NO WORDS NECESSARY: 'Don't Ever Give Up'

We're constantly urging people to "Never Stop Giving Back."

This 11-year-old angel took that mantra to a new level, and that's why I had to share this video.

Just in case your sound cuts out or there is an issue with your volume as the video starts to play ... Brenden Foster (pictured below) starts out by saying, "I should be gone in a week or so."

WHEN GIVING BACK, PREPARE FOR IMPACT

Anytime you volunteer, there is the opportunity for a unique and magical experience.

Whether you’re rocking a child at the local children’s hospital or picking up trash in your community – there is a chance that your heartstrings will become vulnerable or a whole new world is revealed.

These special moments of clarity, appreciation, and/or inspiration don’t happen every time you volunteer your time and energy, BUT if you keep giving back, I PROMISE you will have one of these 

experiences.

The 2009 Homeless Count provided one of those moments for a good friend of mine, her team, and the Fort Worth Police Officer who assisted their effort.

I wanted to share an e-mail thread between this team. (It is nothing short of tremendous.)

To help you completely understand their dialogue, here is a little background: With the guidance of Officer Rex Layton, they surveyed four homeless gentlemen that live under a bridge near downtown Fort Worth. That was only a small part of their eye-opening night in Fort Worth, but it may have been the most impactful.

(If you don't feel like reading each e-mail – 

MAKE SURE you read the last one from Officer Layton.)

From: Kelly I.
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009
To: Layton, Walter R.

cc: Kristina B., Leslie H.
Subject: THANK YOU!

Officer REX!!!!!!

Hello there! I just wanted to THANK YOU again for making our experience so great last night. Leslie, Kristina and I are so glad we participated in the Homeless Count, and we are glad we got matched with you!

Thanks for knowing the spots, too! Meeting Kenny, Kevin, Don and Gary was such a valuable experience. As with most volunteering opportunities, I’m appreciative of gaining a new perspective. I also appreciate the way you treated them (as humans), and I appreciate the way you let us get in the middle of the action (in more ways than one!). I can’t get them off my mind today.

Thank you for helping to maximize our experience last night and more importantly, for the work you do. Please keep in touch, Adam516.

Have a great weekend.

Kelly

______________________________

From: Kristina B.
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009
Subject: Re: THANK YOU!

I had a great time, too! 

I've lived here all my life and was surprised to find that I still had a lot to learn about my city. 

I crawled into my bed last night and felt extra appreciative of my privileged life. At the same time, I was reminded that I could still have joy even if I didn't have luxury material possessions, like Kevin when he said that the river is his bedroom window and he can look at the ducks and at night he can see and hear the owl. Thanks for the experience guys!

Kristina

______________________________

From: Leslie H.
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009
Subject: RE: THANK YOU!

I did have a great time. 

I thought I was prepared to be impacted by this experience, but I was wrong. 

Our first stop was intense, even though we didn't get a chance to meet anyone. Just seeing the small hut-like home made out of tree branches was intense. Just to notice and see that whoever lived there – their lifestyle was almost animalistic. 

I know we all were pumped & really wanted a complete experience by meeting the homeless. I thought I knew what I was going to say, I thought I was ready. When we reached the bridge I was at a loss for words. Here we met some of the coolest, open homeless guys around. 

I was impressed by the fact that these gentlemen had come together and formed their own family unit – and they all addressed their spot under the bridge as "Home." We all have an idea, or image of what home looks like, but nothing compared to these people & their perspectives on the world around them. 

Thank you again Kelly for the invite to join in.

Thank you to Kelly's friend Drew for keying her in.

Thanks Kristina for keepin’ it real, it was really great meeting & hangin’ with you.

And a BIG THANK YOU to Officer Layton … (a.k.a. the coolest Rex we've ever met) for takin’ us on a spin through your beat & making it a complete experience.

Consumed by Compassion,

Leslie

______________________________

From: Layton, Rex
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009
To: Kelly, Leslie, Kristina
Subject: RE: THANK YOU!

Well thank you very much! 

I too appreciate what ya'll did last night as well … it’s always very nice to meet such caring and considerate folks, who are kind people with kind hearts. 

As you can imagine, I see all types of people out in this world – whether it be criminals, homeless people, lower-class, middle-class, upper-class, good or bad people. I see them and encounter them all – most of the time its not a pleasant experience, but that just comes with the job! Nevertheless, I try and give all the benefit of the doubt, until shown otherwise....

But anyway the point I’m trying to make is that ya'll reassured my hope in all of mankind by demonstrating your genuine care and concern for those in need … it is very refreshing to experience genuine goodness in people once in a while. It also motivates me to want to strive to be a better cop and reminds me why I became a cop – that is to serve and protect! 

If there's anything I can do to help you please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me. Be safe!

Rex Layton-FWPD

ATTACKING HOMELESSNESS THE WRONG WAY

On the heels of my first homeless count in Tarrant County, I heard about this story out of Tampa, Florida.

This is the most ridiculous thing I've read in a while and I had to share (article from St. Petersburg Times):

TAMPA — As counties statewide prepare for their annual homeless count, Hillsborough will wait another month.

Too cold? Too many transients?

Actually, homeless advocates fear police will arrest so many homeless to clear the streets for the Super Bowl that any count would be inaccurate.

"It's happened during other big events when there are a lot of out-of-town visitors," said Rayme Nuckles, chief executive officer of the county's Homeless Coalition. "But we know it's occurring now because some of our providers heard from a (police) captain at a meeting that they were arresting homeless people and holding them in jail."

Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said there is no such mandate.

"Our primary mission is the safety of our visitors," she said. "So the homeless wouldn't rank high on that. We arrest people for breaking the law, not for being homeless."

But Nuckles said the plan to aggressively jail homeless people on charges such as loitering and trespassing "came straight from a captain's mouth" at a meeting. He was not at the meeting, he said, but heard about it from others, including Sara Romeo, executive director of Tampa Crossroads, a homeless advocacy group.

(complete story here)

Shannon Moriarty, a homelessness blogger for change.org, attacked the city's alleged "clean-up." You can read her thoughts by clicking here. She writes a terrific blog, shedding light on this epidemic across the country.

BTW: More to come on the Tarrant County Homeless Count and the Rally sponsored by e-Partners in Giving.

BACK ON MY FEET: The Seed Has Been Planted

I received a lot of comments and feedback regarding my e-mail to the founder of Back on My Feet, the Philadelphia non-profit that attacks homelessness through running. (Original blog here)

There were a lot of e-mails and phone calls from blog readers, asking "Have you heard back from her yet?"

Like every good organization, I finally did.

Almost one week after sending the initial "I want to bring your incredible organization to Fort Worth" 

e-mail, I got a response from the Manager of Special Events and Communication. I knew it was a generic form reply – nicely camouflaged with my name and references to Fort Worth – I didn't care, though....

I WAS PUMPED!

The conversation had started 

(and for those that know me ... that's all I need.)

Here are the highlights from the organization's response – at least the parts I focused on (I also included my thoughts and/or actions in parenthesis):

• "... we are doing research for our next city now." 

(Fort Worth! Fort Worth! Fort Worth!)

• "It takes a lot of support to make the replication process a success and it would be great if we could count on your help." (You know you can!)

• "If you’re running in an upcoming race soon (like the Nashville’s Country Music Marathon you are already training for), please consider making your miles really go the distance by becoming a fund-racer for Back on My Feet." (Done – I set up a Donation Page through the e-Partners in Giving web site – click here to make a small donation)

• "The 20in24 Sponsored by Nike: This is the Philadelphia area’s only 24-hour running event and has four races in one." (I wrote back and let them know that I would love to "work registration, man a water station, hold the finish-line tape, whatever!")

• "If you would like to make a tax-deductable donation..." (I let her know that e-Partners in Giving will move Back on My Feet to the top of its charitable contributions for the next quarter.)

• "Please let me know if you plan to be in Philly any time soon – we’d love for you to join us for a run." 

(My response: "I'll see you guys in early March.")

I wanted to build on the momentum of my first e-mail and reinforce how serious and dedicated I am to making Fort Worth a Back on My Feet city. 

I think they finally caught on.

After responding to the Manager of Special Events and Communication, I received an e-mail from the organization's founder and president, Anne Mahlum.

AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!

Here is an excerpt from her correspondence:

"Drew, Maureen forwarded me your email last night and I just wanted to say thank you for everything you’re doing – fund-racing for us, coming to volunteer at the 20in24 (you’re going to have a blast), running with us (I should warn you – you’re going to be hooked!), and for moving us up on the list for a donation with your company."

She closed with: "I look forward to meeting you when you come to Philly."

I am so happy that Fort Worth is simply part of the conversation now. I can't and won't ask for anything more at this point.

I know that getting Back on My Feet to launch a chapter here – sooner than later – remains a long-shot, but at least the seed has been planted.

Anne Mahlum and her staff now know they have a city with a vision to end homelessness and a soldier who will help lead the fight. Without being annoying and/or over-bearing, I will continue to make my case for bringing this incredible organization to Fort Worth.

One last thing ... it makes me smile that there are other people across the country that believe in Back on My Feet as much as me and want to help attack homelessness through this program. My friend Katie wants to start a chapter in Minnesota and a gentleman from Florida said the RW article had the same impact on him.

My real goal is that Back on My Feet finds its way into every homeless community across the country.

Anne Mahlum has definitely opened a wonderful can of worms.

This really is the last thing ... Anne encouraged me to share images from her web site. 

Group picture from morning training run (Nov. 2008)

Michael Solomon, 

Back on My Feet member since its creation, 

completes his first marathon

Michael Solomon (center) after marathon 

(look at that pride and confidence)

Group shot after 2007 Philadelphia marathon

No caption need 

(I LOVE IT!)

REMINDER: 

You can support Back on My Feet 

through my participation 

in the Country Music Marathon in April. 

(Donation Page here)

VISION INSPIRES CALL TO ACTION

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is post No. 5 in a week-long blogging initiative.

I wanted to share an inspirational article from my recent edition of Runner's World. It is about an amazing vision of one Philadelphia woman who decided to make a difference in her city's homeless community.

All through the power of running.

THE STORY: On an early morning run past a Philladelphia homeless shelter – one she had run past many times – a simple idea stopped Anne Mahlum in her tracks. She decided to form a running club for the city's homeless.

Back on My Feet was born.

Mahlum's life was changed forever – and there was about to be a significant ripple effect through the streets of Philadelphia.

On her non-profit's web site, Mahlum wrote: "Running is such a beautiful metaphor for life. Life is about choosing different roads and our program teaches the importance of choosing roads filled with opportunity, hope and happiness.”

Here is a news clip out of Baltimore, the second city to launch a BOMF chapter:

THE CALL TO ACTION: After reading the Runner's World article, watching the videos, and spending most of my work day looking at the organization's web site, I felt inspired to do something.

Here is an e-mail that I sent Anne Mahlum:

Anne,

Greetings from Fort Worth, Texas.

My prayer is that this e-mail is not lost in the chaos – because there isn’t a doubt in my mind that you are being bombarded with messages after the recent article in Runner’s World. Especially, if other people were impacted like me. (Your organization and its dedication to helping the homeless has consumed me for two straight days.)

I am a regular volunteer at Fort Worth’s largest homeless shelter (every Tuesday night) and an avid runner. To say that the RW article spoke directly to me, is a HUGE understatement.

Instead of writing a novel of an e-mail, I’m going to fire off a few bullet points (hopefully serving as a catalyst for future dialogue.)

• I want to bring your incredible organization to Fort Worth and help the approximately 4,000 homeless in our city.

• I’m aware of your organization’s mission of “growing smartly” to new cities across the country – I applaud and admire your dedication to that vision of sustained excellence.

• But I’m also aware Back on My Feet is considering expansion to more cities by the end of 2009. (At least one following the March launch in Baltimore.)

• Question: What can be done to get Fort Worth on your radar?

• Question: Are there any newsletters, articles, press releases etc. that lay out the timeline and the decision-making process surrounding expansion into Baltimore? (I’m very intrigued how the conversation started and how the ball got rolling.)

• Question: Is there a difference between “starting a team” and forming a chapter?

Just a little more about me:
• In May 2008, I quit my job as Director of Communications at Texas Christian University to start a new business that puts an emphasis on giving back. We facilitate online donations for significant life events (birthdays, graduations, weddings, memorials, etc.) My web site, which launched in December 2008: www.epartnersingiving.com

• At the same time, I decided that I needed to “walk the walk” in regards to giving back. That’s when I began my volunteer efforts at Presbyterian Night Shelter. (I’m also heavily involved with Big Brother Big Sisters, and The WARM Place – a local non-profit that counsels and mentors children who lost a loved one.)

• I have run in two marathons (Fort Worth’s Cowtown Marathon both times) and I’m currently training for Nashville’s Country Music Marathon in April.

I have copied several people on this e-mail to reinforce my seriousness and dedication to make this mission of bringing BOMF to Fort Worth a reality. (Some of these people are Presbyterian Night Shelter administrators and board members, city leaders – including Mayor Mike Moncrief, community supporters, and friends in the Fort Worth running community.)

I appreciate your time and I hope this e-mail is the start of long and beneficial conversation.

Take care and never stop giving back,

Drew Myers
President / CEO

e-Partners in Giving

I decided to share this letter with you for the same reason I copied Fort Worth's mayor and some significant community supporters.

I AM DEDICATED AND DETERMINED

TO BRING THIS INCREDIBLE PROGRAM TO FORT WORTH!

JOIN THE CLUB, GET 'GLORIOUSLY RUINED'

I am working diligently on being “gloriously ruined.”

I want to wake up one morning and have my life

turned upside down – ruined from top to bottom,

inside and out.

Why?

I firmly believe that’s when I’ll start truly making a difference through giving back.

I was introduced to the phrase, “gloriously ruined,” when reading “Dangerous Surrender” by Kay Warren. She is an advocate for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS, and she was ruined when she visited Africa, the frontline of the AIDS epidemic.

Here is an excerpt from her book:

“If very little in my life had prepared me for what I experienced in Africa, nothing had prepared me to try to pick up my life again in affluent Orange County, California. Everything looked different; everyone seemed strange. I looked at my possessions differently. Suddenly a full refrigerator was an insult. The crowded grocery store shelves were excessive. The displays of fashion at the mall were trivial. Television was disgusting and moronic. Politics made me sick. Church was superficial. I was a mess.”

She went on to write, “I’m simply not the same person…I’ve been shaped by these new experiences, and I will never be the same. Moreover, I don’t want to be the same. I can’t have seen what I’ve seen, met the people I’ve met, experienced what I’ve experienced, only to turn away and return to life as usual. I now look at life through a different set of lenses.”

WOW! I LOVE IT!

In those two paragraphs, Mrs. Warren provided me a metaphorical slap to the face.

A few pages later, she talked about “joining the ranks of the ruined.” As she leads small groups interested in giving back, she says that she asks each person to become members of the “Seriously Disturbed, Gloriously Ruined Club.”

When these groups of people finally get it, she wrote, “they are no longer content to live with the focus of their lives being on their world – themselves, their problems, their family, their career. Their eyes have been opened to new realities. They have seen how the suffering world lives, and it is not real. They cannot ignore the suffering or pretend it doesn’t exist. They are compelled to do something about it.”

LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!

Personally, I’m still searching

for that “ruined” moment.

As I drive down the streets near the homeless shelter, I get a small taste. As I talk to my little brother about his family’s struggles, I can see glimpses of getting ruined.

But I’ve never prayed with a homeless woman in Africa dying from AIDS, and I’ve never held the hand of a woman who was infected with HIV because her husband contracted the virus from his mistress and brought the disease home.

Kay Warren has. These two women helped ruin her.

The point of this blog post is not to push Mrs. Warren’s book (even though it is an excellent and motivational read), I’m delivering a call to action:

I am asking you to join the

“Seriously Disturbed, Gloriously Ruined Club.”

Here is your chance

(you knew I had one, didn't you?):

The Tarrant County Homeless Coalition is looking for 500 volunteers to help conduct a count and brief survey of unsheltered homeless people living in the Tarrant and Parker County area.

It is a two- to three-hour time commitment, starting at 8 p.m. on January 29th.

Volunteers will be broken up into groups of three or four, trained by the Coalition, and escorted by a police officer.

In the e-mail I received about the volunteer opportunity, it said: “This is truly an eye-opening experience…”

This could be my chance – and YOUR chance – to be "gloriously ruined."

Through my company,

it's my goal to put together

25 teams of four people.

If you are interested in joining one of the teams, please let me know and I will forward your name and contact information on to the proper people. Share this blog with others. Invite your friends, your family members, your neighbors, and your co-workers.

If you need more information, please visit Tarrant County Homeless Coalition’s web site by clicking here.