My mother, Lenora “Ann” Reed Sandridge, was born in the sleepy coal miner town of Richlands, Virginia 68 years ago today. She died nearly five years ago yet the pain and emptiness that I felt at the time of her death remains more or less unchanged today. I’ve heard some people say that “it gets easier.” I am not sure about that. I know she is not coming back, but sometimes I feel as if she has just been separated from us for a short while and somehow she will be waiting for me the next time I walk through the doors of my parents’ house in Pennsylvania where my father still lives.
If you knew my mother you will understand why today’s blog post is appropriately posted on her birthday.
Last week I reconnected with a friend I had met in Colombia last year. We met after work at the Whole Foods across fromGeorgeWashingtonUniversity’s campus where she is now pursuing post-graduate work. We drank coffee while catching up on each others lives; the conversation occasionally interrupted by passersby ducking inside to take refuge from the monsoon-like rain storm.
The rain stopped and we parted ways. As I headed up 22nd Street toward my neighborhood I saw a woman on the side of the road crouched down on the wet asphalt in front of her car trying to position a jack under the front left bumper. I asked if she needed help and she let out a sigh of relief, “Yes!”
I sat my bag in the wet grass, rolled up my dress shirt and moved the jack around to the side of the car and found a solid piece of the frame to position it under. A few short minutes later the tire was fully suspended off the ground and I grabbed the tire iron and muscled the stubborn lug nuts counter-clockwise. About then a couple of young guys, probably university students, stopped and offered to help too. We quickly got the spare on and sent her two blocks down the street to get some additional air in her temporary tire.
“Thank you so much, you don’t know how much this means to me,” she said reaching for her purse that sat on the empty driver’s seat. “Let me give you all something for your time.”
We all refused the money – I mean, we just did what every decent person should do. Volunteering my time to help her out was well worth the small inconvenience of arriving late, and covered with grease, to meet up with some work colleagues for a beer.
It was this kind of generosity and kindness that my mother embraced so strongly; probably the result of growing up in a town where you helped your neighbor, shared your harvest and brought dinner over to the grieving widower. These weren’t things that my mother ever sat me down and taught. She didn’t have to, they were part of her and she taught by example. Somehow I find comfort knowing that her lessons still live vividly inside me after all this time. I love you Mom!
Before I share this blog entry with you, I want to wish my father a very happy birthday today – he turns 71! I love you dad!
Bikes parked at the WABA Bike Valet
When I visit a city I try to see it by foot or bike. Not only is it an environmentally friendly form of transportation, it slows you down enough that you see the details that you often miss while zooming by in a car or tour bus. I also do this in my home city of Washington, D.C. where you can discover new elements of our nation’s capital every day if you take the time to absorb your surroundings.
Every two years the U.S. Department of Energy challenges collegiate teams from around the world to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. They call it the Solar Decathlon and hold it on the National Mall – which for those of you not familiar with D.C. is not a shopping mall but a large open green area that is home to many of our national monuments.
The event featured a free bike valet – which is simply a secure place where you can drop your bicycle off while you visit the Solar Decathlon. This allows you not to worry about carrying a lock or removing items such as seats, wheels, bags, etc. that could be easily stolen. The whole process is really fast too. You just roll up and give them your bike and they give you a ticket to claim it later.
I spent the morning volunteering at the bike valet. Operated by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), hundreds of visitors took advantage of this free service. You might recall that I helped WABA out earlier this year at Bike D.C. Volunteering was a blast and I also enjoyed checking out a few of the energy-efficient homes. I didn’t have a lot of free time away from the bike valet so I mostly appreciated the homes from the outside but did get the chance to tour the one built by the University of Tennessee which won 8th place – winners are judged on their abilities to effectively address affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. I later went online and checked the others out and really liked the home built by the New Zealand team. It came in 3rd place! The overall winner was right from my backyard here: The University of Maryland.
It was a terrific discussion. I especially enjoyed the part where we opened the floor up to the 50 attendees to hear some of their comments. All of the participants have influenced the Peace Corps programs and led volunteering efforts in their local communities – so there was at least a couple hundred years of collective volunteer experience represented in the room. After the conference, I was fortunate to be able to speak individually with several members of the delegation. Hearing their personal stories was very moving.
My favorite comment of the day though came from Dave Premo of CNCS. We were talking about engaging young people and he said that they have found that email is no longer effective for that age segment. It’s seems that it still works well for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers but Millennials don’t read it. “You got to use social networking to get their attention,” he said. I laughed – another reminder that I’m getting older.
The full delegation with State Department Assistant Secretary Ann Stock and Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams.
The visit, which is part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program, is very well done. They spend a week in Washington D.C. participating in meetings, cultural exchanges and volunteer projects and then they scatter out across the country to several cities to get an appreciation for regional differences. The program wraps up in Chicago this Saturday.
I want to update you on David G. who was one of my $10 recipients last year. I met David on the corner of Connecticut and Q in D.C. while he was selling the Street Sense newspaper. Homeless in DC for ten years, David hails from Kenya.
When I asked David if he needed anything that I could include in the Lend a Hand program he thought for a minute and then said that he would like to find his cousin and find out more about his father. So with the power of the Internet, I posted their names on the Year of Giving and asked that if anyone knew them to contact me.
Six months later…it happened! By an almost impossible series of events I was on the phone with David’s cousin Ben who was now living in Poland. Check out the update here to find out the latest news in this beautiful story.
You will read in the update that we need to raise a little bit of money to help David…so please consider clicking on the DONATE button on the upper right area of this page and contribute $10 to help reunite David with his family back in Kenya!
These kind of experiences are what it is all about!
To read the original blog post when I met David click here.
Brrr…it’s chilly this morning. Yesterday was the coldest October 2nd ever recorded here in Washington, DC.
I am trying to get caught up with my blog posts – I’m a little behind. Although the posts sometimes get delayed, the volunteering goes on.
This week’s volunteer experience came at the last minute…well, almost! Just before I left for my lunch break at work I decided to check my personal email. In my inbox I found an email from my friend Kevin who was directing a play at Rockville Little Theatre and he was asking if I would be able to play one of the roles that evening. It was Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge which I had seen the previous weekend, but I certainly didn’t know any of the parts that well.
Me back stage with Dominique who played my wife in "A View from the Bridge."
As it turns out one of the actors had a last-minute emergency and wouldn’t be able to perform that evening. Although it was very minor part, I was still a bit nervous. That didn’t stop me though and I was on stage just eight short hours later. It’s kind of ironic that this worked out the way it did since I had wanted to audition for this show but couldn’t due to some schedule conflicts.
It was a lot of fun, although a bit awkward since I didn’t know most of the other cast members – I did actually knew a few of them from previous work. As an actor I always feel lucky if the cast forms a bond and becomes its own family. The easy interaction and lively game of Uno back stage let me know that this cast wasn’t lacking camaraderie.
After the show I joined the other actors and went out to the front of the house to say hello and thank the patrons. I was surprised to see a friend of mine, although not as much as she was surprised to see me. “I didn’t know that you were in this show!” she said almost reprimanding me. I gave her a big hug and told her the truth, “I didn’t know either until about eight hours ago.”
When you put people first and politics second, you can get things done.” -President Bill Clinton at CGI 2011
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks during the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative in New York on September 22, 2011. (Reuters Photo/Eduardo Munoz)
Even after having worked in his organization for 18 months, the hair on the back of my neck still stands up when I am in the presence of our 42nd president Bill Clinton. The 65-year-old statesman is one of our greatest political thinkers.
I can’t think of a better place to volunteer than at the Clinton Global Initiative, an action oriented meeting of some of the most influential people and organizations in the world. It’s hard to grasp unless you have been there, but I will try to give you an idea.
On my way to my first assignment there, I passed Bishop Desmond Tutu, who by the way has one of the most intoxicating laughs I have ever heard. He was leaving his session where he and fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar talked with Charlie Rose about human rights, democratic governance and ethnic reconciliation. On the escalator up to the next floor I turned around to see Procter & Gamble’s CEO Bob McDonald standing behind me.
I arrived at the session I was assigned to volunteer at which was titled “Securing Global Nutrition.” Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times led a panel discussion which featured the head of USAID, the president of WWF International, the CEO of Britannia Industries and one of the leading agronomists in the world. They were gathered to discuss how to tackle the nutritional challenges we face, primarily in the developing world.
Later I headed to a session on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) where I was tasked with taking the official notes of the meeting. About 30 people were gathered – including two princesses from Jordan, the actress Fran Drescher and executives from the American Cancer Society and PepsiCo.
Photo: Reed Sandridge
Before it was all over I saw President Obama speak about service and the economy, watched Chelsea Clinton moderate a panel on leveraging technology to help women and girls in developing countries, saw actresses Heather Graham and Geena Davis and chatted with Michael Jordan’s mother – who’s a sweetheart by the way. And just when I thought I had seen all that I was going to see, Ted Turner popped his head into the lobby bar of the Sheraton at the end of the day.
So often times when we talk about volunteering our time we think about helping out at the local hospital or soup kitchen, but there are many informal ways you can volunteer to help your community or even friends and loved ones. You might remember I did a little neighborhood snow shoveling back in February to help out those who weren’t able to remove the snow from their walkways. Well this week I put my photographic skills to use and captured images from a friend’s wedding reception.
Photo: Reed Sandridge
Married earlier this summer in a small private ceremony in the romantic city of Montreal, the reception here in D.C. surrounded them with nearly 150 friends and family.
I showed up about an hour early to the Bethesda, MD home where the reception was held in order to familiarize myself with the location and take some early photographs of the setting. Lighting was a little tricky because I didn’t want to be snapping flashes in people’s faces all evening. Thankfully in addition to my 18-105mm lens I also had my brother’s 50mm lens which is much faster and allows me to photograph in lower light.
The evening was beautiful and I hopefully made some good photographs. Now the hard part begins, going through all the photographs and editing them. As I am not a professional, I don’t have all the bells and whistles that they do, not to mention my raw product is not nearly as good as theirs, so I have to invest a good amount of time to make the photographs look worthy of being framed. Wish me luck!
One in three children in the U.S. is overweight or obese according to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Pressure is growing on strapped for cash school systems to provide healthier meals. D.C. Public Schools has implemented a salad bar system this year and asked for volunteers to help teach students how to make a healthy salad that complies with USDA requirements for school meals.
I signed up to help out at Ballou Senior High School. Named after former D.C. superintendent of schools Dr. Frank W. Ballou, the school is located southeast of the Anacostia River and has a student body of about 1,000, nearly all of them eligible for free and reduced lunch. I parked my car in the almost empty lot next to the football field and walked up the hill toward the school passing several parked police cars. A friendly smile greeted me as the front door opened and a uniformed security guard motioned toward an airport like security checkpoint. After collecting my camera and the contents of my pockets from the other side of the x-ray machine, the same woman explained to me how to get to the cafeteria.
Ballou's salad bar minutes before students flood the cafeteria. (photo: Reed Sandridge)
I made my way across the empty dimly lit cafeteria and poked my head in the kitchen. A dozen school cafeteria employees, mostly women, were busy making last-minute preparations for the second day of the school year. I was directed to Mr. Sparrow, a thirty-year veteran of the food service industry. He explained the task at hand and I, along with another volunteer named Hale, got ready for the first wave of students.
“It aint going to be easy,” Mr. Sparrow told me. “You’ve got to make sure they have a balanced meal that includes vegetables, a protein, a fruit and a grain.” Sounds easy enough, right?
Although most students chose the standard school meal, probably about 60 or 70 lined up to make a salad. Freshly prepared that morning, the salad bar looked delicious. Although students could choose from fresh romaine, arugula and endive, most stuck with the standard romaine lettuce. Zucchini sticks weren’t very popular either, despite my sales pitch to the young people. Turkey ham, eggs, bacon bits and ranch dressing were the hot items.
This young man made the healthiest salad I saw all day - all on his own! (photo: Reed Sandridge)
“Sir,” called out Mr. Sparrow to an upperclassmen dressed in the standard blue shirt and beige pants, “I need you to take a piece of fruit with you.” The student pushed back some saying that he wasn’t going to eat it. In the end he reluctantly grabbed a shiny red delicious apple and went on his way. This type of scenario played out about half the time. Sometimes they were missing fruit, other times they had loaded up on just meat and almost nothing else. Stern yet compassionate, Sparrow and his team work with the students to get it right. I secretly wondered where they found the patience to do this every single day.
An altercation erupts in the cafeteria courtyard and the half-dozen police officers on hand in the cafeteria quickly defuse it. The experienced kitchen staff is unphased; just another day.
Mr. Sparrow (right) gives some coaching to the students on their salad preparation. (photo: Reed Sandridge)
Overall it was a good experience. It had been a while since I had been in a school cafeteria. Although I applaud Ballou and DC Public Schools for taking on this initiative, I believe they will need additional help to make this work properly. Just keeping the salad bar looking presentable is a full-time job for one worker who was busy restocking and cleaning up spilled toppings. They need someone for the foreseeable future helping students build a healthy lunch. As students head back to school tomorrow, the volunteers won’t be there anymore and I am afraid Mr. Sparrow and his team will be stretched too thin.
Check out this video that DC Public Schools put together to help volunteers learn how to build salads that qualify under USDA guidelines as a school meal. I thought it was pretty good!
Here is a link to some other photographs that I took. I will have more uploaded later this week.
“It is in the shelter of each other that people live”– Irish proverb
Irish Aid's offices on O'Connell Street in Dublin - right where the airport bus let me off. (photo: Reed Sandridge)
Ireland is an amazing place. This was my second trip to the Emerald Island and it didn’t disappoint. The people are terrific, weather cooperated this time and there was plenty of Guinness.
After landing in Dublin and navigating my way through Dublin’s new Terminal II, I grabbed my bags and headed toward the AirCoach bus service that has direct service to a drop-off spot about five blocks from my hotel. I must have had a shamrock packed in my bags because the bus dropped me off directly in front of building that had “Volunteer” written all over it. It turned out to be the office of Irish Aid: the government ofIreland’s program of assistance to developing countries. Although they are not involved with volunteering within Ireland, they did have connections to people at organizations that utilize volunteers locally. Jill at Irish Aid put me in touch with Kate at Volunteer Ireland and within 24 hours I had a volunteer project all lined up.
As my luck would have it my trip would overlap 2 days with the European Union’s Year of Volunteering Roadshow – a five-day fair featuring more than 70 charities in Ireland that depend on volunteers to operate. There were information booths about each of the nonprofits that were participating as well as informational seminars on a wide range of subjects related to volunteering. Kate set me up to help out during Tuesday’s event which worked perfectly for me not only because I would be back in Dublin on that day but also because the focus of the day was on charities that engage older Americans – a topic that I thought would be of great interest to the readers of the column I write for AARP.
I arrived around 10:30 and met Kate. She put me to work helping another staffer hang a banner out a second story window. Although it didn’t look perfect, we got it placed as best we could without falling 20 feet to our death!
That's me on the left helping hang the banner out of the second story window of the EU Parliament building. (photo: Krisztina Szabo)
The rest of the day was spent doing small tasks that came up and trying to get passersby to come in and check out the fair – a painful job but somebody’s got to do it. Although the event had been publicized reasonably well, attendance was light. I took the opportunity to speak to some of the organizations that were exhibiting and was really impressed with the work that they are doing.
I got lucky that things fell into place and I was able to volunteer. Despite trying to arrange things prior to my trip, I was unable to secure any volunteer opportunities mostly because of standard bureaucracy related to volunteering in Ireland. You see typically you have to formally apply, get screened by Garda (Irish Police) and attend an in-person meeting all before being accepted as a volunteer. If you are thinking about volunteering overseas you check out two articles I did for AARP on the subject for some tips and lessons learned.
I woke up to terrible shooting pain in my neck. It always happens when I fall asleep on flights. Despite my weighty eyelids, I didn’t think I could go back to sleep. With another two hours or so to go on my journey to Ireland I decided to fire up my laptop and knock out some volunteer work.
That’s right, you can even volunteer from the comfort (can you hear me laughing?) of your own chair as you glide through the air at 600 miles per hour. I cracked open my laptop and connected to the Internet – for a “small” fee. Before we all start bitching that we shouldn’t be paying these fees, let’s not forget how amazing that is in and of itself – to connect to the Internet as you speed around the Earth at an altitude of 36,000 feet.
Children in Cameroon. (Photo courtesy of Connected Youth of Cameroon)
Once connected I logged on to Sparked.com and started browsing volunteer opportunities. I quickly found Connected Youth of Cameroon, an African based nonprofit whose mission it is to foster youth and women’s civic, social and intellectual development while promoting community engagement and development. They posted the following on the micro-volunteer site:
Help us with ideas to attract people to our facebook page
We have created a facebook page and need to invite visitors and even have a fan club page. We need your ideas and suggestion.
So, I did about 15 minutes worth of research on their website and their facebook page and then started putting together some advice for them. It’s that easy. Check out my recommendations.
An airline passenger surfs the Internet from 36,000 feet. (photo courtesy http://www.usatoday.com)
I’m glad that I hopefully have been able to help this young nonprofit, however, I couldn’t stop thinking about a bigger, more systemic problem that we have. We need to get every WiFi access carrier in the world to create a portfolio of websites that anyone can access free of charge. Sparked.comwould be on that list for sure! If we just take the airline industry, imagine how many people stuck on airplanes might be willing to spend 15 minutes online helping out their virtual community instead of watching some dumb B movie that they fell asleep watching on their last flight.
I’ve been told that the airlines and the WiFi access providers are not interested in enabling such a service for volunteer work. Let me know what YOU think…can we make this happen?!
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall to the left reflects the trees that surround the memorial. (photo: Reed Sandridge)
Not even 15 minutes after the sun crested the horizon this past Saturday morning, 20 members of the Montgomery County Chapter 641 of the Vietnam Veterans of America grabbed buckets and brushes and walked down the stone pathway toward one of the most iconic memorials in the United States: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“It started out I guess between 14 and 16 years ago,” Art Wong, who served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, told me. I later discovered that it’s actually been 17 years since he and Mike Najarian, both of Silver Spring, MD, started making the early morning pilgrimage on the first Saturday of every month between April and October to wash away the grime and dirt that builds up on the 58,261 names engraved on the black granite memorial.
Photo: Reed Sandridge
“The Wall,” as it is often referred to, consists of nearly 500 feet of black granite from Bangalore, India. Carved out of the shadowy stone are the names of all military men, and eight military women, who lost their lives (or went missing) as a direct result of military wounds suffered during the Vietnam war. The sheer volume of names is breathtaking. An emotional place for many Americans, it is a place that I encourage everyone who comes to DC to visit and pay their respects.
Art was the first person I spoke to when I arrived. He was kind enough to take a few minutes and let me interview him. Click below to hear Art’s story as well as see the washing of the wall in the background.
“Wait a minute, don’t wash that section just yet,” Bill Gray, a silver star recipient, said as we washed the grime out of the crevices of the fallen soldiers’ names. He pulled out a small camera and took a photograph of the name of a guy he served with. “You can see a perfect handprint touching his name,” he said as he steadied his camera and captured what a loved one had left behind. He paused and turned to me, “I’ve got six buddies up here.”
Soap suds slide down some of the 58,261 names that live on the wall. (photo: Reed Sandridge)
The sound of brushes scrubbing back and forth, water hammering against the dark granite and conversations soft enough to be held in church were the only sounds. The reflection of the mirror-like wall overflows into my mind and I find myself reflecting on those who lost their lives half a century ago. How old were they? Where were they from? How sad their parents, siblings, spouses, children and friends must have been when they heard the news? How many dreams were washed away as quickly as the soapy water that ran down over the names in front of me?
What impressed me the most about these men, and yes they were all men with the exception of my friend Patricia who also pulled herself out of bed at 0’dark thirty to come volunteer, was how friendly they were. As we wrapped up our work a few early rising tourists made their way to the memorial. There was no shortage of hellos, good mornings and respectful nods showering the visitors.
A pair of combat boots pinned with the Purple Heart sits in front of The Wall. (photo: SC Fiasco)
Although it was never spoken, it was clear that this monthly ritual was somehow comforting for the men. Old friends, both present and in spirit, come together each month to pay their respects and share memories, laughter and tears. Part of a poem written by Guy L. Jones, 43d Signal Battalion, Pleik Oct. 1968 – Nov. 1969, helps explain this:
A visit to the “THE WALL” will be many things to many people But to me it has healed my soul And made me feel proud to have been there.
I will be back on October 16th to lead a group of volunteers in cleaning the Korean Memorial. If you would like to help out, drop me an email.
UPDATE: I found this MSNBC story about the men mentioned in this blog post…enjoy!
Students at Let's Get Ready's Career Day in New York City (photo: Reed Sandridge)
Although his eyes seemed to dance around the room, I would later learn that Antoine was indeed paying attention. Seated at a small table on the third floor of Robert F. Wagner Middle School on New York’s East Side, the soon to be high school junior’s mind was aldreay dreaming of places far beyond the walls of room 302 this past Saturday.
Antoine was attending Let’s Get Ready’s Career Day. It’s a day that gives a diverse mix of high school students the opportunity to learn about a variety of careers from about 50 professionals who volunteered their time to share their knowledge with more than 250 young people who attended. Founded in the summer of 1998 by Jeannie Lang Rosenthal, an undergrad at Harvard, Let’s Get Ready is a nonprofit organization serving communities in and around New York City and Boston whose mission is to expand college access for motivated, low-income high school students by providing free SAT preparation and college admission counseling.
“You think that one day I could have a job like you,” the young man from west Bronx asked me after I finished my presentation.
“Absolutely. How are your grades?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“What’s that mean?” I asked him trying to get a sense of how he was doing in school.
“Well, last year I did real good: an A and mostly B’s.”
Students took a personality assessment to help determine possible careers to explore. (photo: Reed Sandridge)
The 16-year-old, whose real name I changed to Antoine for this article, is one of 3.1 million young people this year who will be faced with the decision of whether or not to attend college after high school. If you evaluate his situation based solely on drive, there is no doubt in my mind that he will go on to college. He’s thirsty to know more and asked several excellent questions during the seminar.
I co-led a variety of sessions focused on helping the students understand their career interests through a personality assessment, interactive sessions about college, and tips on how to build and maintain a professional network so that they can land a job after college. Originally I was only to be a speaker at the half day workshop, however, when their photographer wasn’t able to make it, I offered to stand in and try to capture some visual images of the day as well. Click here to see the images I captured from Career Day.
The thermometer nearly broke the century mark that afternoon and there was no air-conditioning in the room that I was assigned to. Exhausted and covered with sweat, I wrapped up my session and headed to the closing session in the main auditorium. I got the chance to meet and exchange business cards (Let’s Get Ready supplied the students with cards that they filled out to serve as business cards for the day) with dozens of tomorrow’s leaders.
It was inspiring to talk with them and hear their dreams.
“I want to be a pediatric oncologist.”
“I want to be a social worker.”
“I want to work in television.”
“I want to start my own organization to help underprivileged kids.”
“I want your job!”
photo: Reed Sandridge
After the event was over I stayed and spoke with several young people who patiently waited to introduce themselves to me. I hope they all keep in touch, I will be checking in on them periodically too to see how things are going. When the last student had left, I grabbed my bags and headed for the front doors. Now dim and voiceless in the school, the heavy metal doors rumbled as they gave way to a sun-drenched sidewalk filled with the sounds of the Big Apple.
The success of Let’s Get Ready depends greatly on volunteers and donations. If you would like to support this organization and help prepare our next generation of leaders, please visit their website and get involved!
50.2 million Americans live in food insecure households, 33 million adults and 17.2 million children. Feeding America goes on to report that 7.8 percent of seniors living alone were also food insecure. Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas all report more than 17% of their households facing food insecurity. Washington, DC checks in at 12.9%. Least affected by this challenge is North Dakota that reports only 6.7 percent of households living with food insecurity.
I’ve been fortunate my entire life not to have to worry about where my next meal would come from, but as you can see above, many people in this rich country are not so fortunate.
One of the most impressive models for helping feed those in need is DC Central Kitchen. Although I had been aware of this organization for several years, it wasn’t until July 27th of last year when I gave $10 to their founder, Robert Egger, that I started to realize how amazing this organization really is. Check out what Robert did with the $10! It will blow you away.
Two weeks ago history was made – at least for DC Central Kitchen. At the DC Convention Center the largest specialty food and beverage show in North America was wrapping up. Thousands of exhibitors filled the exhibition hall with their mouth-watering offerings. From Theo Chocolate’s organic, Fair Trade-certified Madagascar sourced chocolate to melt in our mouth Spanish Serrano ham from Fermin, if you like food, welcome to heaven! When the last attendees get ushered out and booths begin to tear down their displays, there would still be hundreds of thousands of pounds of perfectly good food and beverage products on the show floor. For a variety of reasons, it’s often difficult for these companies to ship the food back to their warehouse so they simply leave it behind.
Volunteers pour onto the show floor ready to work! (photo: Reed Sandridge)
That’s where DC Central Kitchen stepped in and seized and opportunity by working out an arrangement where they would pick up unwanted food and turn it into meals for the thousands of households in the DC area who depend on them for nourishment.
They assembled a small benevolent army of about 150 people made up of employees of the kitchen and volunteers like myself. Our mission was to comb the aisles collecting food that the exhibitors had designated for donation.
It’s a bit of a race against the clock. Perishable foods must be removed within two hours and then we only had about another six hours to collect the rest of the food and transport it across the titanic show floor while dodging forklifts and workers removing miles of carpet from beneath our feet. Then we had to load all the food onto pallets and wrap them in cellophane so that they could be loaded onto waiting trucks. To give you an idea of the chaos, keep in mind that the show floor is 700,000 square feet and has a wingspan that covers six city blocks! So making a run from one side to the other was no easy task.
One funny moment was when I was looking for some large boxes and heard a gentleman with a distinct Spanish accent saying, “Look at that – I turned a hexagon box into a rectangular one!”
“I know this guy,” I thought.
He handed me a box and then I realized I did know him – well not personally, but it was famed chef and restaurateur José Andrés! I’ve dined in his restaurants, watched him on TV and even prepared tapas from his cookbook but I had no idea of his newest talent of transforming unusable boxes into perfect containers for our collection. There was no time to be “star-struck” though and I grabbed the boxes and headed off to collect more food.
Volunteers packaged 150,000 pounds of donated food!
When the last pallet was wrapped we had collected over 150,000 pounds of food – the largest single food donation that Robert’s organization has ever received! DC Central Kitchen shared the historic donation with DC Food Bank and other community organizations that help provide meals to area residents in need.
Some of the 150 volunteers who made it happen. (photo: dccentralkitchen.org)
Although this was an amazing day for DC Central Kitchen, this was not a typical day and the organization needs your support. They are much more than a kitchen too – they provide training and jobs for the communities unemployed and homeless. Click here to find out how you can volunteer or support them financially.
According to the American Humane Society’s webpage, 56% of dogs that enter into shelters are killed. This fact disturbs me so much that I almost didn’t put it in the blog, but I think it’s important that we know the truth. Fortunately there are organizations out there trying to make sure these dogs get adopted and do not end up like the more than 2 million dogs that are euthanized every year. One such organization is Lucky Dog Animal Rescue here in Washington, DC.
I pulled together a small team of Year of Giving volunteers and headed over to the PetSmart on Route 50 near Seven Corners on a blistering hot Sunday morning. Each volunteer was assigned a dog for the afternoon. “We need somebody strong for the next dog,” the volunteer coordinator yelled out to the small army of volunteers who had assembled under the glaring sun. Given that most of the volunteers were women, eyes seemed to focus on me and I stepped up to the challenge.
Photo: Reed Sandridge
They gave me two leashes (“You’re going to need them both,” they assured me) and a two-page bio about my dog. “What kind of dog are they giving me,” I thought as they showed me how to wrap the leashes securely around my hands. Out comes one of the cutest hounds I’ve ever seen. Black with white and chestnut spots, Christine is a happy and energetic four-year-old.
Don’t let the big floppy ears fool you though! She’s strong (hence the double leash!) She immediately starts pulling me over to a tent where the other dogs are resting out of the sun. Did I mention it was hot? Christine and I had to take a couple of laps inside the PetSmart to cool off in the air-conditioning from time to time.
A big-hearted, fun-loving dog, Christine gets lots of attention. She’s great with kids too. My friend Jessica stopped by with her three young boys and Christine soaked up the attention.
Photo: Reed Sandridge
Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is an all-volunteer, non-profit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless animals and educating the community on responsible pet ownership. They do not have their own facility, instead dogs stay with temporary fosters (and occasionally boarding partners) while they wait to be adopted.
Lucky Dog holds weekly adoption events and is always looking for volunteers. Visit their website to find out more information.
“What amazes me is their resilience,” Executive Director Mirah Horowitz said in a recent interview. Many of these dogs have been abandoned and neglected, yet Horowitz says that they regain their ability to trust and love again.
Photo: Reed Sandridge
On the Sunday I volunteered about a dozen dogs were adopted. Since their inception in May of 2009, Horowitz says they have rescued about 2,900 dogs and have found permanent families for about 2,800 of them. You do the math, that leaves about 100 dogs which is what she says are currently waiting for adoption. “We’ve got a 100% adoption rate,” she proudly shares. That’s impressive!
Unfortunately Christine didn’t get adopted. I checked the website today and she is still waiting for either a foster family or a permanent family. If you or anyone you know is considering getting a dog, I encourage you to check with local organizations like Lucky Dog.
Photo: Reed Sandridge
By the way, if you would like to see additional photographs of Christine and many of the other dogs that were at the adoption event, check out my Flickr page.
Me with a fellow volunteer Jane who was part of LGW's Class of 2004. (photo: Tohry Petty/LGW)
Volunteer Days is an annual event organized by Leadership Greater Washington (LGW) that focuses on giving back to the community. LGW is a nonprofit organization whose mission it is to identify and connect diverse local leaders in order to facilitate finding solutions to regional challenges. I got introduced to them through a few of my friends and colleagues and decided to help them out on their service day.
I was reminded of the importance of effectively using volunteers during this outing. I arrived at 9am as instructed and found two adults and a student waiting outside of Martha’s Table where we were to do some painting. There was some miscommunication with a third-party that helped connect LGW with Martha’s Table and as it turned out there was nobody there. After a few phone calls we realized that we would have to wait until 10am to start. I didn’t care since I was planning on being there anyway. I was kind of tired too so I slumped down on the sidewalk and waited in a semi-conscious state.
One of the other four volunteers was irritated that we had to wait and said he had better things to do and left. I get that he wants to be useful, but we had all planned on being there anyway, so what difference does it make right? I mean Martha’s Table is counting on us and it’s not their fault that we were there early.
This provides a good lesson to organizations that use volunteers. Not everyone will share my view on this and many will feel like they have wasted their time and form a negative impression of the nonprofit in need.
Everything worked out fine. There was not enough of us to paint but Justin, volunteer coordinator extraordinaire, quickly came up with a project for us that involved freshening up the green areas in front of Martha’s Table. Pulling roots out is hard work! Who knew? We replaced about a dozen plants with beautiful new ones.
I was really impressed with Martha’s Table and you should check them out! “We provide folks with a chance to live their values,” said development and community manager Kimberly Lyons-Briley. “Ultimately volunteers are some of our biggest advocates.” Well, I can understand why – everyone there is so nice!
No more weeding for a while. Check back next Monday to learn about my experience volunteering with Lucky Dog Rescue! In the meantime, check out AARP’s blog this Wednesday. I’ll be starting a new weekly column on their site – but don’t worry, I’ll still be here too!
If you want to help Miriam’s Kitchen but don’t live in DC, check out their Wish List on Amazon.com.
Just beyond the beltway of Washington, DC, Congressional Country Club was selected to host this year’s US Open. The United States Golf Association, the organizers of the Father’s Day classic, provides concession stands around the course that are manned primarily by volunteers. In turn, a percentage of the proceeds go toward those organizations that work the stands.
Hands’sOn Greater DC Cares, the leading mobilizer of volunteers in the Greater DC area, asked for volunteers to help out and raise money for their organization. I’ve volunteered at several of their service days and always been impressed with them so I was happy to help them out.
Now this may sound like a piece of cake, right? How hard could selling a few cold beers and hotdogs to a bunch of golf enthusiasts be? Well, you’re right it isn’t so hard, however it does require a lot of volunteers and a well-coordinated operation to serve the 230,000 attendees.
After parking nearly 40 minutes away and taking a special shuttle to Congressional, I got checked in, tied an apron on and found myself pulling cold drinks and hot food for the cashiers. After about three hours of this I had to change jobs as my knee was failing me – I tore my meniscus two months ago playing softball. Anyway, I closed out the rest of the day running the register.
All in all it was a good experience despite the scorching heat and lack of breaks throughout the eight-hour shift. We were slammed for five to six hours solid.
I have no idea how much Greater DC Cares received – hopefully a healthy amount.
Rory McIlroy holds aloft the U.S. Open trophy after winning the championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., Sunday, June 19, 2011. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)
Volunteers receive a nice perk – they are free to watch the golf play before and after their shift. I headed over to the 18th hole with fellow YoG volunteer and former Kindness Investor Maria D. We watched the golfers wrap up the second to last day of golf at the final hole. The last pair to putt and wave to the fans was South Korea’s Y.E. Yang and 22–year-old tournament winner Rory McIlroy who set a record with a 16-under finish.
A memorable moment for me last year during my 365 day journey was giving $10 to MSNBC morning host and author Willie Geist on Day 317. He’s intelligent and witty. His calm demeanor and intoxicating grin create a feeling like he’s a guy you’ve known all your life.
Now usually when I post an update, it’s because I have met up with the recipient and found out how they are doing. Well, I have tried to follow up with Willie, but he’s a busy television personality and understandably doesn’t probably have time to reply, however, what I want to update you on today is an awkward moment that Willie suffered through this week on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
TIME Magazine editor at large, Mark Halperin, has one of the weirdest moments on TV that I have seen in a while. The exchange goes like this:
Joe Scarborough: Mark Halperin, What was the president’s strategy? We are coming up on a deadline and the president decided to please his base, push back against the Republicans. I guess the question is, we know a deal has to be done. Is this showmanship? A lot of times you go up there and both sides and they act tough so their base will be appeased, then they quietly work the deal behind the scenes.
Mark Halperin: Are we on the seven second delay?
Mika Brzezinski: Lordy.
Halperin: I wanted to characterize how the president behaved.
Scarborough: We have it. We can use it. Go for it. Let’s see what happens.
Brzezinski: We’re behind you, you fall down and we catch you.
Halperin: I thought he was a dick yesterday.
Scarborough: Delay that. Delay that. What are you doing? I can’t believe — I was joking. Don’t do that. Did we delay that?
Halperin: I said it. I hope it worked.
Scarborough: My mom is watching! We’ll know whether it worked or not.
All along Willie Geist is sitting very uncomfortably next to Halperin. And it only gets worse. They come back from commercial and Halperin apologizes while Willie looks on with a look of disappointment and awkwardness. Check out the video below from the Daily Show where Jon Stewart takes this train wreck one step further and suggests that Willie should chaperon all broadcasted public apologies.
Plastic bags liter the banks of a river in Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia. Photo: CJETTE
Today’s post is a microblog post. I feel that’s only appropriate since today’s post is about a microvolunteering experience. I logged on to Sparked.com and helped a UK nonprofit called Funky Junk Recycled. In developing countries where plastic bags collect and choke drains and even animals, Funky Junk takes an innovative approach to turning this trash into beautiful, long-lasting items while providing fair trade income and training for local producers.
Here's a bag made from recycled plastic bags turned into yarn, or "plarn."
They needed help on how to recruit a British expat volunteer in Cambodia. Click here to see my advice. Oh, and while you’re there, why not try to do a project yourself. I promise it doesn’t take long.
Well I have fallen two days behind on posting this. Sorry, but I have been digging out from all of your emails and comments about the Worldwide Day of Giving! I’ll be doing an update soon on some of the great stories from June 15th.
But for now, I want to share one of the volunteer projects I did on the Worldwide Day of Giving. I spent six hours volunteering at The IMPACT Summit. Organized by HandsOn Greater DC Cares, this unique forum convenes leaders from the business, education, government and nonprofit sectors to leverage volunteerism, service and philanthropy to address critical issues facing our community. I was asked to photograph the event and captured nearly 300 photos throughout the day.
HandsOn Greater DC Cares President & CEO Dr. Madye Henson (photo: Reed Sandridge)
I arrived at the Renaissance Hotel around 8am. A friendly staff member for the event greeted me at the door and explained to me how to find the conference rooms designated for the event – there were several events taking place that day and it took a little searching to arrive at the right spot.
Alicia, my point of contact from HandsOn Greater DC Cares, gave me an overview of the day’s schedule and reviewed some of the key photographs they wanted. I pulled my Nikon D90 out and connected the 85mm lens that my brother Ryan had let me use. It’s a great lens by the way to capture quality images without flash. I also used a few of the other lenses that I have – all but one of them were actually Ryan’s.
I enjoyed this project. I wish I had been able to focus a little more on the content of sessions. You obviously know about my strong commitment to volunteering and service, but I am also very much involved in exploring how companies engage their employees in service. There are so many benefits for the companies, employees and the community, but I find that most corporations are not taking full advantage of the programs they have in place.
Dr. Henson (left) and Chairperson Matt Mitchell present Jamila Larson of the Homeless Children's Playtime Project with the Community Impact Award. (Photo: Reed Sandridge)
The day closed with several awards for exceptional dedication to service by both individuals and organizations. You can see a list of the amazing nominees and winners here. I packed up my gear and headed home. Now the laborious part for dodgy photographers such as myself – editing.
This all began as part of my Year of Giving project last year. Today is a day to focus on others by giving or volunteering.
There are three simple ways to support this kindness movement.
1. VOLUNTEERING
You can volunteer with any organization. For those of you who are busy and can’t take off work, consider micro-volunteering on www.sparked.com. This is one of the coolest websites I have seen. I did a project this morning while I ate my breakfast! What are you waiting for? Go tackle one of the 3,493 projects!
2. GIVE A STRANGER $10
So you’re old school? You want to celebrate the Worldwide Day of Giving by paying it forward like I did last year for 365 days. It’s easy. Find a complete stranger. Approach them and tell them that you are participating in the Worldwide Day of Giving and would like to give them $10. The only rules are that you may not know the person and you may not receive anything in return for the $10 (aside from the rush of goodness you will feel).
Ideally you will take some time to speak with the recipient, find out what they will do with the $10 as well as a little bit about who they are. If you can take a picture or video, that would be even better – we would love to have you post that here or on the Year of Giving Facebook Page.
Whatever you choose to do I hope that you will share your experience here or on the Year of Giving Facebook Page.
I’m off now to do my second volunteer project of the day at the IMPACT Summit – a forum that convenes leaders from the business, education, government and nonprofit sectors that leverages volunteerism, service and philanthropy to address critical issues facing our community.
Sammy (Day 113) and Ashley (Day 181) at last year's Worldwide Day of Giving (photo: Reed Sandridge)
Later in the day I will be celebrating the Worldwide Day of Giving at One Lounge in Dupont from 6-8pm. Come join us!
Be a part of this grass-roots effort to inspire giving and volunteerism around the world. There are three simple ways to support this kindness movement.
1. VOLUNTEERING
You can volunteer with any organization. For those of you who are busy and can’t take off work, consider micro-volunteering on www.sparked.com. This is one of the coolest websites I have seen. You can volunteer in the time it takes to eat lunch. So grab a sandwich and knock out a volunteer project!
2. GIVE A STRANGER $10
So you’re old school? You want to celebrate the Worldwide Day of Giving by paying forward like Reed did for 365 days. It’s easy. Find a complete stranger. Approach them and tell them that you are participating in the Worldwide Day of Giving and would like to give them $10. The only rules are that you may not know the person and you may not receive anything in return for the $10 (aside from the rush of goodness you will feel).
Ideally you will take some time to speak with the recipient, find out what they will do with the $10 as well as a little bit about who they are. If you can take a picture or video, that would be even better – we would love to have you post that here or on the Year of Giving Facebook Page.
Then sit back and start to watch the phenomenon begin. Stories trickling in from all around the world. Imagine the different reactions and stories that we will collectively have from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Raahe, Finland to Montevideo, Uruguay!
I encourage you to harness the power of social networking to help us get reach thousands of people. We can do it!
Last week I attended the National Conference on Volunteerism and Service (NCVS) in New Orleans. The Big Easy seemed like an appropriate backdrop for an event talking about how to effectively mobilize people to serve. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers helped this special city rebuild itself after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina nearly six years ago.
James Carville at NCVS (Photo: JD Lasica/socialmedia.biz)
“A third of the city many people feel is better than it was before,” commented political strategist James Carville as he addressed the conference on Monday, “a third is getting better and a third is [pause] long range.” As a tourist, most of what you see falls into the first two sections Carville describes. It’s the lesser visited areas, such as the lower ninth ward, that you find ghost neighborhoods and 6-year-old pleas for help painted on sides of abandoned homes.
Katrina survivors find refuge on their roof.
I arrived on Sunday and had to get a decent night sleep because I agreed to be a volunteer for the conference organizers on Monday morning. Somebody (who just might be yours truly) had a terrible idea to volunteer from 5am-9am helping get registration set up on opening day. That means I was up at 4am. You know it’s early when the Starbucks if full of dark shadows from the street instead of caffeine addicts lining up to get their fix.
Working registration was rather simple. My specific role was to help people self register on computer terminals. After a minor technical setback that caused 5 of the 8 computers not to work, we got things up and running. The online registration system was not as intuitive as it could have been which caused many people to ask for assistance which I gladly provided.
Photo: JD Lasica/socialmedia.biz
I ended up staying on until about 10am since the next shift of volunteers arrived a little late. I walked the new group through the process and wished them luck. I had a feeling that it was going to get really crazy later in the day when the opening ceremony kicked off.
The rest of my week there was spent soaking up valuable knowledge in workshops and seminars on topics such as improving employee volunteer programs, effective volunteer engagement, and dynamic partnering between the for profit and nonprofit sector to create social value. I got to hear from inspiring speakers such as Bea Boccalandro, Caroline Barlerin, Susan Portugal, John Power, Gail Gershon, Monique De La Oz, Evan Hochberg, Dr. Madye Henson, Glen O’Gilvie, Jill Friedman Fixler, Melody Barnes, John Oliver, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the list goes on.
A Cafe du Mond waiter with fresh hot beignets. (photo: Thomas Hawk)
Alas my week of beignets, muffulettas, coffee with chicory, jazz and near 100 degree weather came to an end. It’s a unique sensation. Part of me is exhausted yet there is another side of me that wants to work all night developing strategies to solve some of the challenges we face in this sector. Exhaustion won, for now at least, as I slipped off to sleep on the flight back to DC.
There is a lot going on this week. Wednesday is the Worldwide Day of Giving. Click HERE to find out how easy it is to be a part of this global movement. And if you live in DC, we will be getting together in person – details can be found HERE. Finally, I got to catch up with 94-year-old Ms. Charlotte T. from New Orleans who was my 248th recipient of $10. I will post an update on her later this week – you won’t want to miss it!
Last year I gave my $10 to several people who were victims the gentrification that is taking place in DC. Ca’ Vonn E. stands out the most. I met her in the Shaw neighborhood at the controversial plot of land referred to as Parcel 42; land that the local residents say former Mayor Adrian Fenty agreed to make into affordable housing. When that didn’t happen they took matters into their own hands and created a tent city on the land as a form of protest. From bringing food and water to securing the URL for their website, I spent several weeks helping the residents of tent city.
Last Monday I got another opportunity to help ensure affordable housing options exist for lower-income families here in our nation’s capital. Yachad (pronounced yah-hod) is a DC organization whose mission it is to repair and rebuild lower-income neighborhoods by engaging construction and real estate professionals and hundreds of volunteers to repair housing, renovate storefronts, and create safer community spaces.
Yachad, whose name comes from the Hebrew word for together, has an initiative called We the People where they mobilize volunteers on federal holidays for service projects. I decided to spend my Memorial Day with them.
Me handling some power tools...Look out!
I walked from the Fort Totten Metro Station over to the properties that we were going to be working on. With the temperature clearly on its way to 90+ degrees, drops of sweat had already covered my forehead before I had even lifted a hammer.
Kendra Rubinfeld was surrounded by a group of eager volunteers when I arrived. She explained that the occupancy ratio of this apartment complex was falling and as a result has put the property in jeopardy of being lost to developers who would turn it into expensive townhouses. “Our goal is to refurbish these units as quickly as possible so that they can be rented and start generating money so that doesn’t happen,” she explained to me.
I got to work on an upstairs unit that had been gutted and needed to be sanded and painted. One of my least favorite tasks is working on ceilings – there’s just no good way it seems to do it without getting your back or neck messed up. Luckily for me I got pulled onto another project as they needed some people to help install some locks on the doors. I had just replaced the lock on my father’s front door a few weeks earlier and was emboldened to believe that I was an expert.
A volunteer works on bringing the hardwood floor back to life.
I encourage you to check out the photographs I took. Some of the units were in very poor condition, but we made great progress and soon these will be filled with happy tenants.
There are several ways that you can help Yachad. For those of you in the DC area you can volunteer like I did on a federal holiday. If you don’t live in the area but still want to help them in their mission, I encourage you to make a donation to help pay for contractors and supplies needed to refurbish more houses. I’ve seen a lot of nonprofits and can tell you this is one worthy of your donation.
Last year I introduced you to Carlton, a 45-year-old homeless man who took up painting a few years ago and discovered an untapped talent.
Carlton working on a new painting on Wednesday. (photo: Reed)
Yesterday I was walking around the west side of the traffic circle at Dupont Circle where I found Carlton in the exact same location I found him last summer. Sweat beading down his forehead, he greeted me with an upbeat hello. “Everything is cheap. Really cheap,” he told me. I reminded him who I was and he claimed to remember meeting me although I am not sure.
He reminded me why he chose this location to do his paintings. “I used to panhandle right here and now I want all those people who knew me then to see what I am doing now!”
Having not seen him much lately I asked if he had started painting someplace else. He explained that he had been down in Norfolk,VA helping with his mother who is struggling with diabetes.
Sitting on the concrete sidewalk, just feet away from some leftover puddles from a mid-afternoon shower, Carlton started to work on a clean canvas. “I painted a parrot today!” he blurted out. “I’ve never painted animals before.” I prefer his landscapes.
Carlton, who battles HIV, stays healthy by walking and biking throughout the city. “I’m staying over near Gallaudet University now and ride my bike all the way over here.” That’s about 30 blocks and in this heat it’s easier said than done.
He seems to turn into Bob Ross and starts painting happy bushes and trees. “I ran out of black paint,” he told me as he used a piece of sponge to smear a terracotta colored horizon.
Always working the crowd, Carlton is keenly aware of when the eyes of passersby focus on his work. “I’m Carlton, the homeless artist,” he says in his raspy voice. “They’re all very inexpensive.” She’s silent and he goes back to putting in some trees on his newest work. “Talk to me,” he says grinning and hoping she will make an offer on one of the half-dozen paintings that surround him.
I shove a few dollars in his cup and shake his slippery hand. “Now you tell your wife (I’m not married by the way) that you didn’t fall in the mud, you tell her you shook Carlton the homeless painter’s hand!”
This post was supposed to be put up yesterday – sorry. I was out volunteering and got behind.
I captured this image of a fallen soldier being delivered to Arlington Cemetery on a recent return flight to DC.
Yesterday was Memorial Day – a day when we remember those who have served our country. I took some time to think about my family members who have served – most recently my cousin Jonathan and his wife Alex. Thankfully they made it home safely. I then was reminded of Jen B. who I met on Day 362 of my Year of Giving. She lost her husband, Army 1st Lt. Todd J. Bryant, when his Humvee came under attack in Fallujah in October of 2003. My thoughts go out to her, Todd’s family and all of those who have lost loved ones serving their country.
My first bike ride of the year is something that I look forward to every spring. The mixture of warm sunlight and cool air on my face as I roll by some of our country’s most iconic monuments keeps me sane.
Washington is full of wonderful trails that provide safe riding throughout our nation’s capital. However there is one day each year that gives riders full access to the city and so many of the breathtaking vistas usually reserved only for snapshots out windows of slow moving cars. That day is Bike DC.
I rode in Bike DC last year and even gave my $10 away to another rider. You can read the blog post and watch some video I shot while riding. This year I too was going to ride and then I got the idea that I would volunteer for them.
I was stationed at the Will Call table which was set up on the corner of 3rd and Jefferson, directly west of the US Capitol. Technically I was supposed to be answering questions that the cyclists had, but there was a much greater need to actually check the nearly 4,000 riders in so I started checking them in too. It was impressive. We managed to process every single rider in about 90 minutes.
Crossing the Potomac River (Photo: Charles Hagman)
The event, which costs riders about $35, supports the Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA). They represent cyclists’ interest here in DC. I overlook their tired emails and letters because I, like many others here in the area, benefit from their work. Click here to find out how you can support WABA.
After I was done working, I tacked on a rider’s bib and headed out on the course. It’s beautiful and there is something indescribable about riding through such a picturesque city with no cars. My favorite part though is crossing the bridge into Virginia and riding down the GW Parkway! That is pretty cool.
Photo by M.V. Jantzen
I started this post off remembering those who have served in the military. In the theme of remembrance, I offer a name to you: Alice Swanson. She died just a block from my home while riding her bike to work in July of 2008. For a long time there was a white bicycle placed at the corner of Connecticut and R Streets as a memorial. Although I never knew Alice, there is not a day that goes by when I walk by that corner that I don’t think about her.
Next Monday I will take you along on a volunteering journey with Yachad DC where we will rebuild some lower income housing near Fort Totten.
The Year of Giving transitioned from a blog to a social movement a few months into my year-long journey in 2010 and all of a sudden I was thrust into the space of social media. Given my background, I figured I would be a good volunteer for the DC Social Media Summit. I spent four years organizing and producing events and conferences in addition to my experience navigating the ever-changing field of social media. Sounds like a perfect match right?
The event was produced by the Center for Nonprofit Success, a nonprofit registered under the name Mediate Facilitate Inc. This is the second time I have volunteered with this organization. The first time was back in Week 7. It’s an interesting organization. Part of me really loves the concept. They run conferences around theUS with no onsite staff. That’s right. Every single person working at the conference is a volunteer. That’s amazing!
Despite the fact that I think our small team of volunteers managed to make the best of the situation we were presented with, it was not easy. We were missing guidance, information, tools, etc. Attendees seemed frustrated with our lack of information and less than organized demeanor. It got so bad at one point that some of the volunteers contemplated walking out during the middle of the conference. Thankfully the content of the sessions was quite good. The organizer managed to secure some really talented speakers who dazzled the couple hundred attendees.
Although I did say that I was impressed that such an organization exists and puts on conferences all around the country with just volunteers staffing the events, I don’t think this is the best model. I believe there should be at least one employee at each event from start to finish to manage the conference. I think that would help in a variety of ways as well as help create the culture of the volunteer staff.
I did some research on this organization. The math is just not adding up for me. For a nonprofit that has such a skeleton staff that onsite management is done completely by volunteers, I have to wonder where all their revenue goes? There were no handouts to give to attendees – they were asked to print them themselves along with their name badges. The speakers were also donating their time and not compensated for their appearance or travel expenses. So I was left with more questions than answers.
I did get to meet some interesting people who were volunteering with me and got to see a few minutes of one of the presentations which I found very interesting. Having said that, I don’t think I will volunteer with this organization again.
Click here to see more of the photographs that I took during the event.
HandsOn Network is a very impressive organization. As the volunteer-focused arm of Points of Light Institute, they claim to be the largest volunteer network in the nation comprised of more than 250 HandsOn Action Centers in 16 countries. Where these guys really get traction is by digging into their more than 70,000 corporate, faith and nonprofit organizations that have stepped up to the plate to help create meaningful change in their communities. The latest figure I saw was that last year they racked up some 30 million volunteer hours. That represents over $600 million worth of services that nonprofits and government entities didn’t need to spend. That’s pretty awesome.
I have a connection with HandsOn Network. You see I’ve been volunteering for a while with their local Action Center here in DC: Greater DC Cares. I recently participated in Servathon and on the MLK Service Day. I’m also building a team for their 9/11 Day of Service.
HandsOn Network mobilizes people who want to do good. That is the hard part. All of us want to do good things, however, moving individuals to act is often the barrier. We have so many other parts of our lives that are pulling at us. But it can be done.
Log on to HandsOn Network today and find a local Action Center near you. There’s more than 250 of them so there is a good chance there is one near you! And for those of you in Oconomowoc, WI, yes, even you have one near you…just down the road in Waukesha!
Me volunteering at MLK Service Day in January.
By the way, HandsOn Network and the Points of Light Institute (along with the Corporation for National and Community Service) are part of the driving force behind the National Conference on Volunteering and Service that will be held in New Orleans June 6-8. If you are passionate about volunteering, find a way to make it to the Superbowl of Volunteering and give me a shout…I’d be happy to meet up.
If you live in DC and are not familiar with Hands on DC, check them out today! Founded back in 1994 by a small group of friends who wanted to make a difference in DC public schools, this all-volunteer organization leads a variety of improvement projects at more than 30 area schools. Their largest event is Work-a-Thon, held every spring.
I signed up to lead a team at the 2011 Work-a-Thon that was held April 29th. I was joined by about a dozen Year of Giving volunteers. We were part of a larger team that was assigned to Brent Elementary School, a Pre-K – 5th grade school located not even three blocks from the well-groomed lawn of the US Capitol.
When I showed up I was really impressed. This school looked a lot better than I expected. I have done two other school based projects this year and their campuses didn’t look anything like Brent. A variety of gardens surround the brick building that sits across from Folger Park. On the Southwest corner of the grounds is a really cool playground. It’s got a special foam-like ground surface that helps reduce injuries upon impact. So I’ve got to say that when I walked onto the campus I was thinking, “Did I miss the event? Was it yesterday? It looks like everything is already done!”
The entire work group
But I was indeed in the right spot. This school, which seems to be very progressive with their Museum Magnet Program, benefits from the fact that the staff and parents are very involved with all aspects of the school experience. To give you an idea, check out something I found on their website: “Students, parents community members and Brent staff will collaboratively share leadership and accountability for empowering the highest quality of teaching and learning, everyday, in every Brent setting, for every student.” We worked side by side several parents and staff members and I could tell that they really cared for their school.
Team Year of Giving quickly got to work on a variety of projects. I, like most of us, spent the day weeding and mulching. My brother and Jody planted a tree. Kimon and Aster built a tee-pee! So there were some interesting projects.
Some of the Team Year of Giving volunteers
Everyone on the team had a great time. I hope to do more volunteer projects where I have support from you guys! Thanks to those who came out and helped make Brent Elementary look really fantastic! Click here for more photos.
For those of you who were not able to participate in Work-a-Thon can make a donation to this great organization. 100% of your donation will be to secure supplies for service projects as well as to provide college scholarships through College Bound, a local mentoring and tutoring organization dedicated to supporting DC public schools students who want to attend college.
Me and my bro Ryan
We are one month away from the Worldwide Day of Giving – if you haven’t signed up, and everyone can sign up, click here. How many people do you think we can get to sign up in 30 days?!
Thanks for all of the nice comments I received about yesterday’s post about my mother. Although she passed away more than four years ago now, Mothers Day continues to be a day where I honor her and remember what a wonderful person she was.
To shift gears a little today, we’re going to get dirty…well, get our hands dirty at least.
April 22nd was Earth Day, a day that has been dedicated to informing and energizing people around the world to take an active role in securing a healthy future for us and our planet. The building where I work sent out an email that they were observing Earth Day by partnering with the Fairmont Hotel next door to help revitalize an elementary school across the street: Franics-Stevens Education Campus (FSEC).
FSEC is small public school that has about 225 pre-school through 8th graders. Despite its rather privileged location on the eastern periphery of upscale Georgetown, the school reports that 69% of the students receive free or reduced lunch.
Me spreading some mulch.
Its worn red brick façade looked a little dated as I arrived at just before 10am. The misty rain was refreshing even if it was foreshadowing for the downpour that would come later.
Given that I work for a conservation organization and that Earth Day is tied so closely to our mission, I was very surprised, and frankly disappointed to be honest, that so few colleagues came out to volunteer. I think there were a total of five individuals. All they asked was for a minimum of 30 minutes of people’s time, which is nothing. We could all make that time up by taking a shorter lunch that day. Thankfully the Fairmont Hotel had several volunteers and the maintenance staff of my building sent at least five people.
Volunteers from the Fairmont Hotel.
The outside of their campus was definitely looking a little tired. We all pitched in digging up weeds, cleaning up debris, and laying new mulch. My earth covered hands worked to get all the soil and mulch looking good perfect for the students. It wasn’t a huge task – from start to finish it took about two hours.
The real rock stars were some folks from Inside Out Landscaping. I only spoke with Jenna and Damion, but there were a few others there as well.
I understand that their company donated the materials and they came to help guide all of us amateurs in the right direction.
“It’s not a big deal,”
Damion said as we cleaned up, “We enjoy doing this and are happy to stop by a couple of times a year and make sure things are doing ok.”
It was a good thing we finished when we did because the rain started to pick up. There is something nice about the smell of a freshly mulched garden and the rain makes it more intense. I took one last look at our work and headed back to the office to get cleaned up and get back to work.
A couple of days ago I sat down to brainstorm about the subject of my blog post for today. As I have been focusing on volunteering with my posts, I thought I would highlight a national nonprofit that gave opportunities for mothers to volunteer. To my surprise, I couldn’t find such an organization with the exception of very focused groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Then I thought I would focus on organizations that helped mothers. I found lots of groups that help pregnant moms, new mothers, single parent mothers, etc. But somehow I wasn’t finding anything that really grabbed me.
So I decided to dedicate today’s blog to my own mother who was one of my inspirations in creating the Year of Giving.
Born Lenora Ann Reed in 1943, my mother grew up in the sleepy coal-mining town of Richlands, Virginia. It’s a beautiful part of the country. I can remember driving down Route 460 as a child, well I wasn’t driving, but I was in the car, and seeing the breathtaking vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
My mother's childhood house and shed. The outhouse she used is long gone, but it still looks more or less the same structurally - except the deck. (Photo: Reed)
The house she grew up in still stands on a steep slope overlooking the town. Today nearly 6,000 people live in Richlands compared to about 4,800 when my mother was a child. Not too much has changed in my mind. The King Kone ice cream and hot dog stand still gets people lined up two or three deep. Mom used to love their chili dogs. I went back last year with my dad and got one. They must have been better back in the day.
Graduation from Richlands High School, 1960
Mom graduated from Richlands High School in 1960. She followed the footsteps of her older sisters and went to nursing school, however, nursing wasn’t for her and she ended up working for the federal government in Washington, DC.
She was living with my uncle Jack on the fourth floor of a crimson colored brick apartment complex in Arlington,VA. The place is still there today in fact. In the summer of 1962 my dad was moving in across the hall. “There were some girls who were whistling and giggling at me as I was carrying things in,” he told me smiling. “They kept hiding though when I would try to see who it was.” Well, the rest is history as they say.
Jerry and Lenora were married on January 23, 1964. They packed up the car and drove to California, sold everything except what they could carry in some suitcases and started out on a trip around the world. The first stop was Honolulu. They figured they would work for a while there until they had enough money to move on to the South Pacific. They never made it any further and five years later left the tropical paradise of Don Ho and moved to California where my brother and I were born.
My mother and brother playing with my Uncle Jack's dog Spike in 1973. (photo: Reed)
The next 20 years were spent raising us kids. Although we had a baby sitter when we would get home from school, they rarely left us with a sitter to go out to dinner or those kinds of things. They completely put their social lives on hold in order to spend time with us. Our house was full of love and laughter and a few screams of my brother and me fighting.
Mom was extremely generous. We didn’t have much money to give, but she was always thinking of others before herself. She searched voraciously to find the perfect card to send to her friends and family. She wrote beautiful kind letters. She led by example; instilling in my brother and me virtues of kindness, sympathy and honesty.
When I was 16 I was selected to be a Rotary Youth Exchange Student and went to Guasave, Mexico for my 11th grade year of high school. On the eve of my flight, we sat in a hotel outside of Baltimore, MD fearing the unknown of a year apart. Tears were flowing and my mother took me for a short walk outside our hotel. She told me something that I will never forget.
My brother Ryan, Mom, Dad, Me in Ireland
“All my life I have worked to help you become independent. You’ve grown up so much and are setting out to write a new chapter of your life. We shouldn’t be crying; we should be celebrating. This is what your father and I have dreamed of ever since you were born is to see you mature and develop into your own person.”
I think we both knew that I still had a lot of growing up to do but as always she had a way with words to make the pain or the sadness go away. I must have received at least 100 letters from her during my 11 months in Mexico.
Mom died on the morning of December 15th, 2006 from some complications from a by-pass surgery she underwent a few days earlier. She had battled heart disease for more than two decades since having her first heart attack days before Christmas in 1984. It’s somehow ironic that someone with such a big and loving heart would die of heart related illness.
Me and mom in Rio de Janeiro in 2003.
Today I remember her. I remember her smile, her laughter, her listening, her dancing with my dad in the kitchen, her gentle touch, her love of books, her love for family, her fondness for her work and coworkers and most of all her hugs. I celebrate her life and the beauty she brought to the lives of so many others.
If you are able to spend the day with your mother, make sure you tell her that you love her and appreciate all that she has done for you. Hug her and hold her an extra moment while you remember all of those who have lost their mothers.
I gave $10 every day for a year. Would you make a $10 donation (that's less than 3 cents a day!) today to help those in need that I have met through the Year of Giving. You will get updates on how your donation is used.
Hands’sOn Greater DC Cares
I have a connection with HandsOn Network. You see I’ve been volunteering for a while with their local Action Center here in DC: Greater DC Cares. I recently participated in 
Year of Giving 