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Kindness Investor Wanted

Posted in Kindness Investors, tagged jobs, Kindness Investor, unemployed, unemployment, volunteers on February 25, 2011| 2 Comments »

There’s no blog post today from a Kindness Investor…that’s because we don’t currently have one! 😦

So…I thought I would utilize today’s post to try to find one.

Wanted: 46 unemployed or underemployed individuals who are willing to be Kindness Investors for seven days! No prior experience necessary, just seven ten-dollar bills and a willingness to reach out to seven strangers and give them ten bucks and find out what they are going to do with it. Interested candidates can email reed@yearofgiving.org for more details!

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Day 27 – Pamela

Posted in Something for themself, tagged $10, Cromwell, CT, economy, jobs, libraries, Mike B., unemployment on January 25, 2011| 2 Comments »

-Blog post by Mike B., a Kindness Investor from Cromwell, CT

It occurred to me that when I first agreed to be a Kindness Investor, I should have some kind of a plan going in to my week of giving. Who would I give to? How would I choose? Would I get it right? How was my pre-rehearsed speech going to sound? After much thought, probably too much thought, I thought I’d follow Reed’s lead and just go with my gut. And it’s worked out for me so far!

In the beginning of this project for me, the week itself was a bit out of sorts. It started on a Wednesday after all. What week starts on a Wednesday? Mondays had always started my work week for 22+ years, but hey, I’m flexible. Of course since I’ve been unemployed, it’s more or less the same thing, except now Mondays are usually good “interview days”. The interviewer is usually a little more alert then the rest of the week and I’m a bit more on my “A” game. I’ll bet someone has done studies on this somewhere.

Cromwell Library

But as I didn’t have an interview today, I was able to spend a little more time in the library. I almost forgot how useful and resourceful libraries are! My local one has been a tremendous help in my unemployed days. I could work on my computer at home (and do), but in the library, there’s more chance of getting work done. And the librarians are extremely helpful as well. This library day was a good day for me, as it was where I met Pamela, the recipient of today’s $10.

Pamela is an unemployed nurse, or rather a nurse that just happens to be unemployed. She’s from Middletown, CT and has been a nurse for 29 years, most recently working for the State of New York in the disability area she said. I was in the Cromwell Library on a computer and she was in the next seat over. However, I was busy perfecting a cover letter while I was there and didn’t get the chance to talk to her. It seemed to be a busy day in the library as no sooner did she get up and leave, someone else sat right down and started doing their own internet surfing. My time was up on the computer (they give you an hour) and I was done with the cover letter, so it was time to find my recipient of the day. I headed over to where the newspapers were and there Pamela was to my surprise, with many forms in front of her. She had very light blond hair which stood out to me, and I knew, or I hoped, she was the one for today.

She looked very busy, but when I asked her if I could talk to her, and told her I would be brief, she graciously said okay. She lost her job with the state of New York nine days ago and she was working like a mad woman to make sure she wouldn’t be out of work much longer. She had all kinds of applications and forms in front of her to fill out, and she continued to do so as I spoke. She had been a nurse for 29 years and had seen quite a bit through those years. She mentioned that when the State of New York started to issue mandatory furlough days, she knew her time there was coming to an end. She said she worked all different shifts as a nurse and I wanted to ask more, but her mind was definitely on filling out those forms.

I asked if she could do it all over again, would she still be a nurse? Her answer was “Yes, that’s what I know how to do.” But after thinking a little more, she said, “Maybe an X-Ray technician or something else in the medical field.”

When I asked her what she would do with the $10, she said it will help paying for sending more forms out! She was headed to Kinko’s next, to fax all the forms to an office in Boston where I’m guessing she was applying. Faxing is a $1.50 a page at Kinko’s, so that adds up she said. We discussed what a profit Kinko’s was making on that, but as I was speaking I saw Pamela not lift her head up once and I had that feeling of she wants to be left alone to finish her work!

I asked to take her picture, but she preferred not to have it taken. I did get to tell her why I chose her, telling her I saw her at the computer and felt this was a woman with a purpose. I guess I was interrupting that purpose, so we said our goodbyes and I left her and her forms.

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Day 24 – Tim L.

Posted in Not recorded, Refusals, tagged $10, communications, Connecticut, CT, jobs, Mike B., New Hartford, pizza, radio, third day, unemployment on January 21, 2011| 3 Comments »

-Blog post by Mike B., a Kindness Investor from Cromwell, CT

My third day of this journey gave me my first rejection, but life always takes a strange turn. I began the day with the intent to give the $10 to a person in Southfield, Massachusetts, who I had yet to meet. Southfield is a very small town in the Berkshires and I was there for the day assisting a friend on a 500+ acre plot of land that is home to a YMCA Summer Camp called Camp Wa Wa Segowea. It’s an old-fashioned resident camp that is one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. Of course, I might be a little biased, but it does seem that time stands still there. And there’s nothing like seeing and hearing kids in the summertime enjoying themselves outdoors all day, learning and playing with their new best friends. Every kid should go away to camp!

Anyways, stopping in Southfield for a cup of coffee brought me to my first person saying no, they couldn’t accept the money. When asked why, his response was he had just finished an internship that had “that kind of giving” included, and also he was trying to reduce his presence on the internet. I was a little distraught, but said goodbye and moved on. Cut to the end of the day, and now I’m on my way back home, knowing I still had not found my daily recipient. I was pretty sure I didn’t have anything in the refrigerator at home, so I was also in search of dinner. I passed by a place, Tonio’s in New Hartford, Connecticut and was always going to stop there, but hadn’t yet. I figured maybe two birds with one stone?

I went in, placed my order and spotted another guy also waiting for his order. I made my introduction and found myself feeling pretty good as this was the 4th time I had said it, and thought I had it pretty down to a science now. When the part came to ask if he would accept the $10, he asked if he could ask me a question. Uh-oh, I thought, here it comes. If I don’t answer it correctly, he’ll say no! But the question was pretty simple. He asked why the unemployed part? I interpreted that meaning wouldn’t it be easier if an employed person would be the one doing the giving? And I think I was correct in my interpretation. My response was a couple of reasons and I gave them with the caveat that it was from my perspective. I felt as an unemployed person, it was a shock at first and I was okay with it being that way right in the beginning, but after the newness wore off, it felt like I wasn’t a contributing member of society anymore. This type of giving was helping me back in the fold. I had something to offer someone. The second reason was that it just feels good when you’re giving.

I’m guessing I interpreted right as he agreed on the being a contribution part and he indeed, said yes to the money. He even said he felt honored to be given it! He himself was unemployed for nine months and shared that same feeling about needing to contribute to society. His name is Tim L. and he’s from Wethersfield, CT. He and his girlfriend were coming back from skiing at Catamount up in Hillsdale, NY and added the skiing was great there! From middle school on, he said he always wanted to be in radio, on-air.

Tim L. at Tonio's Pizzeria in New Hartford, CT.

He graduated from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and then had an internship at Clear Channel Radio. He was on his way! Unfortunately, due to the economy, he was laid off and he’s currently working in the mental health field at Community Mental Health Affiliates. He helps monitor people with mental health problems and it keeps him quite busy. His first love is radio though and before he left the internship, he was working in promotions for Clear Channel and liked that as well. Unfortunately he couldn’t find a job in radio, and he was just starting to get into the behind the scenes work.

I said earlier that life takes a strange turn and because that first person said no to my $10, I felt I was destined to meet Tim, just to share radio stories! My career in communications started in radio as well, after completing a course in NY, similar to Tim’s path. We had a common bond! So it was fun hearing someone else saying they had a passion for radio.

Tim had gotten his pizza, and I had gotten my sandwich and his girlfriend, who had been waiting in the car for him, came into the restaurant wondering what was up? I felt bad keeping him and asking questions, but she was very nice and waited till we were done. I gave him my card, took his picture and he said he would look up the website for Year of Giving and we both went our separate ways.

Two questions I wished I would have asked him…1. What was he going to do with the money? And 2, is there anything he would like in the Lend a Hand portion of the website? I’m totally guessing on #2, but I bet he would love a job in radio!

So, Tim if you read this, what did you do with the money and am I right about #2?

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Week 4 Kindness Investor – Mike B.

Posted in Kindness Investors, tagged Connecticut, Cromwell, CT, Hartford, jobs, Kindness Investor, Mike, unemployed on January 20, 2011| 1 Comment »

Petra did an amazing job last week

I am so happy about how this experiment is going of having a new Kindness Investor every week share their adventures.

Now I have the pleasure to introduce you to Mike from Connecticut. I “meet” Mike a few weeks ago via email and telephone. He’s an interesting guy with a knack for painting a verbal picture. He’s a really nice guy who is searching for work mostly in the sales/marketing area.

Here are Mike’s answers to my questionnaire.

Name: Mike B.

Age? 48 years old.

Where do you live? I live in Cromwell, Connecticut which is right in the middle of the state.

Where were you born? I was born in Schenectady, New York, which is part of the “Capital District”.

What’s the highest level of education you have completed? A BA in Communications, concentration in broadcasting at State University College at Oswego.

Do you have a family? I’m a single guy with no kids here in Connecticut, but have a sister and brother in NY and their families and another sister in Colorado and her family. My Dad lives over in NY as well and Mom passed away close to 20 years ago.

How did you hear about the Year of Giving? I believe I first heard about the Year of Giving on National Public Radio in April or so of 2010 and started following the blog at that point.

How long have you been unemployed? January is now 19 months since I was employed.

What happened? The national company I worked for (for 21 years) closed six local offices in one day. They were in Hartford, Boston, Miami, Detroit, Philadelphia and Houston. They had previously downsized and outsourced quite a bit prior, but the recession hit pretty hard and they had to make the drastic cuts.

Do you currently volunteer? I do volunteer and very much believe in the power of volunteering. I currently am focusing time on two main ones, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford and YMCA Camp Wa Wa Segowea in the Berkshires.

Who have been your biggest influences? I like taking my inspiration and influence from a wide variety of people, but family and friends influence me as well as people that are very passionate in what they believe in and try to accomplish.

What is your favorite food? Growing up I was known as a picky eater, but could find no fault with pizza. Now as I’m a little older, it’s the smells of fresh baked bread, or a nice garlic sauce that always trigger something in me. But for a favorite, it would have to be a family recipe of Stuffed Cabbage! (with sour cream, not tomato sauce)

What is the most meaningful gift you have ever received? It wasn’t necessarily a gift, but the most meaningful thing I ever received was my version of a birthday cake. When it came time for my birthday, my mother knew I liked Pecan Pie and so that was what I had, complete with candles and everything! I don’t recall why it became a yearly thing, but when it came time for my birthday, I could count on one thing, that I was having a homemade Pecan Pie for the celebration. Looking back, it made me feel special on my birthday, and not like everyone else. And isn’t that what birthdays are for?

Describe your ideal job: My ideal job would be one I could be proud of performing while following my passion, allowing time off for traveling, getting paid enough to be at my level of comfortability, not have a long commute, and of course helping individuals reach their goals.

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Week 3 Kindness Investor – Petra

Posted in Kindness Investors, tagged employment, interview, jobs, Kindness Investor, Petra, questions, seattle, WA, washington on January 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Meet Petra! She’ll be sharing her adventures of giving $10 away in and around Seattle, WA for the next seven days.

Name: Petra

Age: 54 years young

Where do you live? Seattle, Washington

Where were you born? Rural, northern Minnesota (but grew up in the Twin Cities- St. Paul/Minneapolis)

What’s the highest level of education you have completed? BA with additional certificates of completion in other continuing education arenas

Do you have a family? Single, never married, but do have a wonderful life – saving family of two furry critters – a dog and a cat

How did you hear about the Year of Giving? Huffington Post article-changed my life
How long have you been unemployed? Technically, 8 years. However, I have had myriad contract and freelance jobs; I began my own business but really wasn’t what I wanted to do…

What happened? I was working at biotech/pharma company (an amazing, rewarding experience) which was acquired by a larger Bio/Pharma company. Most non-scientific staff were laid-off, including me.

Do you currently volunteer? Because of some complicated health issues over the past few years, I have not for a while. However, two organizations have been top of mind for a while and I’m preparing to approach them to offer my services.

Who have been your biggest influences? A dear friend who, after battling breast cancer for 22 years, passed away three years ago; a former boss who taught me both good business skills and what a fair, inspiring supervisor/mentor looks and acts like

What is your favorite food? Caprese salad! As long as the tomatoes are ripe and aromatic, and the mozzarella is fresh

What is the most meaningful gift you have ever received? Unconditional love and compassion from my friends and family; when a friend spent her birthday driving me around town on a hot summer’s day to deliver important documents in an important step to help me plough through official red-tape; in the end, it/she helped save my life

Describe your ideal job: A professional Kindness Investor; I dream of giving away – say $100 – to someone I don’t know, talking with them and then writing about what they might do with the money. HEY! Sounds like a full-time REED SANDRIDGE profession! No, seriously. I have thought about this for a long time- more than a year before reading about your endeavor, Reed. To have the means to walk up to someone (as I follow my keen intuition) who could use – who really needs – a C note right now, would be amazing. And as you, Reed, have done so gracefully for more than a year, then take the time to invest in that person-to learn a bit about who they are – and then write about it/them … well, that is my heart’s desire.

Thank you for being an inspiration to me, and to so many others. Let us hope and pray that your year-long “experiment” will become a daily practice for people like me…and many, many other Kindness Investors! Bless you, Reed!

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Day 14 – Ernest

Posted in Donation, tagged $10, employment, helping others, hospitals, jobs, Kindness Investor, Melinda, working on January 13, 2011| 7 Comments »

Ernest decided to donate his $10 to charity.

Sadly day 14 is here which means this is my last day of participating in the Year of Giving. I met Ernest today at our local hospital. When I walked in Ernest was mopping the floor. A never-ending job since we have snow on the ground again.

Ernest has worked in the housekeeping department at the hospital for two years. His favorite part of his job is that it gives him the opportunity to meet many people and he likes helping those visiting the hospital. Ernest said he was going to donate the money to a charity. He wasn’t sure which charity yet, he was going to think of one as he finished mopping the floor.

I chose the hospital as my place for donation today as I feel very fortunate that I was recently offered a position with Hospice of Dayton. I start working with them next week and am really looking forward to the opportunity to not only get into the health care field but also work in the area I’m most passionate about which is helping others.

I would like to thank Reed for the opportunity to touch the lives of people in my area for the last two weeks. Meeting the 14 people I met during this journey was extremely rewarding to me, I can only imagine how rewarding the experience was for Reed having the opportunity to meet 365 different people.

If anyone reading this is unemployed I encourage you to send an email to Reed right now and participate in a week of giving. I’m sure you will find the experience rewarding. You will be amazed at the people you meet and the stories of their lives they are willing to share. It’s such a rewarding experience. I feel very fortunate being given the opportunity to not only kick off the second Year of Giving but also having the opportunity to participate for two weeks.

-Melinda T. from Xenia, OH

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Day 350 – Natalie J.

Posted in Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, bikes, DC, Dupont, exercise, gym, jobs, night, washington on December 18, 2010| 3 Comments »

My gym.

I am constantly trying to find new places to give my $10 away. I was walking over to my gym the other day, a walk that I have made far too infrequently these days, when I realized that I had never given my money away there. It’s a little weird to go up to someone bench pressing a bunch of iron and say, “Hey, could I give you $10?” but I was determined to find someone.

The easiest option would be to go give it to someone who was stuck working at the desolate reception – they’re practically begging for someone to come and talk to them there. Instead, I combed the gym looking for someone working out. I walked by and saw a lone person in the spinning room; a glass enclosed cage full of stationary bikes sentenced to life in gym. Inside, Natalie was working up a sweat on one of the two dozen bikes.

"I'm a liberal working for a bunch of republicans," she said referring to her job.

This was awkward. I didn’t want to affect her workout, but I did. She slowed down to a leisurely pace as we talked. Originally from Little Rock, AK, I quickly learned that we both had a connection to former President Clinton’s foundation. She had worked for the organization in Little Rock and I had worked for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a nonprofit that he helped start jointly with the American Heart Association. Now she works in government relations. “I’m a lobbyist,” she says as I probe a little deeper on what someone in government relations actually does. She’s been putting in long days working on energy related issues and only gets to the gym when apartment lights are being dimmed and people are pulling down their covers to go to bed for the evening. I asked her what her motivation was to go to the gym and she said, “Just basic maintenance, stress, and guilt.”

When this twenty-something is not immersed in wonky energy related policy or relieving stress on the stationary bike, Natalie enjoys reading and traveling. Her dream is to become a high school teacher some day and then retire in a sleepy town in the Ozarks of northern Arkansas.

As for the money, “I’ll have to give it away,” she says. “I’ll probably give it to someone who is homeless.” We talked about how society today has changed and people don’t stop to talk to strangers that much. “I don’t talk to people on the street,” she admits, “I’m a headphone person.” I encouraged her to take a second and talk to the person she gives the money to – ask them their name.

I totally screwed up Natalie's work out.

Before I left, I asked if she needed anything that I could add to the Lend a Hand initiative. “Maybe some advice,” she started to say, “about how to make my parents golden years meaningful.” Her dad, a bar owner, and mother, a special education teacher, live together in Little Rock. I liked that she thought of them and their happiness. Our parents do so much for us. I could also use some similar advice for my father. I have some ideas, but getting him to want to do those things is a whole another story.

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Day 337 – Phiona K.

Posted in Food & Beverage, Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, DC, Dupont Cirlce, economy, jobs, Metro, November, rain, statistics, unemployed, unemployment, washington on December 4, 2010| 1 Comment »

After being unemployed for 285 days, I have a special connection when I give my $10 to someone out of work. According to data released by the US Department of Labor yesterday, unemployment has risen to 9.8% from 9.6% where it had hovered since August. That represents 15.1 million people who can not find work. The good news is that we are slightly better off than we were in 2009 at this time when there was 10% unemployment which accounted for 15.4 million people out of work.

Phiona is one of the 15.1 million people searching for work in this country. She has been unemployed for five months now. Back in February I recall that the average duration of unemployment was 7.5 months. I tried to find what it is at now, but couldn’t find an updated statistic on this. So if she is an average case it will probably be February before she finds another job assuming the rate has stayed similar. It’s tough out there.

She wants to do project management work for nonprofits. In addition to her experience in disaster management and post-conflict reconstruction, she did a fellowship at UCLA and got her master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She sounds like she is prepared.

Speaking of being prepared…this 28-year-old was certainly prepared when I ran across her talking on her cell phone at the top of the Metro escalators at Dupont Circle. She had a colorful umbrella next to her and opened that up just as the rain began to pick up – it had been drizzling lightly for a while.

She was quite weary of my intentions at first and asked not to be photographed – even when I offered to photograph her from far away with her face safely hidden behind the umbrella. That’s just the way it is sometimes. People are often uncomfortable being photographed, especially if it is going to be uploaded into the cavernous halls of the internet.

Originally from Kenya, Phiona is hoping to go to Africa for the holidays. When you’re unemployed there is that weird balance of time and money. When you were working you could afford to travel but didn’t have the time. Now when you are unemployed you have more time than you could imagine but spending money on travel was always difficult for me.

Anyway, I wanted to share something with you that Phiona said. We were talking about a variety of different things as the rain fell from the steel-wool colored November sky. “It’s always somebody else who tells you who you are,” she said. That’s an interesting comment because it goes along well with a phrase that I particularly like, “perception is reality.” But is it really true that we are the person that someone else tells us we are ? I say that we are who we are but we are to others what they tell us we are. Wow, somebody else could surely phrase that better than I did! By the way, I don’t think I have ever written a sentence where I used “we are” three times…perhaps I just won a prize or something!

Anyway, she didn’t know what she was going to do with the $10 when we said goodbye but promised to email me and give me an update. Well, she did just that. This week I received an email from Phiona letting me know that she bought herself some lunch with $5 of it and gave the rest to a homeless man by the Metro.

Enjoy your weekend!

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Day 327 – Margarita H. & Jack C.

Posted in Donation, tagged $10, arts, Baltimore, international, jobs, MD, music on November 29, 2010| 2 Comments »

In addition to my work with World Wildlife Fund, I am the Executive Director of the Urban Philharmonic Society, a nonprofit orchestra that plays in diverse neighborhoods in the DC area. The organization was started by Maestro Darrold Hunt back in 1970. I actually met Maestro Hunt through the Year of Giving and gave him my $10 on Day 189.

Well he and I were heading up to see the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra perform a unique event focused on the complex Austrian composer Gustav Mahler. It was half orchestral half theatrical. Basically they played some of the highlights of Mahler but also had a small group of actors that tried to reenact an encounter that the composer had Dr. Sigmund Freud.

It was an interesting performance. The orchestra sounded very good, the acting portion was interested but I would have rather had more of the music. Maestra Marin Alsop seemed a little off, but that was explained during a talk back session after the performance where she stated that she had been battling a severe cold all week.

Margarita and Jack at Meyerhoff Hall

After the show, I ran into Margarita and Jack in the lobby area. “We enjoyed the show very much,” they told me. She said that she was more of a theatre-goer than a symphony-goer, but they thought they would check out this unique hybrid. Jack on the other hand said he leaned more toward music. “I played clarinet as a kid and had a drum set,” he told me.

This performance seemed to have a special significance for Margarita. “My father loved Mahler…and Freud for that matter,” she said.

The couple seemed well-traveled and in fact I think they are currently in Colombia, where Margarita was born. Jack grew up the son of a Foreign Service diplomat and lived in Brazil and Dominican Republic. We got talking about different places we’d been and figured out that we were both in Brazil’s northeast city of Salvador at the exact same time in 2003 for Carnaval! Small world. I had been living in Brazil for just three months and decided to check out the celebration in Salvador. Margarita and Jack were on their honeymoon!

“I think we’ll donate the money,” Margarita said looking for confirmation from Jack. He nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders a little in agreement. I tried to email them and see what exactly happened to it in the end, but I am almost positive they are in Colombia still and may not hear for them for a few days. Stay tuned for an update!

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Day 324 – Trevor D.

Posted in Food & Beverage, Unknown, tagged $10, artist, DC, Golden Triangle, jobs, night, unemployed, unemployment, washington, writers, writing on November 23, 2010| 1 Comment »

This photo is from the video below.

Hey, so some people have been nominating the Year of Giving for the Most Creative Social Good Campaign for the 4^th Annual Mashable Awards. If you would like to vote for the Year of Giving as well, click here!

After 323 days of giving, I naturally gravitate to things that are new or happen for the first time. Like on Sunday I shared with you a story about me giving my $10 to my dentist – which by the way I got lots of feedback that people don’t like to see teeth on my website! That was the first time I had given the money to someone in the medical field who saw me as a patient. On Day 317 I gave my $10 MSNBC morning host Willie Geist. It somehow mixes things up for me. Well today I have another “first” as I like to call them.

I was at a writing workshop that is put on a Borders Books at 18^th and L Streets in DC. For six weeks we would meet and practice our writing. On this day, Trevor, an unemployed 32-year-old political campaign veteran showed up. He was very talented. At the end of the class the discussion turned toward my Year of Giving. “I’m unemployed and haven’t had dinner yet…I’ll take your ten bucks,” he said to me. I haven’t ever given to someone who has asked outright for it except for the homeless and street panhandlers. But I thought sure, why not.

He put a creative spin on his current employment situation. “I like to think of myself as between jobs…or funemployed…or maybe consulting or freelancing, or maybe I should just call myself an artist.” Most recently he was working on political campaigns for the Democratic Party. “I feel like my purpose is to write attack ads against Republicans.”

He’s got a plethora of work experience. He’s worked in a pornographic book store, has done screen writing and started a nonprofit. “That one gave me a nervous breakdown,” he said. “And it job taught me the difference between having a job and a mission. It’s not good to have a mission.” I’m not sure I agree with that…maybe I misunderstood what he was getting at.

Currently he is supporting himself with some photography. He lists Sally Mann of Virginia as a photographer that he appreciates. She’s got a book called the Deep South that was sitting on the chair next to him. Trevor offered to photograph the year-end celebration on December 14^th…hopefully he’s willing to donate his services for that in the spirit of the project.

Check out some excerpts from my conversation with him…

Some other random tidbits… Trevor told me that for his 18^th birthday he bought himself a pair of custom leather pants. In London he won $3,000, half of which he spent on a gold lamé suit. He promised to send me a picture and tell me what he was going to do with the $10, but I haven’t received it yet…maybe he will update us all.

All in all a pretty interesting guy and wickedly talented …unfortunately we didn’t see him at any more workshops.

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Day 321 – Sandra M.

Posted in Something for others, tagged $10, DC, Dupont Circle, economy, jobs, tourists, travel, washington on November 20, 2010| 3 Comments »

Courtesy of http://www.voaches.org

If you are in DC this morning, get off your computer and run down to the mall and check out the Help the Homeless Walkathon sponsored by Fannie Mae. If you can’t get out there and still want to help, you can donate by clicking here and selecting your favorite local organization. I didn’t see Street Sense on the list, which many of you know I support. They are a small organization that uses their funds wisely and are in need of support…click here to directly donate to DC’s only homeless newspaper.

Today’s recipient I found at Dupont Circle around 8pm on a Sunday night. Sandra is from La Puente, California. La Puente is just east of Los Angeles and north of Anaheim. After attending mass at St. Matthews, her sister Aida went searching for a Whole Foods while Sandra waited for her on a picturesque park bench in earshot of the soothing fountain at Dupont Circle. “She’s a health nut,” Sandra said referring to Aida. Then they were planning to go watch Trick or Treaters. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, “Reed is really behind on posting his blogs.” You would be correct. This is from October 31^st!

I asked Sandra what brought her to DC. “I’m in town because she is attending a conference here, the NCURA or something like that!” It turns out she remembered correctly, it’s the National Council of University Research Administrators.

Our Metro system here in DC is pretty good – when it is working! They had arrived the day before and took the Metro from Reagan National Airport to Dupont. Well, it turned into an awful ride because they arrived while the hundreds of thousands of rally-goers were trying to get downtown to see Jon Stewart at the Rally to Restore Sanity. “People were mean,” she said. “It was a big mistake.”

Our attention was occasionally side tracked by someone walking by in costume. There were a lot of people dressed up as bananas? What the hell is that all about?

Anyway, Sandra is one of the 14.8 million people who are unemployed in the United States. After her mother passed away in May of 2009, she found herself a little lost and unsure what she wanted to do. She ended up quitting her job last February to go and live with her father. “He’s much better now,” she told me.

“I was doing procurement work and I am not sure that is what I want to do now although I have a lot of experience doing that. I’m kind of reevaluating my life right now I guess.” I encouraged her to make the leap and try something she is passionate about. “I just don’t know what that is though right now,” she said. I think that is pretty common. I am very fortunate right now to have two jobs that are mentally and emotionally rewarding. It’s not worth it in the long run just to go in to work every day just to get a paycheck, although sometimes we find ourselves having to do that to keep the electricity on or to feed our family.

She told me she was going to use the money to help someone else out. I’m hoping she will update us here on what happened to it.

Sometimes when I approach people at night, especially women, they are intimidated. You have to be careful. She made me laugh when I asked her if she was intimidated when I approached her. “No, not really.” Hmm…it’s a good thing I didn’t choose bank robbing or something like that for a profession.

The temperature was dropping and I was sure Sandra was chilly being from Southern California. She was well dressed though; she had on a dark coat and gloves. Aida arrived and we chatted briefly before I excused myself. Sandra didn’t want her picture to be taken…so no photo for you today.

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Day 305 – David D.

Posted in Something for themself, tagged $10, DC, events, ex-con, Golden Triangle, jobs, night, nonprofits, poetry, prison, Street Sense, video, washington on November 4, 2010| 2 Comments »

David is one of the most interesting and talented individuals I have met this year. (photo: Reed)

You know that I love the Street Sense organization. Not only do I love what the paper and the organization stand for but I also have got to know many of their vendors and am honored today to call many of them my friends.

So when I heard about the Silent Auction benefit that Street Sense held to raise money for their organization, I made sure I was able to go. It was a great event and they raised a record amount, but what I will remember most is meeting David.

He was asked to share some of his spoken word poetry at the event. It was powerful. David is so talented and brought the house down. I knew he was my recipient of the day. Here is one of the poem’s he shared with the attendees of the Silent Auction.

After he was done I approached him while he was by himself having a bite to eat from the delicious food that was generously donated by Fresh Start, a venture created by Day 225’s Robert Egger and the DC Central Kitchen. David was so excited that I wanted to give him my $10 of the day that he started telling people around him. His enthusiasm was beautiful.

David shared that he was released from ADX Florence, a level-5 Supermax prison in Colorado about 18 months ago. “I shot a few people and threw them out of a window,” David told me picking at some fresh grapes on his plate. “I had to serve my sentence there because of the violent nature of the crimes,” he went on to explain. It was an odd juxtaposition. In front of me stood this kind smiling man with a deep warm laugh who was sharing this information that didn’t seem to jive with the gentle giant in front of me. He seems to be on the right track now; focusing on the positive.

Going through old photos I realized I had seen David once before. Here is a picture I took of him at the David Pike Awards. That's David on the left with Sam Ford of ABC7/WJLA-TV (phot:Reed)

David was homeless before serving his sentence and is homeless again. One good thing is that he just was able to rent a storage locker. “That’s a problem when you don’t have anywhere to keep your stuff safe,” says David. He explained that he needed to go buy a proper lock for it. “It costs $11, so I’m going to put this $10 toward the purchase of that lock!” I happily reached in my pocket and handed him one more dollar to fully cover the cost. He gave me a $100 smile.

David told me a story that I haven’t forgot. While in prison he befriended another inmate who was illiterate. Since David was good with words, this other inmate would have David write letters to his lady friend. David would read the letters that she would write and tell him what she said and then write back to her. “I was getting pretty interested in her,” he told me. Here he was vicariously falling for another guy’s girl all because some guy couldn’t read or write… that’s movie material! And a message for the kids, stay in school so other guys don’t steal your women while you are incarcerated!

I want you to watch David perform two of his other poems. They’re powerful and deal with heavy subjects.

David could use your help. He would like to find additional employment. “I’ve been cooking for years,” he said, but he would like to find something where he has more community engagement. I was very impressed with this man. He is one of the most interesting and talented people that I have met this year. Although he is not always at the same location, often times you can find him selling the Street Sense at 13^th and Pennsylvania in northwest DC. Go visit him and tell him I sent you!

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Day 304 – Gerald H.

Posted in Alcohol, tagged $10, cafes, DC, history, jobs, Race, riots, stories, U Street, washington on November 3, 2010| 3 Comments »

Rain drops on the metallic chairs on Love Cafe's patio. (photo: Reed)

I don’t know why I carried my umbrella over to U Street with me; I didn’t use it to ward off the drizzle that fell as I dodged puddles along the uneven sidewalk. I ducked in to Cake Love’s Café on the corner of 15^th and U Streets. I think its actual name is Love Café…according to the young Latina behind the counter it opened seven years ago…a year after the original bakery opened in 2002. It’s a cozy little place with a spectacular corner view perfect for people watching.

Gerald with the original Cake Love in the background. (photo: Reed)

I met Gerald there. When he came in he said, “That’s where I usually sit…it’s got a great view.” Gerald tells me that he lives across the street which turns out to be the same building that Almena from Day 21 lived in.

This is one of those encounters that I don’t even know where to begin. We spoke for hours. Gerald is a character too. Some of the stories sound too sensational to be true but he swears by them; from being born in Freedmen Hospital (forerunner to Howard University Hospital) in 1943 to looting liquor stores during the riots of 1968 to inheriting a million dollars from his step-father.

Gerald grew up living on Columbia Road around 12^th Street. “There was only one white person on my entire block back then,” he said.

7th Street post MLK Assassination riots in DC in 1968.

During the riots Gerald said he was working at the Post Office. On the day the riots started he was taking a test at the Watergate building. He got home and painted “Black Power” on the side of his 1961 Dodge Polaris and headed out into the city. “I didn’t have any prior riot experience, so I didn’t exactly know what to do,” he said. He decided to go over to the People’s Drug Store and crossed the line of National Guard soldiers and stepped through the broken glass of the front door. The store had already been heavily looted but he remembers thinking about taking a watch he saw inside, but didn’t.

Gerald displays his $10 purchase. (photo: Reed)

Armed with a .357 Magnum he went down to Central Liquors at 9^th and F Streets and then headed over to another liquor store on U Street. All in all he says he took more than 22 ½ gallon bottles of top shelf liquor. “I had two years worth of liquor!”

Years later he got a job with IBM. Now to appreciate this you got to understand that he was making about $6,100 a year at the post office and then was offered a $15,000 salary plus bonus at IBM. The next couple years he made a lot of money and bought lots of material goods…namely cars.

At some point the good times ended. He divorced. He lost his job. He lost several houses that he owned and said he was even homeless at one point. Now he lives in a very modest low-income housing complex.

I wish there was some way to bottle the loquacious couple of hours we spoke and serve it up here, but you just had to be there. Before I left I asked him one last time if he knew what he would do with the $10. He decided to go next door to the picturesque Best DC Supermarket and purchase a bottle of Dogfish Head Brewery’s Miles Davis Bitches Brew. I walked over with him and even spotted him an extra buck to pay for it.

We exchanged numbers and he walked back to his apartment and I went the opposite way toward my place.

So something funny is that he put my number in his phone but never added my name. Over the next week he called me about six times thinking I was somebody else or maybe he was just hoping that I would be giving another $10 away!

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Day 299 – Ian D. and Ben B.

Posted in Food & Beverage, Transportation, tagged $10, bikes, college, cycling, DC, internships, jobs, trails, washington on October 29, 2010| 3 Comments »

Ben, me and Ian. I look ridiculous I know! (photo: Reed)

One thing I did not do enough of this summer is ride my bike. I meant to meet up with Mark E. from Day 132 and go for a ride. He is an avid rider and offered several times to meet up. I did manage to get out a few weeks ago though and took my $10, notebook and camera with me.

Somewhere about a mile or so north of Georgetown is a place called Fletcher’s Boat House. It was there I spotted Ian and Ben.

You can rent boats to go out on the Potomac River at Fletcher's. (photo: Reed)

“I’m officially a police officer,” Ian tells me. “But I consider myself an EMT.” It turns out he is quite the busy guy. He is juggling classes at George Washington with his work as a police officer and EMT. “I hope to go to med school,” he says in a steady confident tone. Somewhere in all of that he finds time to get away and enjoy the beautiful crescent trail. And let me tell you, it is stunning this time of year.

A senior at GW, Ben is figuring out what he wants to do. “I’m leaning toward the music industry,” he says shrugging his shoulders a little bit. He’s double majoring in philosophy and psychology, you’d think that this would help to give you the critical thinking skills necessary to figure out what direction to go in, but who knows, maybe it just complicates the entire equation.

Ian's got his eyes set on going to medical school. (photo: Reed)

My notes say that Ben was going to use his $5 to buy some bottled water. Next to that I wrote, “or deep fried H20” it looks like. I have no idea what that means, I certainly don’t remember him saying that. Let’s see if he checks in on the site and tells us. As for Ian, he was going to put it toward his Metro fare card to get to his EMT station.

I got a kick out of something Ben told me. “Ian is time-locked in the 80s.” That’s kind of funny, because if I do the math right he was born in 1989. I guess that first year really influenced him! “Music, TV-wise, movies….he loves Scarface,” Ben goes on.

Ben needs our help to get an internship at a performing arts center. (photo: Reed)

Hey performing arts centers…Ben needs an internship. Ideally he would like to get a programming or production internship at the Kennedy Center. Shoot me a message or leave a comment if you can help Ben out. Oh, and by the way, if there is dancing at the year-end celebration, I hope Ben comes. Ian told me, “Ben can dance to absolutely any kind of music.” Wow…the bar has been set pretty high. Maybe instead of his internship he ought to try out for the show So You Think You Can Dance?

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Day 292 – Donville R.

Posted in Food & Beverage, tagged $10, coffee, DC, Dupont Circle, family, jobs, night, washington on October 18, 2010| 2 Comments »

Thanks for all the warm wishes about what would have been my mother’s 67^th birthday yesterday. Your emails and comments here and on Facebook meant a lot to me. Thanks!

Donville loves his job at Starbucks! (photo: Reed)

The Starbucks to people ratio in DC is off the charts. I got to walk nearly eight blocks to get to a grocery store, and not even a very good one, but coffee, no problem, they’re everywhere! Too bad I don’t drink much coffee because there are six Starbucks within a five block radius of my house. Donville works at one of them.

I ran into him while he was on his break. Originally from Long Island, New York, Donville has recently started there as a barista. “I love it,” he told me. “The best thing is connecting with people and building a relationship with the community.”

His father is Dominican so Donville grew up speaking some Spanish. “It’s helpful when you can speak to someone who is not comfortable speaking in English,” he said.

Donville came to DC to study at Howard University, but after a year and a half he decided to put things on hold for a while. Although he doesn’t have any family here he seems to like DC quite a bit. Speaking of family, he told me that he was going to put my $10 toward a trip home to New York to see his family during the holidays. “I’d actually like to go home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he said. Hopefully my $10 will help. The bus ticket can be pretty cheap – just ask Davie from Day 5 who after receiving my $10 went straight to catch a $24 bus to NYC.

Donville would like your help in locating his brother who was put up for adoption at the age of four. (photo: Reed)

One of eight brothers and sisters, Donville shared something very personal about his family with me. Unfortunately his parents were not financially able to support the entire family and were forced to give one of his siblings up for adoption when he was young. His little brother who was named Elyshawaun should be 14 years old now. He and his family do not have contact with him any more. Donville would like your help to locate either his brother or his biological father, William Gafney (or Gaffney), who also should know the whereabouts of his brother. He didn’t know what Elyshawaun’s last name was, but they were both last known to be in Brooklyn. If you remember Victor from day 139 you might recall that he shared with me that he had never met his mother. I was pleasantly amazed when a blog follower, Linnie, used her genealogy skills and tracked his mother down! Wow…that was amazing! Hopefully we can find young Elyshawaun!

My ten dollar gift to Donville went toward a $7 pack of Newports. I am always a little disappointed when the money gets spent on cigarettes. But it is his choice. I told him that my mother died of heart disease and was a long time smoker. He said that he had only been smoking for about a year and planned on quitting some time. “But just not now,’ he said. He didn’t know where the other $3 would get spent…who knows, maybe he will read this and give us an update! Maybe he has quit smoking by now. You can do it Donville!

Check back tomorrow for my first blog post from my recent trip to Chicago!

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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 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 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 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 260 – Vincenzo D.

Posted in Donation, tagged $10, bad days, cars, Chinatown, gallery place, helping others, jobs, nonprofits, stress, washington on September 15, 2010| 7 Comments »

I often tell people that it’s much more meaningful to give of your time than your money. So why am I giving away $10? Good question. I wanted to make a year-long altruistic commitment that I could quantify with relative ease. A monetary amount lends itself very well to this. Having said that, I probably give of my time almost every single day to help someone. Whether it’s giving directions to a lost tourist, watching someone’s bag while they go to the bathroom or cooking something for a friend’s birthday, I do something for someone else just about every single day.

Vincenzo and his new wheels. (photo: Reed)

Well on Day 260 I was on my way to a meeting near 11^th and G Streets in DC. I was on foot and cutting through Chinatown when I saw Vincenzo stressing out in front of his blue station wagon at the corner of 7^th and G.

“Do you know anything about cars?” he asked me standing in front of the open hood of the car. I made a quick call to tell the person I was meeting to inform them that I would be a few minutes late and then told him that I would try to help but that I didn’t know much about cars. I thought he probably only needed some help pushing the car out of the way of other traffic.

Another passerby, Joel, also topped to lend a hand.

None of us really knew what was wrong with it. The 22-year-old from Virginia Beach explained that it felt like the breaks were on and he couldn’t get the car to move forward. I did what I always do when I’m in this situation and the hood is up. I walked over and took a look at the engine. I don’t know why I do that, I don’t know the first thing about cars. I mean I know the difference between the alternator and the starter, but when things go wrong, I doubt I am going to be able to fix anything.

Joel and I were a little more preoccupied with getting Vincenzo’s car out of the middle of the road so that he could take his time to figure out how he wanted to proceed. I looked over at Vincenzo who now was pacing a little bit saying something about how he shouldn’t have bought this car. “I bought this car yesterday from some ghetto dealer I found on Craigslist,” he told me. Vincenzo paid $2,000 cash for the car. “It’s got 152,000 miles on it.” He beat me, my 2000 Volkswagen has 139,000 miles. Speaking of my car, I have spent over $1,000 on it in the last week, but more on that later.

Then I heard something about an interview. I peaked my head around the hood and asked, “You’re on your way to an interview?”

“Yeah, I’m supposed to be there in 20 minutes.”

Oh man, this is really turning into a bad day for Vincenzo, who is now fully stressed and sweating pretty bad in the 90+ temps. This is not how he envisioned this day going, I am sure.

Finally I ask if I can try to start the car to feel what the car is doing. He tosses me the keys and I get into the station wagon and turn the ignition. I eased off the breaks and the car crept forward. It seemed to be working fine to me. Vincenzo looks at me somewhat puzzled and I frankly don’t know what I did, but we switched places and he gave it a try. It worked! We closed the hood and I gave him my cell number just in case it started having problems again and he was close by.

Vincenzo managed to smile despite the day's misfortunes. (photo: Reed)

A few days later I got a voice mail from Vincenzo. He was at a repair shop getting his car fixed. Apparently his car died again that day on his way to the interview and he parked the car and hopped on the Metro to get to the interview. “There was something wrong with the disc brakes and the left caliper that was making the breaks stick.” It cost him $706 to get it fixed.

As for the interview, he didn’t get the job. “I kind of new that it was a long shot, but it would have been the perfect job.” Vincenzo’s background is in personal training and he is looking for a job with large organizations to build program’s that help keep their employees in good health. Many companies are hiring people like Vincenzo now because they can get cost savings from their insurance provider for offering these sort of services as well as get more efficient employees. He told me that he has personally seen how people in better shape are more productive at work. If anyone would like to contact Vincenzo for work opportunities, give me a shout.

Anyway, it was a tough day for this guy. I was kind of surprised that other people didn’t offer to stop. It was just me and Joel helping him. By the way, Joel works nearby at the Portrait Gallery and said that it was a simple decision to stop and try to help, “I stopped because he needed help, that’s it. He seemed pretty genuine.” Thanks for your help Joel! We need more Joels!

When we spoke he also told me that he donated the $10 to a charity focused on multiple sclerosis. I also learned that he has started to train for some cycling races. He recently kept up with some road racers for 11 miles on his mountain bike. This is not easy when you consider they were riding road bikes and Vincenzo was on a mountain bike. It’s a lot more work and he said he wasn’t even drafting off the other cyclists.

So, I mentioned my car had cost me $1,000 this week. I recently swapped cars with my father and had to get my new car registered and inspected here in DC. It needed some work on the emissions which ran $500. Then I had to get it registered and inspected which cost me a total of $364. Look for the upcoming story about Chad who I gave $10 to while waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles. And then, get this, my car was broken into last night! So, chalk up another $200 in repairs not to mention over $500 in stolen items. I am seriously thinking about ditching my car and using Zipcar. Anyone done this and been happy?

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Day 258 – David G.

Posted in Alcohol, Cigarettes, Food & Beverage, tagged $10, DC, Dupont Circle, family, homeless, homelessness, international, jobs, night, washington on September 14, 2010| 12 Comments »

It was just after midnight on Sunday morning. I was on my way home when I was approached by two men as I cut through shadows of Dupont Circle. As I got near the fountain, a man approached me and said that his friend wanted to talk to me. His friend, Josh, invited me to join them in a threesome! Oh my God.

They seemed harmless, but my pulse quickened nonetheless and I kept walking toward a more lit area. The two men pursued me, cornering me at the far end. I tried to change the subject and told them about my project and offered them the $10. They weren’t interested in the ten spot so I said goodbye and quickly headed home. Never a dull moment living in Dupont!

Dupont Farmer’s Market (photo by Reed)

The next morning I got up early and headed over to the Dupont Farmers Market. I weaved in and out of the various vendor stalls, the smell of lavender and coffee hit my nose, causing me to turn my head, searching for the origin of this delightful treat. I kept my eyes open for my $10 recipient too, although nobody seemed right.

I left the market and just as I crossed the street I saw David selling the Street Sense newspaper on the corner of Q and Connecticut.

David started working for Street Sense on June 13th (photo by Reed)

Originally from Western Kenya near Lake Victoria, David came to the United States in 1997. He was working in banking at the time and thought that Delaware would be a good place to learn about corporations since most companies are incorporated in the “First State.” He later moved to DC in 2000.

At first he stayed with a professor friend here in DC while he studied at Strayer University. He hoped to eventually become a doctor. “I like medicine a lot. I even used to volunteer at George Washington Hospital,” he said with a pronounced British accent. He went on to talk about genetics. “They are the key to living longer, eliminating disease, and improving intelligence.” In five years he hopes to be a medical researcher.

Like many Street Sense vendors, David is homeless. However, unlike many of the other homeless that I have met, he chooses to sleep in shelters. He currently stays at the Mitch Snyder shelter at 2^nd and D. Mitch Snyder was a homeless advocate who was the subject of a 1986 made-for-television movie starring Martin Sheen. After nine years of homelessness, David says that shelters in DC are improving. “There’s been a lot of changes that started in 2004, like installation of air conditioning, spraying for bugs, and improved services.”

More than a decade has passed since David left Kenya. He says that he misses the food. “A typical meal back home is broiled or roasted corn. We put lemon pepper on the corn and eat it with coffee or tea.”

One of six children and the only son, David has lost touch with most of his family. “The last time I saw my dad was 1985, my mom raised us.” He said he would like to know what happened to his father: Tom Nyamongo. “I know that he went to Harvard in the 1980s, but he had some type of government job and his life was quite secretive.” He hasn’t spoken to his mother in several years. Although he hasn’t been able to confirm this, a sister of his told him in 2001 that she had passed away.

David has been homeless since 2001. (photo by Reed)

In addition to learning more about his parents, David would like to find a cousin of his that was like a big brother to him. His name is Ben Bella Jaoko and he is in his mid-forties today according to David. “He moved to Poland in the 1980s to study. With the internet today, maybe somebody can find him,” he said, his voice grasping on to hope.

Before saying goodbye, David told me that he was going to use the $10 to buy him a nice meal consisting of some Italian sausages, some bread, and a beer. The rest, although I doubt he’ll have much left at this point, he said he’d put toward a pack of cigarettes.

Although I met David at Connecticut and Q, he says that he is usually at 17^th and K if you would like to stop by and say hello.

UPDATE 10/04/2011: Since my initial encounter with David, the most incredible thing has happened. Someone who was going to a job interview at a company in Poland Googled the hiring manager for the job to learn a little more about him – something we all do today, right? The hiring manager’s name was Ben Bella Jaoko!

Well, would you believe this guy found my post about David and at the end of the interview asked Ben if he knew that he had a cousin in the U.S. who was looking for him. Completely shocked, Ben wasted no time contacting me and we connected by phone and I put him and David in contact.

From that moment on Ben worked tirelessly to make arrangements for David to get back to Kenya to be reunited with his family.

This morning as I sat working away at my kitchen table, I got a phone call from Ben. I didn’t immediately recognize the voice, but when I heard David’s name mentioned I connected the dots. “I’ve managed to raise enough money to purchase the airfare for David to come back to Kenya,” he shared. He explained to me the rest of the details and asked for my help to take him to the airport, help pay for luggage, and get him some clothes and other incidentals for the trip to Nairobi. If you would like to help us reunite David with his family you can donate $10 by clicking HERE or the yellow DONATE button on the top right side of this page.

We hope to have everything completed for David to depart by the end of the month. With your help, we can make that happen!

I hung up the phone and sat for a moment in silence in my apartment. All because of a simple blog post that I made a little over a year ago, David is about to leave the streets of Washington and be reunited with his family. This is what it’s all about!

UPDATE 11/15/2011: David will be flying home to Kenya on Tuesday, November 22nd. He has been away for nearly 15 years. Thanks to so many of you who have offered to help support these efforts. I have organized a going away party for David on Monday evening at One Lounge (1606 20th Street, NW – Dupont) in DC from 5:30-8:00pm. Please stop by and meet David before he embarks on this exciting new stage of his life. We will also be accepting donations if you would like to contribute to covering some of the costs associated with getting David back home. I hope to see you next Monday!!

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Day 255 – Jim C. & Addison C.

Posted in Food & Beverage, Lottery / Gambling, Something for others, tagged $10, Dupont Circle, family, health, helping others, jobs, unemployment, washington on September 10, 2010| 6 Comments »

After a woman refused to be my recipient, I spotted a father and his son riding bikes together at Dupont Circle. They seemed like perfect recipients.

Jim and Addison next to the fountain at Dupont Circle. (photo: Reed)

I approached them and asked if they had a second. “I probably won’t be able to help you though,” Jim said. I get this often because most people think that I am going to ask them for money. When I told him that I wanted to give him and his son, Addison, my ten spot of the day, his eye brows perked up.

As it turns out, Jim is a former office manager / loan officer of a brokerage firm here in DC. Unfortunately the banking crisis left him in the same boat that I was in earlier this year; out of a job. “It’s been about a year and a half,” Jim says. I told him that I was out of work for 285 days and I think he could tell that I understand some of what he is going through.

At one point, Jim laughed at something I said and he grabbed his right side of his abdomen. “Don’t make me laugh, I’ve got a hernia.” Without insurance he has put surgery on hold which is not a good thing. Left untreated they can lead to severe complications. Would some doctor in the DC help Jim out and operate on his hernia for free? Come on DC doctors, step up!

Jim and Addison toured the entire city by bike. (photo: Reed)

They said that they were probably going to use the $10 for some groceries, but I later found out Jim was at a convenience store when a woman attempted to purchase a candy bar with her credit card. She was informed that there was a minimum amount required in order to pay by credit card, so she just put the candy bar back. Jim stopped her and offered to buy it for her, which she gratefully accepted. He also told her about the Year of Giving and the ten dollars that he had received. The rest of their ten dollars was spent on some groceries and a $1 lottery ticket which I assume didn’t win, or they would have told me.

I asked both Jim and Addison if there was anything they needed or wanted for the Lend a Hand project. Jim quickly said that he would love to land a new job (see the Lend a Hand section for details on what he is looking for). “Oh, and someone to operate on my hernia,” Jim added. Addison had three requests, “I’d like to meet President Obama, Ellen Degeneres, or Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.”

I have an idea, what if one of Addison’s idols offered to sponsor his dad’s surgery? Maybe we could kill two birds with one stone.

Jim was thinking about Addison’s “wishes” and added, “You know what I would also love to do, is have dinner and drinks with Bill Maher, he’s hilarious.” He started to laugh a little but his smile quickly gave way to a grimace of pain as he grabbed his abdomen again.

Some other little bits of trivia… Jim has become a bit of an amateur genealogist and has traced his family back some 40+ generations. Along the way he discovered that he has connections to President Bush, Frankish leader Charles Martel and Charlamagne, King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans. I know my dad would be excited about the Roman ancestry part – he is so into Roman history these days.

Anyway, I let father and son continue on their bike ride. After all, it was a gorgeous afternoon – just perfect for exploring the city on a bicycle.

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Day 249 – Yudith A.

Posted in Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, DC, Dupont, economy, family, helping others, immigrants, jobs, Spanish, washington on September 5, 2010| 2 Comments »

Located about 1,000 miles southeast of Florida, the Dominican Republic is home to about 10 million people, about twice the population of the Greater Washington, DC area.

Yudith sat on a wooden bench in a small park near the Dupont Metro. This is the very same area where I met Alex on Day 109, John on Day 115 and the forthcoming story of Kathryn on Day 260. Originally from the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo, the 34-year-old now lives in Maryland with her parents. She was waiting for her mother and agreed to take my $10 which she says she will give to a friend. “My situation is not the best, but at least I have a job, she doesn’t have a job.”

“Life here hasn’t turned out to be what I hoped for,” she tells me in Spanish. “I came here looking for a better job, but in some respects life was better back home.” Yudith, a single mom, left her three daughters with her aunt five years ago and moved to Boston in an effort to earn enough money to provide for her family. She later moved to DC where she at least has the stability of having her parents near by. “My plan is uncertain right now. I sometimes think of going back to Boston. Finding a job there was difficult before but here has even been worse,” she says adding that she currently works in a beauty salon. “I make between $300 and $600 a week here whereas back home I would only make about 4,000 pesos a month,” which was equal to about $135 at the time. She wires money home every 15 days to help support her children. What makes things even more complicated is the fact that her visa expired years ago and she is now here illegally.

She says that although things have been difficult here and she misses her daughters and many things about her life in Santo Domingo, there are many great things about the US as well. “One thing that I really like about the United States is that there is less difference in how people treat others based on their economic status. Back home there is a much bigger difference in how rich and poor people are treated.”

Yudith’s mother arrived and I introduced myself to her. She was friendly and smiled warmly at me. I said goodbye and continued on my way.

I have lived many places. In the US I have lived in California, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Outside of the US I have lived in Mexico, Spain and Brazil. I have an idea for what it is like to live far from home; to adapt to new cultures and foreign languages. One thing that I have always taken with me from the training that I received as a Rotary Youth Exchange student is that things are neither better nor worse in another country, they are just different.

I felt that Yudith understands this and is trying to make the best of it. It must be really hard though. She has a much more challenging situation than I had in any of my experiences in other countries. I wish her lots luck.

By the way, I guess the Year of Giving was featured in a Chinese newspaper. I have received so many nice emails and comments from readers in China. Xie xie! I think that is thank you in Mandarin.

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Day 247 – Julio G.

Posted in Transportation, tagged $10, DC, Dupont Circle, family, food, jobs, night, prison, restaurants, washington on September 2, 2010| 2 Comments »

Five Guys cheeseburger and fries

Who doesn’t like a good burger? Ok, maybe a vegetarian, but probably even they like a good veggie burger, right? I live dangerously close to a Five Guys burger joint. I have to exercise incredible restraint in order to not end up there too often. Well, you might find yourself wanting a burger by the end of this post.

Late in the evening of day 247, I spotted a guy crossing Connecticut Avenue carrying what looked like high chairs that restaurants have for small children. I hurried across the street to catch up with the man who was now loading them into a vehicle. It was close to midnight and I was interested in what someone does with restaurant high chairs in the middle of the night.

Julio loads some high chairs that need fixed into his car. (photo: Reed)

I called out to the man and he turned to face me. Julio is a manager for the Five Guys on Connecticut Avenue in the Dupont area. He explains to me that he noticed that the high chairs needed to be repaired so he was taking them home to fix them. I wasn’t surprised that the 34-year-old was looking out for kids when I learned that he was the father of four daughters and one son. The oldest is 16 and the youngest is ten months!

Before joining the fast growing burger chain, Julio was doing work on floors in VA. Before that he said he was living in Brooklyn, NY. I asked some more questions about what he was doing in NY and he looked at me very squarely and told me that he spent 14 years in New York State prison. I asked him what he was convicted of and he just said “violence.” Now you might think that this would make me a little nervous, not at all. He is the nicest guy. “I’ve learned a lot about life,” he says. “I got spiritual.” He was released four years ago and moved his family away from his old barrio to the DC area to start over.

Now here is the part I started to question. How was his wife having these kids while he was serving his sentence… He told me that he had kids that were 16, 11, 8, 2 and 10 months. How was he having kids while he was in prison? The answer: conjugal visits. Yep! I actually did a little research on this and according to Wikipedia conjugal visit privileges have been removed from all federal prisons and all but six state systems: California, Connecticut, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York and Washington. I am not condoning criminal behavior, but if you are going to commit a crime I recommend one of those states. I’m just saying.

All that seems left of his past are some tattoos that decorate his arms. “I was young,” he says referring to the fact that he was incarcerated at the age of 16. He says that his focus now is on work and spending time with his wife and five children. I asked him where he would like to be in 10 years and he said he hoped to own a couple of Five Guys franchises and possibly get into real estate. He could use some help getting there though. “I could use some financial planning advice,” he told me. He wants to make sure that he manages his finances in such a way that he is able to realize his goals. If any good financial planners out there are willing to do some pro-bono work, let me know and I can connect you with Julio. Speaking of money…Julio said my $10 would get spent on gas. He drives back and forth to Maryland every day for work.

Julio has been with Five Guys for two years (photo: Reed)

So now the fun part. Did you think I was going to end this without giving your stomach something to think about? Well, I couldn’t resist asking Julio what his favorite burger was. He said that was easy. “Cheeseburger, all the sauces – ketchup, A-1, Bar-B-Q and hot sauce – pickles, onions and extra cheese.” And with that he says you gotta order the Cajun fries. Or maybe a little bit of both the Five Guys style and Cajun fries.

Now as I explained on Day 238 to Paul, Five Guys is awesome (and they are even more awesome for investing in a good guy like Julio), but my favorite burger is from Ray’s Hellburger in Rosslyn, VA. He said he hadn’t heard of Ray’s so some day I am going to take Julio over there with me and get him a burger. Heck, maybe Paul will come with us too!

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Day 237 – Jon M.

Posted in Transportation, tagged $10, drugs, economy, food, hope, jail, jobs, restaurants, shopping, Tyson's Corner, VA on August 24, 2010| 5 Comments »

Jon gets a fresh delicious pretzel for a customer (photo: Reed)

On Sunday I said goodbye to Sweetie and Manassas and headed back to DC. On the way home I stopped at the Tyson’s Corner Mall. I got to admit that I have almost no willpower when it comes to Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. I succumbed to the cravings and walked over and got a pretzel. My favorite one is the jalapeno, but they didn’t have that at this one so I just got the original. Mmmm…it was devoured in about two minutes.

As I was eating I thought that maybe I could give my $10 to the guy who sold me the pretzel. I walked back over and introduced myself to Jon and explained what I was doing. He said he would accept my $10 and I chatted with him while he prepared the place for closing, after all the mall was closing in about 10 minutes.

Jon (photo: Reed)

After four months working for the pretzel gods, Jon says that the original pretzel is the most common. “We also sell a lot of almond pretzels,” he says. I never knew they sold almond pretzels but he says that they are quite popular with Asian Americans. Which is interesting, because when I used to live in Brazil they had pretzel shops there too, but they never sold salted pretzels, mostly sweet pretzels. Brazilians like salty snacks; I’ve always thought that the original pretzel would be very popular there. Maybe they would like the almond pretzel! Anyway.

Jon comes across as a professional, charismatic guy. I was a little surprised that he was working in retail at the mall. He shared with me that he had been convicted of felony drug charges in the past and it was hard to find work. “I was sentenced to 15 months in Arlington County jail,” he tells me although he later explains that the majority of the sentence he served in a rehabilitation center. “That’s in the past now. I’m clean now. I was at a point in my life when I needed change,” Jon said.

Now he is focused on other things. He realized he had to exchange his old lifestyle and friends for a new lifestyle that would allow him to live a productive life. When he is not working he says that he enjoys going to the gym, playing sports and rooting for the Redskins. He has also invested time and money into getting his A+ Certification for computer systems. He has done all the coursework he needs he just needs to take the final exam. He got interested in computers at an early age and has been building his own computers for the past four to five years.

Jon attends to some customers (photo: Reed)

A family walked up and ordered three pretzels. “We have a special that if you buy two you get the third one free,” he told her. That made them so happy.

I learned that three nights a week they give their leftover food to a shelter program. Very nice. I am not sure why they don’t do it every night but I suspect it might present some logistical challenges.

“So what do you think you will use the $10 for?” I asked him. He didn’t waste any time to blurt out, “Bus fare!” He sometimes uses a scooter, but relies heavily on the bus system. “Right now my scooter is in the shop actually,” he said. “It was supposed be ready the other day but now it wont be ready until tomorrow at the earliest – that’s the kind of stuff that used to set me off when I was using, but now it doesn’t really bother me.”

One of his colleagues showed up from the other location that Auntie Anne’s has in the mall. I told him that I would let him go and packed up my stuff and tried to figure out how I was going to get out of the mall because some of the exits were now closed. Jon told me how to get out and thanked me and I wished him a good night. He smiled and said, “Thanks, I will. I’m actually meeting my mother for dinner!”

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Day 236 – Breanna C. & Alex H.

Posted in Unknown, tagged $10, amazing, chile, downtown, economy, funny, jobs, Manassas, night, perseverance, VA on August 23, 2010| 3 Comments »

Chilean president Sebastián Piñera holds up a message from the trapped miners. (photo: Hector Retamal/AP)

Have you been following the 33 miners trapped in a mine in Chile. Well, yesterday after 17 days trapped 4.5 miles inside the winding mine, rescuers received a note written in red paint that all 33 were alive! VIVA CHILE! That is awesome. Now the challenge. It will take up to four months to get them out…but they are able to send some supplies down to them. Read more about this here.

This is the same shot I took the yesterday but at night (photo: Reed)

Back here in the US, I was on my third day in Manassas when I decided to go to the historic downtown and find my recipient of the day. I had gone to dinner down in Springfield with some old work colleagues and then drove back and stopped downtown. It’s a charming quaint looking place where you see the same police car driving around the town a couple of times during the same evening (either that or they were suspicious of the “guy from out of town walking around giving money away and taking pictures.”) The flag lined streets are nestled with small shops, restaurants, bars, a hotel and even a barber shop. It’s in front of the Royal Cuts Barber Shop on Center Street that I found Alex and Breanna sitting on a bench.

I am not sure how well they knew each other. At first I figured they were a couple, but then it turned out that they were just friends, or maybe even acquaintances, who had attended the same high school.

Alex and Breanna chilling in front of Royal Cuts Barber Shop (photo: Reed)

I asked them what someone should see or do in Manassas and they said that they really didn’t have a good answer. “There’s not much to do here except go around town and look at the plaques,” they said referring to the historical markers that are peppered around the city center. Alex said to check out a place called Tommy’s. “It’s pretty good and they got some pool tables,” he added. I looked them up later on the internet and it seems to be an interesting place. They describe the atmosphere as a “sports bar” that is also “family friendly” and welcomes cowboy hats!

I asked them what they liked to do and they both said they enjoyed writing. “I have a freakish imagination,” Alex says. “I write short stories, sci-fi and fantasy but it’s not very good.” Breanna says she also likes to write and is equally self-deprecating of her talent. Alex also admitted to a severe music addiction saying that he likes all kinds of music, “80s, 90s up to today.”

We chat some more and before too long before a friend of Breanna’s who just got off work stopped by. I’m going to take the liberty to change his name and call him Mike…I think you will understand once I explain more. Anyway, I had asked Alex and Breanna to share with me something interesting or funny about them so when Mike arrived I thought better yet, I’ll ask Mike to give me some funny story about the two. Mike thinks for a second and then says, “Ok, well, I guess I could share this with you but it’s pretty embarrassing.” Mike proceeds to tell me a story that had nothing to do with Alex and Breanna at all. It was story about him that had to do with masturbation!

I was looking at Breanna and Alex and they were looking at me and none of us knew quite what to say. “I don’t think he understood your question,” Breanna said. Yeah, I’d say that was a safe assumption.

Anyway, it was a bit awkward for a minute or two and then Breanna left with Mike and I stayed behind with Alex.

Intersection of Main and Center Streets at night (photo: Reed)

I’m glad I decided to hang out a little longer and chat with Alex because he shared his own personal struggle getting a job. That meant a lot to me given my own 285 day search for employment that I had gone through since being laid off last year. Alex didn’t graduate when he should have because he failed a civics class. It started off ok but then the teacher had a stroke and they had a slew of substitute teachers in and out of the classroom and he just didn’t do well and ended up failing. Until he finished the class and got his diploma it was really hard to find a job that would pay anything decent.

Alex found himself graduating as the country slipped into a depression. The job market turned south and he was left knocking on doors, literally. “I walked door to door at one point looking for a job,” he told me. I asked him if he could share the story on video and he agreed. His heartfelt story shows how determination on a rainy day can lead to opportunity. Anyone who has thought about giving up on finding a job should watch this!

So, what the heck happened to the $10, right! Well, I asked Alex what he was going to do with the money and we realized that Breanna had ended up with the money! Somehow I must have missed that when she left. Perhaps I was distracted by the masturbation story. Anyway, I have emailed Breanna and hope to get an update on the $10 soon.

We said goodbye and I walked through the streets of Manassas passed dozens of dark storefronts until I arrived at my car. I went back and took Sweetie for a walk before going to bed.

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Day 235 – Joshua A.

Posted in Something for themself, tagged $10, culture, economy, family, home ownership, housing, jobs, Manassas, military, navy, night on August 22, 2010| 1 Comment »

Railroad tracks run through picturesque downtown Manassas (photo: Reed)

I’ve enjoyed taking care of my friends’ dog Sweetie. She really likes going for walks.

While in Manassas I thought I would go and relax a little at a local coffee shop so I looked online for a good place and found some good reviews for a place called Jess Presso. It was over off of Liberia Ave. and I looked all over for it but couldn’t find it. I double checked the address and found that there was another business operating where it used to be. There was a Starbucks in the same plaza so I thought that I would head over there and maybe do a little writing or see who I would find there to give my $10 to.

Starbucks on Liberia Ave. where I met Joshua (photo: Reed)

As I waited for my dopio espresso, the perky cashier explained to me that the place I was looking for had closed. “It wasn’t that good actually in my opinion – my friend worked there,” she said. Well, at least I didn’t miss anything. I got my espresso, added a packet of Splenda and stirred the murky water while I scanned the shop. There was a guy sitting in a comfy chair working on his computer who caught my eye.

Originally from Oklahoma, Joshua moved here two weeks ago after spending the last three years living with his wife at the home of his in-laws in Hawaii.

Joshua spent nine years in the navy as a submarine sonar technician before leaving the military back in May. Then he spent two months combing the internet for a job. Being out of work for an extended time will “make your eyes bleed,” Joshua states shaking his head. He is thankful for the job opportunity he received despite having to leave his wife in Hawaii for a while. Pregnant with their first child, they decided that she would stay back in Hawaii with her family until after the arrival of the baby in January.

Joshua doesn't have internet access at his apartment yet, so he often visits Starbucks to connect. (photo: Reed)

From politics to foreign cultures to immigration laws to the economy; we talked for nearly two hours. He told me that before joining the navy he worked for a small lending company in Oklahoma. He used to go in person to do the collections and had so many sad stories of people getting into situations that they were unable to easily get themselves out of. He says that he felt bad for many of the people that he had to go and pressure to make payments. He says that they weren’t like the aggressive maniacs you see on TV, but their goal was to recover the borrowed money. “I definitely learned one thing; never co-sign anything unless you’re prepared to be solely responsible for it.”

Despite being submerged for up to 45 days at a time sometimes, he said that he really enjoyed his time in the navy. “A difficult part that a lot of guys don’t know before they enlist is that even when they are at port they have to “stand duty” one out of every four nights.” That means staying aboard the ship away from family and standing guard. As he and his wife start their own family they felt that a civilian life would allow them to spend more time together.

Joshua is living in an apartment for the time being but hopes to purchase a house. On this clip he talks to me a little bit about the importance of home ownership in the US and how cultural backgrounds play a big role in shaping our views of what type of living arrangements we choose.

When I asked him what he was going to do with the $10 he replied that he was going to “get some stuff for the apartment.” He smiled and said, “Today I bought a microwave, but that is about all I got, well that and an inflatable bed and two camping chairs, but that’s it.”

After almost two hours of talking I realized I completely hijacked his time there and we both packed up and left – I think Starbucks was closing anyway. As we got to our cars, I thanked him for his service to our country and for the enjoyable conversation that evening and said “Goodbye.”

UPDATE Aug. 23, 2010: I got an email from Joshua today letting me know that the $10 went toward a futon which is already being used by a friend from his Navy training days who is visiting!

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Day 234 – Angela T.

Posted in Food & Beverage, Refusals, tagged $10, determination, economy, family, homeless, homelessness, hope, jobs, Manassas, perseverance, VA on August 21, 2010| 1 Comment »

If you are in Washington, DC, join me today at the Shakespeare Theatre Family Fun Fair from 10:00-2:00 downtown near the Verizon Center. It should be a fun event for the whole family.

photo: Reed

I was recently dog-sitting in Manassas, VA for my friends Tressa and Tom. It was nice to have a new community for a few days to share the Year of Giving with. On my first day there I headed over to Costco to get some items that I needed. As I was leaving I saw a man sitting with his child. I asked him to be my 234^th recipient but he preferred not to participate. His name was Jeremy.

I then headed over to the Giant grocery store on Sudley Rd and picked up another couple items to have on hand for my weekend “getaway” in Manassas. I was still looking for someone else but just didn’t seem to see the right person. About a block away from the Giant there was a Family Dollar store. I drove over there and saw a woman coming out of the store.

I parked quickly and ran over to Angela who was now loading her purchases into the car. She was very friendly and open to talking with me. We talked for about thirty minutes and I have thought about her and her story every day since.

Angela has overcome many challenges in life (photo: Reed)

Angela is a 35-year-old single mother of five kids! The oldest is 17 and the youngest is seven. Unfortunately she doesn’t have custody of the children right now because the father (they are separated) had nearby family that would be able to help raise the children. Angela’s closest family members are in West Virginia. She works two full-time jobs right now as a certified nursing assistant in order to be able to support herself and make payments to help with childcare of her children. “I have been working as a CNA for 14 years now,” She says. “I like what I do; it’s like taking care of family.”

As we talked more I discovered that just how difficult of a time it was for Angela when she and her husband separated. It set off a series of events. She got depressed and ended up losing her job and later her home. “I slept in my car for a total of six months to get back to living in an apartment,” she told me.

Angela shared this very emotional moment with me in this video clip. It’s heartbreaking to see and hear her describe such a difficult time in her life.

Angela has her own apartment now and wants to go back to school to get her nursing degree. She also wants custody of her children. “It’s really hard,” she admits. I think it’s important that Angela pursue her nursing degree so that she can have a more stable financial situation, work fewer hours and have a more active role in the lives of her children. The challenge with that is to be able to juggle nursing school while still working enough to make ends meet. If you or anyone you know is a career counselor at a school that might be able to speak with Angela and give her some guidance on how to successfully manage all that, please contact me so that I can put you in touch with her.

As I said earlier I think about my conversation with Angela every day. Meeting her and learning about her story really touched my heart. It’s people like Angela that I meet that make going out and giving my $10 away every day worth it.

Angela in front of the car that she lived in for six months (photo: Reed)

She was tired and had worked all week. Angela told me that she was going to run in to the Aldi supermarket and get some groceries with my $10. I gave her a hug and walked back to my car and just sat there for a while thinking about how difficult it must have been to lose her husband, her children, her job, her house and live in her car.

Her determination and perseverance remind me of a quote by Harriet Beecher Stowe, “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

Angela’s tide is turning.

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Day 233 – Ishmael R.

Posted in Food & Beverage, tagged $10, DC, economy, homeless, homelessness, hope, jobs, washington on August 20, 2010| 4 Comments »

Ishmael sits with his boots that someone gave him during the snow storm this winter. (photo: Reed)

People always say that homeless people are lazy and don’t want to work. Meet Ishmael. He’s 49 and was born and raised here in Washington, DC. Now homeless, he wants more than anything an opportunity to be gainfully employed.

It is kind of a vicious circle though. We all know that it’s easier to find a job when you already have a job. Prospective employers often think that you have something to offer simply by the fact that another organization hired you. I know that when I was working I would get recruiters calling me regularly about other jobs. When I was out of work for 285 days, my phone didn’t ring near as often. And if you are homeless, there is a good chance you don’t even have a phone so it’s that much more difficult. You don’t have a computer or even a safe place to keep your clothes and belongings.

I found Ishmael as he escaped the sun’s hot rays beneath a tree in the small triangular park that is surrounded by noisy streets of New Hampshire, 21^st and M. I sat down next to him and gave him the $10. He was very grateful for the act of kindness and said he was going to use it to buy some food this week. I think he knows that many people probably think that someone in his situation would use it for drugs or alcohol. He looked me in the eye and assured me that he didn’t have any substance abuse problems.

“I got to this situation because I didn’t get myself together,” Ishmael explains. “However, when you lose your job or your house for four or five years, you come back and work so much harder for an organization.” Ishmael also said that he understands that he needs to be patient. “My time will come.” He recorded this short message that talks specifically about what kind of job he would like to find and the commitment he will make to that organization.

Ishmael’s last job was cleaning mail bags at a large building. Just by talking with him I could tell that he understood what was important in his work: quality, efficiency, attitude and following established procedures.

He turns 50 this next February 12^th and hopes to be in a different situation by then. Can you help him? Let me know. I am going to reach out to Robert from Day 225 and his DC Central Kitchen to see if there might be something he could do there as he said he had experience in the food service industry.

photo: Reed

By the way, if you don’t have job leads for him, you can also help him out with gift cards to Safeway. You can send them to me and I will get them to Ishmael.

As we said he goodbye, he said, “You aren’t like most people. You are progressive and open-minded. All I need is someone like you who is willing to take a chance on me.”

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Day 230 – Tommy N.

Posted in Gave the money to someone else, tagged $10, DC, Dupont Circle, gay, homelessness, jobs, night, transgender, washington on August 16, 2010| 2 Comments »

Tommy and Loni pose for me at Dupont Circle (photo: Reed)

I was walking through Dupont Circle at dusk when I passed a man and woman sitting on a bench. As I got passed the couple I heard them both make some sexually suggestive comments to me. Flattering ones, but still it’s awkward to hear. I kept walking for about 30 yards and stopped and thought, this could be interesting. So, I turned around and decided to walk back and give my $10 to them. “He’s coming back” Tommy said a bit nervously perhaps as I headed back toward the bench where they were seated.

I spent the next hour talking to Tommy and Loni. I soon learned that Loni was a transgender. She told me that she had the full surgery and was completely operational. “Wanna take a look” she said with a demonic smile. Hmmm, I think I’ll pass.

They went back and forth a little deciding who was going to accept $10 until they finally agreed that Tommy would. “You have no idea how many times I have really needed $10″ he says.

Although now he has a place to stay, Tommy used to live right here in Dupont Circle. “I love the park, but the problem with this place is that there are too many people sharing my room” he says as he gives way to a hearty laugh. I laughed as well. He shared that one time he was sleeping on the edge of the fountain at the circle when he rolled off into the water. (Hey, I’ve been in that fountain too!)

When Tommy came to DC last October, he said he “jumped right into the gay community.” He explains that back in Detroit there is not a strong gay community any more. “There used to be like 60 gay bars there, now there is maybe six!” Although he says that Detroit gets a bad reputation, there are some really beautiful parts. “The architecture is amazing” he says as he explains that Detroit has the largest collection of art deco architecture in the US (I always thought it was more of a Miami Beach thing.)

Tommy says that he will use the money to help someone else out. “I try to help people all the time” he says. “What comes around goes around – I live off the kindness of others.”

Tommy showed me some of his dance moves (photo: Reed)

I asked him what he was doing for money and he replied, “Tomorrow I am starting a stripper job – I need a wig though, know anywhere I can get one?” I actually don’t have a lot of knowledge of wigs surprisingly. He also told me that he uses a pseudonym for his dancing. “I go by Gordon – it’s my brother and dad’s name.” Wow…that just seems wrong. If I found out my brother was stripping and using my Dad’s name, I think I would be more upset that he was using Dad’s name than I would be that he was stripping.

Tommy told me that he used to be a designer until he was laid off three years ago. And before that – 27 years ago to be exact – he used to do modeling. In fact he said that he was the first male model for Calvin Klein.

We exchanged contact information and I said goodbye. Just then Loni started talking to a guy who approached her. This guy seemed really strange, like he was under the influence of something or had some mental illness. Tommy was quick to make sure that she was ok. Once the other guy left, Loni went on her way and I started heading home. Tommy and I walked a short ways together and chatted a little more. He told me that some times he writes phrases with chalk on the sidewalk at Dupont Circle. “I like this one thing I wrote, Speak without doubt!” I like that too.

I actually saw Tommy again today in Dupont Circle, but he was busy talking with someone. I have a feeling I will see him some more.

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