Sunday, January 5, 2020

2020 Donation Guide

2020 charitable giving time has arrived. We truly enjoy annual giving research. We are able to learn about so many interesting organizations and incredible work being done. During the search I add the feeds for these great groups to my social account regardless if we decided to donate to them.

Last years monthly donation plan did not work out as well as we hoped. Life became chaotic and there were many months that we simple let making a donation fall off our priority list.

This year we are trying something different with three gifts, each under $500 to three non profits in January.

The focus is on combating climate change with non-profits that have action beyond research. Not being environmental scientists I turned to google to help us find our three. The first question we had was what are the biggest environmental issues facing our planet? Schooled by Science listed 10 issues, the three that we picked from that list are biodiversity, water pollution & pollution



In reading about biodiversity we learned that habitat protection and restoration are key to biodiversity. The great lakes region is one that we both love so we narrowed our search and found Michigan Nature Association, They were referenced by several other conversation groups as a key partner. The end of year report had a great blend of land acquisition for preservation, education and natural area stewardship - creating public access.



Pollution was the next issue we wanted to impact. Carbon capture having been in the news was where the google search started. Reading about the controversies and challenges with carbon capture I noticed a next article link about the risk faced in Tongass forest. This is a very concerning risk and we found several groups doing advocacy around the logging threat but we could not find any direct action organizations. Keeping in this part of the world we found Litter Free a non-profit who put on regular litter clean up days and provide ongoing education and advocacy about litter free actions and recycling.



Final issue that we want to make a positive impact on this year is water pollution. Google results showed that dynamic habitat protection and restoration are important elements to address this issue. With the help of Charity Navigator we narrowed to another area we both love and looked at many Washington based organizations. The decision was Northwest Watershed Institute. Northwest Watershed Institute leverages land acquisition, public/ private restoration and education to improve water quality in areas of pacific salmon natural habitat.


As in years past we will provide in kind gifts to the Red Cross & an annual donation to our local United Way.  We have just started to volunteer with a local animal rescue (Houston Pets Alive) and are keeping an open mind that we may add them to our in-kind donations list in 2020.


The goal in sharing this each year is to give light onto some great organizations and to hopefully encourage you to make a positive impact as part of your plan for the year.


Sunday, July 14, 2019

Fort Boggy State Park Cabins

Cabin 1

Cabin 5

Cabin 4

Cabin 3

Cabin 2


Had the chance to introduce my brother and sister - in - law to the joys of staying at Texas State Parks. As they are not big outdoors people the cabins at Fort Boggy State Park were the perfect location.

The park has recently redone the cabins and the information that I could find online was limited. But after an awesome weekend of fishing, campfires and board games on the screened-in porches I would say that the best to least best for the cabins are 4, 3, 5, 1, 2.

The park itself is fairly limited, not many hiking trails, the lake is small and the bathroom options are clean but limited.

The cabins are incredible with AC, fridge, beds, screened and unscreened porches with ceiling fans and each has a picnic table and fire pit. Really ideal if you want to relax and enjoy slowing down & being in the forest.



Monday, December 31, 2018

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.




Sunday, November 4, 2018

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


Tuesday, September 4, 2018

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.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

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