Weekly News of Hope
Week of 10-06-05 - 10-12-05
In this 2-hour A&E Special Presentation: "Mediums: We See Dead People", viewers see phenomena that are simply unexplainable. This fascinating program presents mediums from across the nation who attempt to solve crimes, speak to the dead, investigate "hauntings" and photograph spirits. They strive to tune in to dimensions most of us never dream of.
This show will be aired Friday, October 14th at 8:00 P.M./7 Central.
By the way, Hay House Radio, has some very interesting guests for you internet listeners. They have a free weekly email update on upcoming programming. Their programs are also archived for your listening convenience.
This Monday 9 AM website is a fun place to return to, time and time again. It hosts short spiritual movies which change each week, on Monday at, you guessed it, 9 AM.
The host allows you to look at two of the short videos without registering, but to see all available, you have to sign up for their weekly newsletter. I have belonged for about 5 weeks now and have found some of the videos to be intriguing.
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, $ 1.7 Billion has been collected to date for victims of the hurricanes. The rate of donations has been faster than for the terrorist strike, 9/11/2001. A total of $ 2.2 Billion was raised for that event.
When donations, which are already in the pipeline, but not yet counted, are added, collections are expected to exceed that previous record.
This article cautions that continued support is needed because the displaced face a long hard road to recovery, but contributors seem to be continuing their generosity.
What A Difference One Person Can Make
John Van Hengle, who set up the nations first food bank, has died at age 83. What an amazing contribution he has made just by following his feelings.
Read this New York Times story (a free subscription may be required) to learn of this incredible story about the founder of Second Harvest.
Here is part of the N Y Times article:
In Phoenix in the 1960's after a divorce and other personal problems, Mr. van Hengel was struggling to rebuild his life. One day in 1967, he found himself conversing with a woman who had 10 children and a husband on death row. For all her hardships, she said food was no problem.
As Mr. van Hengel later recounted, the woman explained that she shopped in refuse bins at the rear of a nearby grocery store. Mr. van Hengel went to the bins and found frozen food that was still frozen and edible, loose carrots and stale bread.
"The woman had healthy kids who obviously didn't eat bad at all," he said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times in 1992.
Mr. van Hengel then visited the store manager and in a back room found other things being thrown out. A case of ketchup with one broken bottle was tossed. So were cans with dents.
Mr. van Hengel, who had recently been moved by a documentary about hunger in Africa, asked if he could have the discarded items. The answer was yes, as it was with other stores.
A man searching for purpose had found one.
"It's amazing how many people are being fed because of this crazy little thing we started," Mr. van Hengel told The Times. (His "we" referred to a grandmother and two disabled volunteers, then his only helpers.)
"We're feeding millions, and it's not costing anyone anything," he continued. "But it scares me to look back because I just had no idea it would grow into this."
Second Harvest is rated by Forbes Magazine as one of the most efficient non-profits with 98 percent of all donations being used to feed the hungry.
What a difference one person with a dream can make.
Thank you, Mr. van Hengle.
Have You Heard of Giving Circles?
What exactly is a Giving Circle? Read this document (which is found on the above link as well).
Giving Circles, also known as Social Investment Clubs are small groups of focused individuals who are finding empowering ways to affect social change through concentrated giving. By pooling their charitable contributions, establishing guidelines for the use of the money, and offering grants for those willing to meet the group's specifications, these circles are tackling specific social and institutional issues and seeing immediate results, while enjoying the benefits of community.
Typically, dedicated to exploring philanthropy as a vehicle for social change, these giving circles are popping up all over America. According to New Ventures in Philanthropy, a Washington organization of grant makers, at least 220 giving circles now operate in 40 states, and 80 percent of giving circles have been formed in the past five years.
Seeking to End Educational Inequality
We have so many wonderful organizations in America. This one, Teach for America, recruits top college graduates each year and entices them to spend two years teaching in schools where the majority of students are from very low income homes.
According to this New York Times article, this last year, applications totaled 17,350, up 30 percent from the previous year.
Currently, 3,500 corps members are teaching in over 1,000 schools in 22 regions across the country.
Since 1990, more than 14,000 exceptional individuals have joined Teach For America. They have directly impacted the lives of 2 million students and form a growing force of civic leaders committed to ensuring that our nation lives up to its ideal of opportunity for all.
Hats off to the outstanding young graduates who choose to serve our planet in this way.
According to CareerBuilder-dot-com's annual survey of absenteeism at the office, 43% of workers said they called in sick with bogus excuses at least once during the last year.
In the 2004 survey, only 35% admitted to fibbing.
Here are some of the more creative reasons for missing work cited in this report:
"I'm too drunk to drive to work;"
"The ghosts in my house kept me up all night"
"I'm too fat to get into my work pants"
"My son accidentally fell asleep next to wet cement in our backyard. His foot fell in and we can't get it out"
If you need more, here are a few to help the creatively challenged.