and complex ways. The foundation’s goal is to create a more complete support system for these young women, and to eventually serve young men as well. The Park West® Foundation is currently searching for a building to offer housing, education, day care, and job training all under one roof. This ambitious vision will need volunteers, mentors, grit, enthusiasm, tenacity, and heart.

(note– according to teh wiki this art gallery may do/have done some shady dealings. but.

i think the basic premise of helping these young women is a good one.

and this points out that you must look into the places you plan to volunteer.)

LOOK AROUND!!

there may be opportunities right there in one of your local papers…

there might even be fun stuff that you’ve always wanted to do…

something you’d luuurrve to do….

SWAP is looking for a few volunteers to come one or two days between now and Christmas to help us ride and train horses. Out interns and volunteers have always been a critical part of our work and we lost much of that while we had our full time trainer so now we are trying to get back to things that have always worked well for us over the years. The volunteer riders must have a good solid riding seat and be able to ride all types of horses, including untrained horses. The rest we can teach you about riding and training horses but the seat is critical. Any week day or weekend is fine. Just let us know when you are coming.If you want to come on a Friday or Saturday and stay until Sunday that is fine, we can put you up and feed you while you’re here. Any age rider is fine but if you’re under 17 we ask that you are accompanied by your mom and both of can stay here while helping us. Again the good solid seat is critical to helping us and experience riding untrained, young, hot horses or to have experience training horses. We’d like to get these babies under saddle before winter and teach several horses to drive so if you’d always wanted to learn how to drive, now is the time to volunteer. Come as early as possible. All our rings are outside so it gets a bit chilly when you have to be outside riding several horses.

and if you’re thinking…

but i’m looking for a joooob

you. really. should. volunteer

especially doing something you love.

you’ll make connections with others who share your passion.

one of them might be hiring (you never know!)

and voilá!

you’re being paid to do something you love.

and you know, if a whole bunch of people start taking an interest in their communities, start working to change what they can in their own communities, getting good programs started, good people in office, helping those around them, sharing ideas & talents….

not only will it:

~help the community by alleviating problems

~help people to feel better about themselves-not only those in need but also those who give

ALSO:

~it will build momentum, other people will want to help too, to be a part of it

~ this will get people working in concert to build better, stronger communities

who rely & depend on each other

do what you can where you can as often as you can.

_{(xposted from firefly-dreaming)}