It's been a while since there's been a blog post but Be the Change in DC has been busier than ever. On May 18th, Be the Change in DC had a successful fundraiser at Dhalak Restaurant in the Dupont area. Many showed up to support the organization and we had two wonderful music performances. Additionally, Marvin Roane, a cell phone program participant, said a few words about how the cell phone and Be the Change in DC's mentorship have helped him get back on his feet. About a week later, Marvin found out that he had been awarded transitional housing and that he would be moving out of 801 East Men's Shelter. This is great news for the cell phone program and Be the Change in DC but most importantly for Marvin as he can now put all of his attention into finding employment. Getting a place of his own is that much closer to becoming a reality for Marvin and we could not be happier for him. Stay tuned to learn more about Marvin and the other cell phone participants.
Still rising...
|
At the top of today's (04.14.11) Express newspaper, the headline reads "Local Homeless Rate is up 9.5 Percent Since 2007." The number of homeless families in the Washington region rose nearly 10% during the economic downturn, according to data released as part of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' annual survey. The annual "point-in-time" survey found 11,988 homeless people, up from 11,744 last year. Nearly a third were children and 5,315 were in families, an increase from 4,995 last year. Clearly, there is still many people who need our help. Please donate or volunteer or do both but do something. Don't just sit there. Be the Change.
"Becoming the Change: A Volunteer's Perspective"
|
Below is what was submitted by volunteer, Bela Shah, as her thoughts on the March sleeping bag event. Since her thoughts address Be the Change in DC more generally, I thought I would post it as a standalone entry: Recently there was an interesting deal on Living Social.com. ``Purchase a $5 donation through Living Social and the popular online business would double the amount and donate it to the Red Cross relief efforts for Japan. My initial reaction was, “Wow, what a great idea! Just click to make a difference.” I believe Living Social ended up raising close to a million dollars through this scheme. However, later that day, I had an interesting conversation with a close friend. He had seen the deal as well and for some reason, the idea didn’t sit well with him. He later understood his uneasiness when he came across a blog entry on Charity Focus.org. After the writer of the blog came across the Living Social deal, his first thought was, “Wow, now donations are for sale!” It’s interesting to examine the multiple facets of service. The Living Social deal, for example, could be a terrific way to make a quick impact for a worthy cause. In just one day, Red Cross’s budget for Japan relief efforts increased by a million dollars. But what the Charity Focus blog went on to describe was the human to human transformation that is lost in this type of transaction based giving model. Clicking to purchase a $5 donation not only creates zero connection to the individuals in Japan that you are hoping to help, but because of this lost connection, you become detached from a global catastrophe, limiting your own reflection on your individual accountability. In other words, the “click and give” model generally doesn’t lead us to question how our micro decisions impact the world at the macro level, and how these decisions may contribute to global warming, climate change, and an increase in natural disasters. Without going off on too much of a tangent, there is something to be said about a giving model that creates a human to human connection. While volunteering with Be the Change in DC, I realized at a more profound level the impact of direct service. Offering sleeping bags to homeless individuals huddled under blankets in the cold DC night created a beautiful opportunity. I was able to engage with the homeless at a level which is difficult to achieve when you are rushing to work or some other appointment with a million thoughts flying through your mind. At times, guilt muddled with misplaced generosity might lead you to donate a few coins or bills without making eye contact and rushing onwards. But the opportunity to spend time talking to the homeless, through the medium of a sleeping bag, allowed me to remember how much we fundamentally have in common. So many of the individuals that I met shared with me their struggle to remain positive and revealed terrible instances of misfortune and bad luck. Their personal stories led me to question the impact of my own thoughts, decisions, and actions on the world around me. Nothing could replace the human experience of direct service. And this is why my friend had that unsettling feeling when he came across the Living Social deal. Choosing to purchase a $5 donation, while honorable in its intent, forgoes the opportunity to connect with each other and experience an inner transformation. I could easily donate $35 for Be the Change’s sleeping bag fund but how would this create a deeper understanding of what homeless people are dealing with and how their dreams are so similar to my own? Why is this important? Because it reminds us that we are not alone….that we are all connected in our desire to live in a better society. Ultimately, to create sustainable change in this world, the kind where all of us are accountable for the impact of our individual decisions, human to human giving is essential. It makes you work harder to be the change you wish to see in the world.
March 2011 Sleeping Bag Event
|
Some of the volunteers had some thoughts about the March sleeping bag event and I think it's best to hear directly from volunteers about their experiences.
"I think the observation that most resonated with me was that of the huge discrepancy between the stereotypical 'homeless person' and the people we interacted with. Jim, Bill, etc were all seemingly normal, kind people with friends, a community, a routine, etc but simply had alternate living situations. I wish more people knew this for themselves because one of the harshest misfortunes of homelessness is the exclusion from society; people walk right by without even a glance."
- Sandra Flores
"This was my second time providing sleeping bags to the people in need within DC, and I for one thought that this past event made me feel more involved with the principle behind handing out sleeping bags. The area we focused on this time was Dupont Circle, and the recipients of the sleeping bags were much more engaging than those during the past event. We spent considerable time talking to these recipients and I for one gained a better perspective on their individual situations and other issues dear to their hearts. What I found fascinating is the community these people have established and how they view and respect their fellow friends. For instance, one man denied taking a sleeping bag from us but pointed out where others less fortunate than him needed one. Another recipient of a sleeping bag decided that he did not need his extra blanket and provided it to a fellow friend on the bench. I think those interactions are why I feel more connected to the event and connected to the people."
- Kirtan Parikh (KP)
These statements embody the volunteer experience with Be the Change in DC; it can be more intense and demanding of the volunteers, but the direct exposure to the homeless population of DC makes you realize the homeless are not very different from you or me. Remember that the next time you pass one by.
Official corporate sponsor: Virgin Mobile USA
|
A Sleeping Bag Distribution in late February
|
In my opinion, two interesting things happened during the event:
1) The first thing is that while giving out sleeping bags near Union Station, we ran into Wally. Wally immediately recognized me from last year. As I asked him if he wanted a sleeping bag, Wally told me that we had met before. I asked him where and he reminded me that exactly one year ago, I had asked him if he thought a prepaid cell phone would be a good thing for Be the Change in DC to distribute to the homeless. Wally’s support for the idea one year ago is what gave us the encouragement as an organization to push forward on our “cell phones for the homeless” initiative, which we officially started in August of 2010 after months or research and planning. We handed Wally a sleeping bag and found a way to keep in touch with him through his contact with DC Central Kitchen, another organization that helps the homeless and with whom Be the Change in DC works with. Wally is at the very top of out list when we expand our cell phones for the homeless program and the February sleeping bag event enabled us to reconnect with him, bringing that initiative full circle.
2) Not surprisingly, most of the sleeping bags were given out at the same location as we did during the January event (on the corner of 14th and New York Avenue, NW). That location has become, at least in my mind, a hotspot for finding the “street” homeless in Northwest DC. While at that location, we ran into Ed, a homeless veteran. Ed told us his story of becoming homeless and he definitely had our attention the entire time. We are looking into connecting Ed to services meant specifically for veterans, and we will consider Ed as a potential candidate for our cell phone program.
Both Wally and Ed stand out in my mind. People like them make us love what we do at Be the Change in DC. They both said “thank you” but it wasn’t what the “thank you” that made the strongest impression on me; it was meeting them, talking to them and hearing their stories. Make no mistake; their voices were heard.
Are "We" doing super?
|
