$10 | Year of Giving

Posts Tagged ‘$10’

Day 290 – Ximena C.

Posted in Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, DC, family, fundraising, helping others, Latin America, Mexico, music, night, restaurants, singing, Spanish, travel, washington on October 16, 2010| 1 Comment »

Some of you might recall that two of my recipients are celebrating a very special day today. October 16^th is the anniversary of Bob (Day 251) and Michelle’s (Day 277) sobriety. Bob has been sober 24 years and Michelle eight. I am so proud of them both and am thankful to have met them through my Year of Giving!

A VW Beatle sits almost completely underwater as flood victims make their way through town by boat. (Photo: Alfredo Estrella, AFP)

Today I am going to tell you about a fascinating young woman. But first let me give you a little background on the circumstances that I met Ximena. In September parts of Mexico were devastated when torrential downpours caused disastrous flooding in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. As you might know, I used to live in Mexico and have many friends there today. Fortunately everyone I know is safe, however, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans were affected by the relentless waters. In September a group here in DC put together a fundraiser to collect money to send to needy families in Mexico. My neighbor Paulina, who is Mexican, told me about the event and I stopped by to donate some money.

The fundraiser was held at Lupe Cantina, 1214 18th Street, NW (photo: Reed)

In addition to my donation to the fundraiser, I made another “donation” of $10 to Ximena. She is a performing artist who was preparing to sing that evening at the event. I found a moment when she was not busy and approached her and explained the Year of Giving concept.

Ximena talking to a friend. (photo: Reed)

Ximena is 34 years old and hails from the Mexico City. This talented young singer caught my attention when she shared with me part of her life where she spent four years living on a bus. That’s right. At the time she was living in Austin, Texas when she met up with a guy from DC who had driven a bus down to Texas. The bus, called “Destino 2000”, would later turn into the home for several individuals. The core group was about four people. They loaded up and started driving south into Mexico. But they didn’t stop there; they kept on going to Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, etc. “We worked everywhere,” she explained in Spanish, “to get enough money to get us to the next place.”

Ximena, originally from Mexico City, lived on a bus for four years. (photo: Reed)

Her experience on the bus taught her many things. “When you live here you take many things for granted,” she told me. Sometimes the most basic necessities presented challenges. “Without drinking water you can not survive,” she added.

There was one common thread that sustained the nomadic group during their journey: music. “The music was always the vehicle that opened doors for us and sustained us,” Ximena said.

Last May she received her degree in music education. She smiled and said, “It took me 14 years to do it, but I made it!” Although she currently does not have a job she says that she is fortunate enough to pick up small projects here and there. When I invited her to the year-end celebration in December, she said she would not be able to attend because she would be in Texas in the area that is made up of Juarez on the Mexican side and El Paso on the US side. “I am organizing some Fandangos in response to the violence that that area has suffered.” I thought that I met Ximena before the alleged murder of David Hartley by Mexican pirates, but after checking it was in fact the same day that I met Ximena. As a side note, something seems strange about that case…I’m not sure we are getting the full story.

“When you live here you take many things for granted.” - Ximena (photo: Reed)

Anyway, being out of work you would think that Ximena would use the money to help pay for her rent or get some groceries but that was not the case. “I’m going to send the money to my ‘papa’” she told me. “He doesn’t work any more and I haven’t had very much to send him lately.” I thought that was very touching. Our parents do so much for us as children that it is nice to be able to help them when they are in need.

I unfortunately had another event that evening and had to leave before Ximena performed. Hopefully I will get another chance.

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Day 289 – Martha N.

Posted in Something for others, tagged $10, baseball, DC, night, sports, stadiums, washington on October 15, 2010| 1 Comment »

On the last day of the Nationals season, I decided to buy some cheap tickets and catch the final nine innings before the team hibernated for the winter. Although the Nats lost 7-1 to the Phillies, there was something magical about the game. Watching dads hold the tiny hands of their children as they took one last look at the field until next spring. Teary-eyed fans hugging stadium staff as they left. It reminded me of a quote by legendary baseball slugger Rogers Hornsby who once said, “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”

Martha has been an usher for the Nats for three seasons. (photo: Reed)

Martha, a lower level usher, was no exception. Fan after fan said goodbye and wished her well until they met again the following season. I decided she should be my $10 recipient of the day!

This is Martha’s third year ushering for the Nats. In fact it is a family affair. Her husband and son also work at the stadium. In an email that she sent me later Martha told me, “My son is a special education graduate, and loves his job there. The Nationals are by far the best employer he has ever had.” Wow, that says a lot about the Nationals organization. Bravo to them!

It was a bit of a challenge to speak with Martha because there were so many fans who wanted to say goodbye. On top of that, Martha was coordinating a picnic for stadium staff and she was supposed to make some final plans with other colleagues…but that didn’t happen she later told me in her email. My $10 came in handy though as she put it toward the food that she was preparing for the picnic. “You’re providing the ingredients to make a multitude of my famous brownies,” she wrote.

I honestly think I was the last person in the stadium. They'd turned all the lights off and there was not a soul in sight. I thought about doing a lap around the bases, but I just found an open exit and got out before I got locked in there!

Before she had to run, she did mention that her family was going through some uncertain times. Her husband is transitioning between a steady paycheck as a teacher to a commission based arrangement providing financial services and planning for special needs families. Special needs families have unique financial challenges that if not thought out properly can create tremendous financial burdens and stress on the family. I applaud his courage to make this transition and help other families plan for the future.

Martha had to run…but as I mentioned earlier, she did send me a very kind email. She mentioned that in addition to her husband and son, there was a woman who carpooled with them to and from the stadium. She shared this at the end of her email. “Our cohort in the carpool immediately said she had heard of you, read an article about your “Year of Giving”, now it’s my turn.”

I hope to see Martha and her family at my year-end celebration and then again at the Nats home opener on March 31^st against the Braves! Let’s go Nats!

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Day 288 – Eric J.

Posted in Alcohol, Something for others, tagged $10, Adam's Morgan, DC, night, sports, washington on October 13, 2010| 1 Comment »

Last night I stayed up to watch the first few miners get rescued from the Chilean mine where they have been trapped 629 meters below ground for almost 70 days!

That is such a long time! I try to keep that in mind when I remember that there are only about 70 days, less actually, to go until the end of my year-long journey. Time has gone by so fast! I am still interviewing potential venue locations for the year-end celebration. It is exciting…there are so many creative possibilities for the culmination of this amazing year. I will keep you posted!

Team Rockstar Lifestyle trying to get out of a tough inning. That's Johnny from WAKA in the bottom left hand corner of the photo. (photo: Reed)

It was beautiful the other night and I decided to go for a long walk and find someone to give my $10 to. I came across a sports field called Marie Reed Park. Good name! There were people gathering and I knew something was going to happen. It seemed that I was the only one not wearing a uniform of some sort. I grabbed a little real estate on the bleachers and waited to see what unfolded.

It turns out I was at a kickball game. I was literally the only one who was not playing…except for two guys with some red jerseys who were talking with a woman in a white blouse. More about those guys later.

"Your not going to believe this, but I was just thinking about you two days ago!" Eric told me when I introduced myself. (photo: Reed)

I finally got the courage to go over to a guy who was sitting an inning out. I didn’t want to bother someone while they were trying to win a game, but I forced myself to go meet someone. His name was Eric. As soon as I explained what I was doing he told me that he had heard about the Year of Giving! “You’re not going to believe this but I was just thinking about you two days ago!” he told me. That’s pretty cool….the word is spreading thanks to all of you!

This is Eric’s second season playing kickball in Washington’s chapter of the World Adult Kickball League (WAKA). In fact, he plays on two teams. The night I met him he was playing for a team called the Rockstar Lifestyle who was playing against the Ball Busters. The cool thing about kickball is that just about everyone can play. Having said that, it was clear that many of the players meant business.

Eric used his $10 to buy a pitcher of beer for him and his team to celebrate their victory. (photo: Reed)

Eric tells me that although he likes kickball, his true passion is in running marathons. The 28-year-old has run nine marathons already! He’s preparing for his next one right now which will be the New York City Marathon in just 25 days. He says that he has seen some crazy things while running. “One time I was running a marathon with my sister in LA and we saw people selling drugs along the side of the road.”

Eric took care of things in left field to help his team win. (photo: Reed)

The game was close and the coach tapped Eric to hit the field. Before heading out to left field, Eric told me that if I wanted to know more about the entire WAKA league that one of the founders of the organization was standing to my right wearing a red jersey. While Eric tried to help the Rockstars edge out the Ballbusters I went over to introduce myself to Johnny LeHane. He helped found the kickball league back in 1998 in hopes to create a social activity that everyone could participate in. “We wanted something that would have an almost fraternity feel,” Johnny told me. I actually think I met Johnny back in 1998 at Kelly’s Irish Times, an Irish pub that was the first sponsor of WAKA. I say that because Johnny worked at AOL and so did my brother and a bunch of friends back then and I recall that I went to a kickball happy hour in 1998 or 1999. I keep forgetting to ask my brother who he knew from WAKA back then, maybe he remembers. Anyway, in case you are shrugging your shoulders at the idea of organized kickball, be advised that they currently over 3,000 teams in over 300 leagues nation wide and employ a staff of 30. It was cool to meet Johnny, who was in town from NYC where he lives and continues to work as part of the management team for WAKA.

Rockstar Lifestyle won 5-4! (photo: Reed)

Eric trotted back in to join his team as they had one last opportunity to win the game. It was close, but he and his team managed to pull out a 5-4 win over the Ball Busters! I was great to watch him and his team celebrate the victory. He said they were going to a bar called Town where he would buy a pitcher of beer for the team with the $10. Cheers!

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Day 287 – Andrew M.

Posted in Food & Beverage, tagged $10, books, Colombia, DC, Dupont Circle, international, shopping, washington on October 12, 2010| 2 Comments »

I love going out and giving my $10 away. However, I have to admit there have been a very small handful of days when I am just not motivated. This is one of those days. I was not feeling well and just wanted to go to bed, but I forced myself into some presentable clothes and headed out in the drizzling darkness.

KULTURAs at 1728 Conn. Ave. (photo: Reed)

I saw a man sitting in a folding chair on the sidewalk of Connecticut Avenue. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt opened up with a white t-shirt underneath, jeans and flip flops. His calm, easy demeanor unaffected by the light rain that fell on his shoulders. Andrew is the owner of KULTURAs Bookstore at 1728 Connecticut Avenue which is nestled on the west side of Connecticut just north of Dupont Circle. It’s a wonderful shop featuring second-hand and rare books as well as small but unique collection of consignment clothing. They even sell some handmade ponchos commonly found in parts of Latin America. I had been in the bookstore during the snowpocalypse we had last winter. “We opened during the snow storm, so you must have stopped in during the first week,” Andrew told me. This was KULTURAs second stint in the Dupont area. Andrew explained that he and his wife had had a store in the area for a long time but in 2006 they packed the family up and moved 3,000 miles to Santa Monica, CA where they continued with KULTURAs.

Andrew peering out the store front. (photo: Reed)

The rain started to pick up and we walked inside where he sunk into a chair behind a wooden desk. “The timing wasn’t ideal given the economy,” Andrew said referring to the fact that after three years they decided to move back to DC last fall. “It was fun though…we had a blast!” He told me about their house that overlooked the Santa Monica Bay. “I’d go surfing with my kids before school,” he reminisced as he propped his right leg up on the edge of the desk.

His upbringing consisted of periods of time living in DC, Detroit and Texas although he said he felt most comfortable in the Los Angeles area where he has family. After graduating from the George Washington University with a degree in Latin American studies, he spent a year studying at the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. “I even took a weaving class there!” he told me. I mentioned that I had spent a few weeks in Manizales, Colombia this year and he knew the area.

He married his wife in the late 80s and now has two children; one in high school and the other in college.

KULTURAs also sells consignment clothes and handmade ponchos. (photo: Reed)

Andrew is easy to talk to. The conversation naturally drifted to the topic of owning a bookstore. “I like interacting with people,” he says. “Someone will come in and ask for a particular book and then you discover there is an entire story behind why they are looking for that book.” I could relate to this. It’s similar to what I have said about the Year of Giving – everyone has a story. KULTURAs gives store credit for books that they buy. Andrew says that can be exciting as well. “Sometimes you find a real treasure!”

I was interested to hear his opinion about the long-term outlook for books. It seems that technology is murdering the traditional print media. The timeliness of news makes it a perfect subject to be transmitted via computers and handheld devices. Magazines and books have also been threatened by Kindles and Nooks. “I think physical books will diminish significantly,” the 52-year-old says pointing out that younger generations prefer to get their information online. I do think books will begin to be read more on electronic tablets and devices we haven’t even dreamed of yet, but perhaps there will still be a strong attachment for some people to have a physical book in their hands. Maybe it’s the sound of cracking open a new book or the musty smell of an old book or perhaps it’s just the idea of turning pages that attract some of us.

An outside shot of Andrew ringing up a customer. (photo: Reed)

Speaking of books, I wandered around KULTURAs. I saw lots of interesting books about art, architecture, cooking, philosophy, etc. They even have a good number of books in foreign languages. But it was Donald Miller’s first book Through Painted Deserts that caught my eye and ended up going home with me. A friend of mine was recently talking about Miller and a conference of his that she was attending in Portland, Oregon. She is a fan and I thought I would pick up his book and give it a chance.

As for the $10, Andrew said that he was going to use that to buy some groceries.

When I left I realized I felt much better. Maybe it was just getting out of the house? Maybe the Year of Giving helped in some way. For a half hour I forgot all about how I felt, the work that went unfinished that day, or the emails I still had to write.

For more information on KULTURAs, check out their website or stop in and visit them at:

Dupont Circle: 1728 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Tenleytown: 4918 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

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Day 286 – Ryan F. and Samantha S.

Posted in Donation, tagged $10, Cleveland Park, college, DC, night, nonprofits, sports, university, washington on October 11, 2010| 1 Comment »

Giant at the corner of Wisconsin and Newark. (photo: Reed)

I was in Cleveland Park here in DC at the Giant grocery store on Wisconsin Avenue. I hadn’t given away my money yet and it was getting late. I had had some wine earlier that day on a picnic and was honestly not looking forward to giving my $10 away.

At the entrance of the grocery store I found Ryan and Samantha. Ryan is a 25-year-old graduate of the University of Virginia. Samantha, 22, is also a graduate of UVA. They were browsing the movie titles at the automatic video rental machine.

Ryan and Samantha are both runners. (photo: Reed)

Both of them ran track and field at UVA. They ran a variety of distances: 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters. I think it was Samantha who said she also ran steeple chase races which consist of five barriers, one of which is a water barrier.

“Ryan is a really good runner,” Samantha said. “He just ran a race yesterday…8,000 meters.” For those of you who are metric challenged, that’s just shy of five miles. “So how did you do?” I asked. Ryan was quite humble in telling me that he actually won the race. I guess Samantha was right, he’s pretty good.

The couple decided to donate their $10 to the UVA Athletics Foundation. Coincidentally I am planning to visit UVA in the coming weeks with my cousin and his daughter…who I guess is my second cousin or cousin once removed or something like that. Anyway, she is a high school senior in Denver and is visiting potential colleges. When they come out to visit UVA I am going to join them and we have tickets to the football game that weekend, so indirectly that $10 might end up benefiting me while I am there. Work with me folks…use your imagination.

Ryan and Samantha donated their $10 to the UVA Athletics Foundation. (photo: Reed)

Anyway, some friends of Samantha and Ryan were waiting for them so I wrapped things up. I almost forgot to take a photo and ran out into the parking lot and snapped a quick photo of them.

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Day 285 – Illi L.

Posted in Something for themself, tagged $10, bizarre, DC, Dupont, mental illness, night, washington on October 11, 2010| 4 Comments »

This is Maggie who received my $10 on 10-10-10...her story coming soon on Day 300! (photo: Reed)

Hopefully you participated in the 10-10-10 Give a Stranger 10 Bucks Day yesterday…if not, why not go ahead and do it today. It is a three-day weekend after all for many folks, so I’ll let it slide!

Today’s recipient ranks up there with one of the more memorable people that I have met.

You might remember back on Day 245 I came across a rather odd individual walking around making extremely loud cat meowing noises. On that day he was walking around with a crazed look in his eyes as he meowed. Really loud! Occasionally he would turn 180 degrees from his slow sloth-like walk and bark something like, “Can’t you find the mice?”

So exactly 40 days later I am walking around town when I hear this loud banging noise. I couldn’t quite place it but it sounded like someone was banging a wrench or something against a bunch of steel pipes. Not seeing where the noise was coming from, I went along my business and went into a café to pick up some dinner for that evening. When I left I walked across the street and found “Crazy Cat Man” sitting on the sidewalk with a series of bottles in front of him.

Illi sits playing tunes on a variety of bottles in front of a DC Starbucks. (photo: Reed)

Although he definitely made me uncomfortable the first time I encountered him, I felt a little better this time since he was in front of Starbucks and there were several people who were nearby “enjoying” his free concert.

I asked him what his name was and he replied something that sounded like “Illi Lixsis.” I asked him to spell it and he said that there was “not a proper spelling in our language.” So he grabbed my pen and notebook and began to write his name. To me it resembles something closer to a hieroglyphic than a name. He even included a short written narrative of the composition of the name. In the photograph below you can see the symbol he drew and the explanation he included around it. I’m going to call him Illi.

Illi said he enjoyed playing beautiful music on the bottles. He pointed to his “snare drum” which was an aluminum can. He also had a rattle, made of an empty Nestle water bottle with coins inside, a Perrier bottle, and a variety of beer and wine bottles. “This is the magical wand of Jehovah,” he explained pointing to metal rod.

New England Statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852)

Our conversation took a path of its own. Illi’s thought process sometimes was erratic but I just went with the flow. “What you are doing is kind of like Daniel Webster – only with words,” Illi suggests. “But Webster was into bestiality.” How does he know that I’m not into bestiality? That was a joke! Seriously, I didn’t know how to respond so I just stayed quiet.

Illi changed the subject. “I grew up in New Hampshire. My 6^th grade teacher, Mr. Courier, had been in the CIA during the Carter administration. He was originally a nuclear physicist, but as an agent he was forced to learn all kinds of things. He spoke several languages and …” I am not sure what else he said about Mr. Courier but he related to me at some point how he, I mean Illi now, was into linguistics, computers, visual arts, electrical engineering, etc.

He had a particular interest in necromancy. He described it as an ability that allowed the dead to pass on to the next servitude of life. “Anything you do,” he said, “is then used by your ancestors as a means to get into the next life…but many people get captured.” I probed a little more about what he was referring to but didn’t understand his response. He did show me his birth certificate though during this exchange. I didn’t catch his last name, but his birth given first name is Mark.

Photo of Illi's rendition of his name. He wrote this in my notebook. (photo: Reed)

Illi is well educated, he certainly knows a lot about certain subjects. His way of communicating it is unique and proved challenging for me to follow. He talked about palindromes, his intense fear of many things in the world and his dislike of Stephen King novels. He also is a big fan of animation. His favorite TV show, a 90s MTV show called Æon Flux, and favorite movie, Jim Henson’s 1982 Dark Crystal, are both animated.

Another random factoid he shared was that his brother Dave sold his 26,000 issue comic book collection to pay for his college. Interestingly enough, Illi said he memorized every title that his brother owned. Sounds a little like Joey’s savantism.

As for the $10, the 35-year-old said he was going to “take a break.” Take some time off from his government job. Oh yeah, and he didn’t want me to take his photograph because of his government work. “Photos are stupid anyway,” he said. I had taken one photograph from a distance before I walked up to him that I have included here. You can not see his face and the photo came out quite blurry due to low light and my sub-par photographic skills.

Like I said earlier Illi, or Mark as it may be, seems to be highly intelligent in some areas. He’s socially awkward though and either is homeless or doesn’t maintain generally accepted hygiene. He sat the entire time in a yoga-like stance with his bare feet folded up like a pretzel. I’m glad I stopped, but I am not sure that I connected with him. I would love to hear his perspective of our encounter.

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Day 284 – Joey B.

Posted in Food & Beverage, tagged $10, amazing, autism, baseball, DC, friends, savants, sports, talent, washington on October 10, 2010| 3 Comments »

Today is 10-10-10! Hopefully you will join me and Howard Wu in giving away $10 today. Howard came up with this idea and created a Facebook page for people to share their stories.

The fact that today is a special date, 10-10-10, seems very appropriate for today’s recipient. You will see why later, but Joey has some absolutely brilliant abilities when it comes to dates.

Joey (left) and his brother Rick before entering Nationals Park (photo: Reed)

I was headed to the National’s baseball game and got a ride over from my friend and former colleague Rick. He was joined by his brother Joey, who was visiting Rick here in the DC area.

I soon learn that Joey is a remarkable man. The 52-year-old from New Hampshire is autistic. His parents were told to institutionalize Joey, but they never did. He has lived with his parents, who are now in their 70s, all his life.

Despite Joey’s disability he lives a full life. He is a tremendous help to his parents around the house. Rick tells me that he keeps his room and himself meticulously clean, and makes his own breakfast and lunch.

Joey told me that I was born on a Tuesday, he was right too! (photo: Reed)

He is a very gentle man. He keeps to himself and doesn’t say much. In fact, he didn’t speak at all until he was about nine. When he does it is usually to answer a question. And he is very decisive in his answer. I often find myself trying to recall things and taking a few seconds or minutes to determine whether I know the answer or not. Not Joey. He either knows the answer or he doesn’t, there isn’t much in between.

For more than twenty years, the Easter Seals have provided a tremendous amount of care for Joey. During the week they provide transportation for him to and from different locations where he works. Usually he sets up tables at local restaurants and has also worked at the library alphabetizing periodicals. When his day is done, he returns to the comfort of his parent’s loving home.

Joey has some incredible abilities. Like Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man, he has savantism. When I got in the car Joey quickly asked me my name. I told him and he asked me to repeat my last name for him. I got the feeling that this information was being stored away for future use. He then asked, “When were you born?” I told him that my birth date was January 22, 1974. He took a few seconds and then said, “Tuesday.” Rick told me that he knows the day of the week for every date. WOW! I had no idea if he was right or not, but after checking this when I got home, I discovered he was right! He also told me that my father, who turns 70 this Friday, was born on a Tuesday. He was right again. Rick tells me that if he ever meets me again he will surely remember my name and birth date.

Me at the game (photo: Kimon Kanelakis)

Joey wasn’t done yet. Nope, not by a long shot. He also has a knack for telling you the song name and artist for almost any song from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Rick had on an oldies station and every song that came on Joey would tell us the name of the song and the artist. “I Saw Linda Yesterday by Dickey Lee,” he says. A few minutes later he enlightened us with, “Traces by the Classics IV.” I’ve never heard of either of the artists much less would I have known who they were by listening to them. And I would have never known if he was right or not either but Rick’s radio will display that information if you press some buttons. We repeated this exercise about a half-dozen times on the way to the game and he was spot on.

Joey really likes to swim. Rick told me that he had gone swimming almost every day while he was in DC. Unfortunately, his time in DC was coming to an end. After the game Rick and Joey were driving north to meet their parents half way between New Hampshire and DC. Joey was going back home.

I caught a photo of brothers Joey and Rick before the left to get Joey's gelato. (photo: Reed)

I wish each and every one of you could have met him. Joey is pretty amazing. I almost forgot to tell you what he did with his $10. On their way out of the stadium he bought some gelato. I believe it was chocolate…he apparently eats chocolate every day. He still has the other $4 carefully tucked away in a box where he keeps his spending money. I’ll let you know if I hear what happens to the other $4.

By the way, Joey was born 52 years to the day before I started the Year of Giving: December 15^th, 1957 – it was a Sunday.

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Day 283 – Chavon B.

Posted in Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, children, DC, family, foster care, kids, night, restaurants, washington on October 9, 2010| 8 Comments »

Busboys & Poets at 14th and V Streets (photo: Reed)

I decided to go over and grab dinner at Busboys and Poets and see if I could talk with someone about holding my year-end celebration there. They gave me the name of a person to talk to and I followed up later via email. Coincidentally today someone called me back from their organization. They were not interested in hosting the event unless I was going to pay a five-figure amount which is simply not possible and completely outside of the spirit of the Year of Giving. So, if you know of a good venue in Washington, DC that can hold 200+ people and would like a ton of in-kind national and local media, let me know.

Chavon paid her $10 forward. (photo: Reed)

While I was eating I met the person sitting to my right: Chavon. A foster care case worker by day, she was enjoying a respite with friends after a long stressful week. She works with a total of seven kids right now; two of which are siblings. She tells me about each one of them; their ages: 5, 6, 7, 13, 17, 18 and 19. “It’s hard work,” she says exhaling. “But you have to also let people go through their own journey.”

Busboys & Poets gets its name from American poet Langston Hughes. (photo: Reed)

She says she has always been a person naturally oriented to help others. “It’s a passion,” she says with a smile. “You know, every time someone gives you something – even a dollar – it means something.

She says that she has given each one of her kids a notebook that they are to write down things that she tasks them with. “I have to stay on top of them,” she tells me with a slightly more disciplinarian demeanor. “I think that I will see how each one does on their assignments for next week and I’m going to give the $10 to the one who makes the most progress.”

Her two friends that were with her, Carla and Marques, spoke very highly of their friend. “She is a good listener and she’s very honest, brutally honest,” Carla says. Her friend Marques called her “hilarious” and said that she was also very sensitive.

As I left Chavon put a smile on my face when she said, “Reed, this has made my day!”

"Every time somebody gives you something - even a dollar - it means something." - Chavon (photo: Reed)

On Wednesday I got a note from Chavon saying that she had given the $10 to a new client of hers: a 13-year-old girl. “She was very respectful and compliant with the things I tasked her with,” she wrote in her email. “She was able to purchase her own breakfast without having to depend on anyone else.” Getting her email made my day. Thanks Chavon!

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Day 282 – Ernest H.

Posted in Rent, tagged $10, Arlington, begging, economy, homeless, homelessness, jobs, VA on October 9, 2010| 2 Comments »

This Sunday is the 10th of October. Inspired by the Year of Giving, a guy named Howard Wu created an event, Give a Stranger 10 Bucks Day. Howard thought that the perfect day to do this would be October 10th since it is 10/10/10. Why not join me and Howard and give $10 away this Sunday. Click here to go to Howard’s event page. Like the Worldwide Day of Giving, I encourage you to leave comments here or on the Facebook page about your experience. Good luck!

Ernest has been out of work for nearly five years. (photo: Reed)

On Day 280 I saw Ernest holding a sign on the side of a very busy intersection in Virginia. Born in Alexandria, VA, this 51-year-old used to work for the Alexandria School Board, but he has been unemployed for the past five years. He now lives in motels.

“I started panhandling about a month and a half ago,” Ernest tells me. “I was working on and off for a moving truck company.” Now he stands on the corner of Lee Highway and Fairfax Road holding a sign that says, “I am homeless. Does it hurt to give to someone in need. Please help me if you can? God bless.”

He says that on a good day he brings in about $90.

Now divorced, Ernest has a 30 year-old-son, two grandkids and three stepchildren. “I try not to be a burden to any of my kids.” He says that some people he knows don’t know that he is homeless, but admits that “the truth will set you free.”

“I’m not learning too much out here,” he confesses as a pick-up truck whizzes by him pushing him up against the guard rail. “You get all kinds of people out here.” A lot of people show him compassion and offer him some help, but others taunt him. “You know some guys say stuff like, ‘Hey man you look healthy…get a job!’ I’m like, at least give me a smile or a wave or something.”

He says that it is really hard for him right now. “I would much rather have a job.” He would like to find work as a handyman, custodian or maintenance man.

Although he says he is not learning much, I did find one thing he has learned. He figured out where the best corner to stand was. “I used to stand across the street and a few other places, but this has the most traffic,” he explains. I was shocked that he chose the spot he did because there was only about 18 inches between him and the passing cars. I jumped over on the other side of the guard rail while I spoke with him because I didn’t feel safe standing where he was.

Ernest put the $10 I gave him toward the cost of his room that night.

Ernest used the $10 to pay for a motel room that night. (photo: Reed)

Before leaving, we swapped telephone numbers in case someone reading this would like to contact Ernest about a job. I learned that in Arlington County if you fall below a certain economic indicator the county supplies you with a cell phone and a basic minutes plan. This gives homeless individuals like Ernest a way for family, friends and potential employers to locate them. Awesome!

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Day 281 – Jessica M.

Posted in Donation, tagged $10, Africa, arts, ballet, Cleveland Park, dancing, DC, first, international, nonprofits, washington on October 8, 2010| 1 Comment »

“I could die tomorrow, so what am I doing today to help the world" - Jessica (photo courtesy of Jessica)

I sat down next to Jessica at a Starbucks in Cleveland Park. Originally from Memphis, TN, she lives with her husband in Virginia and works in development for a DC arts organization. She herself was a dancer for many years. “I started when I was four,” she said. “I stopped when I was 25. It was an amazing experience. The arts can change people’s lives – put them in touch with a part of themselves they never even knew existed.”

I discovered that she and I have something in common. We both participated in Rotary international exchange programs. I went as a student to Mexico for one year when I was 16 and she went as a professional to South Africa for one month. “It was life-changing,” she tells me. She stayed with Rotary families throughout the area and got to see the way different people lived. “Sometimes their impressions of Americans were startling,” she mentioned referencing the fact that often times people’s impressions are shaped by what is seen on TV or in movies.

I asked her what some of the lasting impressions in her mind were. She recalled a few. “I remember little kids running behind our van as we entered into the small villages. We also passed a graveyard for AIDS victims. One day we visited this school that had just got water. I remember seeing a kid that couldn’t have been more than eight smoking a cigarette at school.”

Jessica says that she will donate the $10 to the Polaris Project, a Washington, DC based organization whose mission it is to stop human trafficking and modern day slavery.

I asked her how we could lend her a hand. She said that she would like the opportunity to talk with someone who has experience in “dance therapy.” It’s an area that she is interested in exploring given her dance background. So if you or someone you know has experience in this area, give me shout.

I had a “first” happen in this encounter. Instead of me taking a photograph of Jessica, she asked if she could email me one. I said sure.

Don’t forget this Sunday is 10/10/10. Check out Howard Wu’s “Give a Stranger 10 Bucks Day!”

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Day 280 – Read H.

Posted in Something for others, tagged $10, DC, Dupont Circle, helping others, night, nonprofits, past recipients, public health, volunteering, washington on October 7, 2010| 3 Comments »

What are the chances that I choose a guy named Reed (or Read as today’s recipient spells his name) to receive my $10? It appears to be 1/280!

Garrett making music at Conn. Ave and Q Street in NW DC. (photo: Reed)

It was a beautiful night and I took a walk over to Dupont Circle to see who I would find. On the way over there I saw Garrett shaking his tambourine and singing gospels. He seemed happy to see me and showed me his toothless smile. I told him I had some more clothes for him that Meghan from Pennsylvania and Rachel from Florida had sent. I asked if he was going to be there for a while, because if so, I would go back home and get the clothes and bring them to him. Now you got to understand that Garrett’s track record for being where he says he is going to be is mediocre at best. “Oh, I will definitely be here tonight until 10:00pm,” Garrett told me as I checked my watch. This time he was good to his word and was still there when I got back around 8:00pm.

He seemed very happy to get all the items. Combined Meghan and Rachedl sent him a pair of jeans, a hat, three shirts, two pants, a belt and a sweatshirt – everything was brand new! Meghan and Rachel, you both rock! I’m going to post a video of him receiving the items and singing a special song for Meghan and Rachel on the Year of Giving’s Facebook page later tonight.

Read was having a coffee and sending a message on his phone when I found him. (photo: Reed)

I left Garrett and walked over to Dupont Circle. It was a beautiful evening and there were lots of people sitting around the picturesque fountain. The soft sound of tumbling water blanketed the park. I saw Read sitting on a bench thumbing away on his phone.

When I asked if he would accept my $10, he replied, “Yeah, let me just finish sending this message and then we can talk.” He finished and chatted for about 30 minutes or so. “I don’t know what I will do with it,” Read said. “I am lucky to be in a position to not have to worry too much about money.”

Read is no stranger to helping others out. (photo: Reed)

Read is a former AmeriCorps member who has been practicing giving for some time. His AmeriCorps service took him to Jacksonville, FL where he worked on securing healthcare coverage for children who came from families who earned slightly above the cut-off to qualify for Medicare. He also told me about some volunteer work he has done with half-way houses.

Originally from northeast Texas, Read completed his Master’s degree in Public Health at Boston University. He has been here in DC for about 18 months. “DC and Jacksonville have some things in common believe it or not,” Read related to me. “Both have strong dichotomies when it comes to the rich and poor.” Furthermore he astutely points out the transient nature of DC, “Nobody’s here long enough to pay attention to the local issues.”

Read is currently working with communities here in DC. One project has to do with a local junior high school baseball team which is underfunded. He plans to volunteer his time in order to help the team stay alive and hopefully grow. “Maybe I’ll use this $10 toward helping them,” he said.

Something Read pointed out about the $10 was interesting. “I hardly ever use paper money,” he says explaining that he prefers to use credit and bank cards. He posed an interesting question. “I wonder how the responses of the people you meet would differ if you direct deposited the money into their accounts instead of giving them cash.” I have never thought about that but Read’s got a point. People would probably use it differently. He assured me that he would not put this $10 in his account, that it would get passed on.

Read's name is also a family name. It was his father's middle name and the maiden name of his great-great aunt. (photo: Reed)

Just a little side note about the pictures I took of Read. While I was shooting the photos, a guy nearby overheard my disgust in not being able to get the correct lighting for the shot. Sven, originally from Sweden, kindly came over and leant me a hand getting my aperture and shutter speed set better to accommodate the dwindling light. Thanks Sven…that’s what it’s all about – helping one another!

By the way, I walked back by where Garrett was supposed to be until 10:00pm a good hour before that time and he was already gone. 🙂

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Day 279 – Ryan J.

Posted in Alcohol, tagged $10, beer, DC, employment, events, football, jobs, sales, sports, students, vendors, washington on October 5, 2010| 3 Comments »

Ryan hawks some beers on his first day at work at FedEx Field. (photo: Reed)

What does today’s recipient have in common with yesterday’s recipient? They both carry things for a living. Harold from yesterday carries the mail in DC while Ryan carries beer for thirsty sports fans at the Redskins games.

The 21-year-old, who wears a badge identifying him as Vendor #623, said that today was his first day on the job! I asked him how it was going and he said, “The beer is heavy. Really heavy.” Just for that I bought one of his chilled Budweisers…you know, to help his tired arms and aching back out. The container he is carrying around looks like it holds about a case and a half of 16 oz bottles. Add some ice and water to that and you got a back-breaker of a load.

He says that he has already gone back three times to pick up additional beer. He kept moving and I followed him a little bit and talked to him between his sales.

"The beer is heavy. Really heavy.” - Ryan (photo: Reed)

He told me that is a sophomore studying business at the University of Maryland. I’m quite certain that in his first hours at work there at the stadium he has already learned some business skills. I am guessing that he has learned a thing or two about the price inelasticity of demand when it comes to products like alcohol! Maybe he can get college credit for his job. It doesn’t matter that he is selling beers for ten times the cost that they would be sold at a supermarket, people will still buy it. I bet they could charge $15 a beer and still have tremendous sales. I hope owner Dan Snyder is not reading my blog and getting any ideas!

Well no surprise here what Ryan chose to do with the $10. Yep, he’s going to buy some beer when he gets off of work.

Ryan finds some thirsty fans. (photo: Reed)

As for the game, the Redskins held a 17-point lead late in the 3rd quarter and then managed to blow it giving up 20 points to loose 27-30 to the Houston Texans. The season is not looking good…

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Day 278 – Harold J.

Posted in Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, DC, Dupont, letters, mail, post office, washington on October 4, 2010| 6 Comments »

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." - unknown (photo: Reed)

How often do you sit down with pen and paper and write someone a letter these days? My guess is that if you are reading this blog you are more likely to send an email. I still try to send at least one hand written note each month, but often times I fall short of that goal. It is so much easier to send an email, text message or update my Facebook status. Have you ever wondered how this has affected people who depend on the mail for their livelihood?

Meet Harold, a 22-year veteran of the US Postal Service. I met him in front of my apartment and decided that he should be my person of the day. I have tried to give my ten dollars to other postal workers and have succeeded once on Day 12 and failed on Day 254. This time I succeeded.

photo: Reed

Harold is a letter carrier – and letter carrier is the proper title if you were wondering. He took a few minutes out of his busy day to chat with me as he organized the mail from his van.

“Things have changed a whole lot over the years,” Harold tells me. “Mostly because of the internet; less volume.” He says that advancements in technology have clearly benefited him in many ways in his personal life, however, professionally it has come with challenges. “Job-wise it’s killing me,” he says explaining that his hours have been reduced due to the reduction in posted mail.

We walked and talked briefly as he moved through the neighborhood. He keeps moving pretty good too.

He said he was going to give his $10 to his wife. “That’s what I do with everything else,” he says smiling.

Harold has worked for the Post Office for 22 years. (photo: Reed)

He was busy and I didn’t want to be responsible for the wrong letter winding up at the wrong address so I let Harold go on his way. Support your local letter carrier and send a hand written letter today. You’ll be surprised how good it feels and the recipient will be ecstatic to receive something personal rather than bills and junk mail!

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Day 277 – Michelle B.

Posted in Food & Beverage, tagged $10, Alcohol, DC, drugs, food, homeless, homelessness, nonprofits, poor, shelters, sobriety, volunteering, washington on October 3, 2010| 4 Comments »

Volunteers enabled SOME to prepare almost 400,000 thousand meals last year. (Photo: Thom Wolf)

Volunteering is an integral part of society. It helps ensure that essential public services are provided, builds social capital and fosters cohesive communities all while benefiting the volunteer as well by giving them opportunities to acquire new skills, have sense of purpose and integrate them into their community. I encourage everyone to find some volunteer activity to do at least once a month. It doesn’t need to be formal either. It could be as simple as raking your elderly neighbors leaves, helping someone learn to read, or offering to provide a professional service or trade that you are skilled in at no cost. Former President Clinton said in his book Giving, “Almost everyone – regardless of income, available time, age, and skills – can do something useful for others and, in the process, strengthen the fabric of our shared humanity.” How true he was.

On Day 277 I was volunteering at So Others Might Eat (SOME), an organization that has impressed me tremendously. For 40 years they have been feeding and clothing DC’s homeless and poor, treating the ill in their medical, dental and mental health programs, training individuals for jobs and housing those in need.

It was a Friday morning and I was volunteering in their dining room. They serve breakfast and lunch to a couple hundred people in a short span of time so things need to be done quickly and efficiently.

Michelle will celebrate eight years of sobriety on October 16th! (photo: Reed)

This is where today’s recipient comes in. In addition to being the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator, Michelle also is the Dining Room Manager. In other words, while I am working in the dining room, she is my boss. And let me tell you, she makes the place run. She knows when not to take crap from someone but also knows when someone just needs a hug. I even saw her take a minute to dance a little to the music that was playing and she’s got some moves!

Born in DC General Hospital, Michelle grew up in PG County. She went to Largo High School and went on to study cosmetology. But then things changed. “I got into drugs and alcohol and let them override my education,” she explained. “I was in and out of treatment, in and out of jail. It was not a good situation.” She became sober on October 16^th, 2002 – same sobriety anniversary as Bob! She worked a few jobs but really wanted to work at SOME. “I applied and then was calling, calling, calling you know and I finally got the job!”

Michelle has three grown children and a grandchild. She now lives on Capitol Hill, owns a vehicle and has a steady job that she enjoys. “I am grateful for so many things.”

Michelle (right) with co-worker Brittany. (photo: Reed)

Michelle, who turns 48 in less than two weeks, says that it’s the little things that make her day. “You know, sometimes people will come up to me and say ‘thank you, you helped me so much’ and that means a lot to me.” She gets to know some of their guests very well. “I’ve been to funeral services for some of them…in fact I’m going to one today.”

She’s a people person. “I think I’m funny,” she says with a smile. She is and has a great smile, but she can be tough too. “We don’t tolerate disrespect or disruptive behavior here.” Just then a guest walks by and asks her a question. She greeted them by saying, “Hello friend, what can I do for you?” She calls everyone “friend.” Michelle is one of those people that define the organization’s culture. Weak organizations, especially service related organizations, lack people like Michelle.

SOME is located at 71 O Street in NW Washington DC. (photo: Reed)

The ten dollars I gave her would be spent on something small for herself. “I’m going to be good to myself!” She said she might get a sub from Subway.

If you are in the DC area and need a good place to volunteer, check out SOME. Why not get a bunch of your friends or coworkers together and set up a day for you all to go and volunteer together. More details on how you can help can be found here.

So Others Might Eat (SOME)

71 ‘O’ Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 202.797.8806

www.some.org

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Day 276 – Jake W.

Posted in Something for others, tagged $10, baseball, college, DC, dogs, media, sports, washington on October 2, 2010| 1 Comment »

On Day 276 I had some company with me as I searched for a recipient. A news crew from Spain’s television network CUATRO were following me around for a story they were doing on my Year of Giving. We met at Illy Café and chatted for a short while before heading to a nearby park where I tried to give my $10 to a man sitting in the park. He refused.

We then started heading north on 21^st Street I think. It had been drizzling all day but the rain started to pick up a little bit and we sought shelter under an awning that extended over the sidewalk for a few minutes. I then spotted a young guy walking two dogs across the street and I thought I would approach him.

I ran over to Jake with the news crew chasing after me.

Jake was helping his girlfriend out by walking her dogs. They were cute dogs. I remember the dog on the right is named Georgia. (photo: Reed)

Jake is a local to the Greater DC area. He grew up in Alexandria, VA and graduated from T.C. Williams High School. Now, 29, Jake is studying psychology at George Washington University.

On this specific day he was taking his girlfriend’s dogs for a walk. He said that he would probably use the $10 to sponsor a day of dog walking for her some day. “Her dog walker charges $10 for a walk, so this will help her out for at least one day,” he told me.

Jake is 29 so he is not your traditional undergraduate college student. I asked what he had chosen to do after graduating high school and his answer surprised me. “Well, I came to GW and studied for a couple years but then I was drafted by the San Francisco Giants to play baseball in the 2002 draft.” Wow…I guess I should tell you that I used to dream of playing professional baseball for the New York Mets so I was pretty excited to meet a professional baseball player. No, I didn’t grow up dreaming about being laid off my job and giving $10 away…that just sort of happened.

Jake making a double play look easy. (photo: Matt Thornton)

He played for nine years in the minor league organization of the Giants. He spent most that time playing 2^ndbase and shortstop for their AA and AAA farm teams. “It was a great experience,” he shared with me. “You learn a lot. You are consistently setting a goal to get better, always working to get to where it is you want to go.” He went on to say that the fact that he was playing for half the year and then off for the other half made it really hard to stay focused on those goals.

Jake talking to the Spanish news reporter. (photo: Reed)

“People would always tell me that my baseball career was going to help me so much in my professional life after baseball,” Jake said. “I’m sure it will…using what I learned about setting goals, the drive that I have.” I have no doubt. Professional sports are highly competitive and only the best like Jake can survive for extended periods of time. When I used to hire sales people I loved candidates who were runners or disciplined in some athletic area. They understand commitment and know that you will have to go through considerable pain sometimes to achieve their goal. They don’t quit.

I did some searching on Jake and found this interesting clip. Apparently it is not live footage from a game rather a commercial that was taped for Gatorade. The announcer lists the Fresno left fielder as Jake and although he didn’t play outfield much, I have a feeling it is him since he played for Fresno. I tried to confirm this with him but I must have written his email down incorrectly. If you know Jake, please put me in touch with him. Anyway, have a look, it’s a cool clip.

By the way, you may remember that I happened to give $10 to another professional baseball player in May, Anthony on Day 158. It’s either a small world or I got to too many baseball games.

We said goodbye and Jake continued on his way with the dogs. (photo: Reed)

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Day 275- Diego U.

Posted in Gave the money back, tagged $10, celebrations, DC, fiesta, hispanics, independence, Kennedy Center, Latinos, Mexicans, Mexico, patriotism, washington on October 1, 2010| 1 Comment »

Moleskine: The official unofficial journal of the Year of Giving

I keep all my notes from the people I meet in a small Moleskine notebook. I had filled up my third notebook and today I cracked open my fourth one. By the way, Moleskine was very cool and sent me six notebooks when they heard about my project! I use the small pocket-size ones and they sent me the exact size I use in a variety of styles. Some have hard covers, others have soft covers. I think I prefer the hard cover ones – they seem to hold up a little better as I schlep them around with me every day in the elements. Anyways, thank you Moleskine! You guys rock!

I used to live in Mexico when I was in high school and for a short while in college. I have a very special place for the people of Mexico, especially those from my “home town” of Guasave, Sinaloa.

1,000+ people attended the celebration (photo: Reed)

2010 is the year of the Bicentennial Celebrations in Mexico. This wonderful country is commemorating 200 years of independence from Spanish rule and 100 years of its revolution that began in 1910 and toppled dictator Porfirio Diaz. Mexican Independence Day is September 16^th but is often celebrated on the evening of the 15^th. Here in Washington there was a huge celebration put on in the outdoor courtyard at the Kennedy Center that was free to the public. As I listened to live music and watched the jubilation unfold, I noticed a large Mexican flag in the center of the courtyard. I decided to give my $10 to whoever was holding that flag!

Diego is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo: Reed)

Diego, whose real name is Dagoberto but nobody calls him that, stood in the center of the crowd holding the red, white and green flag. Originally from the state of Chihuahua which is located in northern Mexico, the 21-year-old has lived in Maryland for two years now. His father runs a security company that provides services to a branch of the federal government. Diego, who is the middle of three kids in the family, works there with his dad and also takes English classes. Although he likes being able to work with his father he hopes to get his degree and establish his own career.

“I want to succeed,” he says with pride.

There were fireworks after the famous Grito de Dolores. (photo: Reed)

“This is an important day for me and all Mexicans,” Diego told me in Spanish. “It’s a day that we spend with our friends and families. It’s a day that makes me particularly proud to be Mexican. It makes me cry.” He smiled and added, “I’m just kidding about the crying part, but really, it is very special.”

There were about a dozen of Diego’s friends around us celebrating. I let him go with one final question, “What will you do with the $10?”

“Well, I have been thinking about that. At first I thought I would just buy me and my friends some beer tonight, maybe some Modelo Especial, but I think I have changed my mind,” he said pausing and looking far off into the crowd. He looked back at me and said, “I would like to give the money to you. You are doing lots of good with your project and I would like you to have my $10.” I explained that I would be happier if he did something else with it, but it’s not about me, it’s about what he wants to do with it. He said he was sure about his decision and placed the $10 back in my hand.

Diego decided to give me his $10. Thank you Diego! (photo: Reed)

I thanked him for the $10. We took this photo together and exchanged some final words in Spanish before saying goodbye and wishing each other the best of luck.

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Day 274 – Chad C.

Posted in Transportation, tagged $10, bureaucracy, cars, DC, government, hell, waiting, washington on October 1, 2010| 1 Comment »

What is worse? A trip to the dentist or the Department of Motor Vehicles?

After waiting for 30 minutes to get inside the DMV building, you get to wait in this room. The room is 3 times the size of what you see here. (photo: Reed)

I headed over to the DMV to get my car’s emissions levels re-inspected after a faulty oxygen sensor failed me the first time. After passing the test, I went around the block to the DMV’s administration center to register my car in the District.

Primary elections in DC were being held next door to the center and parking was limited. When I arrived I was greeted by a line of other DC residents snaking out the door. And this line was just to get a number to get placed in another waiting area. Typical!

I looked at my watch and saw that it was 9:18am.

In front of me was a guy who was passing the time thumbing away on his phone. I realized that I was in for a long morning at the DMV and introduced myself to Chad and asked him to accept my $10. Chad accepted and told me that he was there to renew his license and change his address.

Chad said he'd rather go to the dentist than visit the DMV! (photo: Reed)

“I went to get something notarized and they said that I needed a new license because one of the corners was broken because I sat on it,” he said before pausing. “Man, I’d rather go to the dentist than come here!”

I’m with Chad on that one.

As we inch forward in line he tells me that this was his second trip to the DMV this week.

“So I went online on Monday and checked the cameras to see how long the lines were on Monday and there was no line at all. So I came down here only to find out that the reason that there was no line was because THEY DON’T OPEN ON MONDAYS!! The place was closed.”

That’s funny.

Now holding number C325, Chad looked at the monitor that shows which number they are servicing. He had 20 people in front of him. I asked Chad how long he thought it would take to get through the system. “I’ll hopefully leave here in 45 minutes so that I can get to work on time, if not, I’ll have to call my boss and say I will be late.” That time came and went and Chad pulled out his phone and dialed his boss. He got some extra time, but it proved to not be enough. He finally left around 10:45. It would take another 50 minutes before they called his number.

My number was called a few minutes later. As it turns out I waited almost two and a half hours to be called on. It would take ten minutes to complete my transaction. And here is the weird part. They asked if I wanted to transfer my old tags to my new car or get new ones. I had my old tags with me and said I would probably just keep my old ones. Not only would it be cheaper but it would also be better for the environment. But wait! I was wrong. It turns out it was more expensive to keep my old tags because they would have to renew them which had fees attached to it. That’s insane. So what did I do? I surrendered my old license plates and got new one.

Chad filling out one of the many forms they give you. (photo: Reed)

The 29-year-old told me he was going to use the $10 to help pay for parking while he was at work. “The hotel charges $35 a day, but I park nearby where it costs $13, so this will go toward today’s parking.”

By the way, I learned that Chad was born and raised in DC. He graduated from the LAB School and then went on to study business at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. I had never heard of this university when I met Chad, but then heard of it again recently when the controversies over Delaware candidate for Senate Christine O’Donnell looked into her educational background. After school Chad managed a McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant but later opted to leave for a less stressful position. Now he is a server at a steakhouse in a luxury hotel in downtown DC.

I asked him if any of the readers of the Year of Giving could help him in any way and he said he would appreciate it if any Life Coach would be willing to donate some time to work with him. Several Life Coaches have reached out to me so I have the feeling we will find someone for Chad.

FYI this entry filled up the last page of my third notebook that I have used so far this year. Tomorrow I crack open a new one.

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Day 273 – Elina P.

Posted in Phone, tagged $10, cafes, DC, football, international, school, soccer, sports, washington on September 29, 2010| 1 Comment »

I sat at Illy Café at the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and M Street sipping a double espresso. To my right sat a girl who seemed to also be writing in a journal of sorts. The last time I saw someone writing in a journal we got to meet Roey…maybe this would turn into a recipient 273.

I asked her to accept my $10. She did and asked to take a few minutes to talk to her for the blog post. Coincidentally she was waiting for someone that she was going to interview!

I am usually pretty good a detecting accents and determining where people are from, but I had no idea about Elina. First let me say that she speaks incredible English. Occasionally I would hear a slight accent that would make me think Eastern European. But just when I would think that was it, I would detect an ever so slight southern twang! I give up!

Elina hails from Regensburg, Germany. (photo: Reed)

So it turns out that she was born in Russia but grew up in the small town of Minden, Germany which is about 25 miles west of Hanover. Her flawless English is probably partly due to her time in the US as an au pair and a year that she spent studying in Virginia on a scholarship. “It completely changed my life.” These days she lives in Regensburg, Germany. “People kind of know who I am there because I was voted “party queen of Regensburg” on StudiVZ, a German social networking site similar to Facebook.

So I discover that she is in DC for about two months doing research for her undergrad thesis paper that studies society’s perception of soccer in Washington, DC. “So I am actually interviewing people for my research,” she explained. “I’m actually waiting for the President of a fan group for DC United.”

The $10 will come in handy Elina tells me. “I’ve been refusing to add more minutes to my American cell phone since I’m leaving next week. I’m down to just $5 now and this will hopefully get me through these final days.” She actually says that unlike most other 23-year-olds she hates having a cell phone. “I didn’t have one until I started my studies.”

Just then a guy approached our table and she asked, “Are you Paul?” Her interview subject had arrived.

Elina used the $10 to add minutes to her cell phone. (photo: Reed)

Paul is one of the leaders of the Screaming Eagles, a 1,100 member fan community for DC’s professional soccer club. All three of us chatted for a while about random topics. I didn’t want to impose on the time Elina had set up to meet with Paul so I said goodbye to both of them and excused myself.

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Day 272 – James M.

Posted in Food & Beverage, Something for others, tagged $10, DC, fans, football, Redskins, sports, washington on September 28, 2010| 1 Comment »

This was a sports weekend. NASCAR yesterday then the Redskins game on Sunday. I almost tried to go to the Nationals’ afternoon game on Sunday just to be able to say that I have been to a NASCAR race, a MLB game and a NFL game within 24 hours! It would have been crazy.

The ‘Skins were playing the Cowboys so it was one of those games where there is a lot of trash talking. Some of it was happening right in front of us. There was a guy wearing a jersey of the newly acquired Redskins’ quarterback Donovan McNabb sitting directly in front of us who was dishing it out to some Cowboys fans sitting to our left. It seemed friendly, but there was lots of ribbing going back and forth.

James dishes it out at the Redskins home opener. (photo: Reed)

The Cowboys fans got a good laugh when “McNabb” was booted from his seat by some other fans who apparently had tickets for those seats. Realizing that he had been busted, “McNabb” swaggered down the steps but not before some final words for the Cowboys fans in the section. He disappeared inside the stadium.

I saw him reappear in the section next to ours a little while later and went to try to catch up to him. I went down and over a section and found the man wearing number 5 in a corridor that connects the seating area to the concession stand area.

This father of four turned 37 on September 14th. (photo: Reed)

When James is not boasting about the Redskins, he is working at Walter Reed Medical Center working with the Wounded Warrior program. [This is the second time I have crossed paths with the Wounded Warrior program during my Year of Giving. The first time was with Manni from Day 131.] He is also the father of four, two boys and two girls. “You know what I’m gonna do with this $10,” he asked. “I’m gonna get my one-year-old son some Pampers!”

I met James two days before his 37th birthday. “I’ve been a Redskins fan since I was four years old!” James proudly told me. He claims Santana Moss as his favorite player. The team is coming off a very disappointing year and I asked him how he felt about this year’s season under new leadership from coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Donovan McNabb. He told me that he thought the team would go 12-4. He added, “I feel a Superbowl this year!”
He is certainly enthusiastic. You can get a feel for the energy I am talking about by watching this short video.

As a longtime fan, James attends every home game and is part of a group called the Redskins Diesel 44 Bus. He invited me to visit the tailgating bus some time, “It’s a pimped out bus that’s got good food!”

The home team went on to squeeze by the Cowboys 13-7. Despite their opening day win, they have not been so successful in their two most recent outings bringing their record to 1-2. Could this be a repeat of 2009?

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Day 271 – Roger G.

Posted in Something for others, tagged $10, Alcohol, funny, NASCAR, racing, Richmond, stories, VA, video on September 28, 2010| 1 Comment »

American flags welcome the cars as they come around for the start of the race. (photo: Reed)

In the US, NASCAR is second only to the NFL in terms of televised audience for sporting events. It claims 75 million fans who purchase over $3 billion in annual licensed product sales making it one of the most brand-loyal organizations in the world. So when my friends Tom and Tressa invited me to go to the Sprint Cup Series NASCAR event in Richmond on September 11^th, I couldn’t say no.

Here is something I found amazing. Compare Football to NASCAR. When my buddy Chris invites me to a Washington Redskins game I feel like owner Dan Snyder is always trying to get more money out of me some way. As if the $75 ticket I paid wasn’t enough. Ok, I’ll be honest. I don’t think my Chris, who has season tickets to the Redskins, has ever accepted a dime for the tickets he gives me, however, I am sure he’s paying Mr. Snyder. They charge $50 and up for parking, beers are $8, a sandwich is $10, there’s even been talk about making fans pay to tailgate! In contrast, NASCAR, which was started by Bill France in 1948 and still family owned, has a different approach. Perhaps this is what makes their fans so loyal. When we arrived at the Richmond International Raceway in Henrico County, VA, parking was free! What’s more, you were allowed to bring your own food and beverages into the stadium. Heck, the only other thing you really need to buy while you are there are earplugs. And those are provided at the track by the Boy Scouts in exchange for a donation.

From left to right, Josh, Roger, John, Turner and Jim (photo: Reed)

Anyway, speaking of food and beverages, we decided to do a little cookout prior to the race. A few cars away I spotted a group of five guys enjoying a few beers and laughs and wandered over there to find a recipient for my $10.

Instead of splitting the $10 five ways they choose for Roger, the president of a commercial real estate construction company in West Virginia, to receive the money. I later found out that the five men didn’t know each other before the race. Roger was there with a colleague of his, Josh. The two of them met John and Turner there tailgating. Jim wandered by at some point and made friends as well. It’s amazing what a little Budweiser and 45 cars speeding around in a circle can do to bring grown men together.

Roger said he was rooting for the #88 car, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Turner favored the FedEx car driven by Denny Hamlin. Jim worked for Ford for many years but said he was a fan of Chevrolet’s cars. None of them appeared to be die-hard fans of any one particular driver, just fans of NASCAR.

Roger told me some crazy stories about him having a condition he called “sleep terror.” I looked it up and found it to be more commonly called night terror, or pavor nocturnus, which according to Wikipedia is a parasomnia disorder that causes people to wake up abruptly from their sleep. This is often accompanied by gasping, moaning or screaming while they are waking. It is often nearly impossible to fully awaken a person experiencing a night terror so most individuals end up settling back into deep sleep and have no recollection of the episode.

Roger told me about a time when he was 17 and his parents finally woke him up in the middle of the night after they heard noises coming from the kitchen and found him there alone with a kitchen knife. “I thought I had a tick,” he told me. “I was trying to get it out.” Luckily his parents were able to wake him up and nobody was injured. Think this sounds crazy, check out two other stories Roger shared with me. I also included a short scene from the race…its hard to appreciate the speed and noise on video, but trust me they’re moving fast and it’s deafening!

Now it sounds to me like some of his sleep terror could be a result of the 12-packs of beer that are involved. Who knows? 🙂

I asked Roger what he was going to do with the $10 and he said he was going get something for his kids. “I’ve got one that is eight and the other is ten,” he told me as he tucked the bill away in his wallet.

Before leaving he told me that he thought of something that I could put on the Lend a Hand section. “I’d like my friend Josh here to get a chance at singing country music,” he said of his colleague who had joined him for the race. Josh enjoys singing but was a little shy at the moment to belt out some tunes in the middle of the beer drenched field.

Roger's favorite, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 34th at Richmond. (photo: Reed)

It was getting close to race time so we said our goodbyes and headed over to the track. I admit that I don’t know the first thing about NASCAR or any motor racing sport for that matter. I mean it took me a while to realize that former football coach Jimmy Johnson wasn’t driving the #48 car. That would be Jimmie Johnson, a difference of about 30 years and 50 pounds. It would have been impressive though had it been him. And hey, you can’t fault me too much thinking that with all the talk about Joe Gibbs’ racing team. Speaking of which, the Gibbs team went on to take first and second place in that night’s race. First place went to Turner’s pick, Denny Hamlin in the #11 car. His teammate, Kyle Busch, finished second in the #18 car. As for Roger’s hopeful, Dale Jr., he finished a disappointing 34^th.

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Day 270 – Molly R.

Posted in Cigarettes, tagged $10, DC, Dupont Circle, food, jobs, night, obama, president, smoking, washington, yogurt on September 27, 2010| 1 Comment »

It was Friday night and I wandered out around my house to look for a recipient. I don’t recall exactly what time it was, but if I had to guess I would say it was around 10:30pm.

Molly was very suspicious of my intentions at first, but she gave me a chance. (photo: Reed)

I walked over to Dupont Circle. I have probably given my $10 away at this location over 50 times. I was trying to think how I could differentiate this experience from the other 50+ times. I walked around but just didn’t see anyone that struck me. I left the circle and started heading northwest on Massachusetts Avenue. I spotted a PNC bank on my right where a young woman was withdrawing money from the ATM.

I thought to myself. She obviously needs some money, she’s at the ATM, right? Also, I thought it would somewhat of a challenge to approach someone using an ATM late at night.

Keeping about 10 feet between us, I waited until Molly finished putting away her cash and called out to her. I could tell that she felt a little threatened. “I’m not interested,” she said as she started to walk away. I asked her to just hear me out. Still keeping my distance, I gave her my pitch and tried to win her confidence. If I were in her shoes, I don’t know if I would have stopped to talk to a stranger who just saw me get money from an ATM machine late at night.

Molly told me that she just got off work from nearby Sweet Green. “I drive the Sweet Flow Mobile that goes around town,” she told me with a slight grin. Although she has only been doing this for nine months, Sweet Green has been in business since about 2007. I have eaten there. Salads and yogurt are both pretty good.

I asked her if I could ask her a few questions to which she responded, “Can I smoke a cigarette?” It’s a free world I thought, so go ahead. “I was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland,” she told me as she put the cigarette to her lips and lit it. She is in college studying history with a special interest in Jewish studies and the holocaust.

She told me about a backpacking trip she took across Europe and how she is planning to backpack through Asia next summer. She even traveled to Morocco with her Quaker High School.

She has an older brother who lives in London and her father is a highly regarded reporter for the Washington Post. She shared a story about a time when her father was on the Jon Stewart show and she got to go with him to the studio. I actually watched one of the clips online and found it pretty interesting.

We walked around the building where we met and she showed me the Sweet Flow Mobile that she drives around. Check out her special invitation for Barack Obama.

I asked her what she was going to do with th $10. “I’ll probably get a pack of cigarettes,” she told me. I explained that she would be the sixth person to use the money for cigarettes. My mother was a smoker for many years and died of heart disease at a fairly young age. That on top of the fact that I think it is kind of a disgusting habit always makes me cringe a little internally when someone chooses to buy cigarettes with the money. But that is her prerogative. She shrugged her shoulders and said that one day she hopes to quit, but not right now. Molly shared that her parents had actually offered her $500 to quit. “I said no,” the 20-year-old told me, “Today, there is no amount of money that would make me quit.” Wow, for anyone who thinks it’s easy to quit smoking, that statement should tell you something.

Molly said that she would be happy to take the Sweet Green Mobile to the White House for President Obama. (photo: Reed)

Before leaving I asked her where people can find the Sweet Flow Mobile. “We’re never at the same place two days in a row, but people can check out the schedule online to find us!” I said goodbye and wished her luck getting President Obama to visit her.

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Day 269 – Doris S.

Posted in Church, tagged $10, at work, cars, church, Falls Church, VA on September 26, 2010| 1 Comment »

Doris driving my Jetta. You can't see it well, but VolksWerks is in the background. (photo: Reed)

I told you recently that my car has had a bunch of problems. Well, I finally bit the bullet and took my car to VolksWerks, a VW/Audi mechanic in Falls Church, VA. I needed to get some work done in order to pass DC’s emission tests. I dropped the car off early Friday morning. Like a lot of places, they offer to drop customers off at nearby Metro stops. Doris, the office manager, gave me a ride in my vehicle over to the East Falls Church Metro station. On the way I figured I would give her my $10. I mean, this is an interesting scenario. Someone I don’t know is driving around in my car! So, I pulled out my $10 and asked if she would accept it.

She agreed and had a few questions about the Year of Giving.

“I know exactly what I am going to do with it,” Doris said as she turned onto a side street. “I’m going to give it to my church, the Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church in McLean.”

Doris shared that she had recently started dating a man who was really interested in her church. “I did nothing to cause that, he just did it on his own,” she explained. “I’m going to donate this $10 to my church on behalf of him and his soul.” She explained how beautiful it was to see him growing with his faith.

Honda Shadow Spirit 750cc

It was early and we were stuck in some morning rush hour traffic. I asked 32-year-old Philadelphia native to tell me about herself, what kind of things she liked, hobbies, etc. She told me that she recently got a motorcycle. “I got a Honda Shadow Spirit 750cc.” I don’t think I could ever own a motorcycle. My brother has one, but I can’t ignore that no matter how safe you are some other idiot can hit you and you just don’t have as much protection as you do in a car. This is all coming from someone who has 100+ jumps as a skydiver…then again, I haven’t done any skydiving for almost ten years, so maybe I’m just becoming more of a chicken as I get older.

In addition to being a motorcycle enthusiast, Doris has something else in common with my brother. They both went to Drexel University in Philadelphia. She studied music there.

She also has completed a couple triathlons. She even did one while coping with a foot injury. Wow… that must be really hard.

My 2000 Jetta has seen better days. (photo: Reed)

We arrived at the Metro station and I thanked her for the ride. I traveled back into DC and went on with my day. My car was not done that day, so I had to go back and pick it up the following day. It cost me about $500 to get the emissions issues fixed on my car. Just another reason for me to consider getting Zipcar!

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Day 267 – Ismail I.

Posted in Food & Beverage, tagged $10, DC, economy, homeless, homelessness, international, jobs, washington on September 25, 2010| 2 Comments »

Ismail sleeping in the foreground as a cyclist pedals by on Rock Creek Parkway. (photo: Reed)

I made my way back from Pennsylvania to DC on Tuesday. It was such a beautiful drive home that I thought I should get outside and go for a bike ride. I got my Moleskine notebook, my camera, $10 and my audio recorder together and packed my Swiss Army backpack and headed out on my bike toward the Potomac River.

It was a perfect day. The sun was shining and people were out running and biking. As I got close to the river I saw lots of people practicing crew and

Ismail still trying to wake up. (photo: Reed)

others just leisurely enjoying the calm waters. About 100 yards from the manicured grounds of the Kennedy Center I found a man taking a nap on a shaded patch of grass on the northern bank of the Potomac.

I cautiously approached him, trying to make a little bit of noise so that I didn’t startle him, and called out, “Excuse me. I’m sorry to bother you, but do you have a minute.” Ismail slowly roused from a groggy state. He rubbed his eyes and wet his lips as he studied me and we slipped into an hour-long conversation about his life, politics, religion, economy and one Don Vito Corleone.

“I came here from Sudan 26 years ago to meet Marlon Brando,” Ismail says fighting off a cough. He shares that he has seen all of Brando’s movies. He is especially fond of Sayanora (1957) and the classic The Godfather (1972). To Ismail, Brando was not just an actor, but much more. “His movies had meaning and Brando himself stood for things. His movies didn’t have any garbage.” Still fighting off the sleep, he admits that he unfortunately never got to meet his idol.

I dug around in my backpack for my Moleskine notebook where I take notes about the people I meet. It also has a handy folder where I keep my ten dollars and cards that I give people. I realized I had left the book on my kitchen counter. Shoot. I checked my wallet, all I had was two twenties and four singles. Hmmm. What to do? Well, I will just offer him $20.

A crew team glides by behind Ismail. (photo: Reed)

“Oh! I’ve read about you. I remember you. There was a story about you in the Washington Post several months ago,” he says taking off his black modern looking glasses. “But you normally give $10, right, let me give you $10 change,” he offered. I told him to keep the extra ten; it would make for an interesting deviation in my giving.

“Did you think that I would ever find you,” I asked.

“If I tell you, you’re not going to believe me, but I was thinking about you two days ago,” he says. He had read an article somewhere about a guy who gave some money to a homeless guy in Rosslyn and he thought that perhaps it was me. I don’t think it was, but you never know. I have given to some people in Rosslyn which is just across the Potomac river.

Ismail originally came to the US from Sudan, the largest country in Africa and the Arab world. It’s a unique country in that it has nine neighbors with a variety of different cultures, religions and languages.

His move to the US was related to his work with the League of Arab States. 18 years ago, he left the organization and began driving a cab in DC. He recently was forced to stop driving his cab after racking up thousands of dollars of unpaid fines. He got his license revoked and had to give up his taxi cab. That was six months ago. “I sent my wife and son home to Sudan and moved out of our apartment to save money,” the father of three said. He tried the shelters but said that the conditions are so poor in most shelters that he prefers to sleep on the streets of DC. “I am saving money to pay the fines, so I don’t need to have extra things to pay such as rent right now.” He talks of a nice facility on Wisconsin Avenue where they allow eight individuals per day to shower there. “I go there and sometimes even receive mail there.”

Ismail has been homeless for six months. (photo: Reed)

He said he owed almost $5,600 in fines. I never fully understood how he accumulated these fines or what they were for. “I offered to pay them $150 per day every day at eight o’clock, but they said I had to pay everything at once, which I can not do.” He says he has saved up a couple thousand dollars through working as a dish washing but still needs approximately $2,075. Although he didn’t ask, I said maybe some of the readers of the Year of Giving would be able to help him. He at first declined this offer saying that he was healthy and could work so he didn’t need to receive any assistance from others, but then said, “Well, I would accept the help with one condition. If they would send me their name and address as well so that I can pay them back once I get my cab back.” I believe he was sincere with this promise.

“I’m going to put your twenty dollars toward the money I owe,” he told me.

Ismail laughs easily. (photo: Reed)

We chatted about the challenges of being homeless. Ismail paused as a plane on final approach to Reagan National Airport passed overhead before saying, “Even if someone is homeless or crazy, he still has dignity. He still needs to be listened to.” He said that if you take a person’s dignity away they don’t have anything left. I agree. It reminds me of Anthony from Day 6, a homeless man who I met sitting in the snow near Dupont Circle Metro who was sending Christmas cards to his family members. “I still have my pride,” Anthony told me last December.

I enjoyed my time with Ismail and I know I will see him again. If anyone wants to help him, let me know, I have his cell phone number.

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Day 268 – Wayne T.

Posted in Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, bus driver, Cleveland Park, DC, Metro, night, washington on September 24, 2010| 1 Comment »

I have received so many nice emails from people from Russia due to the media coverage that I have received there by Russia Channel One. I friend of mine who speaks Russian said the report was very well done. Spasiba!

Sometimes I find myself cutting it really close to midnight before I give my $10 away.

It was about 11:50pm and I was traveling south on Wisconsin Avenue just north of the National Cathedral. I saw a Giant supermarket on my right, but it was closed. Then I spotted a Metro bus waiting in front of the grocery store. I pulled into the parking lot and saw Wayne, a 22 year veteran of Metro, standing near his bus looking at his phone.

I met Wayne on his 47th birthday. (photo: Reed)

I jumped out of my Volkswagen and walked over to Wayne and explained what I was doing. He agreed to accept the $10 with two minutes to spare. I was lucky to catch him because he was getting ready to leave on his next run.

It turned out that it was Wayne’s birthday! I think he is the first person I have given to on their birthday. Happy 47^th Wayne! Instead of keeping the money for himself, he said that he would give the $10 to his 18-year-old daughter. “She graduated high school this year and doesn’t have a job, so she could definitely use it.”

Wayne started working for Metro because a relative of his worked there. In general he says he really likes his job, “I love helping people!” What he doesn’t care for is snow. “It’s the worst. I was lucky this year though, I was on vacation during both big storms we had.” He wasn’t so lucky though in the mid-nineties. A resident of Maryland, he said that he stayed at work for an entire week because of the snow and ice storms that hit the DC area.

Wayne just before closing the door and starting his route. (photo: Reed)

With over two decades of service, Wayne has seen a lot. “I’ve seen a lot of good people come and go; older guys who paved the way for a lot of us younger guys.” He explained that Metro upped the requirements at one point for drivers, requiring them to pass an exam which many of the veteran drivers failed. “They were good drivers too, but they couldn’t pass the test.”

I asked him about rude and unruly passengers. He says he gets all kinds of people. “Some times people are drunk and vomit on your bus,” he said shaking his head. But he just brushes that stuff off. “You know it’s all about how you choose to make your day. I don’t let it bother me.” I couldn’t agree more.

Wayne pulled away right on time. (photo: Reed)

He looked at his watch and said it was time for him to start his route. He put his phone away and stepped into the bus closing the door behind him.

Quick fact: Metro has a fleet of over 1,300 buses which provided 123.7 million rides last year. (source: Metro Facts, www.wmata.com)

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Day 266 – Barbara T.

Posted in Food & Beverage, Unknown, tagged $10, dogs, holidays, Mechanicsburg, night, pa, restaurants, travel on September 22, 2010| 2 Comments »

Barb in front of the laundromat in downtown Mechanicsburg, PA. (photo: Reed)

Day 266 was Labor Day.

I spent all day here at my dad’s house. I needed to go out and find someone to give my $10 to and he offered to join me. We were going to walk down to the downtown area of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, but his knee and back have been bothering him and he was not sure that walking down there would be a good idea. So we hopped in the car and drove over there and then walked around.

We parked in front of Dieners, a breakfast institution in this town. We walked east down Main Street, past Jo Jo’s Pizzeria, which incidentally has possibly the world’s best Italian sub, when I spotted a laundromat just past the Gingerbread Man. There were two women talking and my dad and I decided to walk up a little further to see who we find. We past the main square where Main and Market Streets come together and walked another block past Myer’s funeral home, where my mother’s funeral was held, until we arrived at Eckels Drug Store (trivia: this is where a scene from Girl Interrupted was filmed.)

Dad and I headed back toward the laundromat to give the $10 to someone there. When we got there Barb was coming out with her dog Diva.

Barb's pooch (photo: Reed)

Barb was born in Harrisburg and then moved to Shiremanstown before moving to Mechanicsburg some 45 years ago where she graduated from Mechanicsburg High School. She has three children and two step-children, 15 grandkids and one great-grandson who will be two soon. We spent a lot of time talking about her kids. In fact, she had just returned earlier that day from visiting her son down in Bel Air, Maryland.

She couldn’t decide what she was going to do with the ten dollars, but she did give me her address so I can follow up with her later and see what she decides on. When I told her that I find one person every day and I chose her for this day she said, “Wow…that is really great. It is really nice of you that you do this – not too many people would do it.”

“I love people,” the 62-year-old told me. She lit a cigarette, exhaled and went on, “I don’t have a lot of money to do things for others, but I am always volunteering my services.” She told me about a friend of hers who was going through a difficult time. Her friend, who is battling cancer, has a son in prison out near Pittsburgh who got extremely ill and is now in a coma. “I do what I can for her, sometimes just making some phone calls to let others know how she is doing.”

Barb didn't make it to Jo Jo's before they closed because she took time to talk to me. (photo: Reed)

Main Street was quite dark now and I checked my watch. It was 9pm. She was going to try to get some food at Jo Jo’s so we walked toward the restaurant that is housed in an old fire station. Unfortunately by the time we got there they had just locked the door. “I guess I will head up toward the Chinese place,” Barb said. I felt bad, had I not stopped to talk with her she would have made it in time to get her dinner at Jo Jo’s. Well, at least she had a few extra dollars for her dinner.

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Day 265 – James A.

Posted in Cigarettes, Food & Beverage, tagged $10, festivals, Harrisburg, helping me, homeless, homelessness, pa on September 21, 2010| 4 Comments »

Today’s blog marks the countdown of the final 100 days of my Year of Giving. Hard to believe that I have given away $2,650, met 265 incredible people and written 265 blog posts about the amazing journey that I embarked on December 15th of last year. I wanted to take a moment and just thank every one that has been a part of my year. From the recipients to the readers to my family and friends to the journalists to those who have sent items for the Lend a Hand project, you all have helped shape the journey. Thank you.

The Kipona Festival in Harrisburg dates back to 1916. (photo: Reed)

Day 265 takes place on Sunday September 5th in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My father and I drove over to the Kipona Festival along the sparkling shores of the Susquehanna River. The festival features a variety of food, children’s theatres, educational activities, arts and crafts, boat races, concerts and fireworks.

Some come to Kipona just for the food. (photo: Reed)

We strolled by hundreds of tents full of arts and crafts, food vendors and families enjoying the festivities. There were several people who I thought about giving my $10 to. There was Scott Matyjaszek, a 3-dimensional photographic artist who hand cuts all the photographs and then layers them to create what he calls “photo-reliefs.” His work was really impressive. You can check it out at www.artephax.com, however, I doubt you can fully appreciate his work since it is in fact the 3-D element that makes it so unique. There was also a young guy from Tennessee grilling some chicken that he marinated in oil, lemons and other spices. And I also thought about giving the money to Patty Hankin from Bethesda, MD who was there displaying some of her beautiful photographs of flowers.

James with the Walnut St. Bridge in the background. (photo: Reed)

But sometimes I feel like I don’t really choose. The recipients choose me. This is what happened when 42-year-old James asked me for money as I was shooting some photographs of the Walnut Street Bridge that connects City Island to Harrisburg.

James said he has been homeless for the past three and a half months and sleeps along the bank of the Susquehanna River. A graduate from Shippensburg University, he told me that he had fallen on tough times after being arrested for various charges including theft and DUI. On top of that, his girlfriend died unexpectedly. All of this caused him to lose his job as a funding/benefits coordinator.

“People sometimes don’t believe that a white college educated guy like me could be homeless, but I am,” James told me. He says that he lives off of panhandling and $150 a month that his brother, a television news producer in Washington, DC, sends him.

James said that he slept on the river bank near where this photo was taken. (photo: Reed)

James seemed nervous and said that needed to go. “I’m not going to lie to you, I am going to get me a sandwich at Sandwich Man and probably buy a cheap pack of menthol cigarettes.” He hurried off.

Just then my father, who had walked a few yards away to get out of the sun, introduced me to a gentleman sitting on a stone wall a few steps from where I met James. He gave me his business card and introduced himself as the chief of police from a neighboring community. He saw James approaching several individuals. “I tried to get your attention when he came up to you. I didn’t want you to get scammed.” The off duty chief said that he positioned himself right next to me in case anything happened. That was really nice of him to keep an eye out for me.

People often ask me if I believe everything that people tell me. Of course not, but I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Although I have faith in humanity, there was something about James and his story that didn’t sit well with me. He seemed so anxious to get going once he got the $10. Perhaps he was really hungry. Or maybe he has some addiction issues and went off to get his fix. Or maybe he just noticed the police chief paying attention to him and felt uneasy. Who knows? It really doesn’t matter for the most part. I am practicing unconditional giving, so the recipients can do anything they want with the money. I would like to hope that people are usually honest with me though.

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Day 264 – Dave G.

Posted in Something for themself, tagged $10, antiques, family, farming, Mechanicsburg, pa, tractors, video on September 21, 2010| 4 Comments »

Every Labor Day they hold the Granger's Fair.

I decided to drive up to my father’s house and spend the Labor Day weekend with him. On Saturday I made the two-hour drive from Washington, DC to Mechanicsburg, PA. Having grown up there and returned home countless times, I am very familiar with the route. I made my way through Dillsburg and then turned left onto York Rd. and drove about a mile. Then a right onto Williams Grove Rd. It’s only about 5 miles from there to my dad’s house. I hadn’t gone even a half mile when I saw a sea of farm equipment sprawled out over a field to my left. A little further I saw a sign that said “Welcome to Steam Engine Hill.” I decided to pull in and see what was going on.

“Dad, I’m going to be a little late for dinner, I’ve stopped up here at William’s Grove Park at a tractor exhibition or something,” I told my father on the phone. I paid $3 to park and got out of my car and started to walk around.

photo: Reed

There were hundreds of tractors. Sometimes you would look down an aisle and not see the end. There were all kinds too: large, small, new, old, shiny, rusty, diesel, gas, kerosene, etc. They had a parade at sunset and all the tractors were lining up getting ready to do a lap around the fairgrounds. I came across a guy atop a tractor that was waiting to get into the parade and I decided to introduce myself. We talked for a little while but he was reluctant to accept my $10. “I’m actually not the owner of this tractor,” he told me. That didn’t really matter to me, but he said he would rather pass on the opportunity. I walked a short distance away and saw a large old tractor that was inching its way forward in the parade.

Dave's parents paid $75 for the tractor in 1972. (photo: Reed)

Dave was at the wheel of a 1928 Farmall Regular, a four thousand pound American made tractor. I yelled up to him and asked if he had a few minutes to talk and he said, “Sure come on up.” I climbed up onto the tractor and tried to find a secure place to stand. Dave recommended that I sit down on the side of the tractor to ensure that I didn’t fall off. Probably a wise call.

“Hang on,” he hollered over at me. “I’ve got it floored.” Thankfully maximum speed on one of these guys is only three or four miles an hour.

photo: Reed

A mechanical engineer, Dave works as a project manager for a firm near his home in Millersburg, PA. “As a mechanical engineer this stuff really impresses me,” Dave says looking over at dozens of parked tractors.

I asked the 51-year-old how old he was and smiled and said, “Old enough to know better, too young to resist.” He is married and has three grown daughters. His passion for these vintage tractors and interest in engineering was not been passed on to his girls it seems. “I thought my oldest was going to be an engineer, but she turned out to be mathematically challenged,” Dave tells me with a grin. Although his daughters weren’t at the fair, his parents, wife and brother were all there. In fact I saw his father and brother driving some of the other tractors they own. That’s right, Dave owns several tractors, but I get the feeling that this Farmall is special.

He said he would probably put the $10 toward parts and supplies for his tractor. “It’s getting harder and harder to find parts for it.”

Dave allowed me to go through the parade with him. It was a great honor. I got literally a front row seat to the entire parade! We drove by main part of the parade and they announced Dave’s name and the tractor’s make, model and year. “There’s no judges, no prizes,” Dave says. “We do this because we love it.”

We made our way to the end of the parade and dismounted the classic row farming tractor. He points out that the original wheels were steel and although it runs on gasoline now it originally ran on kerosene.

Dave's brother Justin gives him a ride on a Wheel Horse tractor. "That was the first thing with a steering wheel that I ever drove." -Dave (photo: Reed)

Dave’s brother Justin came over and said hello. I took some more photographs of them and their tractors. They drove away on a small Wheel Horse tractor. Justin drove while Dave hitched a ride in trailer that it was pulling. I waved goodbye and headed on my way to my dad’s house.

I was really late by this time…thankfully he wasn’t upset. He was just happy to see me. Gotta love my dad!

Here is great video of me talking with Dave as we rode in the parade.

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Day 263 – Faith P.

Posted in Alcohol, Food & Beverage, tagged $10, dating, DC, international, music, night, politics, Spain, washington on September 19, 2010| 4 Comments »

For any Spanish speakers out there, you can see a news report on the Year of Giving by Spain’s CUATRO.

Jazz in the Garden happens every Friday night in the Summer at the National Gallery of Art's sculpture garden. (photo: Reed)

For today’s recipient we go to downtown Washington, DC on a Friday night to Jazz in the Garden; a free concert series featuring an array of jazz artists performing a range of styles—from swing to progressive to Latin—every Friday evening in the summer at the National Gallery of Art’s sculpture garden. Picture a beautiful outdoor setting with people relaxing on benches or blankets with picnic baskets while the sun sets and delightful music plays in the background. I was sure to find someone to give my $10 to here.

I found Faith, a 30-year-old government worker, standing next to the reflecting pool. She was on a date, but was kind enough to take a few minutes to learn about the Year of Giving. “I’m going to use the money to either buy some drinks tonight or possible some gelato,” she said as I placed the ten dollars in her hand.

Faith is planning a month-long celebration for her 31st birthday and calling it Faith Fest. (photo: Reed)

I asked if I could ask her some questions. “Sure, what do I care? My life is an open book.” I learned that Faith is originally from southeast Arkansas although she later moved to Little Rock. More recently she lived in Madrid for three and a half years until moving to DC about a year ago.

She is pretty funny. Most of her responses were witty and made me laugh. She told me about the previous person she dated. “I was in a charity auction where guys bid on you to raise money for the charity. So he kept bidding on me but somebody else won. He later asked me out though.”

She is a people person: part social networker part organizer. “I have never seen a city more into happy hours to benefit random causes,” she says referring to DC. She’s right, it seems that every charity and nonprofit in DC, with the exception of maybe Alcoholics Anonymous, has a happy hour once a month to raise awareness and money for their cause.

Speaking of occasions for imbibing, Faith mentions that her birthday is October 23^rd and this year she is planning Faith Fest – a month-long array of celebratory events in honor of the occasion. I think that is a great idea, why limit it to just one evening.

Spanish Eyes (photo: Reed)

I sensed a bit of an adventurous spirit in Faith and asked her to share the craziest thing she has ever done. “Oooh…” she said cooling herself with a bright red Spanish style fan, “that would be impossible for me to confess to you if you are going to put it on the internet.” She did share with me that she biked 500 miles across Spain from the Basque city of Irun along the famed Compestela trail to Santiago de Compostela.

As we were getting close to the primary election here in DC I asked her who she thought would win the mayoral race. She said she felt that Vince Gray would win. She was right too. Last Tuesday voters went to the polls and ousted current Mayor Adrian Fenty as the Democratic nominee.

Her date left some friends to come over and say hello and check out what was going on. After all, I was photographing the girl he was on a date with, so I can understand his curiosity. About the same time a security officer came by informing us that the sculpture garden was closing and that we needed to exit. On our way out Faith told me that she and her date were heading to dinner at Brasserie Beck, a great Belgian restaurant/bar.

Before leaving the couple I asked her if there was anything that she needed or wanted that YoG followers could help her out with. I got an interesting request. “Well, I have this Argentine leather coat that got left behind in Madrid and I would love it if someone would be willing to bring it to me here in DC.” So, leave Faith a message here if you or someone you know will be traveling from Madrid to Washington and willing to pick up the coat.

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Day 262 – Rusol A. & Iman N.

Posted in Savings, Unknown, tagged $10, culture, culture shock, dating, DC, Dupont Circle, international, war, washington on September 18, 2010| 1 Comment »

[Tonight] I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.” – President Barack Obama, Aug. 31, 2010

In March of 2003 President Bush ordered US troops to invade Iraq in what was called Operation Iraqi Freedom. About the size of California, Iraq has about 31 million people. Since 2003, many citizens of Iraq have been killed, displaced, or listed as missing. I met up with two young Iraqi women on Day 262. Meet Rusol and Iman.

Fountain at Dupont Circle (photo: Reed)

Sitting on the edge of the fountain at Dupont Circle the girls talk and laugh with one another like any other 21-year-old girls in the US. But I learn that these girls have lived a very different life than many of their peers here in DC.

Both originally from Baghdad, Rusol has been in the US for one year and Iman two years. Iman, a Sunni, came here because her father, a former officer in the Iraqi military, started receiving threats from terrorists. Rusol, a Shiite who lives with her mother and sister, also moved here in search of a more safe and stable society. “There are no more beautiful places in Baghdad,” they said. They have all been destroyed. Life is very different than what they remember before the war. “It used to be very safe there.” Despite all of this, they are both quite unhappy here in the US. “Living here is a little like jail,” Iman says. “People just work all the time. Before I came here I thought the US was very fun and lots of parties, but it has only been work, even on weekends, and no parties.” Rusol agreed, “It’s not like what we would see on TV.”

Although they are both working now, it took some time. “It’s hard to find a job here since we are still learning English,” Rusol says. On this day they had both just finished their shift at their nearby job at a restaurant. Rusol, an attorney back in Iraq, says that she would never tell her friends back in Iraq that she is working as a waitress.

People of Iraq

Day 262 was September 2^nd which is in the middle of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn until sunset. This month-long commitment is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility, and spirituality. I could tell the girls missed celebrating Ramadan like they would in Iraq. They told me that when the sun sets during Ramadan, nobody is on the streets. Everyone is inside. “It’s a good time for dating,” they say.

I was curious about how dating was different for young Iraqis. “Dating is not public,” Iman tells me referring to the fact that although quite common it is generally not welcomed by parents. “My mom used to tell me that if I wanted a boyfriend that I should marry him.” In spite of this, they told me that most young people do date. They, however, said they were in the minority and didn’t have boyfriends.

I asked them what they are going to do with their five dollars.

“I’m going to keep it,” Iman said. Rusol didn’t know yet what she would do with it. They said that although the Year of Giving would not be something that you would probably find people doing in Iraq, it could happen. “Especially after the war. Nothing is strange now, you can see anything,” Iman told me.

Something that really struck me was that both girls said that notwithstanding the insecurity and potential dangers of returning to Iraq, they preferred to move back. This made me so sad. They have not integrated into society here and made friends. Sometimes I think it is really hard to make friends here in the US. Especially for adults.

As we come to a pivotal point in the future of Iraq I wonder if things are any better there today than seven and a half years ago. Although I have the utmost respect for all the military service men (US, Iraqi and other nationalities) that have served their respective countries there, it doesn’t sound like things are “better.” So many lives have been lost. Almost 5,000 US soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. I have heard numbers from 151,000 to over a million. The girls estimate was closer to a million. My cousin made two tours in Iraq and thankfully he is safely back home in Tennessee now, however, I am sure his service there came at a cost to him.

What do you think? Are things better there today? I would love to hear from some people in Iraq.

If there are any Iraqi women in the DC area that have went through this difficult period that Rusol and Iman are going through and would like to reach out to them, let me know and I can try to connect you.

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Day 261 – Kathryn A.

Posted in Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, cars, DC, Dupont Circle, helping others, Metro, washington on September 17, 2010| 3 Comments »

Kathryn's car. (photo: Reed)

What are the chances that I come across two people with broken down vehicles two days in a row? Well, apparently pretty high.

You will recall that yesterday I told you about Vincenzo and his “ghetto dealership” purchase that resulted in a $700 trip to the mechanic. Well, today I want you to meet Kathryn.

I was a few blocks from home when I passed a car with the hood up and the door wide open parked on 20^th Street in front of a small park. As I walked by I scanned the surrounding area but didn’t see anyone who looked like they owned the car. Perhaps someone was unloading something and just left the door ajar. I decided to walk back and take a seat on a nearby bench and just observe the car for a few minutes. As I got to the bench I noticed a woman sitting in the park who was occasionally looking over her shoulder toward the abandoned Audi.

“Is that your car?” I asked

“Yes it is. I can’t get it to start,” Kathryn told me.

Wearing a floral sleeveless blouse and white pants, Kathryn explains that she thinks her battery is dead. “It just goes tick, tick, tick.” I offered to go get my car, which was a few blocks away, and try to give her a jump.

“Oh, that’s ok. I’ve already called my husband as well as a mechanic, so one of them should be here soon.”

The fifty-something year old DC resident is married and has two step-daughters. She explains that she often drives to the Dupont Circle Metro and leaves her car there and takes the subway to where she needs to go. “I came back and it wouldn’t start.”

About this time the mechanic called Kathryn. He was nearby but was having difficulty navigating some of the tricky streets near our location. Since I knew the area quite well, I offered to talk to him. She handed me the phone and I guided him through about a half-dozen streets until he arrived.

By that time her husband was also there.

The mechanic quickly got Kathryn's car started. (photo: Reed)

The mechanic grabbed a large yellow portable battery charger and within seconds had it connected to Kathryn’s battery and she was able to start the car.

Kathryn was reluctant to take the $10, but in the end accepted it and told me that she would pass it on to someone else. I hope that she checks the website and shares with us what she did with the ten spot.

UPDATE: 10/25/2010

I got the following email from Kathryn…

Hi Reed,
It is Kathryn and I met you on a very hot Sept. 17 at Dupont circle
when the battery of my car went dead.

I wanted to let you know that on Oct. 9 at Union Station I met and had a conversation with a homeless man named Fred. He hangs out on Mass. Ave 1/2 block from Union Station. I sat and spoke with him while I was waiting to pick up a friend.

He was so happy to have the $10.00 (Pay it Forward) and I told him to please buy some good food to eat. We also talked about the possibility of him learning to cook so that he might help out in a restaurant. It is a small world because when I dropped my friend at Union Station on Oct. 11 Fred was in the same spot. He was having some lunch and that made me smile. He seemed in a good way.

Thanks again for stopping to help me when I was in need. It felt so good to pass the money on to Fred. Keep him in your prayers. There are a lot like him out there.

Blessings.
Kathryn

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