Disaster Response Efforts In West Virginia Update: How Can You Help?

In late June, many areas in the southern part of West Virginia were hit with tremendous flooding. Homes were swept away. Family members were lost or injured. The waters were indiscriminate in sweeping through towns and bringing rapid destruction and damage to thousands of homes. And as the waters subsided, the people of our state began doing what we always do, rolling up our sleeves and helping one another out. People were working together to ship cleaning supplies and toiletries to those hard hit areas.

One of the best volunteer organizations that I have discovered when it comes to disaster response, and one which I would recommend to anyone looking to deploy, is Team Rubicon. The leadership of Team Rubicon has been trained in crisis and disaster response while serving in the military, and they bring all of that training and leadership into every disaster to which they deploy volunteers. One of the most challenging parts of disaster response for those who want to support is coordinating efforts. They require all volunteers to complete some online training modules before they deploy in an effort to ensure that all volunteers are fully equipped to make their punches count. I fully recommend signing up as a volunteer not just for the response that is needed now, but so you are equipped and prepared to deploy the next time an unexpected disaster strikes. Jamie and I also created a fundraising page with Team Rubicon to support their efforts. Will you consider donating? Jamie and I support Team Rubicon because we believe in the leadership, we are impressed by the staff, and we think they have a very coordinated and regimented training and disaster response program that gets veterans and civilians together to live out some of the best qualities of citizenship and service.

There's still lots of work to be done, and more and more people are launching initiatives to support. WVU Alum Ken Kendrick contributed matching toward raising funds for WVU Extension. Brad Paisley donated toward a Go Fund Me page to encourage others around the country to pledge their support. Jennifer Garner launched a campaign with Omaze to raise money through t-shirt sales for Save The Children's efforts to help children in those communities hardest hit. Jim Justice opened the Greenbrier resort to families in need. All over our state, people have rushed out to purchase supplies and make donations of various types in response. 

I have a few friends who have traveled down to support friends and family members directly, and ALL of them have come back stating that one of the greatest needs presently is simply manpower, and will be for the foreseeable future. Our state needs people to volunteer their time to respond to the cleanup needs. Universally, organizations are discouraging people from deploying on their own, but there are lots of groups out there to serve with. If you can, mobilize with a group that is already organized, if you are unable, then support efforts financially to help equip others to get out there. It is some dusty, dirty, muddy, mucky work, and your contribution, at whatever capacity will be appreciated.

Whatever you can do to help, do it! If you have time and skills that can help with the response in southern West Virginia, deploy with a reputable group and serve. If you are not available to help directly, or you can’t donate goods like those listed on the United Way website above, donate to an organization you know does great work! I am incredibly proud of the way people in our state have rallied to support these efforts, and I know that my fellow West Virginians will always make the best out of a difficult situation. We are a resilient community, a community that supports one another, and one that holds firmly to a commitment to service.

Recent Flooding In West Virginia And What You Can Do To Help

Over the last few days, my home state has been hit with massive amounts of rainfall which has led to intense flooding all over the state, but some of the worst areas have been in the southern half of the state. Entire towns were under water, and some people have even lost their homes.  I watched as my social media feed was filled with images and videos that my friends were capturing as they watched the waters roar. 

The waters have largely receded now, and now comes the cleanup. The cleanup is not what people typically imagine. People think about gathering scattered debris, or wiping down some surfaces in homes that remain intact, but it is so much more. I grew up on the Ohio River. There is a floodwall that surrounds my hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia. In my lifetime I can only remember a few times that the floodwall was sealed off. The longest time was during the flood of 1985, but even just a few years ago, the waters rose high enough to cover most of the small park that exists outside the floodwall where the Little Kanawha and the Ohio Rivers meet. As the waters receded, the park area was covered with mud and muck that was about 2 inches deep. The fire department was deployed to wash the mud off the walkways and roads of the small park, otherwise, it would have remained muddy, mucky, and nasty.

 

When my dad was growing up, the floods seemed to come annually to the small house he and his siblings grew up in along the same stretch of the Ohio River. They would evacuate, and then return when the waters had receded. He remembered having to get snakes out of the house that had washed in with the flood waters, or which had slithered their way in to a place of temporary shelter. And then it was time to get to work clearing out the mud and the muck, and trying to discern what was salvageable.

That same scenario is being lived out by thousands of West Virginians right now. Their homes, if they were not washed away, may be damaged beyond repair. Some of these people live outside what is considered to be the flood zone for their area, so there are questions about whether insurance will help them recuperate their losses. And they need to wait for a visit from the insurance agents to help them discern.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Right now, people are dealing with the immediate. They are working with groups like Team Rubicon and other first responders to begin the massive cleanup, to conduct search and rescue operations for missing people. There are still people unaccounted for, and there are more than 20 dead. Forty-four of this state’s 55 counties were declared in a state of emergency.

In a moment like this, it is easy to wonder what a person can do to help. The desire is there for most of us, but there is also a degree of uncertainty. There are shams being created to exploit people’s generosity, and there have also been rare instances of looting in the wake of this disaster. But that’s not the way of most of the people of this state, or of this world. We want to help, and many of us make assumptions about what is needed, many relief workers call this a “second disaster.” This is where good intentioned people send items that are of little or no use to the people in need. In this instance here in West Virginia, first responders and relief workers have done a great job being extremely specific about needs. West Virginia University students have an incredibly organized website and volunteer effort to collect needed material donations. If you can, donate some time to help organize resources to be sent to the areas of need.

If you live further away, you can donate to organizations like the United Way, Red Cross, or Team Rubicon to support disaster response efforts. Personally, Jamie and I chose to give to Team Rubicon’s flood response efforts. This organization is led by former Marines, and they are bringing their crisis response training to deploy volunteers in chaotic environments in an organized way. They are not only bringing their skills into the environment, they are also providing both civilians and other veterans an outlet for continuing to use their training to serve others. In every interaction I’ve had with their staff team and volunteers I have been fully impressed. In fact, as full disclosure, Jamie and I have also signed on to be volunteers and receive training.

Whatever you can do to help, do it. If you have time and skills that can help with the response in southern West Virginia, deploy with a reputable group like those listed above and serve. If you are not available to help directly, or you can’t donate goods like those listed on the United Way website above, donate to an organization you know does great work! I am incredibly proud of the way people in our state have rallied to support these efforts, and I know that my fellow West Virginians will always make the best out of a difficult situation. We are a resilient community, a community that supports one another, and one that holds firmly to a commitment to service.

Sustainable Development Goals: The Global Goals And What You Can Do

This image represents the world that is possible if we hit just ONE, of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals.

Fifteen years ago, world leaders came together and set array of goals toward building a better world. Among the foremost in these goals was to cut in half the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. Any time an individual or group sets a goal, the initial goal setting is met with a mix of hope, expectation, cynicism, and critique, and justifiably so. People make commitments all of the time, but what is often lacking is follow through. At the same time when people make bold commitments, our imaginations are enlivened as we visualize a different world coming into being.

Last Friday, the United Nations came together to set an array of new goals for the year 2030. Again these Global Goals have been met with a mixture of cynicism and hope. Personally I choose the perspective of hope, and here's why. Without a bold goal and a vision of what is possible, we can get satisfied with the status quo. We can get caught up in "this is the way things have always been and this is the way they will always be." I believe we have been given our imaginations to dream of a different world, and we have been given our bodies and our wills to take steps toward making those dreams a reality.

There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals that were agreed upon. Want to learn more about what they are? My good friend Aerie Changala, Nuru's Director of International Operations, recently wrote a post listing these goals and how Nuru has already been working toward many of them. That's another part of the reason I'm hopeful. These aren't goals that have come out of nowhere. They are attainable, and if we increase the level of our commitment toward these goals, and more people choose action over apathy, these goals are well within reach. We, regular people like you and me, could be part of seeing these goals become reality. We each have a part to play.

So what can we do? To start, I recommend checking out the ONE Campaign's website. ONE is a movement of more than seven million members who are taking decisive action to see the end of extreme poverty in our lifetime. ONE advocates using your voice to keep these goals in front of our governments and on the minds of our neighbors.

In addition, I recommend looking into organizations that are doing great work toward hitting these seventeen goals. Commit yourself to getting involved in this worthwhile work. Join our efforts at Nuru and help raise funds and awareness for Nuru to take its model to even more households that are needlessly suffering in extreme poverty. (Ending extreme poverty by 2030 is one of the seventeen goals.)

Third, take decisive actions to lower your ecological footprint. I believe a large reason why we are seeing global injustice on the rise is because we seem to be focused on the pursuit of excess and ongoing self-indulgence. What if each of us chose to make do with a little less? What if we gave more of our time and resources to the betterment of others? What if we chose to walk or ride a bike instead of drive sometimes during our week? What if we made it a habit to turn off lights and appliances when not in use? Not only would these activities be good for our health and well-being and that of the planet, but they would also allow us to save money too.

One other thing you can do is nothing. You can choose to be a spectator, sit on the sidelines, and watch as the rest of the world takes action and sees these goals to their completion. But where is the joy in that? I believe each one of us is at our best when we not only make a commitment, but we take decisive actions toward improving the lives of others and choosing toward reflecting a little bit of the hope and light that comes from living with a diminished focus on ourselves.

So what are you waiting for? The clock is ticking,  and we have less than 5,480 days to see these goals become a reality. Let's do our part to hit these goals and build a better world for everyone!!!

Nuru Joins Listings For The Combined Federal Campaign

If you are a federal employee, or know someone who is, then I am excited to share with you a unique opportunity to show your support for Nuru International’s work. This fall, Nuru has joined the listing of qualifying organizations for the Combined Federal Campaign.

What does this mean? Each year, Federal Employees are encouraged to make contributions to the CFC as part of a government wide philanthropy campaign. Many employees make a general contribution to the CFC, but employees also have the option of making contributions to a designated qualifying CFC charity.

This fall, Nuru qualified for being listed. Any federal employee can designate their contributions to go specifically to further Nuru’s work. Here are three specific ways you can help.

1. Donate—make your contributions count for Nuru by looking up Nuru’s campaign Number on your campaign materials.
2. Spread the word—tell folks around your work place about the awesome work Nuru is doing, and how they can make their CFC contributions count for Nuru too!
3. Get Social—Use Twitter, Email, LinkedIn, and Facebook to spread the word across your network so even more people can sign on. Feel free to Pin this post on Pinterest too, and I have done so already, here! :)

Enrollment periods vary among agencies, but any promotion you can do between now and the end of your enrollment period would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all you do to be Nuru! Now, let’s try to raise some cash to help Nuru fight extreme poverty in Kuria West, Kenya and beyond!

Choosing A Path Today

For some reason, this year I have found it difficult to maintain my blog with the consistency of past years. And I'm really trying to change that. It definitely has not been for a lack of content. In my travels, I find myself reflecting regularly on experiences and seeing small life lessons strewn all along my way.

Separately, last week, I was able to list at least 20 books I have read and I would love to review. I even have a couple of books I am looking forward to reading and reviewing that are waiting in the wings. One of the ones I'm most excited about reviewing is a book called The Last Hunger Season by Roger Thurow. It is an absolutely fascinating book, and one that I hope many people will take the time to read (more about it in a later post).

Beyond this, Jamie and I were able to visit Kuria, Kenya in August and see Nuru's work first hand with specific intentions including being able to share these experiences with others. The progress that is being made, and the lives that are being changed because people here have chosen to care, and because people there are being equipped with the tools and knowledge to lift themselves out of extreme poverty is absolutely awe inspiring. These stories need to be told and shared with others!

And then, there are the moments when we have met up with old friends, or made new ones along our journey. We both feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to cross paths with so many truly amazing people--people we are proud to call our friends.

In the middle of it all, sometimes it is hard to know where to start and as I spend time wondering, another day goes by in which I let uncertainty create a vacuum where there could be a story told, a review written, or a reflection recorded.

It's funny to me because at the beginning of the year I set several goals, and have been able to accomplish virtually all of them with the exception of blogging consistently. At least I have a few months left to push forward toward this goal and although I'll fall short of my goal for the year, I can at least end well.

As I have been thinking about this, I have realized I am not alone. Every day, people from all walks of life are hindered in progress because they don't choose a path. For me, it is a matter of what story to write, and the longer I wait, the more choices and opportunities emerge, and then some opportunities also end up going away.

Some people wait forever before deciding to ask that special someone on a date, or to become their spouse while considering contingencies. Others debate over a career move, but fail to take a step. Still others have life-long dreams that never get moved forward because they never begin taking steps and choosing a path toward that goal.

At times, it makes sense to wait. Not every project, dream, or conversation needs to be realized immediately. But at some point, we have to act or they will never be realized. We must choose a path and move forward. If we don't, we will miss opportunities. We will miss mistakes as well, but then we will also miss out on the joy of achieving.

Today, I want to encourage you to choose a path, and begin walking. Today, I hope that even by writing and posting this blog, I can take a step down this path of writing more regularly, and sharing with others, and begin moving toward my goal set at the beginning of the year.

May your life be enriched as you begin to walk down a path. Who knows, your own journey may lead you to a great discovery about yourself, and about others, that will pave the way to a better tomorrow.

The War of Art

I was first exposed to this book during the summer of 2003. I was working in Orlando, FL to help facilitate a leadership development program for college students and at the same time participating in a separate staff leadership program with Great Commission Ministries.  During my summer stays in Orlando, I had managed to find two incredible book stores in the area. One was a used book store called Leedy’s, and the other was a book store in Northland Community Church in Longwood, FL.

While I was at the church book store, the book store manager recommended The War of Art by Steven Pressfield to me. It wasn’t a faith-based book, but rather a book about the creative process and persevering from idea to action. It sounded like a great read, so I picked it up and added it to my list for the summer.

Just this past summer, it was mentioned again on a list of recommended reads at a java developers conference. So, of course, I picked it up to re-read it. What I found in it was a series of short essays on resistance.

Resistance is that internal invisible force that distracts us, shoves us away, and prevents us from doing our work particularly when that work derives from our higher nature rather than our lower (painting, writing, music, dance, or any creative art, any form of spiritual advancement, education, and more).  We all experience it, and our inability to overcome resistance is what leads to lapsed diets, exercise programs, creative endeavors, and other forms of personal development and self-improvement. And the crazy thing about resistance is that it comes from within.

I don’t want to share too much of the book here. Rather, I would say that particularly at this time of year when so many of us are in the process of setting goals, making new commitments, and pursuing new physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, financial, or creative endeavors, this book makes an incredible read.

The book can be an incredible tool for identifying resistance and pushing through to the realization of our goals. Once one knows their enemy, then they know how to combat their enemy.

If you are looking for a good read to give you a kick-start to achieving your goals, I highly recommend The War of Art.  I also highly recommend taking time to recognize how resistance rears its head in your own life, and determine creative ways to stop it before it stops you in 2012.

Big Heart.

The boy in the center of the photo above, which was taken by John Leyba of the Denver Post, is seven years old and will be a dwarf when he grows up. But his heart is huge. My brother sent me this link to Denver Post article where you can read more about this little guy.

I think the story is a great reminder that we should never let what we aren't able to do stop us from what we can do. This seven year old boy knows this, but something seems to happen to us as we get older. I don't know if it is self-pity or what, but for some reason we fail to acknowledge the ways in which we are gifted and spend our time lamenting what we are unable to do.

For instance, you may not be able to run a four minute mile (or an 8 minute mile) but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't make a daily habit of exercise.

You may not be able to read a book in one sitting, but maybe you can read a page.

I don't think God is going to have a conversation with us at the end of our lives about all of the things we were unable to do, but He might talk to us a bit about the things we were unwilling to do.

God has given you huge opportunities. He has given you His Son. He has given you His Spirit. Let's make the most of the limited resources we have to bring Him glory and fame. Let's not get caught in the trap of what we can't do, but rather let's get busy doing the things we can do--making the most of every opportunity.