Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ahimsa, fundraiser, off the mat into the world, seva, yoga, yoga teacher
A few months ago I finished my teacher training and started teaching at a local studio. It has been a great experience so far, even though I am still nervous every time I walk into the room and feel the student’s expectation hovering in the air. Many people don’t realize just how much work goes into being a yoga teacher and how much responsibility there is once you have people in front of you on their mats.
But I’m not complaining.
During our training we learned about different ideologies that the greatest yoga teachers discussed. From ahimsa (non-harming) to seva (selfless giving), yoga teachers around the world believe in giving of themselves to help improve the human condition. Whether it is organizing a fundraiser, donating their services to raise money or even going so far as to travel around the world to help people in need, it is such a great feeling to know that I am connected to this network of amazing human beings that share many of the same beliefs and values as I do.
So I was excited when I searched for yoga charities today and discovered ” Off the Mat, into the World.” They are a wonderful group that ” uses the power of yoga to inspire conscious, sustainable activism and ignite grassroots social change. We do this by facilitating personal empowerment through leadership trainings, fostering community collaboration, and initiating local and global service projects.”
I hope to join their network one day, but today, I give my donation to those who are already giving. Keep up the good work yogis!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bonkers, Communities in Schools, donateadollarnevada.com, make a difference, millionaire, Nevada, spare change, Starbucks
Recently friends and family think that I might be a little bit bonkers. They worry about my dwindling bank account as I donate to different charities.
True, I’m not a millionaire.
Most days I’m not even a thousandaire.
But all I know is that I someone out there needs my money more than I do right now. If it means giving up Starbucks twice a week, not eating out or buying some new stuff that I really don’t need anyway, it is completely worth it to me.
So, friends and family, don’t worry. Until I come to your door asking for some donations.
I’ve never been to Nevada. Several family members have been and told me about its natural beauty and the friendliness of its people. On my never-ending quest to find worthy charities I came across http://www.donateadollarnevada.com, a site supported by Communities in Schools. Always a supporter of groups fostering education in the community, I am happy to give my dollar today to a great cause.
We don’t always have to see the people we are affecting directly. It is validating to get that human contact but when it isn’t possible, or even necessary, this shouldn’t stop us from giving what we can. If you don’t want to help people in Nevada (and I would have to ask WHY NOT?) then look for a local charity, look through your pockets and car floors for spare change and make a difference today.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: membership, old age, retirement, senior center, Zumba
Sometimes I just want to fast-forward to retirement. Sure, I will have wrinkles and sags in places I don’t want to envision, but just imagine all that free time! You can sleep in, hang out all day, take a drive or just hang out on the porch and drink Long Island iced teas all day. Okay, I don’t drink, but if I did that is probably what I would do when I’m over the hill.
Today I went for a front desk orientation at the senior center. As one of the staff members took me on a tour of the facility (which includes a full gym and Wii!) she mentioned that one of their fitness classes is Zumba. Now, I have only just recently heard about this Latin-inspired workout and here is a group already established, shaking their bon-bons every week. “In fact, they are our “trouble group,” they get pretty rowdy!” my tour guide said with a grin.
It isn’t often that you hear people say how much they love their job, so I was surprised when the staff member said it a few times. To be able to interact with people all day long, watch them have fun and provide a place where old age doesn’t mean sitting alone at home with twenty cats surrounding you. No, retirement means dancing, card games, international excursions and so much more. Even acupuncture. I can’t even afford acupuncture. But for the people who go to this center, it is a mere $50/year for membership,$85 if you want to use the gym. Wow.
See what I mean about wanting to fast-forward?
I am pretty darn excited to get started volunteering there, speaking with the elderly is something I love to do as I never had the chance to spend time with my own grandparents. Who better to learn about life than someone who has already lived it?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: illiterate, Level One, literacy, Lowcountry, proliteracy.org, Trident Literacy
The media in our country does a great job at sensationalizing just about any story that might come across their desks, making the tiniest story seem grander and almost unreal. But one story that is both hard to believe and not talked about enough is the illiteracy rate in our own country.
To start, let’s talk about the world at large. ProLiteracy.org states that 774 million people around the world are illiterate, 2/3 of those being women. Compared to other industrialized nation, we only rank number five. Five! How can we be leaders of the free world and still have a ranking like that? This translates to about fourteen percent of the American adult population reading at or below the eighth grade level.
Tonight I went to an orientation for Trident Literacy, the largest literacy program in South Carolina. I found it interesting that they not only offer reading/writing tutoring, but also provide instruction in math, social studies and ESL. What a great resource for the Lowcountry. And speaking of the Lowcountry, did you know that 1 in 7 adults are at Level One literacy which is the absolute lowest reading level. I was amazed.
Although South Carolina is known for its poor educational rankings, illiteracy is not a problem indigenous to this area alone. To learn more about what you can do in your area, visit the sites below:
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: community, hard launch, local, non-profit, Red Cross, volunteer, website
As a continuation of my last post, I met today with the Information Officer of a local non-profit to discuss a new project that she is launching to connect the community at large to the area’s sundry charities. As she spoke about it and showed me demos of their project I felt that same giddiness arising in me from yesterday. Although I don’t want to speak too much about it just yet until the hard launch, just know that this site will make giving easier and more specific to the charity or individuals that need it the most. It is a very exciting endeavor and I am fortunate to be a part of it.
On a side note, my background check passed (phew!) so I can now start signing up for courses to become a full-fledged Red Cross volunteer. I look forward to sharing those stories with you in the (near) future.
I would have written more but my cat refused to let me type in peace, the smart kitty she is, by walking across the keyboard several times causing me to type nonsense. It’s a darn good thing she is cute or otherwise, I might not be so agreeable…
I admit it, I have a disdainful lust of the internet. For something that is all but invisible to me, I can spend hours on end surfing its vast infinity before realizing that half the day has been spent doing so. So when someone asks me to spend some time promoting their charity online I only say “give me the details.”
I predict that over this year-long quest of mine I will be volunteering for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation so please don’t get tired of reading my entries, just know that whatever work I do for them is only a drop in the bucket on their annual, if not daily, to-do list.
My friend who works for CFF asked me to post their Great Strides campaign on websites in the targeted areas which, for me, took only a few minutes. If only all of my assignments were this easy. Knowing that with only a few stroked of my keyboard I have the ability to reach thousands within minutes provides not only fulfillment but a childish glee akin to performing a rather good magic trick.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: College, gift, grants, scholarship, student loans, university
One of my absolute best friends has recently decided to go back to school to become a nurse, an admirable profession that she will no doubt thrive in. However she has the initial hurdles to jump, prerequisite courses that must be completed before the actual nursing courses will begin.
As I was driving downtown she called and proclaimed that she was having the worst day ever. She had just taken an exam and, completely flustered, had managed only to answer about half of the questions. ” I really, really wanted an A in that class Molly, what will I do? How will I ever manage nursing school? Aaah!” I stifled a laugh as I realized that this is exactly the sort of things that I had said to her in college, as a serious student who would settle for nothing less than the best grade. Back then she would be the one rolling her eyes and laughing at me.
Looking back on college it was a time of learning, both personally and academically. The girl that entered at 18 was only a shadow of who would graduate four years later, and even that girl is but a dim memory compared to the one writing this entry today. Sometimes I would call my parents to grumble about difficult classes or ask kindly for some money, not realizing then what a gift it was that my parents were able to send me to school without the help of grants or scholarships. I couldn’t truly appreciate this until years later when others around me would talk about paying off student loans, or incurring even more from graduate courses. My gift wasn’t just the gift of a clean slate upon graduation, but the fact that I was even given the chance to go.
So many in this country are still unable to attend college, even with a scholarship. So today’s donation was made to my alma mater, and it pleases me to think that someone will be given the chance to walk through those hallowed halls and interact with the professors and fellow students that helped shape who I am today.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Charities, Charity Navigator, donation, Ten Highly Paid Ceos at Low-Rated Charities, Ten Slam-Dunk Charities
As I have mentioned before, on the days that I am unable to physically get out into my community and help out I choose a different charity to donate a small sum to (scouts honor, I am really doing this!)
So this weekend, due to some family friends being in town, I was unable to volunteer anywhere. This left me with the task of finding a charity that I felt was worthy of giving my small donation to. One website that I have come to again and again is Charity Navigator, “Your Guide to Intelligent Giving.”
They have a wealth of articles about different nonprofits, top ten lists that range from “Ten Slam-Dunk Charities” to “Ten Highly Paid CEOs at Low-Rated Charities.” For people who are serious about donating with the peace of mind that their money will go towards the greatest good, this is a great site. It is sad (but true) to think that there are still organizations out there claiming to be legitimate non-profits who funnel money back into the hands of the haves, rather than the have-nots. As I was browsing it a pop-up ad told me that they were actually in need of funds to keep the website going. So, of course, you know what I did.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: business, community, development, humanity, loans that change lives, microloans, third-world countries, Whole Foods
I first heard about microloans at Whole Foods, of all places. There was a small sign on the credit card machine that briefly explained how microloans work to support business development and growth in many places around the world, predominately third-world countries.
It was amazing to me to think that my money could help a woman develop a business that would not only help her feed the members of her family, but to act as the glue that could hold together members of her community while working collectively towards its betterment. What an amazing gift!
After much research online I stumbled across kiva.org, a great organization whose motto is “loans that change lives.” Although I didn’t participate in a loan I did donate a small sum towards the organization as a whole. I would encourage others to visit the website and learn more about microloans, how even $25 goes a long way towards creating a better world for people, all around the world. Even if we never meet the people we are helping, there is a bond forged between the two parties that is unbreakable in its very strength of humanity.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: British, charity, fundraiser, Victim Support, volunteer, walking on fire
When I lived in Japan a few years ago I met a wonderful British girl who I still keep up with despite our great distance. Last month she sent out a mass email telling family and friends that she was participating in a fire walk for charity.
From anyone else I might have questioned it, but this sounded right up her alley. The cause she is supporting is a local British charity, Victim Support, a cause that she holds dear to her heart.
So of course I had to throw a few quid her way!
It is very encouraging to me that all around the world people are volunteering their time towards great causes, and moreover, that my friends are among them.
I can’t wait to see the pictures of her walking on fire, and I know that on all of them she will have a huge smile on her face. I’m not sure if, in the land of perpetual lawsuits, Americans would ever hold this type of fundraiser, but I thik it is a great and innovative way to get people interested in giving their time to raise money.
Cheers mate! I’ll be thinking of you.
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