Richard Brodsky is a pretty tenacious guy, as committed to raising awareness and reaching out to others as he is committed to his own well-being. A brain cancer survivor and man living with HIV, Brodsky formed his own foundation (Richard Brodsky Foundation) and each year travels to Kenya to helm the World AIDS Marathon in Kisumu, Kenya. The foot race not only brings attention and is a terrific fund-raising activity for those in Kenya living with HIV/AIDS, but Brodsky and his wife, with their Kenyan partners, have expanded the events to include wonderful dinner/dances with hundreds of orphans in the area, filling hungry bellies that aren’t often full. The foundation also purchases and ships a large amount of seeds and seedlings so the orphans and their caretakers can plant and grow their own vegetables to bring better possibilities for nutrition throughout the year.
Last year’s marathon got some extra attention because the race was officially started when Mama Sarah (pictured above in blue), Barack Obama’s Kenyan grandmother, waved a flag. The marathon takes place each year on December 1, World AIDS Day, and the orphan dinners (for 600 orphans) are on November 29 and 30. It may be a bit late to book yur own travel to Kenya, but as you’re thinkig of all the things for which you are grateful this holiday, and giving thanks, think about giving support to this grassroots foundation and their tireless work on behalf of others.
- mail a check to Richard M. Brodsky Foundation, 1247 Mara Court, Atlantic Beach, NY 11509 or
- visit the Foundation website and click on the PayPal link or
- alternately you can make your donation by visiting World AIDS Marathon and click on the Donate link.
The typhoons that struck the Philippines earlier this year were devastating, and so many survivors are having to start life anew, with very little or nothing from their past. TheI AM Foundation is teaming with other partners in San Diego (the Lion’s Club and Aero Financial) to gift educational books and school supplies to thousands of kids, families, and schools in the Philippines.
In addition to books, the groups are also mounting a “Medical, Optical, Dental, Education, Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Other Services (M.O.D.E.R.N.O.) mission to the Philippines” departing January 17, 2010. The San Diego Classic Lions Club Team is scheduled to go to 5 sites in the Philippines: Kalayaan in Laguna, Bayambang in Pangasinan, Tabaco in Albay (where the landslide took place), Abucay in Bataan, Olongapo City in Olongapo and Zambales Province. To donate to the fundraising efforts to collect medicines, eyeglasses, dental supplies, and school supplies, visit the Lions website here.
This Thanksgiving, as you are likely planning to indulge (and most of us overindulge, but that’s between us and our gym memberships) in a feast, look for ways to bring abundance into other lives as well.
There are 36.2 million Americans, and more than a billion people worldwide who do not get enough to eat. WHY is a non-profit charity working to end world hunger and poverty. The annual Hungerthon is a radio broadcast each Thanksgiving to bring awareness and appeal for donations (of dollars and/or hours of your volunteering time) to help feed the world. “Imagine There’s No Hunger” is the theme (approved by Yoko Ono who generously allowed John Lennon’s lyric and images to stand for the project). Other giants of the music industry are on board and have donated items for auction to raise money. Some of the big ticket items are: *A signed photograph from Henry Diltz, courtesy of the Morrison Hotel Gallery.
* A signed guitar from Sarah McLachlan, courtesy of Nettwerk Management.
* A signed deluxe box set from The Dave Matthews Band, courtesy of Red Light Management.
* A signed guitar from The Counting Crows, courtesy of The Artists Organization.
* An autographed photo and signed copy of the new album ‘Battle Studies’ from John Mayer, courtesy of Mick Management.
* A signed special edition of “21st Century Breakdown,” courtesy of Green Day.
Bid on these items, make a general donation, and volunteer some time for other events and spreading the word.
An outdoor products company in Los Angeles is distributing more than one thousand protective tarps to that city’s homeless population for Thanksgiving. Tarpsplus.com will help keep some of the rain and inclement weather off of folks living in the streets—shelters and missions are fuller than they’ve been in ages, homeless rates have skyrocketed, and there aren’t enough indoor spaces or beds for everyone. The street is the only choice for some, and the preference for a few. Soaking wet clothing and dropping temperatures (even Southern California’s relatively mild winter temperatures) are a recipe for hypothermia. a 5′x7′ tarp can genuinely save a life.
The donated tarps will be packaged individually so they can be handed out to one person at a time. Two days before Thanksgiving (that’s this coming Tuesday), the portable protection will be distributed. The waterproof plastic material is recyclable in the same category as soda bottles.
If you are in L.A. and would like to lend a hand…
Tarp distribution day:
Date: Nov. 24, 2009
Time: 11:00am
Location: Los Angeles Mission Inc. 303 E 5th Street , Los Angeles , CA 90013
As we round the bend toward Thanksgiving, this story seems to me to sum that holiday up perfectly.
In Denver, the SAME Cafe(S.A.M.E. stands for “So All May Eat”) is a funky organic eatery with a difference. Anyone who walks through the door is served, whatever the day’s fresh goods seemed like a good fit for the ever-changing menu, and instead of a cash register there is a donation box—you just pay whatever amount you’d like for your meal. Leave a bit extra so those that cannot pay can eat, or pay far less than you know it is worth if you need a little extra help. If you can’t pay at all—and there’s absolutely no judgment if that is the case—you can donate an hour or so of service around the cafe. It’s like when your mom told you if you didn’t have enough money to pay at a restaurant, they’d make you wash the dishes…and here, at SAME, folks are eager and happy to wash the dishes and more.
The philosophy of proprietors Brad and Libby Birky and the rest of the SAME Cafe team is: “everyone, regardless of economic status, deserves the chance to eat healthy food while being treated with dignity.”
Even if you can pay for your meal, drop-in as well as pre-scheduled volunteers are encouraged, so when you next find yourself in Denver, pop in for a great natural meal, and stick around for a while enjoying the camaraderie and family-style welcome as you pitch in some of your time and sweat equity…so all may eat.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has released a new film, Acid Test, with Sigourney Weaver (you can watch the full 21+ minute film clip above, or follow the link to the site to also learn a lot more).
The crux of Acid Test is a little talked about result of global climate change and the intense amount of carbon gasses we’ve been releasing into the atmosphere since the Inustrial Revolution— the basic Ph balance of our oceans is shifting. The water on our planet is becoming more acidic–and that makes it less hospitable for most of the life currently calling the oceans home. (Like all change in the planet, it may prove that some species thrive in this comparatively harsher environment, or may evolve to survive in acidic waters–but it is certain that many forms of life will not survive if the shift continues).
Scientific experts believe we can stop our slide down this slippery slope and if we commit ourself to taking better care of the planet, we can improve the health and durability of our oceans…but not if we snooze about it and take this challenge on as slowly and lazily as we have been doing thus far.
Take a little time to watch. It will shift your understanding, and that’s always a good thing. www.nrdc.org
If you know me and have been anywhere around me or this blog since I returned from my recent trip to the Maldives, you know (I’ve probably told you breathlessly over and over) that I had the astounding experience of swimming with a whale shark. (We’ve since deduced that it was likely “Ayesha” one of only four known females in the Maldivian region where we were–a juvenile female about 6 meters/18 feet long). I had looked into this program of researchers and advocates in the Maldives and the work they were doing with Whale Sharks before I went, and since getting home have exchanged a bunch of emails with Adam Harman at the organization. I think their work is not only fascinating, it is life changing, not only for the whale sharks, but for everyone involved. Dedicating yourself to saving life is huge.
The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP) exists to conduct whale shark research projects and foster community focused conservation initiatives in the Maldives.
Adam has volunteered his time on a variety of projects around the globe over the last 16 years – from Villa Tunari’s animal sanctuary in Bolivia to ‘self build’ projects and the building of schools in Australia, Asia, and the UK – at the same time as gaining a wealth of business knowledge from the running of a successful business since 1997.
Growing up on Australia’s west coast, the Ocean has had a strong hold over Adam’s life. He became involved in the MWSRP in April 2008 and quickly realized it was his calling.
Adam’s principal interest in developing the MWSRP is to protect and conserve the whale shark and its habitat while ensuring the local community benefit from their natural resources through more than mere resort employment.
His interest as a field researcher is in answering the many whale shark unknowns – discovering and understanding what habitats are important to these magnificent animals, if they are the migratory species they were once thought to be, how they interact with other populations and species, and how they respond to short and long term natural and anthropogenic changes in those key habitats.
The MWSRP’s overall scientific objectives are to contribute findings to scientific literature and to education, conservation, and management authorities to promote science-based conservation of ocean life. Continue reading
I love this organization. Bees Without Borders teaches beekeeping skills to impoverished communities around the world, giving fresh access to a sustainable source of income via honey, honeycomb, and beeswax (for candles and other products). Bee hives don’t take a ton of space and don’t require as much care and feeding as other animals…plus they help the surrounding agricultural stakes with increased pollination. The folks at BwB launched in 2005 with a trip to Iraq to train and assist Iraqi beekeepers. 2007 was a project in the Niger Delta in Africa. 2008 had beekeepers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Southern India learning from the BwB team, and right now they are gearing up for an education trip to the Ukraine.
If you’d like to become part of “the hive” and learn more or pitch in, sign up for the newsletter, hold a fund-raising honey tasting, buy local honey, volunteer locally or internationally (volunteers pay their own travel expenses and live in the homes of project beneficiaries), and, of course, donate to this cause that is helping alleviate poverty.
I kind of figured everyone in the world had already seen this video, but it cycled back around to me again today, and makes me smile every time, so even if you have seen it before, it’s worth the grins.
Matt Harding did this project on his own in 2003, then did a much expanded, sponsor-driven (Stride Gum) version in 2006 that was completed in 2008. That second one with a larger scope (and more dancing with others as opposed to solos) is here.
I just love the look into the world through joyful eyes that it provides.
…and I’m pretty outraged that this guy got my job!
Richard Brodsky is a pretty tenacious guy, as committed to raising awareness and reaching out to others as he is committed to his own well-being. A brain cancer survivor and man living with HIV, Brodsky formed his own foundation (Richard Brodsky Foundation) and each year travels to Kenya to helm the World AIDS Marathon in Kisumu, Kenya. The foot race not only brings attention and is a terrific fund-raising activity for those in Kenya living with HIV/AIDS, but Brodsky and his wife, with their Kenyan partners, have expanded the events to include wonderful dinner/dances with hundreds of orphans in the area, filling hungry bellies that aren’t often full. The foundation also purchases and ships a large amount of seeds and seedlings so the orphans and their caretakers can plant and grow their own vegetables to bring better possibilities for nutrition throughout the year.
