New Year's Resolution Idea (Hint, hint!)

Let's say you make a $10 donation to ABC Charity and that $10 is put into a general fund or used for programs. It goes to the people who need it. Then it gets used up.

Okay. You've made your donation. Now you're off to the rest of your life.

But wait just a minute. Instead of just writing a check, what if you decided to pitch in a few hours as a volunteer? Wouldn't it make your donation go just a little bit further?

Okay, you're volunteering! And guess what? You love it!

What if I told you that you could still do more?

What if you told everyone you knew that you had donated to this charity? You told them why you like ABC Charity? You tell them that you just made a donation, and you volunteered to pitch in a few extra hours a week this year.

How much do you want to bet that those people would be a) interested in donating b) interested in volunteering or c) might pass the word along to their friends?


YOUR BEING INVOLVED INSPIRES OTHERS TO BE INVOLVED.

See how big and fast it could grow? And it's so simple.

Wow, I forgot to mention what you will get out of all of this.

I'm not going to say that being involved with a charity is a sure-fire way to a happier life, however, volunteering and donating to charities makes you feel good. I can speak from my own experience... it has made an enormous difference in my life to be surrounded by people who are involved to help others. It was an unexpected, exciting discovery for me. And it made me blossom in other ways.

If you've ever felt unaccepted in your daily life, or need some help feeling good about yourself, there is no more perfect opportunity than to volunteer. You will be thanked until you are sick of hearing it. Your work will be appreciated. People will say, "I couldn't have done it without [insert your name here]."

Make this your New Year's resolution - choose a charity and make your mark on it.

BIAD Art Club: Where the boundaries between brain injury and creativity crumble

Although I haven't outright said it, I do support the nonprofit for which I work: the Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD). At BIAD, we've been working hard to find out what we can do to help people take charge of their own lives - even if it's not completely at first - so that they can begin to build their own self-esteem.

My last ten bucks of the year will be given to BIAD's Art Club in memory of Mr. Bob Crowley.

The BIAD Art Club was conceived by Tracey Landmann, one of the board members of BIAD. Together with the Gibby Art Center and Art Therapy Express Program, Inc., we put together the BIAD Art Club Program - she worked on the concept and the research - I worked on writing for grants. We got some help from DFRC and the DDC - a local foundation and a state agency that gets money from the federal government help people gain their independence.


The BIAD Art Club Pilot Program was a success in many ways. To see smiles on everyone's faces and watch as they produced art was an emotional experience for me. I saw people enjoy the company of others, as well... even two men who didn't get along were speaking more frequently. Art has since become a major factor in their lives.

One of our artists, Bob Crowley, passed away after the 7th Art Club session. He had suffered a stroke about a year prior to his enrollment in the BIAD Art Club and had been struggling with complications from pneumonia. He was non-verbal, but understood all of what was happening around him. His sister, Dr. Jane Crowley, is a member of our Advisory Board and enrolled him because she loved him. I watched as he worked to construct a model of the Coliseum, experimented with pastels, and quite simply, enjoyed the process of creating something. In honor of his sister, he named his character Jane. (Jane - or Janus Flavius - was a rat that lived in the Coliseum). Bob's nephew was his caregiver, he sat and doodled on his arms and clothes while Bob plugged away at his projects.

I vividly remember the Sunday morning when Tracey called me to tell me that he had passed away. We were camping, and I cried hysterically at the small table while my best friend Liz sat with me. I was so heartbroken. After the shock wore off, I was grateful that I had been able to meet Bob and see him enjoy his experience working with clay and using his art supplies to his heart's content.

I am making a donation of ten bucks to the 2012 BIAD Art Club in Bob Crowley's name because he embodied the BIAD Art Club's intent - to bring together people with similar challenges in order to inspire them to create - to remember that their disability doesn't stop their creativity. I believe in the Art Club and want it to flourish.

Make your own donation to the BIAD Art Club by clicking on the green "donate" button at www.biade.org. You can also send a check to BIAD, P.O. Box 1897, Dover DE 19903. Call 1-800-411-0505 for more information.

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours.

The Nonprofit Challenge: Stretch YOUR Dollar

If you as a person were a nonprofit, here's what you could expect to deal with on a daily basis.

• Being paid when others feel like giving you money out of the goodness of their hearts
• Having the opportunity to apply for more income only when it's convenient for corporations, foundations, or sponsors
• Begging - sometimes on hands and knees - for cash
• Having to prove to people you're using their money to get results
• Working on a budget that is not guaranteed
• Running your coffee grounds through the coffee machine twice
• Using every last bit of toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap in order to avoid buying more
• Going grocery shopping only when you've used up the very last of everything in your refrigerator, including the ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and that package of cheese that has black spots on it
• Eating every last leftover scrap in that Chinese takeout box
• Going on a day trip to a local state park for "a vacation"
• Asking everyone you meet to buy coffee, go get a spa treatment, or buy a ticket for an event so you can get 10% to keep yourself financially afloat

This is the reality for me (on a larger scale) as a nonprofit Executive Director. We do everything (and I do mean everything) on a shoestring budget, often buying only the necessities at the very last second. We reuse file folders three and four times, we keep all of our scrap paper (use both sides), we use an RFP process for almost all of our print jobs and we ask for revised proposals every year (ask our printers), and nothing, nothing, nothing, gets wasted. In fact, we even borrow the darn newspaper from our landlords from time to time. (Shhh.)

What does this mean for the people we serve? When it comes to our programs, we can't scrimp. We work hard to get sponsors and contributors for our programs so that we're able to maximize the impact their money has on our constituents. We have to put our best foot forward to ensure they know we care about them.  

So, my office has a hodgepodge of donated furniture, my interior decorating looks like it was done by a drunken chimp (no offense intended), and my desk, which is covered in paper, is half of a real computer desk that was salvaged from God knows where. I use a cereal bowl to hold my phone messages and all of my office supplies have vendor logos on them because they were either giveaways or samples. But if I've saved an extra dollar to pay an Elvis impersonator a significantly reduced rate to entertain brain injury survivors at our Snow Ball Banquet, it's worth it.

We are not in business to make ourselves look good. We are in business to help people. We use your money the best way we know how, and we work hard to maximize the money you entrust to us.

Living an Authentic Life

"It takes courage to live an authentic life."
 - Alta Porterfield

I've had the opportunity to work in a field in which it is a good thing to wear your heart on your sleeve. Maybe that heart is constantly "bleeding", but I don't actually care what anyone thinks. I'll be that one person who's always pushing for us to be better. If that's my biggest annoying characteristic, I'll be glad to claim it. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, but I'll let you in on a little secret: once you've gotten past something you didn't think you could overcome, the belief you gain in yourself helps you tackle the next challenge.

Alta Porterfield is the former president of our church's Board of Trustees. Last week, she gave a sermon that made me burst into tears. She meant to address the issue of patriotism for the 4th of July, but instead, she hit on a topic extremely close to my heart - being sure of yourself and serving as an example for others. She asked us how we might serve as examples within our own community. I realized that pretending to be perfect in every way isn't a realistic example to set for my children. People make mistakes. By covering up my own imperfections and acting like everything's GREAT!, I'm perpetuating an unattainable standard.

Standing up for what you believe in is NOT easy. You will lose friends. You will be embarassed. You will scare people. You will run into all sorts of opposition. Your parents may not understand, though they will probably love you anyway (you hope). You may be worried about being ostracized from your "tribe." These things will pass, and you will remain. You have to live with yourself, so you'd better be at peace with yourself.

Living an authentic life means embracing your bleeding heart, your inner nerd, your love of flowers, your obsession with socks, whatever oddball habits you may have, using those pieces of your character to build a life for yourself. Love those weird things about yourself, and those weird things will love you back. You never - and I mean never - know what they will turn into.

Have the courage to live an authentic life.

A Healthy Harvest for Delaware's Kids

I met Thianda Manzara, Ph.D., in the restroom at a grant workshop at Delaware State University. She said she was the Executive Director of Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids, and I freaked out. I had been on her website not long before, and said, "I have to interview you!" After I explained to her about this blog project, she was excited. For our interview, we met at the St. Jones Reserve in Dover which, I discovered, has perhaps the world's largest and most diverse population of green head flies that I've ever seen. (I'm still scratching.)

Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids is Thianda's brainchild. She wanted to teach kids about agriculture. Herself a former professor of biology with a background in agronomy (the study of how things grow), Thianda had a passion for gardening and good food. Thianda says, "I had an idea, but I didn't think it would work." After hearing about and visiting a California program called "The Edible Schoolyard", which was all about teaching children about agriculture, she said, "There's no reason we can't do this in Delaware." So, she began to build  Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids with the intent to provide children with an education about food, science, and gardening. "I wanted kids to know where their food comes from, and that vegetables can be delicious!" Springer Middle School was the first to sign up, and the program grew from there. The organization attained nonprofit status in 2008.

Thianda now serves as the volunteer Executive Director and Founder for Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids. The program, which is now based in 11 Delaware schools (with two more coming this year), provides teachers with a ready-made gardening program in which the entire school can participate. Children in each grade assume responsibility for different tasks within the garden - whether it be planting or watering or tilling - and they harvest their own vegetables. Each class has a special job to do. Thianda loves to see the children's "delight and discovery over what grows from a seed, and to see that it looks just like what they get at the grocery store." By teaching them to be curious about their food, they are improving their health. And once the program is begun, it is self-sustainable, in other words, the teachers continue the program for the children over the course of the school year.

One child, a seven-year-old from Downs Elementary, worked in the garden growing radishes (among other things). After they were washed, he popped one into his mouth, and it was true love. He went home and asked his mom to give him radishes as a reward for doing well, then he started his own radish garden at home. "I love that he discovered that he loved something that was good for him," Thianda said, "It shows the program really works." The principals, she says, have said the program has made a huge positive impact on their schools.

I ask, "How has your life been impacted by serving your community?" She smiles, and thinks a few seconds. "I am so happy to share the things that I love with children. I love to educate people on something that is really important to their health."

My ten bucks will allow Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids to maintain their program. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit has just one paid staff member and no office, and (as is typical of most Executive Directors), Thianda's small car is filled with the tools of her trade. "We don't have a lot of [overhead] expenses. Even small donations make a big impact. With ten bucks, we can buy seeds for a garden, tools for a student, or one teacher kit."


If more people donated their ten bucks, Thianda says, "We could serve more schools. We have eleven so far, and we're added two more this year, but there are at least eight other schools on the waiting list. We can't accommodate them because we don't have enough people to do the work." Thianda would like to have more employees to make the program more sustainable. She's received some funding through the schools for the programs, and a grant from DOW, but she needs continued support from the community to keep the program growing.

To me, Thianda is the perfect example of someone who saw the opportunity to make a difference, created a program that addressed the issues, and put it into place. Thianda is as "grassroots" as it gets.

I hope you'll choose to support Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids. Send your contribution to Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids at P.O. Box 847, Hockessin DE 19707. You can read more about the nonprofit on their web site at http://healthyfoodsforhealthykids.giving.officelive.com.

My Ten Bucks matters, and so does yours.

Life isn't easy... charities help.

My brother was overseas and had to get home to urgently attend to a family member. He couldn't get a flight. Guess who stepped in to help? The Red Cross. They got him a flight... for free.

Just thought that was pertinent, considering the topic.

Hunters Helping Soldiers: Bringing the outdoors to veterans everywhere

Dale Proud and Scott Campbell

I can't take credit for finding this charity - my husband Dave did all the work! Thanks, honey!

Scott Campbell looks like any other Delaware outdoorsman. I can easily imagine him fishing our state's many estuaries, or hunting rabbit in the local woods. But Scott isn't just another Delaware outdoorsman. In addition to his full-time job in Loss Prevention for K-Mart, Scott is the founder of Hunters Helping Soldiers (HHS), and his compassion for veterans is shaping a new movement across the nation from right here in Delaware.

A lifelong hunter from a long line of military men (he can trace his family back to the Spanish-American War), Scott was unhappy with the way veterans were living - and dying. The suicides and homelessness bothered him immensely. Knowing his own passion for the outdoors, he decided to raise money to pay for veterans to go on hunting trips at local outfitters. Hunters Helping Soldiers is dedicated to helping wounded soldiers and combat veterans to get involved in outdoor activities. Since January 2010, Scott has worked to reach out to veterans who need their help. Scott started out on Facebook, posting notices about local hunts with local outfitters. People in Delaware began donating hunting trips. Dale, a Smyrna resident (yay, Smyrna!), was one of them.



Vice President Jason Neilson



Dale Proud, now President of HHS, works two jobs as an insurance salesman and diesel mechanic. He is an avid waterfowler. He and his wife, who are on the Board of Directors, give more than 30 hours each per week to HHS. Dale said, "She literally has to pry my cell phone out of my hands for dinner."



Jason Neilson, Vice President (with whom I had a phone interview), has been involved since the beginning. Himself a wounded veteran, medically retired, Jason was an Army MP in Baghdad in 2005 when he was shot by a sniper in his right flank. The shot hit his femoral artery and he nearly bled out. The surrounding nerve tissue was damaged, causing paralysis. Jason has been rehabilitating, but joined HHS to give back to his fellow veterans. "At first, after my injury, you'd think I'd be happy to be alive; but I wanted to get better to serve with my family [his fellow soldiers]. I had guilty feelings. It finally took an organization to get me back out hunting and fishing." Jason says, "The thrills you get from hunting helps replace the feeling of being in battle." Once he got back on his feet and began to enjoy the outdoors, "That's when you start being thankful for being alive."

Since January 2010, HHS has coordinated trips for veterans all over the United States. Their goals are big, but they're making headway.

1. Take 200 veterans a year hunting/fishing
2. Hold veteran/family camping trips
3. Open new chapters all over the U.S.
4. Open lodges all over the U.S. for veterans
5. Hold several kids' camps
6. Build handicap-accessible blinds
7. Get as many vets involved as possible



SSG. Dave "DOC" Green

One veteran, SSG. Dave Green, had numerous brain tumors. His one wish was to hunt elk. Because he couldn't travel alone, HHS made arrangements to include Dave's mother in the trip. They raised funds to fly his mom from Oregon to Dave's home in Texas, then flew them both to Colorado. During their flight, Dale and Scott got word from the Colorado outfitter that they could no longer accommodate Dave. The HHS board "scrambled" to find a new outfitter before Dave and his mom landed. After they found an outfitter, they had to figure out transportation for Dave to the site. The owner left her day job, drove two hours to pick up Dave and his mother, and took him straight to the hunting outfit. That evening, Dave shot his elk. HHS even paid to have the animal dressed and tanned, and Dave spent the rest of the trip sightseeing in Colorado with his mother. "It was a $2,500 trip," Dale said. I get the feeling that to Dave, the trip was worth much more than that.



Ssg. Levandowski



HHS's board is also their all-volunteer staff. 100% of their contributions go directly to veterans' trips. "We haven't wanted to [retain] a paid staff yet," said Dale, "because we want all of our funds to go into these trips." There are 7 people on the board. One of them, another dedicated volunteer, works three part-time jobs. "Whenever we call him, he's at work," Dale laughs, but his admiration is obvious. Two board members are veterans who have also benefitted from the group's mission. The board has even bigger plans, including paying for trained hunting dogs for veterans, paying for camps for fallen soldiers, and even hosting waterfowl retrievals with dogs and teens. They've even found a local man who obtains donated boats, fixes them, and gives them to veterans.

Here's the really cool part: HHS chapters are popping up all over the U.S. With their careful cultivation, a new chapter has opened in Pittsburgh. Others (which can't be named here because they will be announced shortly) are opening in the coming weeks. By the end of the year, Scott and Dale expect there will be 15 to 18 chapters in place. If that doesn't make you want to jump up and down, there's something wrong with you.

What has this meant for them? Scott says this is "a way to give back to those who have already given us so much." Dale says HHS has represented a real change in his life - he sees his wife and kids getting involved. "It's brought us closer together... it's great giving back." Jason says this is a way for him to feel he is able to give back to his fellow soldiers. "This pushes you past the limits of what you think you can do. For me, it worked better than physical therapy, it was emotional and physical."


Sgt. David Guzman



So, what will my ten bucks pay for? "Ten bucks could buy a local veteran a fishing license he couldn't normally afford," said Scott, "That gives him the freedom to fish for a whole year." If others gave their ten bucks, Dale said, "Hunting season's coming up. 100% of those donations will be put right back into hunting trips for veterans."

Right now, HHS is seeking raffle items, corporate sponsors and partnerships, donations of hunting supplies, hunting outfitters (to donate hunts), and volunteers. They also produce a newsletter and are developing a magazine, so they're looking for articles from veterans and people who love the outdoors. They also need people to pass the word along because they're not able to reach veterans through the military or VA hospitals. Luckily, VFW posts are happy to cooperate to get the word out. On November 20th (my anniversary), Hunters Helping Soldiers will be hosting their second "November to Remember" fundraiser, which is their largest fundraising event. They can't party too late, because goose season opens the next day, and they'll be taking 50 people out on a hunt.

Although I don't hunt (and needed Scott and Dale to define some of the terms they used), I can't argue with the therapeutic value of being outdoors. HHS is making outdoor activities possible - and fun - for hundreds of veterans each year. The benefits, as Jason says, are immense. "Just get out there and do it. It won't be the same, but you can still do it."

The best way to donate to Hunters Helping Soldiers is to donate on their website http://www.huntershelpingsoldiers.org/ or mail a check to Hunters Helping Soldiers, 32 South Main Street, Smyrna DE 19977. "Like" them on Facebook and help them spread the word! They also have an online magazine called "The Outdoor Warrior." http://www.theoutdoorwarrior.us/

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours. My guess is we are helping to fund a nationwide movement.