Service on The Huffington Post

Silda Wall Spitzer: 'Tis The Season For Kids And Families To Grow Involved!

2009-11-27T01:08:05Z

As we enter this holiday time from Thanksgiving to New Year's, don't
forget to include our next generation in this annual time for
self-reflection, gratitude, giving and resolutions.

My holiday season just began with a great kickoff -- Children for
Children and Blue Smoke collaborated for a 4th Annual Fall Family FUNraiser. At this free
volunteer event, kids and families from all backgrounds across the
metropolitan New York area came together to work on projects helping
others -- like paper flower centerpieces for a senior center, toiletry
care kits for homeless families, scarves for those in need of warmth
this winter -- and shared a delicious meal of barbeque, ribs, salad,
creamed spinach and mac & cheese. Cupcakes, cookies and brownies for
dessert.

Some of our participants in Children For Children's Fall Family FUNRaiser held November 22. (Photo by Zoila Gomez of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York Service Unit West 2/3.)

It's a great happening that could be replicated anywhere in these
United States and, for that matter, across the globe.

As I looked around the room filled with homeless families,
economically-fortunate families, Girl Scouts and other groups, kids
with special needs and many public and private school children all
working together on their tasks, I was reminded anew how each of us
can do something to help someone else, even as we all, at some point,
will need others to help us.

And, as I watched toddlers to high schoolers all contributing in
developmentally-appropriate ways from gluing felt shapes onto pre-cut
scarves to running student-designed projects, I thought about how we
could truly build a national pipeline of educated and engaged citizens
simply by making volunteering and service learning a component of
every U.S. child's basic education from an early age -- and not just a
holiday season event. The kids I observed were learning
through experience how to identify and solve problems and how to connect
with others and develop their social and emotional skills. And best
of all, they were having fun as they learned to give, care and share!

During this season and throughout the year, make time to volunteer
side-by-side with your children. There are so many creative ways to
give back. It doesn't have to be overwhelming. You can find small,
engaging, meaningful ways to incorporate service into your family life
and holiday traditions. As it becomes an annual ritual, you are
setting your kids up for a lifelong pattern of service. You are also
teaching them that kids have the power to take action and make a
difference. There is no age too young to start. For example:

1. Bake a batch of cookies and take some to your local fire station
to thank your local firefighters for their work protecting you.

2. Volunteer to lead a service project in your child's classroom.
Involve the students in identifying whom and how to help. For example,
they could make fleece scarves for the homeless. All you need is
fleece from the fabric store, scissors, felt to make a fun patch to
decorate the scarf and fabric glue.

3. Cut back on your family holiday expenses and donate the savings
to an organization needing support which you select as a family.

4. For your holiday open house, ask guests to bring a wrapped gift
or children's book for a local shelter or children's hospital and then
make the delivery together as a family.

5. Have your children go through their toys and books and select
ones they are ready to share with other children.

6. Find a pen-pal campaign for service men and women overseas and
help your young ones write letters to send some holiday cheer.

7. Brainstorm with your kids. Let them identify particular needs in
your community and help choose where your family can help!

Family volunteering is a hands-on way to teach children the values of
kindness, compassion, tolerance, community responsibility and good
citizenship. Other benefits to your family include:

•Strengthening family communication and bonds

•Allowing family members to be role models for each other

•Increasing commitment to volunteering and community

•Providing quality family time

•Having fun together!

However you choose to do it, family and youth volunteering can help
mobilize thousands of new volunteers to meet community needs and
instill a lifelong commitment to volunteering!

If you are looking for youth or family volunteering opportunities,
check out HandsOn Network to
connect to one of 250 affiliates across the country and its affiliated Children For Children, Family Cares, or other volunteering
websites for ideas and opportunities right for your family or child to
Grow Involved!

2morrowknight: So Much To Be Thankful For

2009-11-25T17:24:28Z

I love the Thanksgiving holiday. I love cooking great food, sharing tall tales with loved ones, and having nothing but big fun. I always use this day to reflect on where I am personally and professionally. And once again, I have so much to be thankful for.

After being misdiagnosed four times at the beginning of this decade, my mom's health is as robust as ever. All of my siblings are gainfully employed, making this big brother very proud. One of my aunts beat back breast cancer this year, and the experience has given her a new perspective. And, quite humorously, my 77 year old grandmother brags about having more Facebook friends than I do. Can you believe that?

I've connected with some awesome people around the world. From Los Angeles to London, from New York to New Delhi, social media sites like Twitter and Snazl have enriched my view about the world. I am happy I have befriended bloggers who are respected not only for their perspective, but also for the sense of humanity they apply to their work. Bloggers like Carolyn Rubenstein, Jim Thomas, Kristi Wooten, Yasmin Beitollahi, and Ramon Nuez Jr., and countless others.

How can you not be thankful for such wonderful, resilient, and awesome family members and friends?!

I am also thankful for the racial and ethnic diversity in our country, and, I am happy we have a president in The White House who believes that our diversity is to be embraced and valued, not feared and detested.

And last, but certainly not least, I am immensely thankful for the Huffington Post's Impact Section. The awesome charities and nonprofits; the men and women performing heroically and selflessly to assist others; and, the people in need who have inspired Huffpost readers to give hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's been a smashing success. Impact editor Victoria Fine has done a marvelous job. I am thankful for her consistent and powerful declaration of love and community.

I urge everyone to use this Thanksgiving to not only reconnect with loved ones, but also to remember those whose lives are not what they should be. Every year I take food to homeless families under bridges and freeway underpasses. I will do the same this year. And I urge readers to get involved in their own way. Find a way...or make a way. As Howard Thurman insist in his classic, bestselling The Centering Moment:

We must remember those who are close to us by ties of blood and accommodation, whose needs have been exposed to us in the days that are behind; those who are sick and who are moving slowly into a terminal dimension of their illness; those who have fallen upon hard and difficult times, from whose hands have been snatched those symbols of security by which the tranquility of their lives have been measured... We remember those men and those women whose private lives are burdened by the responsibilities of others and who find, because of the problems which surround them, that their private lives are inadequate and they are lonely and frightened and dismayed. We remember all those who stand within the shadow of the radiance that belongs to the healthy mind and the vigorous spirit; those who are wrestling with inner tortures that pull the world out of balance, who find themselves retreating more deeply within in the hope that in the iron-bound security of their inmost privacy they may be protected from the things that overwhelm and prove unmanageable.

So remember our neighbors and our citizens whose lives deserve so much more. Remember that we can make a difference, and that our engagement could be the the very thing to keep them animated and motivated. So be hopeful, be safe, be involved, and yes, be thankful. Whether we know it or not, each of us has something to be incredibly thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Miley Cyrus And New Online Hub Encourages Teens To Get Their Good On

2009-11-25T16:52:04Z

Youth Service America and Miley Cyrus have joined forces in an effort to encourage teens to social network for good. Dubbed both a social network and a youth movement, Get Ur Good On was launched this week to help keep youth informed and engaged in ways they can improve their world. The new site features blogs, videos and photos of people giving back to their communities in an effort to showcase teens' efforts to make the world a better place.

Here's what Cyrus had to say about her new online network:

Youth Service America improves communities by encouraging young people to take leadership roles in their own communities and to continue their service toward others for their entire lives.

Check out the new online hub at www.geturgoodon.org.

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Anne Naylor: 8 Gateways To Greater Happiness

2009-11-21T07:00:00Z

Are you as happy as you would like to be? Or could you be happier? These weeks leading up to the end of the year holidays can for many be an emotional roller coaster.

A gateway presents itself as a choice. You go up to it. Then you decide: Do I go through it?

My last 50 weeks of HuffPost articles have offered several themes relating to happiness. Happiness grows from a state of mind -- a perspective about life and your engagement with it, and the actions you take to support your happiness.

The following 8 Gateways include links to previous posts for a happier and more rewarding life.

1. Act gratefully ...
.... be thankful

Having a sense of gratitude is the foundation of a happy life. Being thankful has a way of communicating itself to others, sending a wave of happiness out into your world, which has a way of coming back to you.

10 Ways To Get More Energy By Being Thankful

Think of all the beauty that's still left in and around you and be happy!
Anne Frank

2. Do what you really love to do ...
... be true to yourself

Do you know what you do that makes you happy? Do more of it. Perhaps you have been a person who has tried to please others and conform to their notion of how to live a happy life.

You may march to the beat of another drummer. Fulfilment and happiness will come from honouring what is true for you. Your unique strengths are the aptitudes, gifts and talents with which you were born.

3 Tips To Awaken Your Life's Passion

The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness.
You have to catch it yourself.
Ben Franklin

3. Connect with today's opportunities for happiness ...
... be open for a new day to dawn with fresh hope and inspiration

Each day holds the possibility for joy. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is low and 10 high, how do you rate your happiness now? If it is low, imagine turning the dial up and choose a higher level. What if when you start your day, you choose 9 on your dial. Try it and see what happens.

8 Ways To Connect For Greater Happiness

The really happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery when on a detour.
Unknown

4. Act on your agreements and commitments ...
... be complete

One of the keys in the post below has to do with clearing out deadwood, handling the agreements you have made so that they do not literally drag you down.

You know the kind of thing, you keep passing by the light bulb that needs changing. Or you keep meaning to clear out the garage. Or make an appointment with the optician. Or take the old clothes to the goodwill store.

Try dedicating half a day to completing some of those commitments. The chances are that you will feel very happy that you did.

3 Keys to Higher Love And Restoring Happiness

The essentials to happiness are something to love, something to do,
and something to hope for.
William Blake

5. Resolve old hurts, caused or received ...
... be forgiving

Holding on to old hurts you have either inflicted (guilt or shame) or received (anger or resentment) can create a cloud of unhappiness around you.

Reconcile yourself to past pain, let it go and move on. Forgiveness is a process. It does not necessarily happen overnight. But it is within your control to choose to forgive; to be someone who is for-giving, both to yourself and others

How To Forgive - And Be Happy Now

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.
Johann von Goethe

6. Contribute your talents, time and energy ...
... be giving

Doing the most mundane tasks, such as stuffing envelopes, takes a weight off the organizer of a non-profit and can be a delightful time to hang out with others. No brain power required. Such activities can be therapeutic while they are useful.

What about a talent you love to use: painting and decorating, sewing or knitting, fundraising, acting, design, singing. To give freely what you love, while others benefit, expands your happiness.

How To Increase Your Joy Through Service

All who would win joy, must share it; happiness was born a twin.
Lord Byron

7. Have fun ...
... be creative with the gift of your life

When times are tough, it may not always seem like it, but imagine your life is truly a gift. Use your imagination to be playful, to create the best your life can be in every circumstance.

5 Creative Ways To Pursue Your Passion

To live happily is an inward power of the soul.
Aristotle

8. Get to know who you truly are ...
... be trusting

Your human spirit is remarkable beyond words. Who you are is indefinably connected with everyone else, and so is never abandoned. Our world is extraordinary, beautiful and blessed. Regular meditation can assist you to see it this way, and to trust in the process of life unfolding more perfectly than you could ever imagine. Be happy with just who you are.

12 Simple Steps To Meditate For Relaxation

There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.
Buddha

Next week, I am taking a break. I look forward to being with you all again on 5th December. Happy Thanksgiving!

Please feel free to leave a comment below, or contact me at Anne@annenaylor.com

Please re-tweet or pass to friends who may benefit from this post.  For updates on The New Wealth Book, click here: The New Wealth Book Blog The latest: Grow Your Wealth With Health And Happiness.

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Help Rebuild John McDonogh High School in New Orleans

2009-11-18T17:57:37Z

Coming here from joe.msnbc.com? Scroll down to the widget below and click the "Contribute" button to give to City Year. Don't know what we're talking about? Read on...

As we've previously reported on Impact, MSNBC's "Morning Joe" has teamed up with the HandsOn Network and Starbucks for Brewing Together, a new joint initiative aimed at encouraging public service and community involvement.

Their partnership kicked off a few months ago, with the "Morning Joe" crew proudly sipping from Starbucks cups during their morning broadcasts. Just last week, Starbucks announced an updated coffee, named Gold Coast Blend: Morning Joe Edition, which you can read about through Starbucks.

This morning, "Morning Joe" broadcast live from John McDonogh High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. The show discussed the devastation still seen in NOLA four years after Katrina, how this high school has struggled and ultimately excelled despite the setbacks. Joe Scarborough, an advocate for more effective reconstruction in New Orleans, has wanted the media to refocus on the tragedy of Katrina and what individuals can do to contribute to the rebuilding effort. The Brewing Together campaign also wants people to make public service a part of their everyday lives, starting tomorrow with a sponsored Day of Service.

To discuss these issues, "Morning Joe" put together an all-star line-up of writers and advocates for today's show: Newsweek contributing editor Julia Reed, ESPN's Digger Phelps, Starbucks U.S. President Cliff Burrows, Obama Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who joins "Morning Joe" via satellite from Washington, D.C.

They also highlighted City Year, a nonprofit which organizes a full year of public service for dedicated youth. City Year effectively instills a sense of magnanimity in today's young people by putting them in positions to be mentors and tutors to America's underprivileged. They're also facilitating many of the donations to John McDonogh High School, and a contribution to their New Orleans affiliate will go a long way toward many of their reconstruction efforts.

If you watched the show and want to know how you can further get involved, below are some actions that will point you in the right direction:

Look up volunteer opportunities in your area through the HandsOn Network. Though "Morning Joe" was in New Orleans this morning, they want you to take action on whatever cause you're most passionate about. Ours is a country full of people in need, so take the time and look at how you can help in your community.

Upload your videos on volunteering to joe.msnbc.com. They want to see how you're getting involved in public service and could show your video on the air!

Donate to City Year through this link or the widget below. Your donations go directly to providing young people with the tools they need to give back to their community.

As a sign depicted on "Morning Joe" this morning said, "Education Is All A Matter Of Building Bridges." Watch Joe and Mika discuss the obstacles that John McDonogh High School has overcome and how you can get involved with Brewing Together's Day of Service:

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Contributions made through the above widget go to the Causecast Foundation, the online donation nonprofit partner of The Huffington Post. Causecast does not take any fees from this transaction and guarantees that 100% of your donation, minus the PayPal transaction fee of .044%, will go to City Year.

Lys Anzia: Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum and PEACEJAM on Global Healing

2009-11-17T12:00:51Z

“What I treasure most in life is being able to dream,” says Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Rigoberta Menchú Tum. Holding dreams is an important part of life, but dreaming for Rigoberta took on mammoth proportions in 1979 when years of civil war and state violence against the indigenous Maya took the lives of her brother, her father, her mother, nephew and nieces. Extreme poverty also took the lives of two of her young brothers many years earlier.

In 1979, as conflict inched closer to Rigoberta’s village, her family organized to protect the Mayan families living in her region, but the destruction for her family was devastating.

From 1954 to 1982 Guatemala suffered under the military rule of one military dictator after another. Roaming armies burned down entire Mayan villages, killing the inhabitants of over 450 Indian communities. During this time over one million refugees fled the country.

“During my most difficult moments and complex situations I have been able to dream of a more beautiful future,” Menchú Tum says with conviction. Rigoberta was able to escape genocide, with the help of a Catholic nun and priest who assisted her to reach safety in Mexico.

Since then, Menchú Tum’s journey has been haunted by a lifelong quest to help her usher in peace for humanity and advocacy for the Maya, with empowerment for all global indigenous people.

Raised in the Quiche branch of the Mayan culture, Rigoberta was one of only a few women to receive a Nobel Prize in 1992. She is also the first indigenous Indian to receive the Peace Prize award from the Nobel Prize Committee in Oslo.

On Wednesday, November 18, 2009, Rigoberta Menchú Tum will be in Denver, Colorado for an all-day event that includes a VIP Reception, luncheon awards ceremony, and film screening of the revolutionary 1984 Sundance Film Festival winner, When the Mountains Tremble, hosted by the PEACEJAM Foundation. As part of the 2009 Inaugural Global Call to Action Hero awards luncheon, Rigoberta will share her insights on the Quiche Maya prophecies for 2012.

Rigoberta will be present to narrate the film screening at the Denver Newspaper Agency, Colfax & Broadway, 7-9pm. The Awards Luncheon will also feature the 2009 Global Call to Action winners of the exemplary youth-led service project as part of PeaceJam’s "One Billion Acts of Peace" Campaign.

The Quiche Maya classic named, “The Popol Vuh – Book of Council,” has been cited as the ancient text that kicked off the new-age “countdown” to 2012. Menchú Tum's own heritage claims connection to the ancient text.

During the PEACEJAM all-day event at Denver's Center for Performing Arts (Seawell Grand Ballroom), Menchú Tum will share her ideas on the true meaning of 2012; on humanity’s direction and earth’s evolution as she separates the Quiche Maya truth that is quite different from the “media spin” for the new disaster flick 2012. As a leader in humanitarianism, Rigoberta will share what she has learned and knows of the secret Mayan way and the Mayan prediction for our precarious blue planet earth.

The PEACEJAM Foundation was founded by rights activists Dawn Engle and husband Ivan Suvanjieff on the heels of a violent upsurge in (1994) gang violence in Denver, Colorado.

At the time, when street violence was killing youth at ever increasing numbers, Ivan was living in a rough section of Denver. Just outside his window, across the street, he was beginning to see boys who were long-time members of his neighborhood carrying guns. He watched them coming and going and he finally approached them one day.

“Why the guns?” asked Ivan.

“Because we need protection for our business and we need to protect our turf,” they answered.

“To have a business you have to be pretty smart,” responded Ivan quickly to the boys.

Ivan then asked what might have been interpreted as a simple question. “If you’re so smart, who’s the president of the United States?” They answered back shouting, they “didn’t know and didn’t care.”

Then Ivan asked the boys more. If you're so smart, “Who's Nelson Mandela? Who's Desmond Tutu?” Surprisingly, they answered the last questions correctly with great detail and fervor. They not only knew everything about Mandela and Tutu, they knew the history and politics of South African apartheid in every detail.

A big light bulb went off over Ivan’s head then as he thought, “Wow! If these young ‘gang-bangers’ are inspired by people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Peace Laureates who walk the talk, living lives of integrity and using a path of non-violence, maybe they can be role models... Maybe we can get the Nobel Laureates to work with these kids, to get these guys ‘in the hood’ to channel their energy into something positive instead of something negative.”

An idea was born and a window of opportunity had opened. Could Ivan and Dawn possibly make contact with the Nobel Laureates? Dawn had made contact with the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama much earlier than this, before H.H. had ever been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, as she was one of the founders for The International Campaign for Tibet.

Knowing this, Ivan pressed hard on Dawn to, “Call the Dalai Lama! Call the Dalai Lama! Call the Dalai Lama!”

“The Dalai Lama doesn’t just talk on the telephone,” said a laughing practical Dawn. But dreams won out. Soon, Ivan and Dawn were on their way on a flight to Dharamsala, India to speak to H.H. in person.

As they met with the Dalai Lama, His Holiness was optimistic about their idea, but suggested that they worked with more than just his office. They would need to contact other Laureates to gather momentum for a worldwide consortium of youth that would dedicate themselves toward a global humanitarian movement of engagement and change.

One by one, Dawn and Ivan called the Nobel Laureates to see if they wanted to be part of a new idea.

“We sat in an artist’s loft, with no electricity and one by one we ‘cold-called’ the Nobel Laureates. Honest and truly we called Desmond Tutu. ‘Hi you don’t know me but…’ That’s how it happened,” outlined Dawn.

Formed to help youth become “part of the solution instead of part of the problem,” PEACEJAM provided a bridge linking the great energy of youth to the desperate needs of the world to become better place.

“It’s been a success ever since it got started. We had eight Nobel Laureates who said yes right away even before we had funding,” added Dawn. “Since we’ve launched the program, in 1996, we’ve had over six hundred thousand young people who have participated. We’ve also had over a million Global Calls to Action to date.”

A Day with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Rigoberta Menchú Tum will be open to youth and humans of all ages this Wednesday, November 18, at the Denver Center for Performing Arts (Seawell Grand Ballroom).

If you ever had doubts about our future or the future of our youth you’ve got a big surprise coming. PEACEJAM is helping create a new world. For a detailed schedule and more information about this event, and the sharing of Rigoberta Menchú Tum’s wisdom on 2012, go to PEACEJAM.

Eleven Laureates and global PEACEJAM youth work in tandem to bring "A Global Call to Action" to the lives many activists youth. The ten year plan includes core issues that can transform the world and our future. By 2016 they aim to reach together one billion Calls to Action Campaigns worldwide.

Michelle Obama Announces Community Service Network for Vets

2009-11-13T14:23:36Z

On Veterans Day, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the launch of Mission Serve, a network that links veterans to community service groups, calling upon Americans to commit themselves to volunteering.

The initiative, part of the public-service group Service Nation, aims to help veterans better integrate themselves in their communities, with only 13 percent of veterans reporting that their transition back to civilian life is going smoothly, The Christian Science Monitor reports. Mission Serve comes at a time where the unemployment rate of veterans is rising and nearly 2 out of 3 veterans report that they feel their skills are not being sought out by their community.

The idea of Mission Serve is to join groups already engaged in community service programs with veterans who have a desire to perform public service. A former Marine, for example, could have leadership skills to volunteer or work at a high school. A retired soldier could work with troubled youth. But there is no organized group bringing the skills to the need.

Mission Serve also wants civilians to engage with veterans in community service that benefits the needs of the military community, whether it be working on a free summer camp for military kids or offering veterans vocational, educational training and support.

Watch First Lady Michelle and Obama and Dr. Jill Biden during the Mission Serve announcement:

Read Michelle Obama's full remarks on Mission Serve.

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John Bridgeland: A Gift on Veterans Day: Re-Engage Veterans in Service

2009-11-11T11:35:34Z

Sonia Meneses was a 12-year Army veteran deployed for two combat tours in Iraq. After repeated exposure to weapons fire and explosions caused almost total hearing loss and bouts of unconsciousness, she was evacuated from Iraq and felt like a failure because she didn't get to complete her mission. Meneses said that community service on the home front "gave me the opportunity to believe in myself again and helped me realize that just because I am injured and have my own disabilities, I can still be a great help to someone." Meneses is one of nearly two million Americans who have now served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We know that many returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have rocky transitions home - thousands are homeless, unemployed, struggle financially, and file for divorce. Americans do a great job welcoming veterans at the airport and government worries about their health care, but a report released today shows that far too little is done to reintegrate veterans into community life and to continue to engage them in the very service that defines who they are and can help them with their transitions home.

Released today, the first-ever nationally representative survey of the civic lives of our nation's returning veterans from America's two latest wars shares both disturbing and hopeful news. Only 13 percent of these veterans strongly agreed that their transition home was going well and only 9 percent shared that view about how the needs of their families were being met. While nearly nine out of ten veterans believed that Americans could learn something from the example of service of veterans, only half consider themselves leaders in their communities. Strangely, after the parades and yellow ribbons, nearly seven in ten veterans said they had not been contacted by a community institution, local non-profit or place of worship, even though these groups are central to a veteran's reintegration into civilian life.

America's support for veterans should not stop at the airport gate. More than 90 percent of veterans believe serving their community is important to them and a basic responsibility of every American. Veterans who volunteered said their transitions were going better than those veterans who did not volunteer and the same held true for the family transitions of the veterans who were civically engaged. Even veterans who were not currently volunteering were willing to give significant time every month serving their communities.

Veterans of course want to help other veterans and military families, but their compassion goes far further. They want to help at-risk youth and older Americans, and participate in disaster relief and conservation of the environment. What's more, they have acquired skills in Iraq and Afghanistan - management and supervision, logistics and operations, and team-building and leading diverse groups of people, all skills that come in handy for the next generation of coaches, tutors, mentors, disaster response teams and more.

How our nation treats its returning veterans says a lot about our gratitude for their service and the respect we have for the skills they have acquired. Ironically, after sacrificing their lives for our country, veterans are a vulnerable population during the transition home and our new data shows that Americans can do much more to help them.

New efforts at the national, state and community levels will help. We must begin by changing our national dialogue from viewing returning veterans as charity cases to embracing them as civic assets in their communities.

We must de-stigmatize Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and educate non-profits on how they can effectively engage the returning veteran in service. The new Veterans Service Corps just authorized by Congress will engage veterans in full-time national service on the home front, and Governors and Mayors can integrate veterans more effectively into their state and city service initiatives.

Faith-based institutions can surround veterans with the support of loving parishioners, schools can welcome them into classrooms to share their stories of valor and service to inspire the next generation, and businesses can redouble efforts to integrate them into the workforce. Congress can pass the Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act.

America can do much more to thank our veterans for their service by smoothing the transitions home. Sargent Meneses tells us why it's so important - before she engaged in community service she said, "I was having a hard time with myself. I felt like I was a failure, that I didn't get to finish my mission...I fell into depression just thinking that something that I loved to do so much had to stop." Every American can help a veteran by ensuring their mission continues and by remembering that to the veteran, it is all about love of country.

John M. Bridgeland is CEO of Civic Enterprises and former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and USA Freedom Corps when the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were launched. Mary McNaught is Chief of Staff of Civic Enterprises and the wife of a Naval aviator. Both are co-authors of the report released today, All Volunteer Force: From Military to Civilian Service found at www.civicenterprises.net

Pepsi Pledges $20 Million For Community Projects

2009-11-09T14:34:27Z

NEW YORK (AP) -- PepsiCo Inc., looking to freshen up the image of its namesake soda, is pledging to pay at least $20 million for projects people create to "refresh" their communities.

The soft drink maker's "Pepsi Refresh Project" will be used throughout next year to market Pepsi soft drinks, including Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max, and will have a heavy social media presence as consumers list their projects online and vote on the winners.

Nicholas Brown: Mandatory National Service as a Political Tool

2009-11-09T14:21:11Z

I want Congress to stop fighting and I want to serve my country. These are connected.

I am twenty-nine and I have never done anything (other than pay taxes) that in any way contributes to this country in which I was lucky enough to be born. But, honestly, I'm probably not going to get around to joining the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps or the armed services anytime soon. I have a career to consider. So -- and I'm talking to you here government -- I want you to force me.

We are one of the few industrialized nations that doesn't require service of our young people. Ask the Israelis. Or the Austrians. Or the Italians. When you come of age, you work for your country for a year or two. And it need not be military.

It's good for young people; for society; and, maybe more importantly, it would be good for our government.

If the past five months of political crossfire have demonstrated anything, it is that an urge for consensus no longer exists in our national government. Obviously, individual congressmen and senators bear the brunt of the responsibility for this. Then, in descending order of social destructiveness, there are interest groups; cable news networks that cover any given issue with all the subtlety of a WWE announcer; left and right wing websites and radio stations that scream ever more incoherently at their opponents; local zealots who rattle assault weapons and PETA banners at town hall meetings; and then -- let's not forget -- the silent majority: voters themselves.

We should acknowledge that the reason our elected representatives devote so much time to screaming at one another is that the people who elected them devote so much time to screaming at one another. Don't believe me? Turn on Rush Limbaugh or Air America.

So rather than lambasting politicians for a fundamental inability to compromise, let's spend a few moments focusing on the voters, on ourselves. Children get along when they are forced to work together on a task that requires their collective labor. What if we asked every young citizen to give a year of his life to national service? What if we integrated whatever service programs we created by the political affiliations of these young people's parents?

I'm willing to bet that that we'd foster some of that much-needed national unity. And, sure, there would still be fighting, but at least we'd know who we were fighting with.

Evan Hochberg: Why the Loss Leader Approach to Volunteerism is not the Answer

2009-11-05T14:03:39Z

I, along with many other civic, philanthropic and corporate leaders, was recently honored to attend the Points of Light Institute's 20th anniversary ceremony at Texas A&M University where President Barack Obama and former President George H. W. Bush spoke. This historic event honored the enormous advances of the service movement launched two decades ago. It also served as a forum to encourage innovative ideas about service as a solution to many of the challenges facing our communities today. It was inspirational and thought-provoking.

As I listened to our esteemed speakers, two questions struck me: everyone has such good intentions, but are good intentions good enough? And is it enough to merely encourage Americans to volunteer? To both questions, I found myself answering "no." When it comes to making headway on critical issues through volunteerism, we must remember that this is not an area where we can make it up in volume alone.

Simply encouraging more people to step up - without giving serious consideration to the critical skills and knowledge needed to make an impact - will never solve our communities' most pressing issues, including hunger, homelessness, crime and disparities in education and healthcare. If volunteerism is to be a powerful driver of social impact and business value, government, nonprofit and business leaders must focus not just on more volunteers, but on more productive volunteering. We must look to reimagine service in a way that responds more deeply to the needs of the nonprofit communities and the clients they serve.

The nation's renewed excitement, engagement and commitment to citizen action is palpable. Voices from DC to LA, from President Obama and his wife Michelle, to Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashton Kutcher, are encouraging Americans to move from spectator to contributor. The message is pervasive, motivating and compelling. And it's working. The number of volunteer forces in the United States is on the rise. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, despite the challenges of tough economic times, roughly one million more people volunteered their time or services in 2008 than in 2007.

Our nation's impassioned plea to "give back" is being heard loud and clear. The Corporation for National and Community Service also reports that nearly 62 million Americans contributed eight billion hours of volunteer service last year. But unfortunately, all too often, too many people, with good intentions, are given volunteer tasks that are beneath their level of skill and knowledge and ultimately will not drive sustained change. The key to our success as a service nation is not just getting people to care, but also helping them figure out how they can make the greatest difference, given their time and their skills.

While we within the service community can be proud of the tremendous advances we have made over the course of the past two decades, we cannot limit the measure of our success to transactional metrics such as numbers of volunteers and hours of service. We must remember that countless volunteers and endless volunteer hours, in and of themselves, are not the goal, nor will they achieve the goal. They are a means to making a positive contribution to society, but it's what those people do with their time that's what is really important. We must design volunteer efforts that can truly make an enduring difference.

We -- government, business and nonprofit leaders -- must challenge ourselves to reimagine service. To do this, we must clearly define volunteer roles and expectations. We must focus on matching talents and skills of volunteers to the needs of nonprofits. We must place top priority not only on recruiting, but retaining, volunteer talent. We must invest in the time and the tools necessary to successfully manage volunteers and create a positive and impact-driven experience.

We can no longer be satisfied with simply growing our nation's volunteer forces. In order to drive good intentions to greater impact, we must reimagine what volunteerism looks like and can achieve. Join the dialogue on how we can, together, reimagine what volunteer service can do.

Johanna Garton: Giving Back Without Waiting for the Ask

2009-11-05T11:43:41Z

As we sat listening to the car radio, the news of these bumpy times launched us into conversation. I wondered aloud what further sacrifices we may have to make for the good of the whole. On its face, our neighborhood in northwest Denver doesn't appear to be suffering, with its still-bustling coffee houses and restaurants. But beneath the surface I knew there was more to the story. I saw the boarded-up churches, and knew that there were families at our son's elementary school for whom Friday meant the last day of hot meals for their kids until Monday when school rolled around again and the free breakfast and lunch programs kicked in.

I was already maxed out, volunteering at our elementary school, serving on three boards and donating consulting work to local nonprofits with tight budgets. "So what do you think you can be doing," I casually asked my husband. Expecting a response about making a donation to a homeless shelter or offering to help a local nonprofit with computer problems, I was shocked to hear, "Well, I figured since you were doing so much, that just about covered it for both of us."

As I tried to get deeper into what I saw as an unacceptable response, it soon became clear that my husband's main objection was important: pleas for help are just too generic. In fact, that is the case for most people. I know from experience that an overwhelming percentage of people, when asked by a friend or colleague to give time or money, will step up to the plate. But what about those people who are never asked? In my experience, if they are not asked, they will not act.

I have seen our Colorado nonprofit community struggle, and watched as organizations I respect close their doors. Most of us have plenty to give and serving in the community does not need to be a long-term commitment, doesn't need to be organized through an agency, nor does it need to entail leaving your home. So for those waiting for the call to action, I suggest taking a more proactive approach. Visit a local nursing home and read to the seniors with your children, pick up trash in one of Denver's parks or pull together a frozen turkey and canned goods to drop off at a local food pantry.

The possibilities are endless, and so, too, are the resources. For links to volunteer opportunities around the state, a good place to start is the Governor's Commission on Community Service The Commission serves as Colorado's leader in promoting civic engagement, volunteerism and community service, and provides links to local service delivery programs around the state. Another resource soon to appear comes with the recent passage of the Kennedy Serve America Act. This legislation will increase the numbers of AmeriCorps members in all corners of our state. Are you a candidate? Lastly, right on the Huffington Post main page is a link to All For Good, a searchable database of local volunteer opportunities.

I remember being a new mother and feeling at the end of the day that I had accomplished nothing. Some days I barely managed a shower, and most days I didn't have time to watch the news or engage in a real adult conversation. Someone told me that in those moments, I should remember that my job that day was to raise my child, and surely in doing so I had taught him a lesson or two in the process. These words have kept me going long past those early parenting days, and now I hope to go one better than that. For perhaps in teaching our children the lesson of giving, we can all find some small way to help others in the process.

On Detroit's Angels Night, Volunteers Are On The Lookout For Fires

2009-10-30T12:47:41Z

Last night was the first of several planned Angels Nights in Detroit, where volunteers walk and drive the streets looking to report suspicious fires. They find more than you might expect. Between 10 and 40 suspicious fires are reported in the Detroit area every day, and the 30,000 volunteers who showed up for the first Angel Night were there to make sure they all got reported to the fire department efficiently.

From The Detroit News:

"It's very important to participate at a time when there are more abandoned homes and there's a greater potential for fires," Diane Green said. "We have to step up and keep our neighborhood safe." Although fewer volunteers had signed up by Thursday than in previous years, the Northwest Activities Center ran out of the 1,000 Angels' Night hats and lights for volunteers, according to organizer Gail Carr...Volunteer turnout was "phenomenal."..."People wanted to help our city," she said. "They feel like this is something we have to do. The word got out."...On the eastside, Carl Ramsey, the manager of the Neighborhood City Hall on East Seven Mile, said he was proud about the 250 patrols and other volunteers. "It's going well," he said. "The block clubs and the community groups have really stepped up."

Volunteers receive an Angels Night hat, a flashlight and a meal from White Castle. Detroit residents interested in taking part in further Angels Night volunteer walks this week can sign up on www.angelsnight.org or call 313-224-4415.

Tegan And Sara Interview: Gay Rights, Public Service And The Music Industry

2009-10-29T14:02:18Z

Identical twin Indie duo Tegan and Sara have been busy winning awards and producing work across genres since they first burst onto the scene in Canada back in 1995. Since then, they have been vocal in their support for various causes, including gay rights.

Causecast's Brandon Deroche recently caught up with the twins to discuss their take on Prop 8, civil marriage in Canada, community service, the Love Unites movement and being out in the music industry.

CC: What are the causes you're passionate about?

Tegan: Well, obviously most recently, our last American tour kind of fell at the exact same time as the American election. Obviously the election itself was extremely important to us, but the whole Prop 8 thing was very close to home for us as gay artists; we were obviously really hoping that Prop 8 would not pass in California. I was here for a month and a half after that, so I went to all the marches and you know, blogged online and tried to get people to support. Sara and I both did the Love Unites posters. We really tried to get involved and sort of wrap my head around how that happened. Like how California itself wasn't supportive of gay marriage just didn't seem to make much sense at the time. It was very anti-climatic to hear that President Obama was President, and then to hear that Prop 8 passed - it was like "ehh, I'm sad and happy all at the same time." So confusing...so Prop 8 was kind of the last thing that we got involved in. We're obviously still monitoring all of that and doing what we can to make sure that people know that still needs to change obviously.

CC: How do you feel that music can play a role in creating social change and pushing things forward?

Sara: Obviously, there's not been some huge wave of political music which is tough because and sometimes I find that political music is usually is so marginalized because it's political, that it doesn't have the impact that say, a pop band, like U2 being political, but still making pop music, with the occasional political song, how impactful that can be. So I'm thinking that, currently, though, you have really articulate, well-spoken musicians who are out canvassing and talking about things that matter to them. You know, for us, obviously, we talk a lot about gay rights and being gay and sexism and feminism, and all of those kind of things. But you have tons of people who are talking eloquently in the press right now about things like health care. And, in Montreal, for example, I'm really aware of, I love that the people in the Arcade Fire are constantly talking about Haiti and the things that are going on in the countries that are important to them, or where they're from or whatever. So when you see people not just talking about themselves or their music, I find it inspiring. I love it. And I never think when I see a band talking about something that is important to them that they're preaching, or that they're trying to push something down, you know, your throat. After the end of a long day, to be honest, it's nice to kind of talk about other people's problems, and other people's issues, and not necessarily just talk about, well, like, on tour relationships, and it didn't work out, I'm sorry, I wrote a bunch songs about it, and it's kind of nice to know that you are here for some other important reason, and I think a lot of bands are just chomping at the bit to talk about something that they care about, you know?

Read the full Tegan and Sara interview on Causecast.org

Arianna Huffington: Making An Impact: Help a Kid Take the Leap from the Mean Streets of L.A. to a College Campus

2009-10-28T15:00:00Z

When we launched HuffPost Impact, our new section devoted to service, causes, and giving back, I wrote about my longstanding (and, now, finally realized) desire to put the spotlight -- 24/7 -- on the work of nonprofit groups in a way that enables people to be inspired and immediately take action to address the urgent needs in our society.

To this end, we have decided to regularly feature nonprofit groups that are working in the trenches every day to help turn people's lives around.

To kick things off, I've decided to pick an organization very close to my heart, A Place Called Home.

A Place Called Home is a remarkable place, with a remarkable backstory.

Back in the early 90s, Debrah Constance was a successful real estate agent, earning over $100,000 a year. She also had a serious drinking problem, for which she was eventually hospitalized. Her recovery inspired her to find a new focus for her life: service.

Determined to make her life about something larger than herself, she met with a consultant for nonprofits who stopped her in her tracks by asking: "What do you really want to do with your life?"

The answer came to her in an instant: "All I want to do is open a safe house for children who live around Jefferson High School, in South Central Los Angeles, where they can get off the street, get a healthy snack, watch TV and do their homework."

The next day, she told her boss she was quitting. He gave her six months severance pay and an office. Six months later, she opened A Place Called Home (APCH).

It started with twelve inner city kids in the basement of a church. Within three years, A Place Called Home was serving 400 kids and moved to a new 10,000 square foot facility. It now has a LAUSD school on site and boasts a recording studio, a computer center, and programs in music, art, dance, yoga, tutoring and mentoring.

I met Debrah in 1994, and was immediately swept up by her energy, passion, and commitment to helping "her kids." I eventually joined the organization's advisory board. Volunteering at A Place Called Home has had a profound effect on my life, and on the lives of my daughters.

Spend any time there and you can see that, even over 17 years later, Debrah and a great team -- executive director Jonathan Zeichner, chief operating officer Angela Maldonado and associate director Scott Culbertson -- are people on a mission: providing at-risk kids with a secure place where they can break free from the gangs, drugs, and poverty that surround them.

One of the most inspiring -- and most in need of help -- programs at A Place Called Home is their scholarship program, in association with the David & Linda Shaheen Foundation, which helps kids go to college or a trade school -- kids who often couldn't even dream such a thing was possible.

The kids at A Place Called Home live in some of the poorest and most crime-riddled neighborhoods in the country. Many go to Jefferson High, which has the fifth lowest graduation rate in the entire country. They often have siblings in gangs, parents who are sometimes in jail and sometimes less than supportive, and they are usually the first in their family to have even considered applying to college -- let alone actually go.

To make this dream a reality, A Place Called Home started a SAT prep program. So far, 100 percent of the students who have entered the SAT program have completed it. The students then apply for an A Place Called Home scholarship -- the money goes towards tuition, guidance counseling, and basic needs like clothes to wear to class.

Talk to the folks at A Place Called Home, and the success stories roll out: Gerica, who became interested in filmmaking at APCH and who is now majoring in film at San Jose State; Martha, who got a scholarship and went on to earn her nursing degree; Elijah, who scored so high on the SATs he had his pick of schools -- he ended up choosing a small school in Colorado, the first in his family to go to college.

Last year, A Place Called Home gave out 58 scholarships totaling $250,000. But, given the number of worthy applicants, if they had the money, they could easily quadruple that number.

"There's this misconception," says executive director Jonathan Zeichner, "that kids who grow up in this neighborhood -- which is rife with violence and gangs and poverty and a liquor store on every corner -- don't want to excel. But, as soon as you give them the opportunity and let them know that it's a possibility for them, they're clamoring for it."

To help one of the kids at A Place Called Home excel -- to take the leap from the mean streets of L.A. to a college campus -- we've created a special HuffPost Impact Fund. With $5,000 we can give a worthy student a leg up on a much brighter future.

To donate, click on the widget below. You can also give to A Place Called Home directly from your cellphone -- text HOME to 85944 and $5 will be added to the Fund and charged to your phone bill (all of the money will go to the scholarship fund). Don't forget to confirm your donation by replying YES.

(UPDATE: thanks to your generosity, we have reached our goal of raising $5,000. Since there are so many worthy applicants, we're going to keep the Fund active -- let's see if we can raise enough to send another at-risk kid to college.)

Once the HuffPost Impact Fund goal has been reached, and the A Place Called Home scholarship recipient chosen, we will keep you updated on who is picked and what school the student will be going to, so you can see how your contribution is changing a life.

So please give what you can to A Place Called Home's scholarship program. And please send me your suggestions for other great groups we should be turning the Impact spotlight on.

Contributions made through the above widget go to the Causecast Foundation, the online donation nonprofit partner of The Huffington Post. Causecast does not take any fees from this transaction and guarantees that 100% of your donation, minus the PayPal transaction fee of .044%, will go to A Place Called Home.

2morrowknight: 16 Amazing Men on Twitter and the Awesome Charities They Support

2009-10-26T11:10:04Z

I've received hundreds of emails and tweets from people who were inspired by my blogpost, 16 Amazing Women on Twitter and the Awesome Charities they Support. But many also wanted to see a post about 16 men doing extraordinary work, and who value service and volunteerism. And, they wanted to hear about more nonprofits making a difference, and positively impacting our planet.

It is my sincere hope that those readers and many more will be impressed with the list of sixteen men listed below. I asked each gentleman to tell me their favorites charities, and in the end, twenty-one nonprofits are profiled.

As singer Jon Foreman wrote recently in his moving post about community and service,

We need each other. Human beings will always be the most valuable natural resource on the planet. The human story is still unfolding. We are telling it as we speak. The human song is still weaving its way towards a chorus, through the suffering, through the fear. We need each other. We need heroes. Let your life be a beautiful song. We need hope. Tell a good story with the way you live.

These men understand the "beautiful song" Foreman writes about. Their lives are a reflection of what they advocate on a daily basis. They are as impressive as the charities and causes they assist.

Philippe Cousteau / @Pcousteau

Why he rocks: He's a renowned explorer, TV host and sustainability advocate who founded Azure Worldwide, a strategic environmental design, development and marketing company. His favorite Twitter charity: @EarthEcho, which he founded in 2000, with his sister @Acousteau, to honor of their father Philippe Cousteau Sr., famous son of the legendary explorer Jacques Yves Cousteau. This nonprofit's mission is to educate the leaders of tomorrow about the need to restore and protect our Oceans. Their work is further strengthened through partnerships with Planet Green, Youth Service America, and @UsherRaymondIV's New Look Foundation.

Joseph Ranseth / @JosephRanseth

Why he rocks: Ranseth actually traveled around North America meeting and connecting with people through social media. He's a popular speaker, author & entrepreneur. His life's mission is to touch lives & love using social media. His favorite Twitter charity: @BGCA_Clubs. This nonprofit engages and challenges young people to reach their full potential. It has great, highly touted programs in the areas of health, the environment, leadership development, athletics, and education.

Ramon B. Nuez Jr. / @RamonBNuezJr

Why he rocks: I love Nuez's writing, and I love his vision of New Media. He is a Latinos in Social Media -- Best NY Blogger Award nominee. He is also Managing Editor and co-founder of New Media Brief and New Media Brief News Room. His favorite Twitter charity: @Causecast. This nonprofit has partnered with a wide array of other nonprofits dealing with issues like education, breast cancer, sustainability and human rights. Its great directory helps you connect with inspiring people and nonprofits doing exceptional work.

Cory Booker / @CoryBooker

Why he rocks: Maybe you've seen Cory Booker on Oprah's show. Maybe you saw him on Conan O'Brien's show. No matter how a person comes to hear about him, when you read about his life, purpose and dedication, you'll immediately love him. He is the charismatic, transformational Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. His awesome work was profiled in the recent cable series Brick City. His favorite Twitter charity: @NewarkNow, the nonprofit Booker founded in 2002. As transformational and effective as its founder, Newark Now makes sure the residents of the city are equipped with the resources and services to grow and transform their neighborhoods. Newark Now's groundbreaking work has been universally praised.

Joe Gigantino / @JoeGigantino

Why he rocks: Gigantino owns four profitable health clubs (3 in California, and 1 in Arizona), and has a very popular workout blog, which has great infomation on fitness fundamentals. He is one of the most passionate health and wellness advocates I've ever come across. For Gigantino, it's not just fitness, but also motivation, inspiration and purpose. Twitter charities he supports: @mssociety. This nonprofit exist to make the world completely free of multiple sclerosis. It has a great 50-state network of chapters. The @mssociety helps people affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, and by providing advocacy and education. He also supports the work of @llsusa, the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and education.

Blair Semenoff / @Flipbooks

Why he rocks: Semenoff is nothing short of a marketing guru. His firm, TruAction Flix, produces flipbooks, which Semenoff believes is an "ideal way of reaching a variety of audiences with repetitive and long-term messaging that has exceptional staying power for your brand." I agree with him. His great marketing ideas have won him some top-notch clients. His favorite Twitter charity: @nothingbutnets. This nonprofit was founded by sports writer RickReilly. It teams with the UN Foundation, NBA Cares, The People of the United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated to buy anti-malaria bed nets for children in Africa. It is already making a significant impact. In fact, if you'll recall, Ashton Kutcher donated 10,000 anti-malaria bed nets when he beat out CNN in a contest to get million Twitter followers.

Paul Rieckhoff / @PaulRieckhoff

Why he rocks: Mr. Rieckhoff is a military veteran, media professional, social entrepreneur, music connoisseur, bestselling author of Chasing Ghosts, popular Huffington Post blogger, and Founder and Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). His favorite Twitter charity: @IAVA. Since 2004, IAVA has become one of the best and strongest advocates for our veterans and their families. It's won legislative victories on the new G.I. Bill, mental health screenings for returning service members, Veterans Health Care Budget Reform, among other issues. In fact, it teamed with the AdCouncil to start CommunityofVeterans.org, a veterans-only, online community. Moreover, the incredible documentary Warrior Champions, which was produced by @IAVA, premiered at the Austin Film Festival on October 23.

Bill Wixey / @BillWixey

Why he rocks: Wixey is an emmy award-winning broadcast journalist who has been in Seattle for more than a decade. He produced a great documentary "Mission of Hope", about his trip to Sri Lanka following the deadly Tsunami. Also, his blogging and reporting on his battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a type of lymphoma (cancer originating from a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes), has won him thousands of new fans. His favorite Twitter charity: @SeattleCCA. This nonprofit, the Seattle Cancare Alliance, is doing its part to lead the world in translating scientific discovery into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of cancer. @SeattleCCA brings together doctors from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine, and Seattle Children's Hospital, to form a world-class treatment center.

Stephen Gilmore / @SchereLLC

Why he rocks: Gilmore is on the move. His firm, Sphere LLC, has some incredibly innovative shower curtains. His Obama Shower Curtain is his big seller, and it has provided him with the opportunity to significantly grow his business. Twitter charities he supports: @FrankSkiKids. Since 2000, this nonprofit, has helped young people in Metro Atlanta, and provided resources and programs dealing with science, technology, athletics and the arts. Gilmore has donated products to that foundation. Moreover, he has donated time and products to @4hosea, which has fed the hungry and homeless for the past 40 years. And he's helped the Georgia Clayton County School District using his Obama Shower Curtain as a fundraiser.

Josh Charles / @Joshcharles

Why he rocks: Charles is a true renaissance entertainer, as I noted in a recent blogpost. Everybody loves socially conscious musicians who put their money where their mouth is. Charles fits the description. He is raising money through downloads of his song "Healing Time." You can buy it on Amazon and itunes, with 100% of the funds going to assist in the rebuilding of New Orleans. His favorite Twitter charity: @prcno. This nonprofit, the Preservation Resource Center, receives the funds his downloads produce. It promotes the revitalization and preservation of New Orleans' historic architecture and neighborhoods. They're doing some amazing work.

Matthew Sapaula / @MatthewSapaula

Why he rocks: One of "The Money Men" of Chicago, Sapaula is a respected financial strategist, speaker, TV commentator and talk show host of Chicago's Money Smart Radio. His favorite Twitter charity: @AmericanCancer. This nonprofit is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization with more than 3400 offices.

Jim Thomas / @Jimtdenver

Why he rocks: Thomas is a well-known business lawyer who has his hand on the pulse of what's happening in Colorado. In fact, he blogs for the Huffington Post. His posts deal primarily with family, community, and business. His favorite Twitter charity: @wesing, where he serves as board president. This nonprofit -- through children's ensembles -- presents professional concerts and educational programs. It provides unique experiences which engage participants, entertain audiences, and positively affect communities throughout Colorado, the United States, and all around the globe.

Paul Smith / @GreenSmith

Why he rocks: Smith is a well sought after Green Business Consultant, taking full advantage of the eco-friendly environment in international commerce. He's a star blogger for Triple Pundit, Ghost Writer, and self-styled social media demystifier and idea ninja. His favorite Twitter Charity: @SHILaCosecha. This nonprofit provides farming families in Central America countries with the tools to overcome poverty while restoring and preserving our planet's tropical forests. Since 1997, it has planted more 2.3 million trees and converted thousands of acres to sustainable uses. All of this has saving tens of thousands of acres of tropical forest.

Mike Dardis / @MikeDardisKOMO

Why he rocks: Dardis is well-respected, emmy-winning morning anchor. His command of the issues, smooth delivery, and great rapport with his co-anchor Molly Shen have made him a huge star with Northwest viewers. His favorite Twitter charity: @FoodLifeline. Last year, this nonprofit received over 21 million pounds of food - roughly 17 million meals - to feed hungry families and individuals throughout Western Washington State. Food Lifeline provides food thousands of people through hundreds of emergency feeding programs including food banks, hot meal programs and shelters.

Pete C. Rodriguez Jr. / @Fivestarprodj

Why he rocks: Rodriguez is a HR Recruiter, graphic designer, master of networking, entrepreneur, and social media enthusiast. He's also a music connoisseur. He provides all types of genres of music for weddings, Quinceanera's, and other events through Five Star Productions, which he owns with his wife. Twitter charities he supports: @WWF_Climate. This nonprofit is helping to preserve our planet's natural environment, and, it's also on the front lines in the creation of green jobs -- the next frontier in global commerce. He also supports the work of the @RedCross, whose expertise and resources are stretched to the limit during natural disasters. And like JosephRanseth above, he is fully behind the @BGCA_Clubs.

Edward Philipp / @EdLovesSumo

Why he rocks: Philipp is one of Southern California's most successful entrepreneurs. He conducts popular TeleSeminars, has a must-see Free Resource Blog at TeleSeminarWebFolk.com, and is CoFounder of TeleSeminarNation.com. Twitter charities he supports: @GFPCEdward. This is his church Grace First Presbyterian Church. Located in Long Beach, CA, his church supports New Orleans relief efforts that continue after Hurricane Katrina. In fact, @GFPCEdward purchased a house that houses groups who are building, cleaning, helping people in many ways. They also send groups from their church. They've spent $824,000-plus, with the eventual total expected to exceed $1,000,000. He also supports the efforts of @Habitat_org (Habitat for Humanity).

Anne Naylor: Can We Afford NOT To Be Of Service?

2009-10-24T10:26:12Z

How far that little candle throws its beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.
William Shakespeare

On my recent trip to London, I went to one of the most innovative book launches I have ever attended. It featured a clotted cream tea. Clotted cream is not for the faint of heart, or those hoping to lose weight. Nor were the cakes that accompanied it. Moreover, this super rich cream was served with delicious blackcurrant jam (jelly) on warm, freshly made scones (biscuits).

The event included a workshop, Q&A and book signing -- all donated, apart from the price of the book, if you chose to buy it. What a wonderful gift of giving it was.

The book at the centre of all of this attention is the new one by Drs John-Roger and Paul Kaye: Serving & Giving Gateways To Higher Consciousness, available from 1st November.

In the workshop, we were invited to explore and discuss how we could be of greater service to ourselves and others. We were introduced to 10 second stillnesses. This simplest of techniques brought the room of 175 of us into such a peaceful quality, we could have been out in nature, by a quiet lake, or up a mountain or in the depths of a forest -- not in the centre of a bustling city.

Try for yourself now. Let go of your reading. Close your eyes for 10 seconds and take in a deep breath. Drop your shoulders. Allow yourself a moment of peace. You can do this at any time: by the computer, in a line of traffic, waiting for your child to come out of school. I have found it works like magic. Taken frequently, 10 second stillnesses can bring a calm to your whole day. What a great way to serve yourself!

If we do more with less,
our resources will be adequate to take care of everybody.
Buckminster Fuller

The book has many gems. The reader is encouraged to read it not from cover to cover but to put it down from time to time, and go serve. Serving can be as simple to do as breathing in and breathing out. It could be picking up the phone to someone who may be alone; offering a word of encouragement to a person who is struggling; taking the time to prepare a nurturing meal for your partner.

We are designed for giving. When we do so, our lives come into a certain order, even and especially when things seem so chaotic and uncertain. A serving frame of mind will respond when asked. For example, yesterday a woman came up to me outside a public toilet, asking me if I had toilet paper -- there was none. I do not usually carry it around, but I had a pack of tissues.

Man discovers his own wealth when God comes to ask gifts of him
Rabindranath Tagore

You may protest. With all of the demands currently in your life, and the stresses you are already experiencing, how on earth can you be expected to go out and serve others? Isn't life difficult enough already without being expected to go and do more for others?

It is when times are most difficult that we really need to take better care of ourselves. But the emotions of fear and doubt cause us to forget common sense. We need wisdom. But wisdom does not come from pressing the panic button and going unconscious.

To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.
Mother Theresa

With serving well comes awareness -- recognizing the need to recharge your batteries when they run down, and to know when they are run down in the first place. Look what would happen if you breathed out the whole time. Fortunately, our bodies have a way of breathing in automatically. So too with serving: we need balance.

The headings alone for the section of the book: Serving and Giving to the Self inspires self-caring: To your own self be true; Be good to yourself!; Taking time for yourself; Serving yourself; Why is it such fun to give?; Learn to receive; The gift of receiving; Taking care of ourselves versus indulging ourselves; Giving is such a selfish thing; Server, heal thyself; Have fun and rejoice in it.

The core of Serving & Giving is love, or more accurately loving and caring. It is the frequency of love that lifts us above our troubles and woes, and more than that, finds a way through them, and more than that, places us in a position to live the lives of our heartfelt dreams. We are each of us born with a wealth of love to express: gifts, talents, natural attributes.

When all seems hopeless, the energy of love will find a way forward. Serving and giving awakens more of our love. At this time, can we afford not to be giving and serving?

Every day use your magic to be of service to others.
Marcia Weider

How has serving (yourself or others) benefitted you? Who most inspires you by their acts of giving and serving? If you could better serve yourself, what would you be doing?

Please feel free to leave a comment below, or contact me at clearresults@mac.com

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Jimmy Kimmel And Habitat For Humanity: Show's Staff Volunteers For National Service Week

2009-10-23T11:52:25Z

If you've followed Impact this week, you'll know that it's National Service Week, sponsored by the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and iParticipate, and network television shows are featuring volunteer opportunities to encourage Americans to give their time to good causes.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live staff showed their support this week by volunteering with the San Fernando Valley chapter of Habitat For Humanity. The group helped build a new house in a single afternoon, and still had time for some typical hijinks.

At one point, Kimmel took a break from building to spray a layer of caulking chemical on Guillermo's face.

"Jimmy put his caulk all over my mustache. I don't like that," the second banana said.

At the end of the video, Kimmel encourages his audience to get involved with public service, and to check out opportunities through Habitat For Humanity.

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Tom Gerdy: The Troops Have Landed, to Help us Build

2009-10-22T17:57:22Z

I spent a recent weekend helping with a Habitat For Humanity Blitz Build in New Bern, N.C. Blitz Building is conventional construction at an accelerated pace. We gather as many volunteers as possible and spend a couple of days working like maniacs to accomplish as much as possible on the construction of one or more homes.

There are many misconceptions about Habitat For Humanity, so let me further explain the concept before I move on. Volunteers work side by side with the families who will be buying the homes. The hours worked by the family are converted into their down payment. When they have worked enough hours for their down payment, Habitat sells them the home at cost and provides a zero interest mortgage. The homeowners then make mortgage payments back to Habitat. The mortgage payments are then used to build more homes. It works!

The concept is simple: people listen to their hearts tell their hands what to do. It doesn't get any more basic than that. Volunteers all over the world give of themselves to minimize labor costs so Habitat Homes can remain affordable for low income families. There is an interesting transformation that takes place when people build a house because their hearts tell them to do it. The volunteers often show up thinking that they will be helping someone and the reality is that they gain much more than they give. We call it "feeling the feeling." It happens when a volunteer realizes that they are no longer building a house. As they work side by side with and get to know the home buyer, the house suddenly becomes a home. Many volunteers also realize that they will forever be part of that family.

I have been volunteering with Habitat For Humanity for over 20 years. Many of the homes I have helped build have been done in Blitz style. I have experienced many emotional and magical moments in those 20 years. In New Bern, N.C. I once again found myself in the middle of a powerful event.

The crowd that showed up on Saturday morning in New Bern was huge. We were building two homes and over 400 people waited ready to help on a cold October morning. It was a sign of a very healthy community that knows what is important. As I looked out at the crowd, chills went up and down my body. The chills I felt weren't from the cold breeze blowing off the river in New Bern that morning. The chills were because as I looked over the crowd I saw the faces of about 100 Marines and sailors who had come out to help. These young men and women had already given so much to their country but were poised to give in a different way. On this morning, their weapon of choice was a hammer. They were there so they could help a good family buy a safe, decent, affordable home. At that moment I felt proud, privileged, and blessed to be there with them. They know better than most what giving and looking after each other truly means. I thank them for what they do every day defending our country. I also thank them for what they did that cold Saturday in October in New Bern, N.C. Thanks to the Marines, the sailors and all of the other volunteers homes were built, relationships were built and the world moved one step on.

Make A Difference Day: Saturday's Event Brings Together Millions Of Volunteers

2009-10-22T14:02:38Z

Nineteen years ago, USA WEEKEND magazine initiated Make A Difference Day, an event to encourage volunteerism and action on the fourth Saturday of every October. This year, in light of the White House's United We Serve campaign, Make A Difference Day could see record numbers of volunteers show up across the country to lend their part.

Make A Difference Day is sponsored by the HandsOn Network and Newman's Own, which donates $100,000 to participating charities every year.

USA Today has compiled a brief list of some of the major events taking place this Saturday. Among them:

Los Angeles: Volunteers taking part in a Habitat For Humanity Build.

Las Vegas: The Goodie Two Shoes Foundation is giving new pairs of shoes to over 1,500 needy kids.

New York City: Volunteers will plant 20,000 new trees.

Washington D.C.: Over 1,000 volunteers will help to refurbish schools and libraries.

Web junkies can become a fan of Make A Difference Day on Facebook. Make A Difference Day encourages interested volunteers to enter their zip code on AARP's Create The Good to find local public service opportunities.

Tom Nelson: Serve The Community With Create The Good

2009-10-20T14:14:23Z

For those of us immersed in changing public policy -- whether that means affordable health care, clean energy, consumer protection, financial regulation or another issue -- this has been a season of intense involvement. But government action is not the only way to improve the quality of life for our neighbors and our communities; it's going to take significant individual engagement as well.

The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) has made an industry-wide commitment to embed messages of volunteer service in dozens of television shows this week. At AARP, we're working with EIF to promote service and connect people with countless opportunities to become engaged in helping others through www.CreateTheGood.org.

Create The Good promotes service and removes obstacles. It offers an easy path to service whether people have five minutes, five hours or five days to contribute.

This year's Civic Health Index reported that 50 percent of Americans are helping others in self-directed ways. AARP and other groups are making available new do-it-yourself kits that people can download from CreateTheGood.org and use to help relatives or neighbors organize prescription medicines, arrange a home for safety, avoid fraud and address other needs.

CreateTheGood.org also has how-to videos for simple service projects people can organize on their own, like weatherizing homes, starting walking groups and starting giving circles.

As individuals engage in changing public policy, we can also help an older neighbor get to the doctor, use medicine wisely or make modifications to her home to help her live more independently.

As we promote energy conservation and protect the environment, we can help a neighbor by providing a checklist of energy-saving tips for the home. We can recruit friends and neighbors to clean a stream or river.

And as we advocate for financial service laws and regulations, we can also promote financial literacy and give people the tools and know-how for resisting fraud.

Check us out at www.CreateTheGood.org. You'll find ideas for service brought to life -- through do-it-yourself kits, how-to videos and ways to connect with other volunteers in your area.

Americans are ready to serve. Research conducted last year for AARP found that four in 10 people ages 44 to 79 expected to volunteer more in the next five years. Their talent, experience and energy can make a real difference in solving problems and serving others. Now they have a new tool to help move from good intentions to powerful action.

The unending capacity to make lives better through public policy and civic engagement has always defined our country. Now it's up to each of us to help improve our communities and the lives of those around us.

Faith Hill PSA Encourages Community Service

2009-10-19T12:06:53Z

As part of the Entertainment Industry Foundation's week of volunteerism, Faith Hill has filmed a Public Service Announcement encouraging viewers to give back. In the Jesse Dylan-directed PSA, Hill says there are many ways to Create The Good, a reference to the AARP site where users can look up volunteer opportunities.

The Faith Hill spot is only one of many PSAs and network programs dedicating their week to encouraging public service. IMPACT will be following the shows that feature related storylines.

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