I watched an interview yesterday with one of my new favorite celebrities, Eva Longoria. She is considered a new favorite because of the interview. I'll admit I was expecting the typical, "I'm a celebrity, I adopt children from other countries so you'll love me, but really I pay my nannies to take care of them while I steal other peoples' husbands." But I got something totally different. I think I've found a kindred spirit!!
Not only is Eva Longoria a super hot actor/model/producer/director, but she also is a student. Eva (I'm pretty sure she'd want us to be on a first name basis) is currently working on her Master's in History and Chicano studies. She is an advocate for not only equal rights and social justice of Latino's and migrant workers in America, but she has created a documentary to create awareness for the new slave class that we have created in this country. I'm speaking of the young American citizen children that are working in our fields today. They are victims of generational poverty, unable to escape due to their lack of education created by the demand for agricultural work. In the interview she says, "We won't by t-shirts from China because they were made from kids in sweatshops, but we have our own children, legal citizens, picking our fruits and vegetables!" I <3 her.
Although I haven't found the right way to get behind this fight she's fighting for our Hispanic children (maybe just getting the word out, starting petitions? ...Any ideas?), I have found the way to get behind another one of Eva's great projects. Eva's Heroes, http://www.evasheroes.org/index.asp. Eva created this project in honor of her older sister, Lisa. Seeing how much independence has helped Lisa, Eva created Eva's Heroes to help other kids with disabilities, namely Down's syndrome, to live lively, active lives. Eva's Heroes is an after school and summer program for children 14-21 in the San Antonio area. Check it out, I think it will bless you!
Finally, an actor I can like!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
40 Days and 40 Ways ...(to help) #23 Mandala House: The search for strength
This morning on our way to church, John and I were having a conversation about the difference between being "tough" and being considered "strong." It takes an extremely tough person to survive a traumatic event, but it takes an even stronger person to survive the event and to find peace again. That rarely happens alone.
The people of Mandala House recognize this, and they are change agents for strength.
At http://www.mandalahouse.org/home.html they work with victims of gender-based violence such as rape, and/or sexual and physical abuse in Uganda, Sri Lanka, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many of these women and children were abused in war-time situations, and/or held captive, displaced from their families, and often forced to become soldiers of the war. Mandala House works with mental health counselors and instructors to help these victims to trust others and their own emotions again through instruction in yoga, meditation, and non-violent communication techniques.
If you aren't into donations, then I would ask that we at least pray diligently for the women and children that are searching for strength. I can't imagine how someone could come back from that, but I do know that God can do anything. I pray that He supply these counselors and trainers with the skills to equip them for such a huge job. And if He has lain it on your heart to help such a worthy cause, you can do so here:
40 Days and 40 Ways ...(to help) #22 Share a Book
Let's just chit chat for a moment about one of my other passions - reading! I read (hehe) that 1/3 of high school graduates never read another book after they graduate!! (This was from a survey done by the Jenkins Group, an independent publishing services group) Is that nuts or what?! I don't know if it's just all the new technology or that these people just never found a book that moved them in some way. It was devastating to read this as a teacher, and a reader. Therefore, I began searching for ways to help :)
One great way to help would be to help out the library! You can donate your old books to your public library! I know that in this economy a lot of people are turning to the library for various reasons such as movie rentals, free internet access, entertainment for their kids, etc. What if your donated book caught their eye, they picked it up, checked it out and they loved it so much that they became a lifelong reader???
Okay, maybe not as probable as using this tactic: http://www.bookcrossing.com/ This website suggests that you print off their sticker, put your name on the sticker and put it in a book you have finished. You then register the book and then leave the book somewhere for someone else to find. Maybe a coffee shop, your hotel room, the park, just somewhere that someone will find it. Who knows, maybe that book will really touch their lives. Maybe they are struggling financially, trying to live in a big city and they run across your copy of A Moveable Feast and it inspires them to keep pursuing their passion rather than to give up. Perhaps some guy has been pining after the same girl for years, beginning to consider giving up on her when he finds your cast aside copy of Love in the Time of Cholera (or maybe he realizes it is time to give up if you pass along your Great Gatsby). You could be the reason someone finds their personal legend from reading The Alchemist.
Change the world. Encourage literacy.
Tell me you don't love this idea.
40 Days and 40 Ways ...(to help) #21 Save The Children
Save the Children.
This one is very dear to my heart, not just because this organization is working to exactly fulfill what I believe my purpose is- to save children, but also because of it's origin.
Save the Children was created 75 years ago in rural Appalachia, to help children during the depression. I became familiar with the organization while I was working for The Center for Educational Research in Appalachia in Richmond, KY during graduate school. Save the Children is still doing work in rural Appalachia to resolve the issues that children there face everyday, the issues of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and disease. In their 75 years of existence they have expanded to more than 50 countries working to save children. You will see them providing aid after every major catastrophe, including with the recent tsunami victims in Japan.
If you are looking for one charity to give to annually, or on a monthly basis, to help children around the world, this is the one I recommend.
40 Days and 40 Ways ...(to help) #20 Airline Miles
My husband thinks that accruing airline miles is pointless (no pun intended). I am obsessed with them :) But there's always that time when you have like 5000 miles and nothing to do with them. It will take forever to accumulate enough points for another flight and for whatever reason, you've moved on to another airline. What do you do with the extra points?
Donate them!! There are so many great charities that can use your extra points! Check them out!!
The American Cancer Society
Make-A-Wish
The Salvation Army
and many more!
40 Days and 40 Ways ...(to help) #19 Encouragement
I bet if you sat down and thought for a minute, you would come up with someone that you know who could use a little encouragement. I can think of plenty. The friends that just had a new baby, the girlfriend that is going through a terrible breakup, the one with the new job that is overwhelming them, etc., etc. I can always think of someone that could use a little cheering up. I challenge myself to be encouraging at least once a week. That sounds lame, I know, but honestly, it's difficult sometimes. It takes time to pull yourself away from your own life to have a 30 minute phone conversation, or write out a note, or send an encouraging email, or buy a little gift for someone. But it is so worth it. Once a week. Challenge yourself. Make a list of people, go buy a stack of encouraging cards, put post-it reminders on your computer, or just check out these sites:
40 Days and 40 Ways ...(to help) #18 Blood
On the Red Cross website it states that only 3 out of every 100 Americans donates blood. That's a sad number when you think about how essential blood is for life!
In short, have a bleeding heart! ;)
http://www.redcross.org/donate/give/ Click here to find ways to give (blood drives, donation centers etc.)
It just costs a little time to help save lives. AND...you get a cookie and juice!! :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)