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Posts Tagged ‘zazzle’

Day 49 – Ivory W.

Posted in Rent, tagged , , , , on February 3, 2010| 3 Comments »

You may remember that zazzle.com offered to make cool business cards for me for free!!! Yep, I got them yesterday.  They look great.  I will take a picture of them and post it later this week.  Zazzle’s site is cool, you create your own designs (for all kinds of things, not just business cards) and can then post them in public libraries of content, making it available for purchase and customization by other visitors to the site.  Very cool!

On Monday I got my official authorization from the DC government to perform Ryan and Mandy’s wedding!  Finally.  On my way home, I decided to walk part of the way home.  As I walked north on 7th Street, I saw a Street Sense vendor at the North East corner of 7th and E.

Ivory displays the latest copy of Street Sense

I really like interacting with the Street Sense sales people and I try to see if I know this vendor.  Peaking out of his hooded jacket, Ivory’s eyes look out above his glasses and meet mine.  He smiles, revealing a shiny tooth with 4 diamonds on it.  I have not met Ivory (badge number 102) before and decide to give him my $10.

Ivory is a very interesting guy.  He started selling Street Sense 3 years ago on the corner of 7th and E and has grown his clientele significantly now.  His clients have helped Ivory get out of the shelter and into an apartment in Arlington that he shares with a roommate.

Ivory is an artist.  He paints his canvass with words…whether it be the spoken word or his written fictional stories that he has published.  That’s right, he has over 25 published stories and has written a book that sold 500 copies.  You can browse through old issues at the Street Sense site to find his articles or better yet, start buying the paper and look out for his next story, Galaxy Baseball. 

So what is he doing on the streets?!  I am not sure, I didn’t discover that yet.  He tells me that he is originally from Texas, where he grew up to be a rodeo bull rider.  Sounds dangerous…but so is flirting with homelessness.  Ivory takes it in stride though.  He eventually made it to DC and seems to be on the right path. 

Everyone knows Ivory.  A minute doesn’t go by while I am talking to him that somebody doesn’t greet him.  His eyes are always scanning the faces that fill the streets.  A man stops and Ivory gets excited as he tells me that he was one of the key people who got him started 3 years ago.  The man gives him a dollar.   In the following clip, Ivory talks a little bit about how he got his start at 7th and E Street.

Ivory said he was going to use the $10 to go toward rent.

For those of you in DC, go visit Ivory and help him out.  For those who are not in the area, I will try to post some more video.

As I was writing up my blog, I found a story about Ivory in the Washington Post from March 16, 2008.  It sheds a little more light on his life and the path that led him to be homeless.  There is also a write-up on Street Sense.

Ivory alerts me that it is almost 5:00pm and he needs to start paying attention to the foot traffic as the after work rush hour begins to buzz by.  He snaps into action to meet and greet his friends and customers and I am on my way.

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Day 30 – Kenneth B.

Posted in Food & Beverage, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 14, 2010| 3 Comments »

Today was a busy day!

I had an informative meeting with a friend of a friend on how to effectively incorporate twitter into my Year of Giving.  Look for this being added to the site soon.  Then I had a meeting with World Neighbors, a very impressive international development organization whose focus is to eliminate hunger, poverty, and disease in the poorest, most isolated rural villages in the developing world.  I urge you to check out their website and support their fantastic work.  Then I met up with Jenny from Day 13 to follow up on her thoughts about being a recipient of the Year of Giving and

Jenny from Day 13 in front of Kramerbooks where I met her

how her job search is going.  As you might remember, several YoG blog readers commented on suggestions for her to find work in the international public health sector.  Thanks to all that helped!  I should have a short video posted on Facebook soon where Jenny talks about her reaction to the Year of Giving as well as her own altruistic pledge!

Finally I went to the Embassy of Haiti to volunteer my time and resources to any efforts that they may have.  As I approached the embassy I was greeted by news trucks and a small memorial of candles and paintings.  Inside the embassy there was a very uncomfortable vibe.  Somber yet frantic if you can imagine.   The hustle and bustle of people was occasionally broken up by tears and desperation.  While I was there, I gave away my $10 to Gilles, a Haitian-American who lost his mother in the earthquake.  It was a very moving experience.  I will give a full report on Gilles tomorrow. 

I have been so busy, that I have not updated the blog on yesterday’s recipient…so here goes.

On day 30 I found Kenneth selling Street Sense at the Dupont Circle Metro entrance.  I bought a paper for $1.00 from the 43-year-old and asked if I could talk to him about a project I was doing.  He agreed and grabbed his personal items and suggested we have a seat nearby on a bench.  Kenneth is cheerful and full of energy. 

Kenneth selling Street Sense at the Dupont Circle Metro entrance

Before I finish telling you about my gift to Kenneth, let me say a few more words about Street Sense.  Street Sense is a great paper produced twice a month that is mostly run and written by those who are homeless or below the poverty level in DC.  You might recall David from Day 5 who was also selling Street Sense.  I have seen the Street Sense sales people for years, but never bought the paper.  Since I bought my first copy from David, I have really become a fan.  The paper is short and can be read in one sitting.  The stories are great and really give you insight into the DC homeless and poverty issues.  Sixty-five cents goes to the vendor and thirty-five cents goes to the paper.  The next time you see a sales person, stop, say hello, and buy an issue.  It’s a dollar!  These people are making an honest buck and the paper is great.  Here’s a little bit of trivia too.  Check out their vendor ID number and you can tell how long they have been at Street Sense.  They go sequentially from when they started so you might meet someone who has been there since the early days back in 2003 when it was started if they have a number under 20 for example.

Back to Kenneth.  He shared with me that he suffered from various conditions (bipolar, schizoaffective, and post traumatic stress) and as a result was living in a community residence facility (CRF), which is like an assisted living situation.  Although he said he wished that he could live on his own, I sensed that he understood that living in the CRF would help him get the most out of life.  

He enjoys selling the paper.  On good days, he sells his 20 papers within 2-3 hours.  Occasionally he gets the opportunity to mentor young professionals who want to experience what it is like to work for a nonprofit organization – he says he really enjoys that. 

I am mindful that my time with Kenneth is keeping him from selling his papers and wrap up our conversation.  He says he will spend the money on food this week.  I asked him if I could take his picture and he smiled and happily said that was fine.  He quickly went back to work hawking the remaining papers.  I encourage everyone who uses the Dupont Circle Metro to keep and eye out for Kenneth.  He is usually at the corner of 20th and Q.  Say hello, get a paper, and tell him that I sent you!  If you don’t live in the DC area, check to see if your city has a newspaper dedicated to the poor and homeless, lots of urban areas have them!

One final note, I heard back from Zazzle.com about sponsoring business cards for the Year of Giving.  They were delighted to help and will be shipping me 500 cards shortly!  THANK YOU!!!  Check out there site.  They have an interesting business model and do all kinds of other personalized items (clothes, mugs, etc.).

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