Contributed by Nathan McVeigh

Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the organ donation waiting list. Of those on the list, roughly 20 percent will never receive what they need. Although these statistics are encouraging people to become organ donors, unfortunately many people are still moderately ignorant as to what the decision requires. Whether you’re a caregiver for someone in need or perhaps someone who can inform others about what organ transplants require, here is some important information to keep in mind when it comes to becoming a donor.

 

What can be donated?

This is a common question many people have about transplants in general. You should know that while you can donate organs, many people can donate stem cells, tissues, blood cells and platelets. When it comes to organ transplants specifically, many people are unaware that donating portions of organs can be just as effective in certain cases. When it comes to making a decision about being a donor, remember that it might not result in you losing an entire organ. The most common organ transplants are heart transplants, kidney transplants, lung transplants, liver transplants, pancreas transplants, and intestine transplants.

 

Who can donate?

People are able to donate organs whether they are living or not. The advantage of donating while living, of course, is the opportunity and reward of saving a life. There are always going to be various  ramifications of surgery, but knowing you donated in service to someone else can make it all worthwhile.

Organ transplants do require healthy sources, but only in the sense that they are not extremely diseased. The fact of the matter is you don’t necessarily have to be in the world’s greatest shape to be an organ donor. Evidently, the chances that you are qualified to donate are much greater than the chances that you won’t be able to donate. According to WebMD, unless you are someone with HIV, (aggressive) cancer, or a serious infection, you shouldn’t have to worry about ineligibility.

 

What age requirements are there?

It’s easy to become apprehensive about organ donation, especially when people think they’re either too old or too young to make a difference. If someone thinks they’re too old, teach them that it’s not a matter of age, but health quality. There is no age limit for organ donation, only health limitations. Encourage them to consult their doctors to discuss their health eligibility.

In a legal sense, anyone under 18 is too young to enable their choice to be an organ donor. However, parents and legal guardians can provide authorization for this to happen. One key consideration is that many children and infants are on waiting lists, just like adults, but having a perfectly healthy adult heart won’t help a young child who needs a new heart.

 

How do I become an organ donor?

Becoming an organ donor is straightforward, and designed to be as easy as possible. There are three important, general steps you can take:

This process is for anyone who opts to be an organ donor once they’re deceased. It’s a way to put a plan in place once that person can no longer communicate his or her wishes.

The first three steps in this process ensure that people are making their wishes to be a donor known publicly. The final step is an added precaution that will ensure these wishes are maintained should any doubt arise. While it doesn’t happen very often, it’s possible that when someone dies but wants to donate, his or her family will have to sign a consent form in order for any organ transplants to occur.

 

Conclusion

No matter who you are, you can make a difference. If you’re in good health, you can be a donor; if you’re not in good health, you can be an informer. If you’re engaged with a local community, your presence, knowledge, and education can do more than if you weren’t there at all. You can save hundreds, if not thousands of lives, just by telling people what you know. Here’s one way you can get started.

The post What You Need to Know to Be a Donor for Organ Transplants appeared first on Lotsa Helping Hands.

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Contributed by Tiffany Silverberg

Giving back to the community can take a variety of forms. Depending on your own skill set and the unique nature of your own community, you will find many opportunities to help those around you. Here are a few ideas to spark your giving side and get you serving those who need help in your community.

 

Donate

Sometimes giving back to the community is as simple as giving. Whether you have an overabundance of some sort or merely have something others could use, donating makes an immediate difference in others’ lives. From clothes to food to that old cell phone in the back of your closet, in-kind gifts move seamlessly from you to local organizations and into the hands of those in need.

 

Philanthropy

Sometimes it’s easier for you, and the community organization around you, to give cash donations instead of in-kind gifts. Financial philanthropy is a great way for local businesses to get and stay involved in the community. Choosing an organization and giving a percentage or portion of proceeds each month is both good for PR and the community.

 

Fundraising

Giving back to the community sometimes involves bringing people together and working toward a single cause. Instead of donating personal finances or proceeds, local organizations or citizens can plan large-scale fundraising events which raise awareness of a local need, encourage local unity, and bring in lots of money.

 

Drives

Community events can be about more than raising money. Use these opportunities to gather in-kind donations, such as diapers for a new mom, canned foods for a food pantry, or furniture and appliances for a family whose home was destroyed. Habitat for Humanity or the American Red Cross both offer local community involvement projects, so check out those large organizations as well as our nonprofit partners.

 

Volunteer

If you have more time than money, volunteering may be a more effective and viable way of giving back to the community. Consider places you already spend a lot of time with, such as your child’s school or your congregation. Those who work, and give their time, in these local places can often use an hour or two from volunteers to take extra tasks off their hands.

 

Recognize Those Who Serve

Giving back to the community can also come in the form of giving to those who serve or have served. Police and fire departments, local military bases, and local veteran’s organizations offer the opportunity to recognize and thank those who help the community and support the troops. You can remember them with treats or donations at the holidays or anytime.

 

Disaster Relief

When disasters strike, communities come together to care for their own, effected by the storm, earthquake, flood, or other catastrophe. This is an important time to get involved and give back, as the needs are immediate. The donations needed will depend on the extent and type of disaster – anything from clothes and blankets to a new home or building. Form a disaster response team, if one isn’t already in place, to meet these needs.

 

Step Up and Ask

If you aren’t sure what to do to give back or where your time or resources could be best used, the first place to start is to ask. Contact a representative at a local organization and let them know about your desire to help. Be specific about what you might be able to do – whether it’s donating your time, offering in-kind donations, or providing funding.

 

Join with Others

Sometimes volunteering, donating, and raising funds are the most effective and easiest if you join with others who have already dug the trenches to set up a program. There’s often no reason to reinvent when you can add your time and resources to local organizations who have gained positive reputations in the community.

 

Set Up A Lotsa Helping Hands Community

Make it easier for others to join your cause and work toward a common goal by setting up a Lotsa community. You can make it public if you want others in the area to be able to find your group and join you. Otherwise you can make it private and just invite those you think may be interested in giving back to the community.

 

The post 10 Helpful Ways For Giving Back to the Community appeared first on Lotsa Helping Hands.

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Over the last 15 years, Greenpeace India has had some important victories. We have worked to get clean air, clean water and clean energy for the country. In doing so, we have challenged the fossil fuel industry and held some corporations accountable. Sometimes, we disagreed with the government too. This has now earned us the wrath of India's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The MHA's biggest criticism today is that Greenpeace India is 'anti-development'. Because we don't want to see environmental laws diluted and a vision of development that comes at the cost of forests, communities and biodiversity, we stand accused of wanting to stop India's economic growth.

But a future that depends on fossil fuels is not the way forward, and we've shown that development can be brought with renewables, as in Dharnai. And we stood with the people of Mahan who wanted to protect their forest, on which their livelihoods depend rather than see it turned into a coal mine.

It feels to us that we might be facing this onslaught today because we asked some tough questions of some powerful people. Whether it was the Essar group who wanted to raze a forest for a coal mine, or Adani -- the company eager to mine the Galilee basin for coal resulting in irreversible damage to the Great Barrier Reef -- Greenpeace has not been afraid to speak out. But speaking out comes at a price and now we are now fighting for our right to exist.

What's already happened to Greenpeace India?

Greenpeace India has had a dramatic time since June 2014. The Ministry of Home Affairs in India, has made a number of allegations and taken a series of steps against Greenpeace India, and we believe it will continue finding ways to make life difficult for us.

These include accusing Greenpeace India of running deliberate campaigns to hurt the economy, which are 'anti-national and harmful to India. They've stopped donations from outside of India, and prevented one of our campaigners from travelling abroad. Finally, in April this year, Greenpeace India's domestic accounts were blocked, making it impossible for Greenpeace India to pay staff wages and office costs.

What reasons do the MHA give for their actions? If you've done nothing illegal, surely the courts will support you?

The MHA has used shaky reasoning to justify its actions and the judiciary has ruled in our favour over and over again.

After the MHA had blocked access to funds coming from abroad we challenged them in the Delhi High Court. In January this year the court ruled in our favour - finding the MHA's actions 'unconstitutional, illegal and arbitrary'.

Campaigner Priya Pillai took the government to court over restrictions it had placed on her movement and travel. In March, The judge ordered those restrictions to be lifted, saying 'you can't muzzle dissent in a democracy.'

In April, the MHA blocked our domestic accounts - which amount to 70% of our funds - claiming that we were guilty of several legal violations. We are not. You can read all of the alleged errors and rebuttals here.

On 27 May 2015, The Delhi High Court ordered that we have access to two of the previously blocked accounts so our work can continue for now. However the case is not closed so our position remains precarious with a final hearing expected in August.

As we believe that this is not really about accounting errors and legal violations but the MHA wanting to silence us because they don't like what we're saying, we'd be surprised if more arbitrary attacks don't come our way.

Greenpeace India doesn't want to spend time fighting court cases - we want to get back to work moving India towards a more sustainable future. The sooner we can meet with the MHA to discuss how we can be part of that future the better.

For this reason we still need to stand up for the right to free speech everywhere and ask the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to do the same.

Sondhya Gupta is a Mobilisation Campaigner for Greenpeace UK.

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March 2015 was the warmest March in a 136 years of records, and CO₂ levels are now higher than they have been in 800,000 years. If you are an environmental activist, or someone who cares and wants to help, you may find yourself confronting a denialist campaign that sows doubt and confusion. Here is some useful information about the current state of global warming.

Farmer Zhang Dadi in his dry corn field in Mongolia. Global warming has stricken farmers around the world. © Qiu Bo / Greenpeace.

Doubt: Petroleum interests and paid denialist employ scientific doubt to rationalize non-action, but this is a trick. Scientific knowledge is built on doubt. Every process in nature involves multiple influences, no observer knows all the factors, and everything science knows is framed by a margin of doubt. Nevertheless, science has observed enough to know that global warming is real, and that the primary cause is human activity.

The fundamental hypothesis: In 1896, using known observations of energy radiance and conduction, Swedish chemist Svente Arrhenius introduced the fundamental postulate: "If the quantity of carbonic acid [CO₂] increases … the temperature will increase." CO₂ in the atmosphere absorbs reflected light, adding heat to the Earth system.

Greenhouse effect: Greenhouses store heat because light changes when reflected. Solar energy enters and passes through a greenhouse glass, or our atmosphere, at "short" wavelengths (0.1 - 4 microns or millionths of a meter). Once reflected, light is polarized and has a longer wavelength (4-50 microns). Carbon dioxide absorbs light at around 15-microns, other gases, such as methane, absorb at other wavelengths, and this absorbed light energy adds heat to the Earth system.

"Global warming" defined: Temperature is always fluctuating, but Climatologists have defined "Global warming" as a relatively large change in a short time, specifically: 0.4°C in one century. Earth's temperature has increased by 0.8°C in one century, a state of global warming. (Goddard)

Weather vs. Climate: Weather is local and short term; climate is regional or global, and long term. A cold winter is weather, and does not indicate the direction of climate change.

A thin border separates the Boreal Forest from an open-pit mine in Alberta, Canada's Tar Sands region. 09/15/2009 © Greenpeace / John Woods

Do humans contribute to global heating? Yes. We contribute to heating because we produce CO₂ and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and because we reduce carbon-sequestering plant life. The tars sands in Canada does both, producing vast amounts of carbon while destroying forests.

Human carbon emissions. World carbon emissions through Fossil fuels, cement, land-use change, and other sources were about 1 billion tons / year a century ago. Those emissions are now about 10 billions tons / year (9.9 billion tons in 2013, CO2Now). You may hear of "carbon dioxide emissions" around 35 billions tons, and this is because a ton of carbon produces about three-and-a-half tons of CO₂.

Rate of change: These emissions are now about 61% higher than they were in 1990 (the Kyoto Protocol reference year), and still increasing at about 2.5% per year, on track to double in 28 years.

Sources of CO₂: Carbon emissions are dominated by China, the US, Europe, and now India. The primary sources are coal, oil, gas, and cement manufacturing. Meanwhile, carbon uptake by plant life is reduced through deforestation and ocean acidification.

CO₂ in atmosphere: Before the industrial revolution, some two hundred years ago, atmospheric carbon-dioxide fluctuated around 280 parts per million (ppm). Today, by March 2015, CO₂ has reached 401.5 ppm (Scripps), a 43% increase in two centuries.

Rate of CO₂ increase has, itself, been accelerating. In the 1950s, atmospheric CO₂ was increasing at about 0.5 ppm per year; by 1970, by 1 ppm per year, and is now increasing by 2.1 ppm / year.

Are humans the primary cause of global heating? Yes, this is extremely likely. For anything to heat or cool, a force is necessary, called a "radiative forcing," measured in watts per square meter, (w/m²). Smaller forcings include ozone, water vapour, carbon soot, sulfates, land use changes, Earth's albedo (reflective quality), and reduced ocean CO₂ absorption due to acidic water. Intermittent volcanic aerosols have a cooling effect. These smaller forcings somewhat offeset each other. There are three larger forcings, shown here as changes between 1880 and 2011:

1. Human gases: + 3.10 w/m² (heating)

2. Solar variations: + 0.12 w/m² (heating)

3. Human aerosols: - 1.60 w/m² (cooling)

This chart below (James Hansen, NASA) shows the result of adding all these forcings, large and small, heating and cooling: a + 1.5 w/m² heating effect, primarily caused by human greenhouse gases. We do not know of any forcing greater than the human greenhouse gases, and to this we must add the human reduction in carbon-sequestering ground cover. If anyone believes there is a source of global heating greater than human activity, ask them to state what that forcing is. Of course, unknown factors may exist, but the available information shows us that humans stand out as the primary cause of modern global heating since 1750.

Feedback and runaway: The danger civilization faces is that we can easily lose control of global warming. The heating itself causes feedbacks within the ecological system, which in turn increase heating. These include:

1. Methane from melting permafrost, a more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂.

2. Albedo: Ice melt reduces reflection, and increases heat absorption.

3. Water Vapour: Warming adds moisture, a greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere.

4. Forest loss: Each year, we lose about 15 million hectares of forests.

5. Acidic seas: reduces aquatic life and carbon capture.

6. Fires: A hotter climate increases fires that release CO₂ and reduce forest cover.

The effects: NASA, the UN, and scientific agencies around the world have observed and reported on the effects of global warming. The picture above (Justin Sullivan, Getty Images) shows the effects of drought on California's Lake Oroville. Here are some of the observed effects of global warming:

Heat: Earth's average temperature has increased by 0.8°C in one century.

Arctic: average temperature increase is about twice the global average.

Ocean temperature has increased to depths of 3,000 meters.

Rate of warming has nearly doubled in the last 100 years.

Warmest years: Of the last 12 years, 11 rank among the warmest since 1850.

Ice melt: Glaciers and polar ice melting in Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Sea level has risen about 20 cm in a century, and the rate of rise is increasing.

Extreme weather: more intense tropical storms, heat waves, drought.

Precipitation has increased in eastern Americas, northern Europe, and Asia.

Drying and drought in Southwest US, Mexico, Mediterranean, southern Africa.

Species: Diversity loss due to climate changes and habitat destruction.

Agriculture disruptions, such as reduced yields from warmer and wetter climates.

Ocean Acidification: The oceans are about 30% more acidic compared to the pre-industrial era, killing off sea life and reducing vital coral reef ecosystems.

Historic Climate Change: Denialists use past fluctuations to proclaim that modern warming is not caused by human activity, cherry-picking isolated data to misrepresent global warming. Here is a brief history of Earth's changing climate:

Young Earth: Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago as molten rock, and cooled over the next 3 billion years. Volcanoes released gases: hydrogen, carbon dioxide, sulfates, and nitrogen. Water condensed, bacteria formed, and photosynthesis produced oxygen, which poisoned bacteria, the first major extinction. This comprised about half of Earth's history.

First warming: About 2 billion years ago, some bacteria learned to breath oxygen; released CO₂, and Earth heated up, the first global warming, and new extinctions.

Plant boom, 550-470 million years ago (mya): As CO₂ increased and oxygen levels dropped, plant life recovered, captured carbon, and Earth cooled. Ninety percent of Earth's history had passed.

Animal boom, 450-350 mya: The plant die-off released CO₂; fish, amphibians, and reptiles released more CO₂; and Earth warmed.

Land plants, 385 - 265 mya: The boom in land plants captured carbon, and Earth cooled. This boom of life created the hydrocarbons, oil and coal, that we now burn.

Land animals, 265-65mya: Again, the plant die-off and animal boom released CO₂, and Earth warmed. By 100mya, CO₂ content reached 2,000 ppm, and the average temperature was about 11°C hotter than today.

Ice ages: 65 million years ago, an asteroid hit Earth near Yucatan, Mexico. Earth has generally cooled since then, punctuated by warming fluctuations and ice ages. Forests captured carbon, and humans evolved. By the time humans controlled fire, about 99.9% of Earth history had passed.

Modern warming: The chart above (ice core data, M. Ernst, Woods Hole Research Center), shows that for the last 400,000 years, Earth's temperature and CO₂ levels have fluctuated in lock-step, CO₂ levels between 200-300 ppm, and temperature between 9°C cooler and 3°C warmer than today. About 3,200 years ago, CO₂ and temperature spiked, causing worldwide flooding as recorded in human cultural stories. About 300 years ago, industrial advancement increased coal and oil use, releasing CO₂, and heating Earth. CO₂ levels have now reached 400ppm, and temperatures have risen almost 1°C. The data suggests that Earth may be headed for severe temperature increases, due to this CO₂ build up in the atmosphere.

The Future: If humans act wisely — if we reduce consumption, stabilize population, and abandon hydrocarbon energy — we could reverse the modern warming that we have set in motion. If we fail, we face runaway heating.

A 2009 MIT study estimated that there is now a 90% chance that by 2100, CO₂ levels will reach 550ppm and Earth's temperature will reach 5.2°C above pre-industrial temperatures.

At those temperatures, melting permafrost will release enough methane to send Earth into a Mesozoic-scale heating, as Earth experienced a hundred-million years ago. Organisms could live in that environment, but humans would have a difficult time, so say the least. Sea rise will wipe out thousands of cities and displace billions of people. Few really want to face this. I do not enjoy writing about it. Avoidance, denial, despair, and anger are completely natural reactions.

Nevertheless, to avoid these outcomes, caring citizens must speak up and help inspire the large-scale and realistic actions that will reverse carbon release into Earth's atmosphere and halt the warming trend.

Rex Weyler is an author, journalist and co-founder of Greenpeace International.

---

Additional sources:

Human greenhouse gas forcing: David Biello, in Scientific American, Nov. 30, 2009: http://ift.tt/1ABwqWW; Ad Hoc Study Group on Carbon Dioxide and Climate (1979): "Carbon Dioxide and Climate: A Scientific Assessment." US National Academy of Sciences: http://ift.tt/18e1StT. V. Ramanathan, M.S. Lian, and R.D. Cess (1979): "Increased Atmospheric CO₂ .. Radiative Energy Balance and Surface Temperature."

Agriculture disruptions, Example: coffee yields in Columbia; NY Times (March 9, 2011. http://ift.tt/1htVZPM.

Global Temperature: Columbia University: Global Temperature and Temperature 2014-15

Sea Rise: By 2100: 0.5 - 1.2 meters: IPPC 2013; Changing rate: Columbia Univ.

Runaway warming: Rapid, non-linear change: R. Jones, Victoria Univ.

       Abrupt Non-Linear Climate Change: S. Schneider, OECD

Ocean Acidification: InterAcademy Panel, 105 science academies recommended CO₂ emissions reduced by 50% from 1990 levels by 2050.

Recent News Articles:

Heat Wave Deaths in India

New Arctic Ice Mass Destabilized

California Redwoods Stressed by Drought

Insurance Company Divests Coal Due to Global Warming

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Contributed by Christine Binney

The effects of chemotherapy on cancer patients can be hard to endure.  As chemotherapy drugs work to kill cancer cells, they can also kill other quickly growing, healthy cells including those in the hair root. Many people will experience hair loss during treatment and it is one of the most feared side effects that people encounter. Hair loss can be sudden or slow, full or partial, and occur evenly or in clumps. Hair loss may also occur among eyelashes, eyebrows and body hair. In almost all cases, hair will grow back after treatment. However, chemotherapy hair loss can have a negative effect on a person’s confidence and self-esteem.

If you are dealing with hair loss, you may begin to notice that when you look in the mirror, you no longer recognize the person staring back at you. Instead of seeing your normal self, you are confronted with an image of a cancer victim. Mentally, this can be a hard transition to undergo. Luckily, there are many ways to stay positive throughout the process and make chemotherapy hair loss look good!

 

Change your hair on your own terms
Many women who are confronted with chemotherapy hair loss make the decision to cut their hair short or even shave it all off before it begins to fall off on its own. It can be distressing to have your hair fall away in your hands as you run your fingers through it. It can be equally unsettling to wake up to find clumps of hair on your pillow. Instead of waiting for the inevitable, you can opt to confront the effects of chemotherapy on your own terms. It can be a very empowering experience, putting you in control of one portion of your unpredictable journey through cancer.

 

Host a haircut party
One option for cutting your hair before it falls out is to host a haircut party with your closest friends or family. Make it an event where loved ones can offer support through your chemotherapy. Enlist the help of your favorite stylist and experiment with different haircuts, getting shorter and shorter with each style. Finally give yourself the chance to see what you look like with a bob, a shag, and a pixie cut. Before the final buzz, get crazy with a daring mohawk, which will remind you of your courage and fighting spirit in the face of adversity. Have fun snapping some pictures along the way to document the experience. Let your friends vote on the best looks. You may even find a new favorite style that you can look forward to sporting once your hair grows back.

 

Donate your hair
If you have longer hair, you also have the option of donating it to an organization like Locks of Love, which uses donated hair to create wigs for children with cancer. You’ll have the emotional advantage of turning your negative situation into a positive outcome for somebody else who is suffering through a similar experience.

 

Keep cozy and comfortable
Once your hair is sparse or your head is shaved, you’ll want to make sure you can remain comfortable in all temperatures. If you live in a cool climate it’s important to keep your head warm, so load up on fluffy knitted hats and soft, cozy scarves. If you live in a hot climate, don’t forget the importance of protecting your head from the sun. A lightweight sun hat or cotton head scarf will keep you cool and covered.

 

Accessorize
Remember that without your hair to hide behind, your facial features will be allowed to truly shine.  Your cheekbones will be highlighted and your bright eyes will stand out. However, if you prefer a bit more coverage, there are endless styles of accessories that can give you a pulled together look for any occasion. Go on a mini shopping spree for trendy caps and flowing scarves. It’s easy to feel beautiful when you’ve got a brightly-colored silk scarf with a gorgeous pattern tied around your head. Pair your favorite scarves and hats with some sparkly statement earrings and you will be sure to turn heads for all the right reasons.

If you prefer to keep the look of natural hair during your chemotherapy hair loss, there are some truly amazing wigs available on the market today. It’s not too difficult to find a wig that closely matches your pre-chemotherapy hair, restoring a sense of normalcy to your life. You can also have fun and get creative experimenting with a whole host of new hair colors, cuts and styles. Many insurance companies even cover a portion of the cost of wigs for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

 

There is no denying that losing your hair because of chemotherapy can be frustrating and scary, but you can gracefully adapt to the situation with a positive outlook and a strong network of support.  Remember that your hair loss is temporary. Try focusing your energy on your health, not your hair because you are beautiful.

 

The post Staying Positive and Making Chemotherapy Hair Loss Look Good appeared first on Lotsa Helping Hands.

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Demolition work is clearly under way for the 700 Block of K Street mixed use project adding 137 housing units and 70,000 square feet of retail space. This $55.4 million project includes a public contribution of  $13 million. The project is expected to be completed in 18 to 24 months. 700 Block of K Street demolition  700 Block of K Street demolition  700 Block of K Street
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Fandor eager to utilize Sacramento engineering talent

SACRAMENTO, CA (May 27, 2015) — The Downtown Sacramento Partnership welcomes the new tech company Fandor to the Downtown Business District. Fandor, a streaming film service which specializes in independent, classic, foreign and cult cinema, opened earlier this month at 660 J Street in downtown Sacramento.

“We are excited to have companies like Fandor look to downtown Sacramento as a place to do business,” said DSP Executive Director Michael Ault. “Their expansion into the downtown market represents continued momentum of the core, the diversification of our workforce, and a testament to the caliber of talent we have in the region.”

Fandor is a streaming service with the biggest handpicked collection of the most-talked-about indie films from around the world. The move to Sacramento marks a time of growth for the four year-old company.

“As Fandor expands to deliver fantastic film and the community that surrounds it to the world, we are thrilled to hire top caliber engineering talent in Sacramento,” stated Chris Kelly, CEO, Fandor.

ABOUT FANDOR:

Fandor makes it easy for you to find the right film to watch. With the biggest handpicked collection of the most-talked-about indie films from around the world, there’s always something great to watch, whatever your mood, on almost any device. But we’re more than just a destination for exceptional films. We’re also building a community of film lovers and makers and developing industry-leading initiatives, including Fandor | Festival Alliance, FIX Filmmaker Alliance and Fandor edu.

 

Fandor CEO Chris Kelly, former Facebook general counsel and chief privacy officer, is also co-owner of the Sacramento Kings.

The post Streaming service, Fandor opens in Downtown Sacramento appeared first on Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

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Contributed by Nathan McVeigh

While some caregivers fill their role over many years for a small number of people, others can fill the role in other valuable ways. In fact, there are many ways you can provide care for people in 15 minutes or less. Making hospital visits is a great option either for gaining valuable experience in the health industry or for the pure joy it brings. Here are five ways you can make the most of hospital visiting hours.

 

1. Bring Something

I’ve been on both sides of hospital visiting hours. I’ve seen my family in the hospital for different reasons and other times my friends were there to see me. In both cases, I felt the most joy and gratitude when someone brought something to us or when I brought something to someone.

For me, it wasn’t so much about the gift, but more about how the gift met a certain need. In one case, people from our church made the most of hospital visiting hours when they brought us food. Bringing food into the hospital room was particularly nice because it allowed us to stay with the patient and avoid any hospital cafeteria sludge. If visiting children, bringing inexpensive stuffed animals is a way to combat loneliness in a foreign place.

The gesture of bringing something to the hospital, whether it be food, a card, flowers or a special item from home shows that people are thinking about the patient. Other potential gifts that make a difference in the patient’s hospital stay might be a pair of cozy socks, a pillow case from home, a hand-written card or even a batch of well-wishes from the community. Finally, combine all these ideas together and you’ve got care packages. Who doesn’t love a well thought out care package?

As a caregiver, be sure to check with the hospital’s rules about bringing items. Some institutions will allow you to bring in decorations for patient rooms within certain limits, which could be another fun activity to enjoy during hospital visiting hours.

 

2. Provide Something

When someone stays in the hospital for an extended amount of time, they can develop needs that most people take for granted. For example, when you start to feel lonely you get together with your friends. People who stay in the hospital are only on the receiving end, so they simply can’t do that.

So what can you provide? If you’re a good listener, simply listening to them is one way to make the time you spend together more enjoyable (for you and for them). If you are a go-getter, you might be the right person to get the patient a new hospital gown or request a new room with a view. Take into account what your personal strengths may be and incorporate that into providing something meaningful during hospital visiting hours.

It’s important to note that the patient you are visiting might not ask you for anything even if they are in need. The list of what you can provide is endless, so be on the lookout for what the patient needs from you even if they’re too humble to ask you for it.

 

3. Play Something

It’s very likely that the patient’s hospital room won’t have the capability to access their favorite forms of entertainment: music, TV shows, or games. Consider bringing your tablet or smartphone with you so they can listen to music or watch a favorite episode that way. It’s also a good way to access on demand TV shows and movies if you subscribe to Netflix or something similar. A mobile hot spot or alternative device that enables an Internet connection will give them the ability to play games, too. Finding a way to make some of these things accessible will make your hospital visiting hours that much better.

If you don’t have a tablet, smartphone, or laptop, consider getting a portable DVD player. Even a cheap deck of cards can be the highlight of someone’s day.

 

4. Learn something

If you subscribe to magazines and/or have a lot of old editions laying around the house, bring a stack to the hospital with you. If you don’t subscribe to any publications, ask friends, family, and neighbors for their old copies.

While reading doesn’t seem to be the most strenuous activity, sometimes people in the hospital are very tired and weak. Having someone read to them is an old school way to bonding with someone and is very much appreciated by patients. You can bring novels, short stories, poems, historical articles, or anything else to read. Choose a genre or article that you’ll both enjoy so the patient knows you are making the most of the hospital visiting hours.

Finally, don’t limit yourself to reading. There are plenty of safe, indoor, and informative games you can do in a tight space. Use your imagination or look to the Internet for great ideas.

 

5. Discuss Something

Again, be sure that you provide care for people in ways they are physically able to handle. If someone is in a talkative mood, you can provide them with a good conversation during hospital visiting hours (if you’re a talker). If you’re not a talker, there are ways to be a good conversationalist. One good way is to find a list of questions to ask, so you can go into hospital visiting hours prepared. Of course, it’s not meant to be an interview, but rather an ice-breaker to get things started.

When my wife and I were dating, I bought a small little plastic case full of little pieces of card stock that had questions on them. We spent a lot of time together discussing our opinions, dreams, and wishes by using those cards. You can find them in a lot of souvenir shops in addition to online. If you’re still at a loss for what to say, consider these ideas for what to say to a friend after surgery.

 

The bottom line is that there are plenty of ways to have fun during hospital visiting hours. You may not be able to control what the patient is physically capable of doing, but you can control your options by choosing the one that works best for them.

 

The post 5 Fun Ways to Make the Most of Hospital Visiting Hours appeared first on Lotsa Helping Hands.

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It looks as if the shell of the Sacramento arena project is about half done. Currently metal framework and decking are being erected creating a bowl for where the center of the court will eventually be. Sacramento ESC Steel & Decking  Sacramento ESC Steel & Decking  Sacramento ESC Steel & Decking  Sacramento
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Contributed by Michelle Hassler

Spring serves as a symbol for rebirth, renewal, and rejuvenation. When could be a better time to organize your home? Before your calendar becomes flooded with summer activities and outings, dedicate some time toward meaningful organization. In a multigenerational household, a diverse amount of needs must be met each day. Organization will help to encourage independence, avoid confusion and promote a harmonious living space.

 

Out with the Old

After opening your home to family members in need of support or care, it goes without saying that space is scarce and yet oh-so valuable. Before attempting to organize your home, work together as a family to reclaim as much space as possible. Dedicating an entire weekend to a mass family cleanout will not only jump start your organizational journey, but will hopefully encourage some multigenerational bonding. Together, sort through all closets, pantries, and medicine cabinets. Throw out expired food, damaged clothing, and unused or unfixable belongings that cannot be given away. Separate items into various bins or boxes to donate to a local organization. If you are looking for some additional family bonding time and perhaps some quick cash, you can organize a yard sale for unwanted belongings. Once you have cleared out expired items and unused dust collectors, it is time to take advantage of your newly reclaimed space.

 

Divide and Conquer

In a multigenerational home, there are tons of things to keep track of – from medications to bills to misplaced reading glasses. One way to keep important items accessible and easily monitor inventory is to designate separate storage areas. For example, instead of sharing a family medicine cabinet, consider creating personal cabinet space for each member of the household. Keep each individual’s vitamins, medications, special dietary items, or even favorite foods in their own cabinet. Children obviously should not have access to their own medications; however, grouping their necessities together will avoid confusion and make it easier to keep inventory of daily essentials. Also, keeping a personal “stash” or designated shelf in the fridge will be helpful if a family member can only tolerate certain foods or drinks due to health issues or medical treatments. Consider creating a running shopping list for the household and keeping it in a common area. That way, everyone (if they are able) can take responsibility for their own needs and add personal items to the list.

 

Organize Paperwork

Multigenerational households compile a vast amount of paperwork. Create a separate folder or even a separate desk drawer for each person or area for which you are responsible. As you organize your home, be sure to designate an area for vital medical information so it is readily available in case of emergencies. Also, if there are monthly bills that are paid on a regular basis, consider creating a payment schedule so you can take care of things throughout the month and are not trying to do everything at one time which can be overwhelming.  For example, maybe you pay your personal bills are the beginning month, pay your parents’ bills mid-month, and handle tuition payments or medical bills at the end of the month. If one person feels overwhelmed by handling all of the finances, divide tasks among family members or work hand in hand with a spouse for moral support.

 

Stick to a Schedule

When it comes to the bathroom, some things cannot be scheduled. However, the bathroom time that consists of showering and preparing for the day can be tricky when people outnumber bathrooms. To avoid conflict, create a schedule for the household. Depending on your family’s preference, this can be a tangible chart that is taped to the bathroom door or simply an understanding of the time frame when each person is using a particular bathroom. If necessary, you might want to schedule laundry time as well. Obviously, things happen and you may not be able to stick to it. However, if your teen or elderly parent knows their laundry days are Monday and Thursday, it will help to encourage productivity and self-reliance. Also, if you happen to be the sole household launderer, sticking to a schedule will help you to stay organized. Color coding laundry baskets could prove helpful to avoid confusion as well.

 

Label When Able

Particularly if you are caring for a relative with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or simple forgetfulness, it would be beneficial to label as much as possible to make them feel comfortable. You can simply tape a notecard to kitchen cabinets or personalize little wooden signs or magnets to match your décor. Chalkboard stickers can easily be stuck on cabinets, drawers, or containers to signify their contents. Labeling can even help to promote reading if you have a young child in the house. Having notes and friendly reminders displayed in a common hub like the kitchen will help to keep everyone on track. A dry erase board is great for keeping a family calendar. Again, if you are looking to go above and beyond, color coding is a great way to go when it comes to organizing your home and schedule.

 

Obviously, a multigenerational home requires flexibility. Things are not always going to go as planned. However, having a few systems of organization in place will help to meet everyone’s needs in your diverse home.

The post Spring Cleaning: Organize Your Home for Multigenerational Living appeared first on Lotsa Helping Hands.

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"Chaos" and "chaotic" are frequently - perhaps even overly - used words. One dictionary definition is a "total lack of organization or order". That can be said certainly of the industrial logging sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Companies pay little heed to regulations, promises to forest communities go unfulfilled and government institutions show little or no will to hold them to account and protect the DRC’s vast natural heritage and resources.

But at the same time this chaos is organised and is ordered.  It is to a large extent engineered by officials and companies for their own benefit. The institutions that should govern the forestry sector and enforce the law are not functioning effectively. There is a woeful lack of transparency, with logging contracts not made public or only made public years after they were signed and no reliable official data available on permits, production and exports. Corruption is endemic and it appears that illegal activities in industrial logging concessions are the norm.

In its new report published today, Trading in Chaos, Greenpeace Africa reveals the findings of two years of investigations into the operations both at home and abroad of one of the key players in the DRC logging chaos, Lebanese-owned Cotrefor.

The results are a depressing cocktail of unpaid taxes, shocking mistreatment of employees, rampant irregularities in operational procedure and exceeding allocated quotas of the endangered tree species Afrormosia that are permitted to be logged.

Furthermore, such poor practice is evidently not proving a hindrance to Cotrefor exporting and trading their wood worldwide to destinations including China, the USA and the European Union. And this is despite the fact that legislation such as the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR), exists with the sole purpose of preventing illegally sourced timber or timber products being placed on the European market.

Greenpeace has regularly demonstrated how sadly easy it is to become an illegal logger these days. And you can still ask European authorities yourself if you do not believe us.

Predictably the ones to suffer from the organised chaos in the DRC are members of the communities who form part of the estimated 40 million people who rely on the country’s vast forests for their livelihood.

They see little of the profits made by Cotrefor and other companies, valuable species are often logged out completely from their areas.  Social obligations made between the communities and those wishing to begin logging operations, such as a school, healthcare or infrastructure near their land, are often not fully realized.

And it is not just people who suffer. One of mankind’s oldest relatives, the Bonobo, is found only in the DRC. Through its investigations Greenpeace Africa discovered that forest clearance for roads and other infrastructure is opening up vital habitat to poachers and further threatening the endangered ape near protected areas such as the Lomako-Yokokala faunal reserve.

Yet as depressing and familiar as this chaos and lack of impunity sounds, there is an alternative to the concession based model of industrial logging in the DRC. There is in existence a law that would concentrate more responsibility for their own lands in the hands of local communities.

The problem has been that many people are unaware of its existence and are not being provided the tools to implement it.

Ultimately, in order to control this organised chaos and to stop companies like Cotrefor operating with total impunity, the DRC government needs to take action. They must fully investigate Allegations in the Greenpeace Africa report and the existing moratorium on all new logging titles should be maintained until all conditions are met.

Furthermore to prevent the steady flow of illegal Congo Basin timber overseas, including from Cotrefor, the governments of timber-importing nations such as EU Member States, China and the USA need to open investigations immediately into companies trading timber products from the DRC.

Authorities must use every route open to them, including international human rights and labour laws and conventions, CITES, the Lacey Act and the EUTR, to stop and prevent illegal and destructive trade.

Only if these measures are taken can the chaotic cycle of illegal logging in the Congo be broken and can the squandering of the country’s vast natural heritage that form part of the world’s second-largest rain-forested area be stemmed.

Raoul Monsembula is the country director for the Democratic Republic of Congo with Greenpeace Africa

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Contributed by Christine Binney

Anyone who has ever been lucky enough to live with a pet knows the strong bond that exists between humans and animals. Animals have long been valued for their companionship, intelligence and loyalty. These traits are the reason that animals are so well-suited to serve as therapeutic partners. Therapy animals aren’t just cute, they can really help people to overcome trauma and disabilities.

Therapy animals were first used in the 1700s in mental health facilities. After World War II, they were also used by the American Red Cross to care for recovering soldiers. Today, there are numerous pet therapy programs throughout the country, working to assist in the recovery of people of all ages and walks of life. These animals are used in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy departments. They are also brought into hospitals, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes to provide companionship and unconditional affection to patients, lifting spirits and providing a much-needed escape from the drudgery of treatment routines.

Studies have shown that there are many psychological benefits that come from interacting with animals. For instance, petting a dog that you have bonded with promotes a decrease in blood pressure, stress and anxiety while also increasing calmness, morale and outlook. It has also been shown that people who know there are going to be animals present at their therapy sessions are more likely to attend the session and will spend a longer duration during their recommended therapeutic activities.

 

Therapy animals

While dogs may be the most well-known of all therapy animals, there are plenty of other species that make excellent therapeutic companions. Cats, rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, miniature pigs, horses, miniature horses, llamas, donkeys and dolphins have all been used as a part of successful therapy practices.

 

For the elderly

In nursing homes, therapy animals are key to enhancing an individual’s quality of life. When elderly people are brought to nursing homes or long-term care facilities, they may be experiencing the loss of a loved one and a lack of regular visitors. This can quickly cause them to become depressed, lethargic, passive, withdrawn and antisocial. However, animals can be helpful in motivating these patients to remain mentally and physically active. The simple act of petting a warm and affectionate animal, grooming them and feeding them gives patients something to look forward to and a sense of meaning in their days.

 

For sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder

After suffering through a harrowing event, some people will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and experience severe stress and anxiety that disrupts their daily lives. Specially trained dogs can help those who are suffering from PTSD by providing a sense of security and calm. Not only do PTSD service dogs provide important emotional support, they also provide more tangible benefits.  They can be trained to prevent people from crowding around or rushing up behind a PTSD sufferer in public places. They can be trained to provide assessments of an environment and guide the handler away from stressful situations. They can even give signals when needed to interrupt repetitive or damaging behavior or flashbacks or to remind the handler to take his or her medication.

 

For diabetics

Therapy dogs are often used to provide assistance to diabetics by providing continuous glucose monitoring. Amazingly, these dogs are trained using scent detection techniques that allow them to identify changes that occur in body odor as a result of blood sugar levels that move above or below normal ranges. They will persistently alert their handlers until blood sugar is back to normal. If their handlers are non-responsive, the dogs will seek assistance from other people.

 

Therapy animals have also been shown to be a successful part of therapy for autistic children and adults, blind people, children of military families, veterans, victims of sexual abuse, and patients undergoing chemotherapy or other difficult medical treatments. The impact of their companionship on the health and well-being of those who need it most cannot be underestimated.

 

The post Therapy Animals Aren’t Just Cute, They Can Really Help appeared first on Lotsa Helping Hands.

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Contributed by Dawn Allcot

The earthquake and avalanche in Nepal that resulted in thousands of deaths. The tornado that recently ravaged Chicago suburbs. Superstorm Sandy. Hurricane Katrina. Each of these events reminds us of the power of Mother Nature and how unpredictable life can be.

After the storms pass and survivors move into the light of day to see the wreckage, the relief and recovery efforts that follow a natural disaster remind us of the goodness of humankind. Groups of people both at the scene of disaster and those who witnessed it from a distance come together to support each other during some of the darkest times.

If you are far removed from the disaster and want to help, but you aren’t sure exactly how, it’s easy to donate money to the Red Cross to aid in relief efforts. But when a disaster strikes close to home, you may wish to form your own disaster response team to help in more tangible ways. Here are a few steps you can take to form your own disaster response team:

Assess the needs.
You can’t help if you don’t know what people need. If you’re starting a small disaster response team in your community, ask those who’ve been affected what they need most. Generators? Clean drinking water? Help clearing downed trees or fixing water damage in their home? Food?

Immediately following a disaster, donations of clothing, blankets, and practical items are almost always appreciated. You might also hand out sandwiches or hot meals. As people begin to get back on their feet – and back in their homes – gift cards can help families restock and rebuild.

Join forces with other local groups.
While it’s nice to donate whatever time or items you have during a disaster, coordinated efforts have even more impact. Starting a disaster response team is a good first step – teaming up with your fire department, hospitals, or local churches to provide exactly what the community needs at the right time ensures your group’s efforts aren’t wasted.

Inspire your community to help.
Most people want to help out during a natural disaster close to home – they just don’t know how. Offer people clear directions, and multiple ways to help, and you should have no problem motivating others to join your disaster response team.

Harness the power of social media using hashtags.
In a natural disaster, cell phone networks, while not invincible, are often the most reliable form of person-to-person communication. Search Google and Twitter to find the most relevant regional hashtags during a disaster, or check a site like http://hashtagify.me/. Then turn to Facebook and/or Instagram to find out who’s doing what, where, and when, and who needs a helping hand.

Communicate online.  
During Superstorm Sandy, members of the pro audiovisual industry joined forces to help those in Brooklyn and Staten Island through relationships formed largely on Twitter. Then, bloggers in the New York tri-state area took it upon themselves to compile lists of where and how to help in their communities.

After Sandy hit, my Long Island neighbors and I started a Facebook messenger thread that included several families on our block. We posted on the thread if we needed things like propane, ice, help clearing trees or fixing roofing shingles, or if we had anything to offer others. While unfortunately it took a natural disaster for my community to get organized, we set the precedent for how our disaster response team will respond if we ever need it again.

We didn’t know about Lotsa Helping Hands back then, but if there is ever a “next time,” we will be sure to start an online community and expand our efforts to include not just our block but our whole neighborhood.

Learn what works (and what doesn’t) to prepare for next time.
As a global community, each time we survive a disaster we grow a little stronger and smarter. Your disaster response team should use small disruptions such as storms or power outages to “train” for larger disasters, taking note of what works and what doesn’t for communication, relief and recovery within your own local disaster response unit.

The post How to Form Your Own Disaster Response Team appeared first on Lotsa Helping Hands.

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I wonder how '5-star activists' are defined, but I guess I am one of them. And here is a glimpse of my activist life, and some riches I gathered along the way.

In the forests of Sathyamangalam three decades ago, fellow activists and I organised villagers and trained them to save, lend, keep accounts, and protect their land and crops. My colleagues were my friends, romance was motorbike rides on moonlit roads, socialising was late evening village meetings (the only time villagers were free). I lived in quarters with doors and windows that refused to shut tight. We worried about sandalwood smugglers, elephants and wild boar attacks, but the fear that kept me awake at night was that my baby daughter would get stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake. She thrived, but more than two years later, I lost my second baby. I was eight months pregnant and the only nurse in the area was not equipped to detect what was happening inside my womb. I continued working. In those forests, career success was measured by the gains in confidence of villagers seeking their rights.

Veena with her daughter in forests of South India, in 1990.

 

Activists love to travel. So years later, I went to Cambodia, as the country recovered from the ravages of the Khmer Rouge period. I travelled on rivers and muddy roads across the country, working with small local organisations. We tried to rebuild decimated skills and strengthen a nascent civil society. I listened to stories of mind-numbing brutality. I huddled with colleagues who wept during staff meetings as they recalled their past. I never met a single person who had not suffered a senseless loss. We worked with villagers who had regrouped only to face impoverishment from the new threats of logging companies and fishing trawlers in cahoots with corrupt officials. We tried to reduce despair and give hope to families losing their livelihoods.

 

In 2000, Veena Krishnamurthy travelled to Cambodia to work with local organisations.

 

I had my adventures. One afternoon, returning from a field trip with a colleague on a decrepit motorboat on the mighty Mekong, I lived through what felt like the last minutes of my life. A torrential downpour killed our engine, blinded us and nearly overturned our boat into the swirling waters. The hapless boatman gave up all pretence of saving us. We did not have life jackets. But the storm passed, the engine miraculously came back to life, we reached the distant bank, and my colleague and I hugged each other in mute relief.

I worked in Malawi for a few years when the country was in the grip of a drought. There I regularly met young mothers who walked miles to reach our treatment centres, to save their tiny babies from severe acute malnutrition.  Most babies survived and we celebrated each survival. But many died. The mothers often remained blank-faced, so used to suffering they were, but I once hid behind a door and wept, overwhelmed by grief.

In Kenya, I met young school girls sheltered and educated by fellow 5-star activists. The girls had run away from home because their parents had put them through the horror of FGM in preparation for early forced marriages. I wore bead necklaces and danced with Maasai women, celebrating their newfound freedom from domestic violence. They too became activists, helping others to say no to violence in their homes.  

Now in Bangalore, I have joined another group of 5-star activists who dare to dream of protecting our precious forests from the clutches of those eyeing its riches. We dream of clean air, water and soil, of safe food.  Our only mission is to convince our 6-star politicians and their 7-star corporate friends that this country can grow and develop without robbing the poor to fill the coffers of the rich, without destroying our forests or poisoning the air we breathe.

5-star activists are a motley bunch – all ages, hues, languages and creeds. We join hands with those who share our dream. Our story is national and global. There is no such thing as us and the foreign hand. Our hearts beat in unity for the earth’s resources and for those who depend on them to survive.  Our voice needs to be heard, not stifled.

 

Veena Krishnamurthy is International Funding Manager at Greenpeace India

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Editor's Note: This is our first guest post by one of our speakers, John Marcotte, whose talk, "Girls can be their own superheroes," captured the hearts of real life superheroes everywhere. In this post, John shares three of his favorite talks. If you're a TEDxSacramento fan and would like us to feature your top three, please email us. For the *live* TEDxSacramento experience, register for our next conference.

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By John Marcotte

I will start by admitting defeat..

I was asked to share my three “favorite” TED or TEDx talks, and I can’t. Not because TED talks are not brilliant, funny, poignant and inspiring -- they are; often all at the same time -- but because there are so many brilliant, funny, poignant and inspiring talks that it becomes impossible to choose a favorite. It’s a surplus of riches, and we won’t even get into the fact that I have only seen a small fraction of all the Talks out there.

Since I can’t pick three favorites, instead I am going to choose three talks that explore different ways TED and TEDx speakers inspire and inform me.

Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are

I knew Amy Cuddy’s research before I ever saw her talk. I actually cited her research on “power poses” in my own TEDxSacramento talk, but she is the source of the genius that I only skim the surface of. Her talk is one of the most popular of all time, and it explores how you can become a better person just by changing the way that you stand.

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Charlie Todd: The shared experience of absurdity

Charlie Todd is the man behind Improv Anywhere. His large scale, public pranks are often brilliant, but never mean-spirited. He is a hero to me because he shows that you can make the world a better place for the people around you if you just try. There is a powerful, empowering message hidden among the pantsless subway rides and grocery-store musicals.

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Terry Moore: How to tie your shoes

While I have seen dozens of TED talks that inspire me, challenge me or make me see the world in a different way, I can honestly say that there is not a single talk that I use more frequently in my day-to-day life than Terry Moore’s “How to tie your shoes.” I had wrongly assumed I knew all there was to know about tying shoes and that there was no way to improve upon the system I had been using since childhood.

I was wrong.

So there you have it. Three TED talks -- all worth watching, all showcasing different ways that watching TED talks can make you a better person and the world a better place as a result.

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Contributed by Tiffany Silverberg

Military families face a diverse set of circumstances which stem from a common core of demands put on them. Depending on, location, number of children, ages of children, and other factors, the demands of separation and relocation may bring more or less stress, but one thing remains the same: All military families in the midst of difficult situations or transitions could use the support of their community. Sometimes the simplest tasks speak volumes to your appreciation and recognition of the demands placed on a military family. Whether you live in a community full of military families or just happen to have an active duty neighbor, you may be looking for ways to help. If you aren’t sure where to begin or don’t know how to ask, here are a few ideas to get you started serving those who serve.

 

Deployment Times

Deployment times are often the first thing we think of when we consider helping military families. It’s one of the times a military family will be most grateful and deserving. Deployments put tremendous stress on the service member, spouse, and children. Long separations mean additional responsibilities at home. You can help show support to military families through all stages of deployment, from the beginning days to homecoming, by volunteering to do some of those additional responsibilities. Mowing the lawn, hauling trash cans to the curb every week, or raking leaves may seem like small tasks, but can spare a spouse a headache or two during the stresses of deployment. Bringing over meals or a special baked treat can be very meaningful. Little acts of kindness remind military families that you are thinking of them. If you are in a large military community, you could band together with other businesses and organizations to show support to military families. Host a special event, such as a concert in the park or movie under the stars for military families.

 

Relocation Times

Another very stressful time for military families is moving. Whether they receive orders to another the state, across the country, or around the world, military service members and their families often find themselves in new communities, climates, and cultures. The best thing you can do is be welcoming. If a military family moves into your neighborhood, stop by with muffins and a smile. If a military family is moving away from your neighborhood, offer to watch the kids at the park or otherwise keep them occupied so the parents can deal with the logistics on move day. If you live in a community with a lot of service members, meaning a lot of moving in and out, you may want to work with organizations and businesses to put together a welcome packet complete with maps, restaurant suggestions, and ideas for what to do in the area. Help military families feel at home quickly in your town by making it easy to get to know the area.

 

Any Times

Whether military families are facing deployments and moves or not, military life can feel isolating or lonely. Military families often live far from their extended families, can be separated from the service member for long periods, or be new to an area. Holidays are an ideal time to extend a hand of friendship. Invite them to special events in the area or just over for dinner. Deliver a gift or just a note of thanks. The best way to show support is to recognize military families – at Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, or any time – by offering a helping hand.

 

The post 3 Ways to Show Support to Military Families appeared first on Lotsa Helping Hands.

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Well, here you are. You’re done. You’re high school years are just about over. Think back it was just four years ago when we all where incoming freshmen into a new world called high school and it’s practically over now. We all couldn’t wait for the day when we “ruled the school” and that day has came and gone. The class of 2015 seniors ruling is coming to an end. We now are looking forward to Graduating in a week or so; it’s so close you can almost feel the light on your skin as you cross that stage in June. It’s been a long 12 years in the Sacramento City Unified School District, and most high school seniors are about to complete the first huge accomplishment of their life, graduating High School.

 

Some will venture off into college, some will jump right into the work force, some will even go risk their life to serve our country. In high school we stressed on getting homework done, studying for tests, keeping grades up, and fitting in. Now we have to worry about the real world, some will worry about bills, and getting to work on time, other will still be worrying about tests and homework but on a bigger scale. But no matter what life throws at us we can get through it with a little perseverance, so class of 2015 we toast to you as you get ready to embark on your journey though life.

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Contributed by Nora Stasio

The other day, I was telling my Grandmother about Lotsa Helping Hands. “If you’re going through a hard time, you can find volunteers from your area to come and give you a hand with things,” I explained.

 

“I don’t like that,” she said. “Strangers coming to your house?”

“Well, yes, but… if you called for a nurse to come to the house, wouldn’t she be a stranger too?” I suggested.

 

“Yes, but nurses are registered and certified. They have to pass tests and be hired. They’re not just any old person off the street.”

 

She had a good point and I understood her feelings. But then I thought, should that really be the most important quality for a caregiver? Having a certification? Isn’t there a bit more that’s required? I act as caregiver for both grandparents and my special-needs sister while not being a certified health-care professional by any means. And it doesn’t matter – I’m trusted with the job because it’s well known how deeply I care for my family.

The funny thing is, I can’t take my Grandmother anywhere without strangers offering to help us. They see me inching along behind this feeble old woman, shuffling ever so slowly down the dairy aisle (she can barely move her legs, yet she insists on going to the grocery store to get just right kind of ricotta cheese to make ziti) and the passing strangers take pity on us. They open doors for us, clear pathways, even help me get her in and out of the car. She accepts their help very graciously, since we honestly do need it most of the time.

I’d venture to say that most of these strangers are not registered nurses. They’re helping us because they are genuinely nice people who care about others. They didn’t pass any tests and weren’t hired by anyone, yet they always seem to do an excellent job at helping us. In the end, what’s more important in this job – certificates or a caring nature?

Caregivers for hire are only part of recent history. Beyond that, there has only been family. Family members were expected to take care of their needy kinfolk out of the goodness of their own hearts. If a stranger in today’s world has that same kind of heartfelt motivation and offers to help you out, shouldn’t that be uplifted and celebrated? It’s one thing to help others because you’re being paid to do so – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But it’s another thing to help simply because you want to while asking for nothing in return. That is a truly amazing virtue. And that’s what makes volunteers, like the kind you can connect with through Lotsa Helping Hands, so special.

Of course, Grandma never actually asks for help from any of the strangers we encounter on our outings. I know she’s the type that never would ask for help from strangers and I can understand why. She spends almost all day watching the news, hearing stories of people doing horrible things to one another. Not to mention, she grew up in a crime-ridden city where she was sternly told everyday by her mother, “Don’t talk to strangers,” so it’s easy to sympathize with her feelings of distrust.

But the world is changing rapidly, thanks to this ‘internet age’ in which we’ve found ourselves. The way people make connections has been entirely transformed. These days, through sites like Twitter, Kickstarter, and GoFundMe, we are often forming relationships with people we’ve never actually seen with our own eyes.

Lotsa Helping Hands is an organization that has seen the beauty of this brave new electronic world and seeks to harness its energy as a way to bring help to those in need. And what’s great about Lotsa Helping Hands is that you don’t actually have to accept help from all of the volunteers who might contact you. You can spend some time getting to know them first through emails or chat. You’re always the one in control of the situation.

Caring volunteers are out there. What the needy need to be willing to do is ask for help. If we can accept help from paid nurses, and even passing strangers, why can’t we accept it from those we haven’t met yet?

In a way, my Grandma is right. It would be silly to ask for caregiving assistance from someone off the street. But that’s not what we do here at Lotsa Helping Hands. We provide a place where people who are willing to help others can volunteer with those who need care in a quick, easy, and safe way. If you’ve been afraid to ask for help before, it’s not too late to do so now.

 

Read Reviews of Lotsa Helping Hands and Success Stories to see caregivers asking for help and receiving the help they need.

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