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.

Gavin de Becker's MOSAIC will save lives

Being a woman, safety is something that has always concerned me. I am alert in parking garages, I immediately lock my car when I get in, and when there is a male worker in my home, I have my cell phone in my hand and the front and back doors open.

As long as I can remember, I have always listened to my intuition. Whether it's a personal or professional matter, my gut has never led me wrong.

I have my mother to thank for this, who, years ago, bought my sister and I the book, "The Gift of Fear" by safety expert Gavin de Becker. There are so many things that from that book that I will never forget.

1. We are the only animals that will ignore our intuition and walk into the fear.
2. When a man says no, it's the end of the discussion. When a woman says no, it's the beginning of the negotiation.
3. Always listen to that "funny" feeling.

Today on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Gavin de Becker discussed his free, violence assesment program, aptly named MOSAIC. This program helps determine how dangerous a situation is in the workplace, with students, against judges, public figures and officials, and in spousal situations.

I encourage ALL women to read "The Gift of Fear", and if you know someone in a dangerous situation, encourage them to seek help by going to their nearest battered women's shelter, or calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

"People should learn to see and avoid all danger. Just as a wise man keeps away from mad dogs, so one should not make friends with evil men." - Buddha

Share your pain, share your joy, and especially share your love.

By guest blogger Natasha Raju

Terry Williams once said, “An individual doesn’t get cancer, a family does.” Two years ago, my mother lost her battle to breast cancer. She had been fighting against it for a year, and had successfully overcome it the first time she was diagnosed. However, seven months later she received news that the cancer had come back and spread throughout her entire body.

I was starting my sophomore year in college, stressing over midterms and trying to stay brave when I visited my mother. Looking back, I wonder why I even thought about choosing one over the other.

There are two things I learned from my mother’s battle: first, is that things always happen for a reason. In some twisted way of fate, there is a reason why my mother passed away and I am still searching for it. However, I do know that the person I am today is because of my experience with cancer. I learned to be stronger and know that there are things in this world that we have to overcome. There are people going through things beyond our imagination, and we should do what we can to make a difference for those in need.

The second is to always, always, live in the moment, and cherish the people you are with and appreciate them. So many times we take for granted the smallest gesture, whether it be borrowing sugar from your neighbor or sharing an umbrella with a friend in the rain. There are times I take it upon myself to make sure I tell at least one person everyday, “Hey, you are incredible! Thank you for being a part of my life.” I know it might sound silly, but you would be amazed at the response you get. Not only do you feel better, but you never know how much that small gesture means to someone else.

To say that I am still strong in my faith and have no qualms with my ordeal would be a lie. But, I do know that one day I will understand why things happened the way they did. For now, I will share the knowledge that life is short and we cannot live with regrets. There are people in our lives that don’t know how much we appreciate them, and we should let them know. Don’t wait for something tragic to happen in order to realize this. Share your joy, share your pain, and especially share your love.

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

Kids For A Cause: RandomKid Unites Children to Save the World

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

Meet Talia Leman: a 14 year old, nationally acclaimed philanthropist and CEO of RandomKid. Talia co-founded RandomKid at the age of 10, when she helped unite kids across to the nation to raise over $10 million for hurricane Katrina relief. Today, she is one of UNICEF’s first National Youth Ambassadors, has been on the Today Show twice, and is the winner of numerous international and national awards. I think I am safe in saying that colleges are applying for Taila Leman - not the other way around.

RandomKid is a nonprofit organization whose vision it is to “take the goodness of the child and turn it into goodness for the world by helping kids help others.” They work to enable children to realize dreams of philanthropic work. For instance, if a child has an idea for a service project, they can register the idea online and become a project CEO. RandomKid will then aid in the project by consulting development, donating interest-free micro loans, giving 501C3 umbrella coverage, and helping with event planning.

Random Kid’s success stories include: Ease Thirst Around The Earth which has given 6000 people access to clean water, Christmas for Konnor which raised $20,000 for a mom whose son suffered from Leukemia, many hurricane relief programs and so much more! When I think of what these kids have accomplished by banding together and dreaming of a brighter future, it is very encouraging, and makes me hopeful for how their generation will continue to impact the world.

This is a great way to encourage kids you know to start critically thinking about ways to help society. I am planning on having my nieces become members of RandomKid as soon as they come to visit me.

And remember, for ways to support causes and shop for your favorite products visit Uptown Liz!

Jenny's Light Awards $26,000 in Grants for Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen


Jenny’s Light, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of perinatal mood disorders, recently awarded over $26,000 in grants to deserving like-missioned organizations. Jenny’s Light sent out a request for grant applications and received an overwhelming response. The applicants were narrowed down to seven finalists and awards ranged from $1,800 to $9,800.

The recipients included: Postpartum Support International (PSI), Hennepin County Medical Center’s Women’s Mental Health Program Pregnancy & Postpartum Support Minnesota, Postpartum Resource Center (PRC) Kansas, Maternal Outreach Mood Services California, Parenting Oasis Minnesota, and Blossom Birth California. All of the organizations are using the money for research or awareness for perinatal disorders.

Jenny’s Light will be awarding grants again on April 15, 2010. Applications are due March 1, 2010. For more information visit http://www.jennyslight.org/.

Uptown Liz and Jenny’s Light are very similar in the fact that they were both founded in memory of a sister who tragically died too young. Becky Lavelle, founder of Jenny’s Light, co-founded the nonprofit in memory of her sister, Jenny, who took her and her son’s life due to severe post partum depression. This past August, Ramona Russell, founder of Uptown Liz, interviewed Becky; you can read the interview in previous blogs: part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.

And don’t forget, for ways to give back to charity shopping, browse products on Uptown Liz.

Recycle For A Cause: Cell Phones For Soldiers

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

At the age of thirteen, I was primarily concerned with what outfit I should wear to school the next day, if my latest crush reciprocated my feelings, and how soon until school let out for the summer. At the age of thirteen, Brittany Bergquist was busy co-founding a nonprofit organization that has raised over $1 million in donations.

In 2004, Brittany and her younger brother Robbie started Cell Phones for Soldiers with just $21 from their piggy bank. The organization sends pre-paid phone cards to soldiers in war zones by seeking out unwanted cell phones and selling them to a recycler for $5. To date, over 500,000 soldiers overseas have received calling cards. Brittany said this about the charity’s mission, “We take for granted our ability to call home and speak to our families. The troops don’t do that. They appreciate what we’re doing. That’s what sparks us to do more.”

Brittany and Robbie have received national press and recognition for their success. Together, they were featured on CNN’s “Young People Who Rock”, and they won Microsoft’s “Above and Beyond Youth Leadership Award”.

What started as a way to show their family’s appreciation to people serving our country, turned into a program bigger than any of the Bergquists could have imagined; they hope to raise more than $9 million in the next five years for future programs. To learn about ways to donate or show support, visit the Cell Phones For Soldiers Web site by clicking here.

And for ways to give back by shopping for your favorite cause, visit Uptown Liz.