Donation Guide 2019

In what is now an annual tradition my partner and I are spending part of our new years making charitable donation goals for the upcoming year.

Check out last years here: https://surrealvolunteering.blogspot.com/2017/12/day-6-7daysofsocialmediavulnerabilitych.html

The first year we focused on water systems. The second on expression and speech. This year we are going a bit more local with a focus on things that have impacts in the Houston area.

Houston Magazine ran a great article about local non-profits that are making a positive impact in our community. Check it out here: https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2018/7/20/nonprofits-houston

With this to start us off, we have 4 that we will give to, 3 times each over the year.

The 2019 charities of our choice are:

Houston Public Media: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/ - This has some carry over as in 2018 when we donated to NPR.

Houston Justice: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/

Clinic Access Support Network: https://clinicaccess.org/index.html

ACLU Texas: https://www.aclutx.org/

As in years past, we will provide in-kind gifts to the Red Cross & an annual donation to our local United Way.  Partway into 2018 we began carrying "homeless kits" in our car and have been passing out bags with small support items to those we pass begging at stoplights. These bags have items like water bottles, kleenex, and cough drops. We plan to continue this direct style of donation into 2019.


The value of supporting systems that make our world a better place is priceless, but from over 20 years in the nonprofit sector, I know that monetary donations are required for these systems to function and our world to be better.

My wish for 2019 is that the world is a better place, one donation, one hour, one person at a time.

Rosemary Mote

Relentlessly kind

Always in my corner

Always had time

Made me feel valued and important

Gave me space to grow but was there to catch me if I miss judged

Yesterday I lost someone I loved but never told, someone who managed me, who mentored me, my colleague.


I am not sure what a path forward looks like without her in this world. I don't have steadfast honesty that I feel so confidant I can trust. I don't know if I can go, but I don't know if I can stay.

Our world is definitely a bit dimmer with her loss.

Her mother always said there was nothing that a fresh coat of lipstick wouldn't make better.  Lipstick did give me a moment of minute peace. I cant. I just feel sick

Weekend itinerary Houston Texas

A weekend itinerary for a long weekend with mom in Houston Texas.

Arrive Lunchtime on Thursday.
- Eat at Bellagreen in Upper Kirby - https://bellagreen.com/
- Walk around Levy Park - https://www.levyparkhouston.org/
- Check into the hotel, Four Points by Sheraton, Upper Kirby
- Walk over to Whole Foods to get a few snacks for the hotel
- Dinner at Fadi's Mediterranean Grill - http://www.fadiscuisine.com/
- Post dinner walk at Memorial Park - https://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/

Friday
- Breakfast at Snooze AM Eatery - https://snoozeeatery.com/

- Explore NASA Space Center - https://spacecenter.org/
- Lunch on Galveston Island at Marina Bar and Grill - https://www.galveston.com/marina-bar-and-grill/
- Walk along the beach at Galveston Island State Park - https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/galveston-island
- A little shopping at Whole Earth Provisions - https://www.wholeearthprovision.com/
- Dinner - light foods from our trip to Whole Foods

Saturday
- Breakfast at Tiny Boxwoods - https://www.tinyboxwoods.com/
- Art & Craft festivals in Downtown (Main Street & George RR Brown)
- Lunch from Snap Kitchen in Upper Kirby - https://www.snapkitchen.com/
- Walk around Rice University campus - https://www.rice.edu/
- Dinner at Fresco Italian Cafe - http://www.frescocafeitalian.com/
- Movie at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts - https://www.mfah.org/films/

Sunday
- Breakfast at Nekter Juice Bar - https://www.nekterjuicebar.com/
- Coffee at Starbucks
- an hour of games at Top Golf Webster- https://topgolf.com/us/
- Flight back home

stress about the state of the world

In a round about way this is a 9 month follow up to our 2018 donation goals and post that I made.

I am feeling an overwhelming stress about the state of the world.

We live a low impact life. Could we be better of course, but we are very low impact western metropolitan professionals.
- No kids
- Walk/ public transit to work
- Vegetarian (me)
- Any chance we can we buy things that are organic, sustainable and ethically produced

I have spent the past 20 years working on human development objectives (education, immigration, safe work environments, conflict resolution, community preparedness and resiliency).

My partner works in health care.

I have been to two protests in the past 4 months

We donate in an intentional way, 2017 was environmentally focused, 2018 is about creating a space for free speech 

But it just does not feel like enough. The stress and concern about the state of the world continues.

Tonight I feel my heart rate elevated and my jaw clenching as I think about trying to fall asleep and know that rights are being denied across the around the world and that climate change is occurring at an unexpectedly high rate.

As I write this I realize that I think it can all be boiled down to those two large statements.

Perhaps is the positive adrenaline from 2 donations (I was a bit behind in the monthly rotation) tonight. One supporting a K-6 art program in Texas, one supporting a local news paper in MN.

Perhaps its that we just purchased a high end water filter (Houston water is some of the scariest drinking water in a major us city).

Perhaps its that it is just late enough that I am getting overly sleepy and I know that I have a busy day making my small slice of the world better.

and perhaps its writing this down and helping streamline my thinking on it.

But whatever the reason I feel that my jaw slacken and my heart rate slow and that I might be able to fall asleep tonight. With tomorrow as a new day to consider how I can make an even larger impact on this world as we know it.

I'm still smiling

A glimpse into a crazy week in my life, early 2018.

Friday
730am meeting with civic leaders about racial equity in the city.

9am our fully re plumbed house passed inspection.

945am our attic is re insulated

1030am movers arrive to load up our 3 u boxes

1130am I give an overview of the Red Cross in our community to an alumni group that graduated in the 40's and 50's

130pm the movers finish up

2pm teeth cleaned at the dentist

3pm Ian surprised me by coming home for an unplanned visit.

Saturday:

2pm I moved into my 5 week air bnb.

4pm Ian and I go for a walk and he gets bit by a dog.

All night trip to the ER

Sunday: 

9am Ian is having typical flu like symptoms from the vaccine.

3pm I finish moving out of the house and get it cleaned up.

Monday:

9am drywallers start to repair the holes from the plumbers.  

10am I have a job interview in the morning 

6pm I am receiving the game ball from the globe trotters.

Tuesday:

2pm another job interview 

3:30pm working with my board chair to write a grant. 

5pm Ian to have the second rabies vaccination and heads back to New Mexico.

Wednesday: 

1pm another job interview 

5:30pm event planning committee meeting

7pm drywallers finish. 

8pm: Final clean up at the house.

Thursday:

10am Staff meeting 

11:30am philanthropy committee meeting 

2pm House closing 

Friday: 

10am Hair appointment.

1pm back to work

And a deep breath.

And I am still smiling 

An open narrative about rejection

I saw the opportunity and thought how amazing would that be. I might as well try because what can it hurt?

I got an e-mail, they would like to talk. My heart fluttered, I might be someone they would be interested in. We talk, its normal. My hope begins to climb, its a slow start up to the overlook of what could be. Anticipation for much too long. My mind begins to reason with my legs. "Legs stop climbing" my mind says. My legs slow but are still climbing.

Another e-mail, they liked what they heard and want to conduct a first interview. I do a few cartwheels towards that overlook and my legs resume normal pace. My mind jumps in and begins to think about all the logistics, I look down and see how much progress I have made towards that overlook. SLOW DOWN, my mind  instructs. I am easily not the most qualified. I prep, I pace, we talk. Critical reflection for much too long. My legs stop my mind questions so many things I did wrong. But, maybe, it might be my opportunity and my legs begin inching me along. My phone rings, they would like to meet me on Skype.

A jump, a jog, I create a 5 tab plan for the Skype interview through my first 90 days. I begin to look at rooms for rent, I can see the overlook, its close, I could sit there for a few moments and be part of it. My head chimes in a few times a day, remember you could easily not be the one. So my brain plans that its a 50/50, my legs do slow but continue moving at a chipper pace.

It happens we see each other virtually. I am well prepared, things go well. I am not a great judge of self performance. three days of replay. My heat decides that were going full force towards the overlook. My mind has a hard time convincing even its self.

A call, this could be it. Were calling this a failed search and will be position again. I trip and begin to roll off the overlooks cliff. I am grabbing at grass, save face, be gracious, get the feedback, say things that will make them like you even though this went poorly.  And as i fall off my brain is working to save my heart.

The answer: me

Giving gives energy

I'm feeling drained.

Not in a bad way, in a good way.

Where you have been productive, accomplished much but the adrenaline is fading.

The 12 hour Netflix binge from last week has wore off.

Needing a boost to get me through the next 45 min, I remembered that its the end of the month so its my donation week. This month is the AIDS quilt. A quick trip online and a few moments latter, donation made and energy levels lifted.

Off to a final push of things before I am done for the day.

What makes me upset about how the world works?

My longest running social passion is clothing manufacturing. When I was in middle school I helped launch a local chapter of Kids Can Free the Children to help address the social injustice that children faced by the demand for cheap clothing. It has become expected that fashion will change and new items are needed to be socially acceptable. People expect low cost clothing and have often decided not to care or think about the impact that low cost clothing has on those producing it.

I have spent the past 5 years working with a focus on prevention and mitigation from natural disasters. Interrelated to this passion is a passion for environmental preservation. Disaster related human suffering can be greatly reduced. If people are educated and have the resources to prevent disaster impacts. This suffering can be reduced even further if whole community mitigation actions are taken. The investment now saves lives.

When I reflect and think about any of the numerous challenges we face often the solution that I come up with that would truly have the power to solve the challenge is based in education. Sadly education is not as strong as it could be across the globe. Investment in educational programs and opportunities is desperately needed if we want to see real change in the future.

I could go on, while many things make me upset, I know that solutions exist and I am willing to work to move our collective humanity towards them.