Nuru November At West Virginia University

The last couple of weeks, I’ve been able to watch a handful of really cool initiatives get started in my wonderful home state of WV, and every day I feel even more inspired by what friends and neighbors around our state are willing to do to confront the crisis of extreme poverty that exists in our world.

Just this month, a group at West Virginia University, YoungLife College, started an initiative called “#NuruNovember.” I was able to share a bit of Nuru’s story, our WV and WVU roots and connections, and a vision of where we are going and how they could be involved. These students grabbed hold of the issue and began taking action.

So what are they doing? This week, they have been set up in the Mountainlair Student Union at WVU telling people about Nuru’s work, and challenging others to take action and help Nuru continue to expand its life saving and life transforming work in Kuria West Kenya.

They have set a goal for the month of raising $4078 dollars as part of their initiative during the month as well. The number 4078 is the grocery code for yellow corn and so these students really got creative with their goal. One of Nuru’s programs involves helping farmers increase their crop yields to be able to feed their families. Before Nuru arrived, families in the community suffered in chronic hunger. But with the help of Nuru’s programs, and the support of amazing individuals like these students, over 10,000 people have had their lives changed for the better.

I hope other groups and individuals will follow the example of these students and choose the path of action over apathy. One out of six people on the planet live on less than the buying power of $1.25/day, but together, we have the tools, knowledge, and resources needed to bring lasting change.

Together, we truly can end extreme poverty, one community at a time. 

The Nuru International Club At Fairmont Senior High School

Monday afternoon, I had the privilege of connecting with some incredible students at a high school in Fairmont, WV. Last year, students at this school, led a first time initiative on their campus and a first time initiative for any group anywhere. They organized an entire week of activities on their campus to raise funds and awareness for Nuru’s work. The video above tells a little bit of the story of their exploits.

So Monday evening I found out that the Nuru club that started on their campus last year had grown from about 6 dedicated people to 15 folks. They are planning to blow the goals from last year out of the water, and coming up with all kinds of crazy cool ideas to inspire others to join in this work.

Any time with around people who are getting engaged with this issue, I get fired up. Especially when it is young people. This problem is so huge that it is going to require all hands on deck, and I believe that part of the key to ending extreme poverty is having people get a vision for taking action, and dedicating their careers toward making a lasting impact toward improving our world.

I think many students at Fairmont Senior High School are well on their way, and it is my hope that other schools will continue to build on their success, and help bring lasting change to the people of Kuria, Kenya and beyond. 

It’s Time For The Work To Continue

Yesterday, millions of Americans exercised their civic privilege and voted their conscience in an array of elections. For all the criticism and vitriol that has been spewed both on and offline over the last several weeks, our country and our world move onward. While some may lament the results of various elections and others may be rejoicing, one thing is clear. Our participation in our country’s government did not stop when the polls closed yesterday.

You see, we have a representative democracy government. We elect representatives whose goal is to serve the people of this country. Sometimes I think we lose sight of this. Over the last few years, I’ve been becoming more engaged personally, and realize that our government allows us a privilege of participation, not just in elections, but in writing our representatives, calling them, meeting with them, and speaking our minds.

No matter who became elected to our various offices, one thing that should never be neglected is that we need to work together. We need folks across the political spectrum to stay engaged, to work together, and to look to make a difference. For American citizens, our government is a daily participatory process. It’s not just the privilege of voting that people enjoy here in America, it’s the privilege of being actively engaged in the process throughout the year. Contrary to what people might believe about the process, our voices have the opportunity to be heard every day.

Our country is truly great when we all work together. When we say that the problems that we face are going to be faced together. Where I grew up, folks in the neighborhood didn’t have a whole lot of financial resources, but what we did have was each other. In my tribe, the situation was similar. Most of the people in my tribe didn’t have a lot of financial resources, but we had each other. And in both of these situations, folks would look out for one another, pitch-in, and help take care of each other.

I remember growing up, neighbors would help each other with auto repair. We would help one another replace roofs on our homes. My parents have almost always had a garden, and they would make a habit of sharing the bounty with our neighbors. Parents in the neighborhood looked out for all of the kids, so if you wanted to get into mischief, there were eyes everywhere who looked after us kids. Everybody contributed. Our neighborhood was maintained by people looking out for one another, and looking for opportunities to pitch-in and help.

Sometimes I feel like we have forgotten how to do this. We have forgotten about serving others, but often look to be served by others. We have gotten how to love our neighbor, and spend our time complaining about what our neighbor does or does not do. Together we are powerful. One of the great Shawnee leaders of the past compared the activities of one person to a single stick—that stick can easily be broken. On the other hand he compared it to the strength of a group of people working together. Together we are strong.

As Mohandes Gandhi said in a paraphrase of the words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Or, in the words of Jesus himself, “Before you try to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye, take the log out of your own eye.”

Let’s be strong, and move forward the way generations and communities in the past have done it. Together. 

Prophet's Rock 2012

Last fall, Jamie and I found ourselves standing on the battleground of the Battle of Tippecanoe in Prophetstown, Indiana. Just a little over a week ago, we found ourselves driving back near the location, and I felt drawn to visit again. It was a great time for a short break from our drive back east, and it was an absolutely beautiful day as well.

There’s something magnetic about knowing something of the history of a place, and knowing that perhaps a distant relative also walked along the same piece of land. I believe this is especially true, when one lives a great distance from that land, but can also be said of longstanding stomping grounds. For instance, I try to regularly carve out time to sit along the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers in Parkersburg just like my dad and his brothers did, and just like my grandpa, and great-grandpa did. It’s a magical place, pregnant with histories untold.

Prophet’s Rock itself holds a geographic kinship connection for me in the contemporary era as well. My brother Chuck made the journey to Prophetstown and stood atop Prophet’s Rock in the spring of this year. I couldn’t help but think of him as I returned to this site.

My family is Shawnee.  Both my mom and my dad are Shawnee. And as much as I know that Shawnee people inhabited many places, there is something about this rock and this space in Indiana that is different. Maybe it is because I know the history of what happened at this site. Maybe its because I know that over 200 years ago, Shawnee people prayed from the top of this rock. Maybe its because I know that events in this place in many ways have shaped the history of Shawnee people from that day to now. And maybe it is because after all that has happened, nobody would have dreamed that Shawnee people would return to the rock, and maybe that offers me a unique act of defiance, resistance, and connectedness to generations past.

The rock rises along a steep hillside and cliff amid surrounding flatlands. It is a special place, and one that I hope to visit as often as I have opportunity.

I imagine everyone has a place or places to which they feel connected. Maybe yours isn’t Prophet’s Rock, but whatever it is, I hope you can visit it soon. And if you can’t physically go there, maybe you can take a moment right now to reminisce and reacquaint yourself with the memories, sights, sounds, and smells of that place.

Accelerated Physical Therapy

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to visit my friend Noah Campbell in Carmel, Indiana. Noah and I have known each other for about eight years, and we were actively involved in church together.  We also are fellow West Virginians and alumni of West Virginia University. Noah received a degree in Physical Therapy from WVU and was able to work for a pretty large firm in Indianapolis for a while.

Recently though, he changed companies, and not only that, he opened his own facility. He walks to work each day, and throughout each day he gets the privilege of helping patients get better and rehabilitiate quickly. He has worked with both professional and local community athletes, and he applies a level of care to his work that is remarkable.

It is not uncommon for him to visit with former patients at high school football games or other sporting events to cheer them on as they work to excel both on and off the field.

After visiting Noah’s facility and catching up with him a bit, I was blown away by what I saw. I saw my friend taking the skills he had acquired in college and throughout his career to move people forward in their rehab. I saw my friend employing his talents to serve others, and help make their lives better. I saw my friend building his career around the principles of doing the right thing and putting people first.

For me, it was utterly refreshing to see what my friend Noah was up to. Even more refreshing to me is the knowledge that it isn’t just his facility that is run in such a principled way, but this is a characteristic of Accelerated Physical Therapy as a whole.

If you live in the Midwest, and need physical therapy, based on what I learned from my friend Noah, I would recommend Accelerated Physical Therapy. And if you live in Indianapolis, or more specifically Carmel, then give Noah’s facility a try!

And if you don’t live in that area, keep your eyes peeled for others doing great work at caring for people, and share their story with your friends and neighbors.