I am hosting a NL Texas Hold'em charity poker tournament. Haiti was recently devastated with a major earthquake that destroyed most of the capital and likely resulted in 50,000+ casualties.
The world is uniting in offering help.
I am hosting a tournament where every player donates a minimum of $25. I expect to raise at least $250. Then my work will match all donations 100% up to $200K. So if we donate $250, they will donate $250 - bringing the total up to $500.
It is another small effort - but anything I can do to get people involved in the helping of others, I will do.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Operation Warm Winter - New Meetup
Hello World!
I have created a new meetup for my San Diego Grass Roots Giving meetup. Operation Warm Winter is this meetup's second "Operation" and it involves collecting and distributing warm blankets and sleeping bags for the homeless in San Diego.
http://www.meetup.com/San-Diego-Grass-Roots-Giving/calendar/12330159/
I have also created an Operation Warm Winter website - still in its' early phases of development.
http://operationwarmwinter.webs.com/
The plan is to advertise on Craigslist for donations of blankets throughout February. The members of the meetup will drive to people's homes to collect the donations. Then in early March we will gather our group and hit the streets delivering warm blankets to the homeless.
It may end up just being a small group of 5-6 people collecting and delivering the blankets - but small things have a way of making a big difference!
I have created a new meetup for my San Diego Grass Roots Giving meetup. Operation Warm Winter is this meetup's second "Operation" and it involves collecting and distributing warm blankets and sleeping bags for the homeless in San Diego.
http://www.meetup.com/San-Diego-Grass-Roots-Giving/calendar/12330159/
I have also created an Operation Warm Winter website - still in its' early phases of development.
http://operationwarmwinter.webs.com/
The plan is to advertise on Craigslist for donations of blankets throughout February. The members of the meetup will drive to people's homes to collect the donations. Then in early March we will gather our group and hit the streets delivering warm blankets to the homeless.
It may end up just being a small group of 5-6 people collecting and delivering the blankets - but small things have a way of making a big difference!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Operation Santa Clause
Hello World!
Galina Caraman, writer for the Ocean Beach Good Time's OB paper, wrote a story about Operation Santa Clause.
Below is a copy of the word for word story and a link to the actual site.
http://goodtimesob.wordpress.com/ocean-beach-calendar-of-events/operation-santa-claus-at-your-service/
_________________________________
Operation Santa Claus at Your Service
By Galina Caraman
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life it’s highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus.” – Francis Pharcellus Church
Christmas, 1991 – sad, sad day in my life; huge milestone in my existence. My Dad burst my bubble. My brother and I didn’t sleep the whole night waiting to see Santa just to discover our dad quietly placing the gifts under the tree. I threw a fit; I cried; I didn’t want to touch the presents. They got me some toys, what were they thinking anyway? I asked for a bicycle! Only if Santa existed… My Dad explained that Santa is a busy guy and that he was just helping him. I believed Dad; got over the drama and spent the next 18 years of my life on my quest for Santa Claus.
December, 2009 – my faith got restored! I found Santa on a craigslist add. Believe me or not San Diego Santa lives in Tierrasanta (cute neighborhood at the intersection of 15 and 52). His name is Jay Usher and he also has a Santa’s helper, Lynn Usher, which in real life is his wife. San Diego Santa is not quite the traditional old guy and white beard type of Santa Claus. Mr. Usher is modern; in his 30ies; computer programmer by day; but this Christmas he is being Santa to at least ten families with adopted and/or foster care kids in San Diego area.
It all started with a coffee. Every morning he feeds his addiction at a Starbucks downtown – a grande white mocha with an extra shot of espresso. “Very predictable” he says. But one Monday morning a couple of weeks ago was different. Starbucks had bunch of little ornaments with names of foster kids and what they want for Christmas. That inspired and got him thinking: “I should do the similar”. Went online and found hope4kids, a non profit foster care agency. They were looking for people to “adopt” a family in need for Christmas. Mr. Usher emailed them; ten minutes later Karleen Cox from hope4kids replied with a list of ten families he could choose from. He couldn’t pick just one and picked them all. After some more thinking, Mr. Usher figured that it might be a “little” hard to buy presents for ten families so he created
San Diego Grass Roots Giving
on meetup.com and invited everybody he knows to join. Within a couple of days they raised almost all the money and a bunch of games and toys; and then Santa and Santa’s helper went shopping. It was so cute to watch them going through every child’s “letter to Santa” and carefully deciding which one is getting what. I guess that’s how they do it on North Pole. The presents were modest; bought from Good Will, Ross, Wall Mart but they all were thought over, exactly what the kids were asking for plus a little piece of Mr. & Mrs. Usher’s heart. I’m sure they would put a smile on each of those little faces.
Christmas will be over soon but San Diego Grass Roots Giving will continue on helping others. They are working on the Operation Warm Winter which consists on collecting blankets and sleeping bags and donating them to the homeless.
“The goals for San Diego Grass Roots Giving are two fold. One is to help others in need. But just as importantly, I want people to get involved in the helping of others. These are difficult times and some of our problems are simply not possible to overcome by our selves. I believe if you cannot currently fix a problem you are facing, the best thing to do is help someone else with their problems. Put simply – Give What You Need.”
Galina Caraman, writer for the Ocean Beach Good Time's OB paper, wrote a story about Operation Santa Clause.
Below is a copy of the word for word story and a link to the actual site.
http://goodtimesob.wordpress.com/ocean-beach-calendar-of-events/operation-santa-claus-at-your-service/
_________________________________
Operation Santa Claus at Your Service
By Galina Caraman
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life it’s highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus.” – Francis Pharcellus Church
Christmas, 1991 – sad, sad day in my life; huge milestone in my existence. My Dad burst my bubble. My brother and I didn’t sleep the whole night waiting to see Santa just to discover our dad quietly placing the gifts under the tree. I threw a fit; I cried; I didn’t want to touch the presents. They got me some toys, what were they thinking anyway? I asked for a bicycle! Only if Santa existed… My Dad explained that Santa is a busy guy and that he was just helping him. I believed Dad; got over the drama and spent the next 18 years of my life on my quest for Santa Claus.
December, 2009 – my faith got restored! I found Santa on a craigslist add. Believe me or not San Diego Santa lives in Tierrasanta (cute neighborhood at the intersection of 15 and 52). His name is Jay Usher and he also has a Santa’s helper, Lynn Usher, which in real life is his wife. San Diego Santa is not quite the traditional old guy and white beard type of Santa Claus. Mr. Usher is modern; in his 30ies; computer programmer by day; but this Christmas he is being Santa to at least ten families with adopted and/or foster care kids in San Diego area.
It all started with a coffee. Every morning he feeds his addiction at a Starbucks downtown – a grande white mocha with an extra shot of espresso. “Very predictable” he says. But one Monday morning a couple of weeks ago was different. Starbucks had bunch of little ornaments with names of foster kids and what they want for Christmas. That inspired and got him thinking: “I should do the similar”. Went online and found hope4kids, a non profit foster care agency. They were looking for people to “adopt” a family in need for Christmas. Mr. Usher emailed them; ten minutes later Karleen Cox from hope4kids replied with a list of ten families he could choose from. He couldn’t pick just one and picked them all. After some more thinking, Mr. Usher figured that it might be a “little” hard to buy presents for ten families so he created
San Diego Grass Roots Giving
on meetup.com and invited everybody he knows to join. Within a couple of days they raised almost all the money and a bunch of games and toys; and then Santa and Santa’s helper went shopping. It was so cute to watch them going through every child’s “letter to Santa” and carefully deciding which one is getting what. I guess that’s how they do it on North Pole. The presents were modest; bought from Good Will, Ross, Wall Mart but they all were thought over, exactly what the kids were asking for plus a little piece of Mr. & Mrs. Usher’s heart. I’m sure they would put a smile on each of those little faces.
Christmas will be over soon but San Diego Grass Roots Giving will continue on helping others. They are working on the Operation Warm Winter which consists on collecting blankets and sleeping bags and donating them to the homeless.
“The goals for San Diego Grass Roots Giving are two fold. One is to help others in need. But just as importantly, I want people to get involved in the helping of others. These are difficult times and some of our problems are simply not possible to overcome by our selves. I believe if you cannot currently fix a problem you are facing, the best thing to do is help someone else with their problems. Put simply – Give What You Need.”
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Reflections
I am curious who will read this blog post just by seeing the word reflections.
To some of us, that word is what we are currently focused on. So if you are one of those focused individuals, this post is for you.
But this will be a short post.
More than anything this post serves as a synchronicity that you are on the correct path.
So in short what are reflections?
The most obvious is if you look into a mirror you will see your own reflection.
On a grander level if you walk around downtown you will see reflections of yourself in others. What does that mean? It means we're all the same person on a grander scheme - playing out some individual roles.
When you see someone - you are seeing a reflection of yourself. Contemplate that for a while.
Those people are you working on a different objective than yourself. Empathy towards others really is empathy towards yourself and its challenges.
Have you ever heard the saign "How We See Others Impacts How We See Ourselves". That is all about self-esteem.
The short of this post is about creating more empathy in the world. It is important to realize that you are helping yourself when you help others in this world.
To hate another person for any reason is to hate a part of yourself. While that person may be doing things you find offensive, empathy is required nonetheless in order to help that person overcome the thing they are struggling with.
Consider yourself an atom on a finger on an arm on a body. The other atoms are other people in this world. But you are all on the same finger on the same arm on the same body. Hating yourself accomplished nothing and manifests excuses to prevent the work of growth.
That is all.
To some of us, that word is what we are currently focused on. So if you are one of those focused individuals, this post is for you.
But this will be a short post.
More than anything this post serves as a synchronicity that you are on the correct path.
So in short what are reflections?
The most obvious is if you look into a mirror you will see your own reflection.
On a grander level if you walk around downtown you will see reflections of yourself in others. What does that mean? It means we're all the same person on a grander scheme - playing out some individual roles.
When you see someone - you are seeing a reflection of yourself. Contemplate that for a while.
Those people are you working on a different objective than yourself. Empathy towards others really is empathy towards yourself and its challenges.
Have you ever heard the saign "How We See Others Impacts How We See Ourselves". That is all about self-esteem.
The short of this post is about creating more empathy in the world. It is important to realize that you are helping yourself when you help others in this world.
To hate another person for any reason is to hate a part of yourself. While that person may be doing things you find offensive, empathy is required nonetheless in order to help that person overcome the thing they are struggling with.
Consider yourself an atom on a finger on an arm on a body. The other atoms are other people in this world. But you are all on the same finger on the same arm on the same body. Hating yourself accomplished nothing and manifests excuses to prevent the work of growth.
That is all.
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