Happy Movember!

No that's not a typo, it's Movember, when you can grow a solo stache for prostate cancer awareness & research! [http://us.movember.com/] One among several unconventional charitable movements I've discovered over the summer (sorry I've been absent in posting!) Another favorite event was a pub crawl for Cystic Fibrosis [http://www.cff.org/Chapters/washington/index.cfm?ID=18859&blnShowBack=True&idContentType=1548&Event=18859]. What better than drinking beer for a good cause! Or of course there is Mens Room Original Red available at a fine establishment or supermarket near you, proceeds to the VA Fisher House [http://www.elysianbrewing.com/beer/mensroom.html].


I'm just getting into a new passion for charity auction fundraising, as a spotter for Allegria Auctions [http://allegriaauctions.com/]. I've had the enjoyment of attending Auction of Washington Wines (benefitting Childrens Hospital), EarthCorps, and in February will do Mukilteo's Japanese Gulch Group [http://japanesegulch.org/].


Besides these unconventional ideas, the Season of Giving is upon us with plenty of traditional holiday charities such as food and toy drives. Happy Holidays!

Buy Local or Bye Local

I love the bounty of summer produce in the garden and at Farmers Markets! My Summer's resolution has been to grow or buy produce at the market, and I have also found in interesting twist to supplement these sources.

Previously I have been too cheap to pay a premium for market produce. But the realization in this contracting economy that we "vote with your dollars" compels me to keep my money in my community, and I have also realized that the difference between, say $1.49 per lb. in the supermarket and $3.99 per lb at the farmers market, really comes down to the difference of a dollar or two out of my pocket, in the small quantities I buy. A couple dollars is a small price to pay for an afternoon's entertainment at the market. In some cases I have even found that local is no more expensive than mass-produced, as in the case of milk. At the grocery store, that $2.50 milk comes all the way from Cleveland, Ohio, while at my neighborhood fruit stand, a gallon from Warden, WA is the same price. I just had to read the small print to discover the origin, and make an intention to buy at the fruit stand instead of the grocery store.

The new twists on farm and garden bounty are discoveries in the age of Groupon and Google. First is CSA, (community supported agriculture) or Farm Boxes. For a subscription, a farm will deliver a weekly box of produce to your door! I don't use enough to justify that on a weekly basis, but lo and behold, a Groupon for Full Circle Farm home delivery! http://www.fullcircle.com/

Several of my friends already use http://www.klesickfamilyfarm.com/

If growing your own is more your style, and you find yourself overflowing with bounty, you can donate your excess to your local food bank. Molbaks (Woodinville) hosts "Share Your Harvest", as a collection center for distribution to local food banks, sponsored by Hopelink www.molbaks.com/SYH2011.html Many community gardens (Pea Patches) do the same thing, if you don't have a green thumb or a garden plot, but wish to be involved. Here's an example from my local Pea patch
http://www.mukilteogarden.org/

So enjoy what Soul Food you can eke out from this 'summer' mother nature has given us this year.

But for the Grace of God

All the recent exposure of Rapture predictions and apocalyptic natural catastrophes really compels you to contemplate mortality and providence.

My sister's boyfriend's family lives in Joplin, MO, site of the deadliest tornado in the U.S. in over 50 years. His family and their home were unscathed, while most of the city was demolished. It is incredible that a disaster of that magnitude can strike so inconsistently, obliterating one home while leaving the one next door untouched. It gives real clarity to the expression 'There, but for the grace of God, go I." [Donate here: http://www.uwheartmo.org/ OR further opportunities following this post]

Another misfortune that struck close to home reminds me of the poignant Autism Speaks ad campaign you may have seen on television: [http://www.autismspeaks.org/about_us.php]
"My friend's uncle's cousin's son has autism...
... My uncle's cousin's son has autism...
... My cousin's son has autism...
My son has autism... "

After all the baby showers that we have celebrated over the past several years of growing families, our friends (that we went to Ireland with last year) baby was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, one in 3200 incidence. It clarifies the most basic blessing of a healthy baby.
(See her website here: http://cureforhannah.com / donate to her CF fundraising team here: http://www.cff.org/great_strides/dsp_donationPage.cfm?registeringwalkid=7524&idUser=495479)

Both these extraordinary odds of these incidences make you grateful for the blessings of health and safety, and serve as a reminder to share the love among those less fortunate by the whim of fate.



HOW YOU CAN HELP THE JOPLIN, MO. TORNADO VICTIMS
(Courtesy OzarksFirst/KOLR10 Fox affiliate news in Springfield, MO, where Nathan's college roommate Jeremy Stevens is evening news anchor)

By Text Message

--Sending "REDCROSS" via text message to 90999 will charge $10 to your next cell phone bill to distribute to the American Red Cross

--Sending "Joplin" via text message to 864833 will charge $10 to your next cell phone bill to distribute to the Heart of Missouri United Way

----Sending "JOPLIN" via text message to 80888 will charge $10 to your next cell phone bill to distribute to The Salvation Army (You will need to reply "yes" when asked.)


On The Web

--The American Red Cross' Greater Ozarks Regional Chapter, which includes Joplin, can be reached here: http://www.redcross-ozarks.org/donate/

--The Salvation Army can be reached here: https://secure20.salvationarmy.org/

--Missouri's State Emergency Management Agency links on its website to a page with non-profits that operate in the state and provides tips to avoid scams here: http://www.sema.dps.mo.gov/recover/donations.asp

Fun Run Season!

May Day has come, Cinco de Mayo is upon us, and Mother's Day approaches! Finally the arrival of spring! And with it, my favorite events, Fun Runs! You don't even have to be an athlete to participate. My inaugural event of the season is volunteering for Everett's first marathon, Heroes Half benefitting St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. www.heroeshalf.com My old lady knees may not be up to the task, but I can gladly hand out gatorade, bagels and bananas, surrounded by people nuts enough to run it. The esprit de corps at these events is really fantastic, and many of the events have crazy costumes, and festive celebrations at the end.

The first big one of the year coming up May 15 is Beat the Bridge, sponsored by Nordstrom benefitting Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. www.beatthebridge.org It's great that something you do for fun can have a good cause. Another really big event with an unbelievable sisterhood, fondly referred to as "The Boob Walk" is Race for the Cure on June 5th. www.komenpugetsound.org/komen-race-for-the-cure/. The really committed among those, many of whom are breast cancer survivors, also do the Breast Cancer 3 Day in September. http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SE_landing_2011. If you want to join the ranks of pink boa wearing, water bottle fanny pack toting sisterhood, start training now! Last year it went right by our house and was inspiring to watch.

I can go on and on, it seems like there are events filling every weekend, for every form of athlete. If you have a particular interest, I may be able to help you get started selecting an event, or you're welcome to join me over the summer. A neat directory really capitalizing on this niche is www.charityathlete.org with a variety of events which benefit Seattle Humane Society or another charity of your selection. If you need some training, try Team In Training, where your dues go to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. www.teamintraining.org/wa/.

Finally, if your contribution is financial and not physical, please chip in to the fundraising efforts of participants to benefit the cause!

EVENT CALENDAR SNAPSHOT
May 8 - Heroes Half Marathon (Port of Everett) - St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital
May 15 - Beat the Bridge (UW/Seattle) - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
May 21 - Paine Field Fly Day 5K (Paine Field/Everett) - Muscular Dystrophy Association
June 5 - Race for the Cure (UW/Seattle) - Susan G Komen Foundation for the Cure
June 12 - Furry 5K (Seward Park/Seattle) - Seattle Animal Shelter
June 25 - Rock & Roll Marathon (Qwest Field/Seattle) - American Cancer society / Seattle Humane Society
July 9-10 - Seattle To Portland Bicycle Classic - Various; Seattle Humane Society
July 24 - Seafair Triathlon (Seward Park/Seattle) - Benaroya Research Inst.
July 30 - Seafair Torchlight Run (Seattle) - Ronald McDonald House
Aug. 14 - Danskin Womens Triathlon (Genesee Park/Seattle) - Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Sept. 16-18 - Breast Cancer 3 Day - (Seattle region 60 miles) - Susan G Komen for the Cure
Nov. 12 - Pineapple Classic 5K obstacle course (North Bend) - Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Tax credits and matching donations

Hope it's not too late for a reminder to claim your chairtable donations for a tax deduction! Remember tax day is April 18th this year. I meant to post this at the 1st of the month, but it escaped me. Better late than never. Likewise with taxes, we've procrastinated and are just now entering them. But all those donations come to the rescue! Albeit not dollar for dollar, but at 25%, at least it takes a bite out of the amount due! However each donation has to be itemized separately, so all those little $20 and $30 donations require separate entry. Next year I'll try to do more big lump sums. But the difficulty is always in the decision making; I like to spread the love! And no matter how minimal the amount, sometimes employer matching can double your contribution! There again it may not be dollar for dollar, but every little bit helps. It seems to be at the company's discretion, and I'm finding that big corporations like Boeing shy away from any controversial topics like medical research, but education is generally a safe bet! Also within the organization an individual philanthropist organization may match your contribution. I'm certainly getting all the solicitations in the mail! It never hurts to make sure your donation is going to a legitimate organization that will use the funds responsibly. Try http://www.charitywatch.org/ to research by organization name, or select top rated charities by category. Especially in high profile causes, such as the earthquake in Japan, not all charities are created equal. On the topic of Japan, aftershocks continue to disrupt recovery. While Japan has the benefit of an extraordinary infrastructure to respond to disaster, the international response has not been as generous as the response to Haiti. Contrast that to the oil spill in the Gulf, for which corporate entities and insurance interests were responsible for the recovery, instead of the donations of individuals and organizations. The implications of various natural disasters are very intriguing from the perspective of philanthropy. Next month on May Day, my favorite topic: benefit athletic events (like fun runs)! I'm always looking for running buddies!

Assigned reading

I missed the 2nd post in February due to a short month, single parenting (while Nathan was away on business in Sweden) and travelling myself (to San Francisco for my mom's 60th birthday). Hours spent home alone and at the airport, along with the persistent wintry weather have been conducive to reading, which I will share some topical selections for you to enjoy!

Reading for pleasure is a lovely indulgence, but reading with a cause feels so much more purposeful. Many of these selections have been introduced to me by my friend Brooke.

Three Cups of Tea: One man's mission to promote peace, one school at a time by Greg Mortenson
An inspirational story of one man's efforts to address poverty, educate girls, and overcome cultural divides by building schools in impoverished villages, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who would cure the world by Tracy Kidder
As a specialist in infectious diseases, Farmer's goal is nothing less than redressing the "steep gradient of inequality" in medical service to the desperately poor. His work establishing a complex of public health facilities on the central plateau of Haiti forms the keystone to efforts that now encompass initiatives on three continents by creating a charitable foundation called Partners in Health (PIH, or Zanmi Lasante in Creole)

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
New York Times columnist Kristof and his wife, WuDunn, a former Times reporter, make a brilliantly argued case for investing in the health and autonomy of women worldwide. Note particularly the authors' focus on individual action (such as providing a list of hospitals and schools to direct charity to).

What is the What by Dave Eggers
Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of this engrossing epic, was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war-the bloodbath before the current Darfur bloodbath-of the 1980s and 90s. Valentino joins thousands of other "Lost Boys," beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on their march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where Valentino pieces together a new life. He eventually reaches America, but finds his quest for safety, community and fulfillment in many ways even more difficult there than in the camps.

If you are in need of a good read, pick up one of these, or recommend another good read with a good cause!

Mint season!

It's February, that means it's Girl Scout cookie and Campfire candy time! Nathan barricades the door from the neighbor kids, and I carry small bills in cash to buy mints at the grocery store! Ordinarily I'm too cheap to imagine spending $5 on cookies or candy, but as a top seller (and fortunate daughter of a top consumer!) I feel for those girls standing out at their little table! Several of the people on the blog stood out there next to me!

I think peddling mints taught me alot of valuable lessons. First was working hard, putting in hours in February to earn credit toward summer camp. Second was salesmanship; we always managed to get the bookings at the bank on payday (can't use the excuse of having no cash!), the hardware store on Sunday afternoon (husbands out on their honey-do list can't say no to little girls selling candy!) and the ferry line on Saturday (captive audience for 30 minutes at a time!).

I always buy from the girls at the store, because signing up on an order form at work doesn't teach the kids to work hard, appeal to people, and conduct transactions, valuable skills for later life. Thanks to my mom & dad for instilling the values of hard work, my girlfriends for standing at that table with me in the cold, and the Campfire and Girl Scouts organizations for providing the opportunity for kids to learn these values! Enjoy the mints this month!