SafeHouse was, once again, the perfect place for me to go to this evening to "get away" for a while. I started off with helping one gentleman fill out an application to get his ID. He wasn't sure about some of his info - I'm hoping he will get the last few details so we can finish that up tomorrow. He shared that he would like to get his ID so he can start looking for a job, and possibly learn more about computers.
Helping him with that then turned into a conversation circle. Each of the guys showed off their cellphones, we talked about ID photos and how horrible they can turn out, my trip home, food and cultures, and then everyone's favorite sports/hobbies. As the evening went on there were a lot of hellos and checking in conversations. One gentleman shared that he has orientation tomorrow for his holiday job; another shared details on his upcoming move to Florida.
Cindi and I also helped find clothes for a gentleman who was in need of clean clothes. While he was eating we hung out with him. He is very talkative but usually keeps to himself so it was great to be able to have a conversation with him, even one that was very tangential!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Day 347
I made a quick stop at SafeHouse before heading to their last 11 for 11 fundraiser of the year. The lot was quieter than normal. I talked to the gentleman who lives under a certain bridge - he told me that it was warmer in the city today and that he spent the afternoon enjoying the sun and reading a book. We watched a couple of people play Frisbee, and we directed traffic on the lot!
About an hour later I headed over to Mood Lounge for tonight's fundraiser. Dona spent a lot of time putting this one together and making sure every detail was perfect (including her santa hat and mistletoe). The location was chic and I was pleasantly surprised.
The crowd was very different this time and I had a great time meeting all these new faces! There were lots of introductions, conversations, great appetizers and drinks, and of course lots of laughing!Dona kept up with making sure everyone was having a good time while I walked around collecting donations. Overall, it was the perfect ending to my day and we are so grateful to everyone who came out to show their support for all the amazing work SafeHouse does! THANK YOU!!
About an hour later I headed over to Mood Lounge for tonight's fundraiser. Dona spent a lot of time putting this one together and making sure every detail was perfect (including her santa hat and mistletoe). The location was chic and I was pleasantly surprised.
The crowd was very different this time and I had a great time meeting all these new faces! There were lots of introductions, conversations, great appetizers and drinks, and of course lots of laughing!Dona kept up with making sure everyone was having a good time while I walked around collecting donations. Overall, it was the perfect ending to my day and we are so grateful to everyone who came out to show their support for all the amazing work SafeHouse does! THANK YOU!!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Day 346
I went on to freerice.com to donate rice this evening and did about 2900 grains of rice (I've noticed that on Mozilla and IE my grain numbers restart and then jump back up to where they should be but without accumulating, so the numbers are no longer correct).
Work has created a group on there and my coworkers will be doing 5hours worth of freerice each over the next few weeks!! Of course I think this is fabulous and I can't wait to see how much we collectively donate!
Giving is so easy sometimes!
Work has created a group on there and my coworkers will be doing 5hours worth of freerice each over the next few weeks!! Of course I think this is fabulous and I can't wait to see how much we collectively donate!
Giving is so easy sometimes!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Day 345
It was a quieter evening at SafeHouse today, not sure what else was going on in the city...I walked on to the lot, saw some familiar faces, walked over to say hello, heard my name get called from elsewhere, and then saw my (now 3year old) buddy running up to me. As soon as I picked him up he started telling me all kinds of stories that I couldn't really have any conversations with anyone else.
He took me over to another volunteer and then had us playing hide-and-seek for the next 20minutes. In between hiding and running I said hello to several people. I also caught up with the gentleman who volunteers with many different organizations. He is planning to move to Florida at the end of the month to start fresh. While I know this is something good for him, and something he has been considering for months, it still made me a little sad that he is going away. He is one of those people who tries really hard to make things better but gets caught up in the wrong crowd, he cares about people and making a difference in our community and is always looking for an opportunity to do so. I'm definitely going to miss him and really hope I get to see him a few more times before he leaves.
Today marks twenty days left on this project. I'm sure I will eventually share my thoughts on that, but for now I'd like to say thank you to all of you who in the past 24hours have reminded me of what this project means to me, the difference it's made in not just my life but yours as well, and the fact that it's not just a project but my passion too! Thank you!
He took me over to another volunteer and then had us playing hide-and-seek for the next 20minutes. In between hiding and running I said hello to several people. I also caught up with the gentleman who volunteers with many different organizations. He is planning to move to Florida at the end of the month to start fresh. While I know this is something good for him, and something he has been considering for months, it still made me a little sad that he is going away. He is one of those people who tries really hard to make things better but gets caught up in the wrong crowd, he cares about people and making a difference in our community and is always looking for an opportunity to do so. I'm definitely going to miss him and really hope I get to see him a few more times before he leaves.
Today marks twenty days left on this project. I'm sure I will eventually share my thoughts on that, but for now I'd like to say thank you to all of you who in the past 24hours have reminded me of what this project means to me, the difference it's made in not just my life but yours as well, and the fact that it's not just a project but my passion too! Thank you!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Day 344
After a late night, followed by an early morning was NOT how I was expecting to roll today!
Chandni had me up at 8am, and Cynthia was running around at the same time trying to get the remainder of the presents to us.
We got over there to a lot full of volunteers and a line of anxious parents and children forming outside of SHO!
Any of the agitation caused by lack of sleep and COFFEE; immediately dissipated as we walked towards SHO's parking lot.
And I think my eyes are a little welled up as I write this, but you could almost taste the excitement and joy in the air... and (ughgh..) I guess I could feel the Christmas Spirit (i know, I know, I'm such a GRINCH). But seeing this project to fruition with the support of all of our unexpectedly generous friends, family and coworkers was simply AMAZING.
We were ushered in by volunteers, and went straight back to a room full of presents and volunteers to drop off the last of what we had. We were then placed at the front of the lot to greet, register, and direct the parents and kids on the receiving end of all YOUR kind generosity.
Between the three of us and the Deeter family (also regular volunteers), we were able to knock out much of registration.... well, that is until Chandni saw her little buddy! She was totally taken away from what she was doing as she saw him approach the table!
At some point I was taken into the main hall to entertain the waiting parents and keep them from getting antsy! And I think the kids there with just a little direction from me, kept our clients laughing and distracted enough. We had performances from kids of all ages, and we heard everything from Lil Wayne's "How to Love' to Chris Brown's "This Christmas"!
We ALMOST had a comedian come up, but of course he got real SHY!
All in all it was a BLAST!
AGAIN, we want to THANK everyone for making today POSSIBLE!
We love you all for giving so generously!
Happy Holidays!
Chandni had me up at 8am, and Cynthia was running around at the same time trying to get the remainder of the presents to us.
We got over there to a lot full of volunteers and a line of anxious parents and children forming outside of SHO!
Any of the agitation caused by lack of sleep and COFFEE; immediately dissipated as we walked towards SHO's parking lot.
And I think my eyes are a little welled up as I write this, but you could almost taste the excitement and joy in the air... and (ughgh..) I guess I could feel the Christmas Spirit (i know, I know, I'm such a GRINCH). But seeing this project to fruition with the support of all of our unexpectedly generous friends, family and coworkers was simply AMAZING.
We were ushered in by volunteers, and went straight back to a room full of presents and volunteers to drop off the last of what we had. We were then placed at the front of the lot to greet, register, and direct the parents and kids on the receiving end of all YOUR kind generosity.
Between the three of us and the Deeter family (also regular volunteers), we were able to knock out much of registration.... well, that is until Chandni saw her little buddy! She was totally taken away from what she was doing as she saw him approach the table!
At some point I was taken into the main hall to entertain the waiting parents and keep them from getting antsy! And I think the kids there with just a little direction from me, kept our clients laughing and distracted enough. We had performances from kids of all ages, and we heard everything from Lil Wayne's "How to Love' to Chris Brown's "This Christmas"!
We ALMOST had a comedian come up, but of course he got real SHY!
All in all it was a BLAST!
AGAIN, we want to THANK everyone for making today POSSIBLE!
We love you all for giving so generously!
Happy Holidays!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Day 343
I made it back just in time to hang out at SafeHouse for a little while :)
It was a night full of conversations, laughing, and meeting new people (or rather, people I've seen before but hadn't actually met). I talked to one gentleman about cultures, religion, and he told me about diversity in his family and how how that has made him interested in learning about different people.
Another gentleman came up to talk to me and said that he always sees me there and was wondering why I came by. I told him about Project 365 as well as the things I enjoy at the nightly service: meeting people who have been through different things, being able to talk to them and just listen to their stories, and of course the bond and relationships that are formed each night. This conversation was a wonderful reminder of why I'm doing this project and why I've enjoyed it so much!
I also met a lady and her son this evening but we only chatted for a few minutes. She was very paranoid about anyone talking to her and was very skittish. I'm hoping to talk to her a little each time I see her and hoping she'll slowly feel comfortable talking to me too.
It was a night full of conversations, laughing, and meeting new people (or rather, people I've seen before but hadn't actually met). I talked to one gentleman about cultures, religion, and he told me about diversity in his family and how how that has made him interested in learning about different people.
Another gentleman came up to talk to me and said that he always sees me there and was wondering why I came by. I told him about Project 365 as well as the things I enjoy at the nightly service: meeting people who have been through different things, being able to talk to them and just listen to their stories, and of course the bond and relationships that are formed each night. This conversation was a wonderful reminder of why I'm doing this project and why I've enjoyed it so much!
I also met a lady and her son this evening but we only chatted for a few minutes. She was very paranoid about anyone talking to her and was very skittish. I'm hoping to talk to her a little each time I see her and hoping she'll slowly feel comfortable talking to me too.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Day 342
With National Human Rights Day just around the corner (December 10th) I chose to visit Amnesty International and fight for human rights!
My first letter was to defend Native women from domestic violence. More than 1 in 3 Native American and Alaska Native women will be subject to domestic violence or sexual assault in her lifetime. The maze of federal, state, and tribal jurisdictions, along with the damaging precedent set by the Supreme Court ruling in Oliphant v. Suquamish, has created an environment of impunity in Indian Country where perpetrators act without fear or consequence for their crimes. On October 31, 2011, Senator Daniel Akaka continued the fight to end violence against Native women by introducing S. 1763, the "Stand Against Violence and Empower (SAVE) Native Women Act". The legislation will seek to tackle the issue of domestic violence in particular, by restoring the capacity of tribal governments to prosecute crimes of domestic violence and uphold protection orders in Indian Country.
The next one was to stop the repeated, arbitrary arrest, intimidation, harassment and ill-treatment of activists in Zimbabwe. The activists of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) are frequently targeted by police and security forces while exercising their freedom of speech and assembly. The members of WOZA gather to march to bring attention to human and civil rights violations in Zimbabwe. Many members have experienced incidents of unnecessary physical violence during the course of arrest and while being held in jail or prison.
The last one was to remind the Olympic Committees of the Bhopal Tragedy in India. The lives of tens of thousands of people in Bhopal, India were devastated in December 1984 by a catastrophic gas leak at Union Carbide’s pesticide factory (now owned by Dow chemical). Since the world’s worst industrial disaster, over 25,000 people have died, and over 100,000 continue to deal with serious health problems. There has been no justice in Indian or US courts for victims, no proper rehabilitation for the many survivors struggling with medical problems, and no adequate compensation for those whose lives were changed forever by the leak. Sadly, this human rights disaster now spans generations.
My first letter was to defend Native women from domestic violence. More than 1 in 3 Native American and Alaska Native women will be subject to domestic violence or sexual assault in her lifetime. The maze of federal, state, and tribal jurisdictions, along with the damaging precedent set by the Supreme Court ruling in Oliphant v. Suquamish, has created an environment of impunity in Indian Country where perpetrators act without fear or consequence for their crimes. On October 31, 2011, Senator Daniel Akaka continued the fight to end violence against Native women by introducing S. 1763, the "Stand Against Violence and Empower (SAVE) Native Women Act". The legislation will seek to tackle the issue of domestic violence in particular, by restoring the capacity of tribal governments to prosecute crimes of domestic violence and uphold protection orders in Indian Country.
The next one was to stop the repeated, arbitrary arrest, intimidation, harassment and ill-treatment of activists in Zimbabwe. The activists of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) are frequently targeted by police and security forces while exercising their freedom of speech and assembly. The members of WOZA gather to march to bring attention to human and civil rights violations in Zimbabwe. Many members have experienced incidents of unnecessary physical violence during the course of arrest and while being held in jail or prison.
The last one was to remind the Olympic Committees of the Bhopal Tragedy in India. The lives of tens of thousands of people in Bhopal, India were devastated in December 1984 by a catastrophic gas leak at Union Carbide’s pesticide factory (now owned by Dow chemical). Since the world’s worst industrial disaster, over 25,000 people have died, and over 100,000 continue to deal with serious health problems. There has been no justice in Indian or US courts for victims, no proper rehabilitation for the many survivors struggling with medical problems, and no adequate compensation for those whose lives were changed forever by the leak. Sadly, this human rights disaster now spans generations.
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