Community for a Cause: For the Love of Angie

Written by Marketing Intern Rose Provine

I grew up in a small community of about 7,000 people in Northern California. Although I have grown up and moved away, Corning will always hold a special place in my heart. Corning is small town where everyone knows everyone, but most importantly, they all support one another.

Recently, I have been touched by a story about one local resident and the outpour of help and hope that my small hometown has provided. 

Angie Salado, 32, was was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor on December 20, 2010. For the Love of Angie is a fundraising team that strives to help raise money to assist Salado and family with medical and travel expenses.

There is a benefit for Salado on May 21, 2011 at the Paskenta Hall in Paskenta, located just outside of Corning. Tickets in advance are $20 and $25 at the door (children are $8 and $10). There will be a dinner, dance, raffle and auction. Every item has been generously donated by local individuals and companies who want to help Salado with her fight against this tumor. What I find phenomenal, is that nearly 100 percent of businesses in Corning have donated.

Salado's mother, Jani Franer, recently told Channel 12 News Reporter, Derek Demo, that the long road ahead is going to be a difficult one, but the community has given her hope even when she feels there is none left. "People care, in a world that seems like sometimes they don't, they still do," said Franer.

A Facebook page has been created for Salado, and the number of people offering kind words and support for Angie and her family is heartwarming. Her story was even featured on local Channel 12 News.

For more information or to make a donation, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/For-the-Love-of-Angie/119188018156515?sk=wall

Until then, may the entire Salado family be in your thoughts.

Aggies for a Cause: Freshman Leaders in Progress Help School in Need

Written by Marketing Intern Roslynn Fitch 

I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Galveston, Texas with 50 other Aggies from Freshmen Leaders in Progress to assist some schools in need. 

We made the two-hour drive to Galveston on Friday evening, with hopes that we would be able to make a substantial impact. We headed to three different job sites on Saturday morning, all located at elementary and middle schools. 

One project helped in the transition of a more up-to-date system for their literacy library. Another hauled mulch so that the school could revamp their butterfly garden. The last site, the one I was at, had us tear down an overgrown garden area and pull out all the weeds so that the middle school could have a garden for their special needs program. It was an incredible experience to witness so many Aggies selflessly serving, so that these children could have an enjoyable and fulfilling learning experience.

Here are some before and after shots of the site I was working on: 

Friends For a Cause: Lupus Foundation of America

Written by Marketing Intern Rose Provine

You never realize the severity of a disease or sickness until you or someone you love is directly affected. Unfortunately, this has been the case for me over the past week. My friend’s struggles have led me to the complete understanding and realization that lupus is a painful and lifelong disease.

My friend, Charlene, was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 13. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can damage any part of the body, including skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs. Her case was very rare, as lupus normally strikes women of childbearing age, and more commonly ages 30-45. 

I never realized the extremity of this disease until this week. I knew Charlene had struggled with this for the majority of her life, but I never saw her at her worst. I found out she was in the hospital on Tuesday morning and visited her later that day. I was shocked with what I found. My fun-loving and energetic friend was not herself. She laid on the hospital bed, unable to move, speak, or even breathe on her own. It hurt me to see my friend in so much pain, and made me appreciate both her and life so much more.

There is currently no cure for lupus. However, The Lupus Foundation of America is a national nonprofit health organization dedicated to finding the causes and cure for lupus. It provides support, services and hope to all people affected by lupus. You can visit this website to learn more or to make a donation.

 Charlene and I in December

Charlene and I this January, right after she got the tubes removed and was able to breathe on her own again.

To support other diseases by shopping, visit Uptown Liz.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Days 7 & 8

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

On day 7, we woke up and traveled the rest of the way back to Panama City. The boys decided to divide the vans up by gender and claimed their “man van” and then affectionately named the girl car, the “skank tank”. We were all tired of riding in vans, but not really tired of each other; the ride was a nice time of reflection with the group.

We finally made it to Panama City and got settled into a hostel. We went out to dinner that night and Adrianna gave us a quick tour of the city. There are a lot of really beautiful buildings in the city with French, Spanish, and English influences represented in the architecture.

The next morning, we woke up early so we could go see the Panama Canal, which is surprisingly narrow. I learned that a Panamanian captain must be sailing a ship for it to travel through the canal, and that it takes ships about eight hours to make it through.

After the canal tour, we said our good-byes to Adrianna and Daniel, and went to the airport. After a four-hour layover in Miami, we made it back to Houston around midnight. I found the cold weather and my Facebook, just the way I had left it.

In conclusion, I had an AWESOME trip to Panama. I really feel that the work our group did in Rio de Este will have a lasting effect on the community, and I will never forget what I learned from the Ngobe people. Please go check out Global Brigades, they are an amazing organization that is changing the lives of all their participants. Lastly, I want to encourage everyone to seize opportunities to travel and work in economic development, you will learn more than you ever thought possible.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 6

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

I woke up that morning dreaming of roosters. After breakfast, we traveled to Red Frog Island, which is a popular tourist beach. It was really cloudy, but we were hopeful that it would clear up. Our boat driver, Benson, was an American who had come to Panama for a vacation between semesters in medical school, and just never went back - at least that is what he told us.

The beach was beautiful, but it never really cleared up and by the time we started home, it was pouring rain. The boat ride back took double the time because of the weather and we all ended up soaking wet. We finally made it back to the house we were staying in and tried to wait out the rain before leaving. Eventually, we made it back to Almarante, where members of the community, and Brian, were waiting at a local store to buy some of the things on our investment list. It was very humbling to see them in the store going line by line on the investment plan, picking out equipment. It was also very encouraging to actually get to see tangible evidence of our brigade.

That night, we started our long journey back to Panama City. We made it to Davíd and stayed in the same hotel we had stayed in on the way there. I slept really well that night. In a warm, dry bed without a net.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 5

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

I swear the roosters started crowing at 5 AM, but I didn’t care because day five was my 21^st birthday! This was our last day in the community, and we were all ready to stop sleeping under nets, but sad to be leaving our new friends.

The final workshop was that morning and we had a bigger group than the first day for the marketing workshop; I guess word got out that ours was the best. During this workshop, we focused mainly on packaging and labeling. A big obstacle the community faces before they can sell the processed chocolate is finding a mold for the chocolate and figuring out what materials are best for packaging. Right now, the chocolate hardens in 4 oz. balls and is wrapped in foil, which doesn’t make for a very appealing product. With the community members in the group, we came up with a few different packaging options, including using PVC pipes to create a mold, and then a label to put on their chocolate. I was very proud of the group, because they created very good labels and used some of the skills we had taught them the day before when coming up with options.

That afternoon we had our final meetings with the community. We started by announcing how we chose to invest our $1800. Facundo, one of the Spanish-speaking members of our group, read the allotment of money; it was a very emotional moment. Everyone in the community seemed very thankful, and happy with our decision.

During the final meeting there was time allotted for “cultural exchange”. Our group sang our school song, the Aggie War Hymn, for the community, and gave them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I don’t think they liked either, but they smiled a lot and thanked us anyway. Then members from the community performed some sort of cultural dance for us, which involved a lot of stomping and clapping; it was mesmerizing. After they finished, the same group sang me happy birthday, and it made me cry. A few of the women that had been in my marketing workshop gave me small bags as a gift for my birthday; it was very touching.

Leaving the community was hard; even though the majority of us couldn’t communicate very well, we had developed a mutual respect for one another. Many of the people asked us to return, and told us that we were always welcome in their homes. I was happy to tell them that another A&M brigade will be returning in August to Rio de Este to follow up and make sure that the business is on the right track.

After we left, we rode to Almarante, and then took a ferry to Isla Colon, where we were staying for the night with one Adrianna’s friends. That night we all had showers, which felt amazing, we went out to a nice dinner, and then went to a local bar. The bar was on a pier, and the water there was the clearest water I have ever seen. In fact you could see a sunken ship right under the pier.

At the end of the day I felt really blessed to be surrounded by friends in such a beautiful place on my birthday, and I felt very good about what we had accomplished in the village. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to celebrate.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 4

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

I swear the rooster started crowing at 5:30 AM. Day 4 was the first day of workshops! We started the day with a workshop for the whole community. To combat the language and shyness barrier, we decided to start with a few games. I have never laughed so much playing Simon Says in my life; the people loved it. During the workshop, we had a brief introduction to what the other workshops would be about: marketing, accounting, and management, and then let the community decide individually which workshops they wanted to go to. The people seemed really responsive, excited and eager to learn.

Before the afternoon workshops started, our group learned how the cacao beans are processed into chocolate. The beans are dried in the sun for two weeks, baked in a cauldron for about 10 minutes, stripped of their coatings, put through a hand cranked grinder, and then the chocolate is left out to harden. The final product is what we in America refer to as bakers’ chocolate.

I was on the marketing team for workshops, and we had about 15 people from the community attend, which was a very good turnout. The goal of our workshop was to give the people a better understanding of how to market their product. We taught the group the 5 P’s of marketing: price, product, promotion, place, and person. They were very interactive, asking questions and participating in activities. My favorite part of the workshop was playing telephone with everyone. When you play telephone, one person thinks of a phrase and whispers it to the person next to them, the phrase eventually makes it around the group and then you find out how accurately the message was translated. We played three rounds, one in English, one in Spanish, and one in Ngobe. For the first time, it didn’t matter that we didn’t speak the same language, and the phrases of course didn’t come out the same, but it was still hilarious. We used the game to demonstrate the use of word-of-mouth promotion in marketing.

Later that afternoon, we helped the women in the community make dye that they use to color strings that they sow with. They helped us tie-dye shirts; I chose yellow, and I think the women decided to make a joke with my shirt. When they tied it, they put two ties right where the shirt falls on my chest leaving two big tie die circles; I’ll let you imagine what it wound up looking like. Needless to say, everyone had a good laugh.

That night the 18 of us had a meeting to decide how to invest the Community Investment Funds (CIF). We had $1800 to invest, and the community presented us with a list of things they felt were needed to help start their business. The meeting was difficult because we all had different ideas about how the money would be best put to use, but eventually we agreed how to divide up the money and decided to buy most of the things on the community’s list. We spent the rest towards the acquisition of their health certification.

At the end of day four, I felt really encouraged by our progress in the community. Everyone seemed really excited about things they were learning in the workshops, and I felt like I was starting to understand what life was like for the Ngobe people. We finished the day with a game of soccer, Ngobe’s vs. gringos, and surprisingly the gringos won (I think we outnumbered them 3 to 2).

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 3

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

Day three started at 6:30 in the morning; I woke up to roosters crowing and the smell of rain. That morning after breakfast we started a hike to the top a hill where there were cacao fruits ready to harvest. The goal of the activity was for our group to better understand what the people in the community do, and what goes into harvesting the beans. We set off with our rain boots, bottled water, and cameras, on what we were told was a 30 minute hike; an hour and a half later we reached the top. There were times during the hike that I didn’t think I was going to make it. The rain the night before made everything extremely slippery and the altitude made it hard to breathe; I fell five times.

Once we reached the top, we separated into three groups: one to chop down the cacao fruit, one to transport the fruit and one to open the fruit and get the beans. I opted for the latter, because it sounded like the least amount of physical activity. The fruit surrounding the beans tasted amazing; it was sweet, tart, and refreshing. We put all of the beans into a bag that had to weigh 100 pounds by the time we finished. One of the ladies that was helping our group made a comment that they would have to bring us breakfast in bed the next day because we would be so sore we wouldn’t be able to get up; that was a true statement.

At the end of the hike I had come to three conclusions: these people are amazing for making this climb all the time, the view was well worth the hike, and I will never be able to eat chocolate without thinking of this moment.

By the time we returned from the hike it was time for lunch, and I was starving. After lunch, our group went to the river. There is at least one shower in the community, but I think the river is the main way villagers get clean. We put on our bathing suits and walked 15 minutes to a special spot up the river. They told us to leave our stuff and swim to another area. The water was so cold that when I started swimming it was hard to breathe, then we rounded a bend in the river and I saw the most beautiful waterfall. There was an area to walk behind the waterfall, and I can remember screaming out of sheer shock at how amazing this experience was. Some people in our group had brought shampoo and soap and all 18 of us “showered” in the waterfall while people from the community laughed at the “gringos”.

When we returned, we had a meeting with the community about what they wanted from the workshops the next couple of days. The language barrier was still hard and the people were still very shy, and at this point I was still a little frustrated about the progress we were making. During the meeting, the people decided that they wanted a marketing workshop about packaging and selling, and an accounting workshop. This was progress; we had a direction, and then we started planning.

At the end of the day, I felt like we had crammed three days worth of activities into one. I was exhausted, but really excited about the workshops the next day.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 2

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

Day 2 started at 7 a.m. and I felt surprisingly well rested; in fact I slept really well the whole trip. After eating breakfast we started driving to the community. It took us about six hours to get there, but the length didn’t matter because it was absolutely the most beautiful landscape I had ever seen. Seriously, pictures don’t do this place justice. There was greenery everywhere, mountains, and random waterfalls.

At the start of our 5th hour of driving we saw a sloth, yes a three-towed sloth, crossing the road. Our driver almost hit it and then we stopped to turn around and go find it. Our drivers called him (we decided he was a boy for some reason) “gato perezoso”, which literally translates to “lazy cat”.

We finally arrived at Rio de Este around two in the afternoon, and tried to get settled in. We were staying in the school; a concrete building with open holes for windows and doors. The people in the village, the Ngobes, were very shy. When I would try to say “hola” they would look at me like I was out of my mind. At this point, I got really nervous about the success of our brigade. We took a tour of the community; most homes were made of wood and had thatched roofs, there were three stores, a volleyball court, and a community building. The children were very curious about the “mirri ginnis”, this is the Ngobe term for Americans, and they started following us everywhere. My friend Scott showed them his camera and seeing themselves on the screen fascinated them. I loved this moment because young kids in America are the exact same way.

Next, we had a group meeting with the community to introduce ourselves and talk about why we are here and what they hope to gain from us. There were a few people in our group that spoke Spanish fluently, but all in all, the language barrier was very difficult. After the meeting we had a Ngobe lesson. A Ngobe man was trying to teach all of us Ngobe, but he was speaking in Spanish. It was so confusing I almost couldn’t concentrate. We did learn basic phrases like "hello", "neontore", and "how are you," "moutouno", and the next day the community seemed to be happy that we were trying.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 1

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

To start off, I would like to introduce myself: my name is Bethany, I’m a junior Marketing major at Texas A&M University, and I’m still trying to figure out what that means for my future (suggestions are always welcome). A few weeks ago, I traveled to Panama with the Texas A&M chapter of Global Business Brigades. We visited the small indigenous community of Rio de Este to help people in the village start their chocolate business. That was the entirety of the information we knew when we left for Panama; needless to say we learned a lot during our brigade. I will be blogging about each day of the trip, but I would like to begin with a quick explanation of Global Brigades and how the trip affected me.

Global Brigades is a student-led, development organization whose goal is to empower communities in developing countries. The Web site defines a brigade as “groups of passionate volunteers who mobilize towards positive social change.” There are 10 different types of brigades: medical, business, water, environmental, law, dental, architecture, public health, professional, and microfinance. The heart and sole of Global Brigades are the students who volunteer. There are currently 110 chapters from universities in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland, and that number is always growing. I participated in a Business Brigade, and our goal is to help micro-enterprises in developing countries learn sustainable business practices.

Throughout the week I learned so many things including: how much Spanish I don’t know, how chocolate is made, the economy in a developing country, how to live without a toilet, what a peace corp volunteer does, that life goes on even if I don’t check Facebook every hour, how to apply concepts from my businesses classes to real life, and among many other things, I learned to appreciate life just a little bit more.

OK, now to start the recap. Day 1 began at 2:30 a.m.; I had to be at the airport by 3:30 because our flight left at 6. You would be surprised how busy the airport is at that time of the morning. After a brief layover in Miami, we arrived in Panama City around 3 p.m. By the time we had everyone’s baggage, met our Global Brigade’s leaders, Adrianna and Daniel, and had loaded the vans, it was time for dinner. We ate in Panama City and then we started a 5-hour drive towards Davíd. We learned that Davíd was only the halfway point to our final destination, Rio de Este; our group definitely bonded during the hours and hours of driving throughout the week. That was pretty much it for day one; it was a lot of traveling, and a lot of bottled up excitement for the job ahead of us.

Elizabeth "Liz" Overturf: Liz's Legacy

Today is a great reminder of what I have lost, but also what I have gained. As I walked in beautiful Land Park this morning, I was reminded of how desperate I miss Liz, but of how much I have been given. I have made it no secret that I struggle with my faith – my family has lost so much – but I have been greatly blessed with friends and family. As I read the multiple e-mails I have received today from friends and colleagues of Uptown Liz (most who have never met her), telling me my family and I are in their thoughts, that I – and my company – are an inspiration, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

I wanted to create a legacy for Liz, because what happened to her was unacceptable to me. It is unacceptable that she was misdiagnosed, and therefore left this world long before she was supposed to. It is unacceptable that all of her hopes and dreams were not fulfilled. It is unacceptable that she had to be in an excruciating amount of pain, thinking about her own funeral, knowing she was going to die. It is unacceptable that more people didn’t know her; everyone should have known her.

My sister was a bright light in this world. She was brilliant, funny, generous and loyal to a fault. When she loved you, she loved you fiercely.

Whenever anyone complements my mom on the accomplishments of her children, she always says, “I don’t know where they get it from. They certainly don’t get it from me.” Well, Mom, how very wrong you are. My mom has taught us many things: kindness, compassion, generosity, loyalty and most importantly, how to “rise to the occasion.” She does what other people won’t do; what other people consider uncomfortable. She doesn’t avoid people in their time of need, because she doesn’t know what to say, or she’s too sad. She doesn’t avoid seeing people in hospitals because she “doesn’t do hospitals” (By the way, nobody likes hospitals, especially the patients and their emotionally exhausted families in the waiting room). She didn’t tell my brother not to join the Army because it was be too hard on her (despite my many pleas). My mom has always risen to the occasion, and never more so when my sister was dying. She continues to do so, and she is why Liz, Nate and I are the people we are today.

My funny, kind, honorable and devastatingly handsome brother “rises to the occasion” every, single day. He, along with so many other brave men and women, volunteered – and sacrificed – to do something most of us don’t want to do. He experiences things we will never have to, because he wanted to make a difference, and to be a part of something bigger than himself. It is because of him, and so many before, that I have the freedom – and the luxury – to be an entrepreneur and create a legacy for Liz.

My husband “rises to the occasion” every day, by loving and supporting me, despite my many faults. He loved Liz like his own sister, and he quietly goes to her grave, spreading flowers. The only reason I have been able to create a legacy for Liz at this level is because of him.

I have a best friend, that feels so much like family to me, I forget that she wasn’t born to us. She visits Liz’s grave, talks about her so frequently, and seems to know her so well, I forget they have never met. She “rises to the occasion” by fiercely advocating and supporting others – especially me and Liz’s legacy.

Today I am reminded that it has been four years since I’ve seen my beautiful sister, but she is reminding me – and showing me – all that I have now, and that hopefully, one day, everyone will know her name.

In gratitude,
Ramona

Team Tunky Unites at Race for the Cure

My husband and I joined our dear friends, Lisa and Hubert Riley, at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to honor the memory of Hubert's mother, Tunky, and my 28 year old sister, Liz, who both lost their lives to breast cancer.

Ann "Tunky" Riley, the former First Lady of South Carolina, lost her life on March 7th from complications to her second battle with breast cancer at the age of 72. Married for more than 50 years to Dick Riley, former Governor of South Carolina and Secretary of Education to President Clinton, Tunky was a devoted mother and grandmother to her four children and 13 grandchildren. She was also a tireless advocate for public education, helping her husband with the Education Improvement Act (EIA) - public school reforms that paved the way to his appointment to the U.S. Department of Education.

“Gracious and kind in every situation,” remembers former state Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum. “She was a friend to everyone she knew. If you were one of her close friends, you considered yourself to be very fortunate.”

Photo caption: My husband and I with the Riley family and their friends at Race for the Cure in Sacramento, CA.

Home Depot co-founder SHARES a blank check for injured soldiers

I am a very proud sister of a soldier serving in the United States Army. My 26 year old brother, Nathan, decided to join the military right after we lost our 28 year old sister, Liz, to breast cancer. He wanted to use his life to make a difference, and in his short time enlisted he has excelled in all their physical demands and shown (to no surprise to his friends and family) to be a great leader. He is my baby brother and only sibling left, and I worry a great deal about the danger he may encounter while at war.

That is why I was so touched to hear of the limitless generosity of billionaire philanthropist, Bernie Marcus, who has agreed to fund the care, transportation and housing of any wounded soldier, sailor or Marine approved for treatment by the renowned brain and spinal injury clinic, the Shepherd Center. Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot, will start paying the bills and hopes others will join him and Humana Military Healthcare Services in their efforts through the SHARE initiative.

According to the Army, an estimated 10 to 20 percent of troops leaving Iraq have concussions or mild traumatic brain injury. The military health-care system is overwhelmed with these injuries and the damage often goes undiagnosed, says the CEO of Shepherd, Gary Ulicny. "The mild ones can be more deceiving than the serious ones — the guy looks fine and is walking around talking," he said. "He becomes overly emotional, becomes very impulsive and becomes frustrated easily and this makes it hard for him to hold a job."

The Shepherd Center, faced with loss of funding before Marcus stepped in, has specialized care the military doesn't. "We scan all [the wounded] for brain injuries and they are taken care of," Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw said. "It's not that the military can duplicate Shepherd. ... We don't have its expertise."

I feel grateful that my brother is healthy (and unharmed), but for those of you who are not so fortunate, I wish you and your families comfort and peace wherever you may find it.

For more information on the Shepherd Center, go to http://www.shepherd.org/.