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sophieleonard14 · 4 years ago

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Part One

East Lake Street Salvation Army, 1604 E. Lake St., Minneapolis

Hot Meals Schedule – Weekday Lunches: (Monday — Wednesday, Noon — 1 p.m.)

For Part One, I chose to research the East Lake Street Salvation Army. When gathering information from their website I particularly liked the quote that heads up their programs and services page that says: “When hard times hit, make us your first call. No matter what the need – physical, emotional or spiritual — we’re here to help. From meeting your most basic needs to outlining the path to long-term solutions, we can help you overcome the obstacles you face today and provide hope for tomorrow.” I love this quote as the forefront of their services page because it helps promotes an all-encompassing view to community outreach and shows that there is care available for the many different aspects of life that can be trying for many individuals, especially those that are dealing with food and hunger issues and related discrepancies such as financial, professional, or residential/home-related insecurities. When looking at current relief events on their “Stories” page they have been running huge food drives in February and throughout this month of March amongst 22 Salvation Army Centers) and they share stories of real case workers being able to change lives with their frigid winter weather energy assistance program “HeatShare”. Since 1982, HeatShare has provided funding for natural gas, electricity, and other resources for low-income seniors, disabled persons, and others with no place left to turn. HeatShare funds can also be used to pay for propane or fuel oil. Before researching this area’s Salvation Army, I had no idea that they had services available like this, but it is absolutely amazing as living in Minnesota means terribly cold winters and a definite need especially in the hard times of COVID we’ve experienced this past year and are still experiencing now. Lastly, I appreciate that for their religious services that incorporate a variety of different age groups, while this aspect of the services provided by the Salvation Army may or may not be very important to people utilizing these services (even though its foundation is rooted in Christianity), it is wonderful to see it being offered for all ages, as religious/spiritual needs often varies based on age and that all of Salvation Army’s programs are open to all. Having faith is a big factor for many when it comes to trialing times, in addition to being grateful for our given circumstances and helping when and where we are able.

I have been able to volunteer for my own town’s food shelf (independent, not a Salvation Army) on several different occasions (pre-COVID) and it’s very eye-opening to see how many people are truly being helped and provided for with services like these, and how much work goes into keeping them running and open (even more so in our current circumstances). I am lucky to not have worries for food, clothing, or home insecurities, but it is humbling to hear the stories of others about how fast it can all change, or how easy it is to fall on hard times, temporary for longer-term.

I thought it was also important to note other Salvation Army services for this area of Minneapolis include:

• Food Shelf (Monday 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and Wednesday, 1:00- 3:00 p.m.; Friday: closed for emergency service appointments)

• Food support applications • Free hot lunch (Monday – Weds. 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.)

• Free fresh food distribution (2nd Thursday of the month, 9:45 a.m. tickets given with distribution from 10 – 11 a.m.). The Food Shelf is closed during this giveaway.

• Utility assistance

• Rent assistance

• Emergency financial assistance (Tuesday and Thursday 1:30- 3:30 p.m. and 1-3 p.m. on Friday by appointment only)

• Seasonal assistance

• Children and teen ministries

• Men’s and women’s ministries

• Older women’s ministry (Forever 50)

• Referrals to partner agencies

• Worship service: Sunday, 11:30 AM

• Young Adult Bible Study and Corp Cadets: Monday, 5:30 PM

• Forever 50 meeting: Tuesday, 10:00 AM

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dawnfelagund · 6 years ago

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Am I crazy for wanting to become a teacher? I'm taking classes for teaching certification right now, but I saw the post about ADHD and the anger there really shook me. Any words of wisdom for a young aspiring educator?

The short answer is, no, I don’t think you’re crazy. :) I adore my job and there is nothing else I’d rather do. I have so much fun with my students; laughter and joy are part of my everyday work. I’m on summer break now, and the other day, I found myself scrolling through pictures on my phone that I’d taken throughout the school year and reminiscing about the last school year and laughing anew at the things we got up to and missing my kiddos badly.

But–you probably knew there was going to be a but :)–I would be lying if I didn’t say my job is extremely hard. Teachers are notoriously bad at work-life balance. (One of my professional goals for next year is to improve on work-life balance because the year I had last year is not sustainable long-term.) I think new teachers should go into their work with eyes open to the challenges we face in our profession right now; they are not insurmountable challenges, but they are significant and tend (in my experience) to be glossed over by teacher-prep programs and school districts desperate to solve teacher shortages by harping on the “Make a Difference!!” message at the expense of acknowledging what the day-to-day reality of new teachers will actually look like.

As I said in my original post, expectations and working conditions vary widely by district in the U.S. Contrary to conservative myth, the federal government does not control or mandate curriculum (Common Core is standards, not curriculum, and also not adopted by every state)–and ironically, the biggest federal education mandate, the unfunded No Child Left Behind law, was a Republican policy–and this is controlled at the state or local level, so my experiences in the two states where I’ve taught (Maryland and Vermont) may not reflect what your experiences would be where you live.

In general, though, teachers are on the front lines of a society where people are increasingly finding it difficult to meet their basic needs and where the social safety net has been systematically dismantled. Unless you end up in a very privileged school–which is near-impossible for a new teacher–this absolutely impacts the kids you will see in your classroom every day. It most often manifests in behavior problems, either because kids in families stretched thin by poverty haven’t been taught behavioral expectations for school or because kids are acting out due to trauma and other psychoemotional problems that they are unprepared to cope with. In my experience, teacher-prep programs have done little to nothing to prepare new teachers for how to manage a classroom where kids are daily trying to cope with such challenges. (For the record, the first five years of my career were spent in a special-ed school in Baltimore for boys with emotional disabilities, so I know what extreme behavior looks like … and my teacher-prep program spent one week in one class addressing classroom management, never addressing significant behavior issues that you most likely will encounter in the classroom. While my first school had major shortcomings, I am extremely grateful that it did offer me the training I needed to be effective with the most challenged and challenging kids. I hope your program serves you better than mine did but if not, I’m happy to share resources.)

Again, the impact this would have on your as a professional depends on your district. I am lucky to work in a district that prioritizes education, so even though my school had the highest eligibility for free and reduced meals in the state last year, you would not know it from looking at my school, which does a commendable job of extending the same opportunities to our students as would a school serving a middle-class community. Most of the enrichment and social services we provide is funded through our school budget or grant money. Sadly, this is not the case for most schools in the U.S. that serve low-income populations, which is why you often hear of teachers coming out of their pockets not only for their classroom supplies but for food and clothing for their students who would otherwise go without.

Part of my anger is because of this: because how have we failed as a nation if we cannot protect the basic needs and safety of children? Yet I have had children in my care for every moment of my career who have faced hardships that would have been the end of me.

And some of the anger you sensed is because one of the other realities of our profession that no one talks about in your teacher-prep classes is how despised our profession has become–and routinely and casually so–due to right-wing slander against educators. And for whatever reason, this rhetoric has been picked up by people across the political spectrum. This is Tumblr, so I’d be willing to wager that most of the people in the original thread I was responding to would identify with the left politically, yet are fully comfortable making claims that public educators medicate kids because they’re too lazy to deal with developmentally normal behaviors. Likewise, I have had progressive friends make disparaging comments about educators directly to me, thinking nothing of it because it’s become so commonplace to assume that teachers are stupid, incompetent, and lazy that they don’t even stop to think about what they’re saying long enough to consider their audience. (To wit, the saying “If you can’t do, teach,” which an online friend–again, an outspoken progressive–actually wrote to me when congratulating me for completing my certification, apparently never stopping to consider that I might find that sentiment insulting.) But, as I noted in my post last night, we are one of the only professions remaining with strong union membership, and this makes us a threat to big-money interests that would like to skim out of our pockets in the same way they have the U.S. people as a whole and are fighting with every ounce of their being to privatize and profit from the public right to a free and appropriate education for every child in the U.S. In addition, as I noted in the tags, we are the ones teaching kids inconvenient facts about their legal rights and democratic ideals and some of the less-rosy chapters of our nation’s history, which makes us a threat to certain groups who would far prefer an ignorant, frightened populace.

Anyway, as I noted at the beginning, I would not choose to do any other work, despite the frustrations and challenges. At the core of what I believe is the potential of all human beings to influence our world for the better, no matter the color of their skin or their gender identity or the amount of money in their parents’ bank accounts when they’re born, and so I feel compelled to do this work, to put my talents and energy to offering a leg up to kids who might otherwise slip through the cracks.

If I could offer advice to a teacher-in-training, it would be this: First of all, be aware and evaluative of the amount of training your are receiving in classroom management. I can’t speak for every teacher-prep program, but the ones I’m familiar with spend very little time on this even though classroom management is the top concern of new teachers and, in my experience, the biggest reason why new teachers leave the field. Although I know that adding one more thing is probably like adding gasoline to a wildfire at this point in your career, it really is worth pursuing information on this on your own, if your program is not meeting your needs. It will make your first job so much easier (and make you so much more confident to be able to handle the challenges I described–and projecting confidence is itself a good classroom management strategy, especially if you work with older kids). As I said, I’m happy to share resources. If you have a mentor, they can help here as well.

If at all possible, student-teach in a school that is similar to the schools where you think you’ll eventually work. Another shortcoming I find with the teacher-prep programs I’m familiar with is that they stick their student teachers into the cushiest, easiest middle-class schools before casting them into a job market where they will likely start in a low-income, high-need school with significant challenges.

Talk to teachers in districts and schools where you’re considering working and find out what the strengths and challenges are. What support do they offer new teachers? (Ideally, you’ll get a mentor for at least your first year.) How much support do they offer their teachers in general? Does the administration have your back, or are they going to abandon you the moment the going gets tough? How much control will you retain over what and how you teach? Classroom management? You should be able to make adjustments to meet your students’ needs and interests; this is best practice, and if a district or school is doing otherwise, run. Does the school/district favor a positive or punitive approach to classroom management? What does the district/school see as their priorities? (Growing the whole child or raising test scores? Relationships or rigor?) How much pressure is put on teachers around test scores? How will you be evaluated and what is the philosophy around evaluation? (Assuming everyone can always grow and improve or using evaluations to punish shortcomings and mistakes?) How supportive is the administration in terms of maintaining a healthy work-life balance? What resources will you be given? Will you have a budget for supplies? How much? Are the books, resources, and technology up to date? (Is there even technology? What is the ratio of students to devices actually available to use?) What opportunities are available in the school day for the arts? Do students have access to unstructured play and social time during the day? What resources does the school offer for kids and families in need of additional social services? Are there meals available for food-insecure kids? Counseling and mental health services? After-school programs? Or will you be buying breakfast every day for your homeroom rather than imagining them struggling through their morning on empty stomachs? Asking teachers and not administrators will help get some honest answers to these questions.

And please feel free to reach out to me at any time (and this goes for anyone thinking about or starting a teaching career!). I’m a mentor in my district and so trained to coach new teachers, and if I can offer any tips or resources then I’m happy to do so.

#teaching #education

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ontheroadanddreaming · 4 years ago

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A Year at Home

I got back from Tycho’s Europe tour on March 6th, 2020, just in time to have a small seltzer taste-test party with friends. I think we still have a few of the less popular flavors in our fridge. I had tickets to see the Strokes play in Seattle on March 9th but then the country started shutting down. The concert was a few days before the mandatory shut down, so like most fans, I was grateful it wasn’t cancelled. The day before the show I started feeling sick, so fearing the worst, I stayed home. I was sick for a week, but since this was before COVID testing was widely available and I didn’t have a fever, it seemed to just be a post-tour-exhaustion bug and not actually COVID. Thankfully Neesha continued to feel fine and we hunkered down like everyone else for the long pause.

We spent a good chunk of the past year working on our house. We painted the interior walls, removed carpet, installed laminate floors and converted an extra room into Neesha’s home office. I cleaned the roof and gutters and stacked a low rock wall in our front yard. We had an arborist come and limb some diseased bits from one of our trees and along with our neighbor, helped a mama squirrel rescue some baby squirrels who fell out of their nest.

We eventually got tested and entered a Quarantine bubble for a week to spend time with friends at a cabin in Leavenworth. We got tested again and took a trip to Vermont for a socially distanced outdoor wedding, which was beautiful. We had backyard beers over the fence with our neighbors and sledded down our hill during the snow storm with the neighborhood kids.

We took lots of hikes with our dogs, I even got the worthless mutts a pet trailer so they can ride behind me on bike rides. The 3 barking dogs and pet trailer on the back of my tiny Brompton bicycle distract from my neon-yellow-full-face bicycle helmet.

Mainly we stayed home and stayed safe. I got better at cooking, especially grilling. Highlights include a spatchcocked turkey and pasta sauce made from scratch. I have not yet mastered the fish part of fish and chips, but my chips are world class, as is my popped corn.

I took online classes for fun and career growth. I started organizing a decade of photos from touring 48 of the United States and 35 countries.

We watched some great movies, some bad ones, some prestige TV, some trashy TV and lots of sports. I improved my skill points on FIFA and watched a bunch of concerts from the couch, and in VR. I setup a karaoke lounge in our basement.

We shared podcasts and audiobooks, reconnected with old albums and discovered a few new songs and artists we love. We sang along to Hamilton. We survived. We participated in lots of Zoom game nights and Zoom meetings and tried to talk to as many friends as possible on the phone.

I also finished my physical rehab program, chiropractic treatment and completed all the necessary orthodontic work from the bicycle accident. My teeth are fixed, my smile is back. More importantly, I talked to a therapist about the feelings of loss and hopelessness that I experienced while recovering from the physical and emotional trauma of the accident, which has lingered because of losing my job and income due to the pandemic, and my general gobsmacked horror at the state of the world for much of the last year. It’s so important to talk to people. Please keep talking to people. Breathe. It’s OK to feel sad.

It’s now a year since everything shut-down and things are cautiously trending upward

Our parents are getting vaccinated. The numbers are getting better. There is hope.

We’ve gone outside for dinner a few times. Literally outside in private tents or socially distanced outdoor tables with heat lamps. It’s actually kind of awesome. It feels European somehow. I hope that outdoor dining sticks around long after the Pandemic is finally over. It’s always weird seeing people in person or being in a public setting. Crowds make me nervous. I cross the street to avoid pedestrians. I can’t imagine going to a festival or weaving my way through a crowd. How long before we’re truly safe?

With the Grammy’s and the Super Bowl halftime show and musical guests on late night shows and SNL happening, there is a false sense that music is back. It’s nowhere close, and it’s been a year since 99% of touring folks worked. Many of use are doing other things to pass the time, but it’s not the same. Please don’t forget about us.

There are still thousands of Music industry folks out of work, surviving on unemployment and side hustles. We are smart and talented. We are essential. We can’t do our jobs until it’s safe.

I am one of the lucky ones. Neesha has been working for the duration of COVID and is supporting us while I get started on a new career and continue waiting for touring to come back. She has stood beside me through a truly rough patch and I’ll never be able to repay her, except with Love and devotion. Thank you Neesha, you are my best friend.

I love you all, I miss you all, see you soon.

xoxox

Forrest

P.S. - My dentist is amazing. My chiropractor is great and I’ll never forget the kindness of the Nurses and the skill of the Doctors who put me back together.

If you every need recommendations for any of the above, let me know and I’ll link you with them.

P.S.S. - Please donate to MusicCares or LiveNation if you can. They helped with some of the medical expenses that insurance didn’t cover when I smashed my face and have also helped me and other folks with COVID assistance, so I can vouch for them both.

https://www.grammy.com/musicares/donations

https://www.livenationentertainment.com/crewnation/

#stayhomestaysafe #pacificnw #musiccares #covid diary #crewnation

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dipulb3 · 4 years ago

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More than a second lady: How Gisele Fetterman came to serve Pennsylvania's neediest

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/more-than-a-second-lady-how-gisele-fetterman-came-to-serve-pennsylvanias-neediest/

More than a second lady: How Gisele Fetterman came to serve Pennsylvania's neediest

A former undocumented immigrant who became a citizen and used her platform to help all manner of Pennsylvanians, she is far more than a figurehead or a lieutenant governor’s spouse.

That anyone would be called the n-word during a quick trip to the grocery store for golden kiwis is unsettling — all the more so once you learn what Fetterman overcame simply to give back to others.

The mother of three was at a grocery store in Braddock, a PIttsburgh suburb, Sunday evening when a woman recognized her and began haranguing her, saying she didn’t belong, calling her a thief and referring to her as the n-word that Lt. Gov. John Fetterman married, she told Appradab.

Gisele Fetterman’s family fled the violence of Rio de Janeiro in 1990 and grew up poor in New York City. Her mother told her and her brother to, “Be invisible,” and she has regularly shared childhood anecdotes of looking over her shoulder and fearing every knock at the door.

“So even though I’m 38 and I’m second lady and I have a family and career, I was immediately again a scared 9-year-old undocumented little girl at that grocery line,” she said of Sunday’s encounter.

“It was a hard reminder for me that it doesn’t matter what I’ve overcome, what I’ve achieved, that to some I will always be viewed as inferior simply because I was not born in this country,” she said.

Fetterman’s record runs deep. She has spent most of her adult life in the United States helping others, whether they’re impoverished, immigrants, LGBT, minorities, imprisoned or hungry. She’s also spoken out on the importance of wearing masks and participating in the Census.

She’s lighthearted, preferring the titular acronym, SLOP, over Second Lady of Pennsylvania, which she feels is “stuffy” — and is one of the foremost purveyors of positivity on social media, once quoting Rumi: “Even if from the sky, poison befalls all, I’m still sweetness wrapped in sweetness wrapped in sweetness.”

She told a writer this month she would never seek public office because “politics is mean and I am not.”

Here are some snapshots of what she’s achieved and overcome:

Her marriage was born of caring

In 2007, she read about the Rust Belt town of Braddock and learned that steel from Braddock and other communities was used in the Brooklyn Bridge, one of her favorite landmarks.

Fetterman had had her green card for a few years, and though only in her mid-20s, she was already an activist, focusing on nutrition and food equity. She wrote then-Mayor John Fetterman to find out more about the town, whose declining population numbered around 2,000 at the time, and his efforts to improve his community. After he wrote back, she began visiting Braddock.

“Of course he fell in love with me,” she told a women’s luncheon earlier this year, the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre reported.

They were married in 2009, the same year she earned US citizenship. Since then she’s used her platforms as a naturalized American and second lady to help others.

She opened a free store for low-income families

On their fourth wedding anniversary, John Fetterman asked his wife what she wanted as a gift and she told him, “I want a shipping container.” He didn’t ask why, she told the Under the Radar entertainment blog earlier this month.

Gisele Fetterman had local artists paint the container, spruced up an abandoned lot and began doling out household goods, baby items and bicycles to those in need.

The store’s motto is “Because the best things in life are free.” It has spread to several locations and served hundreds of clients.

“We dream of a community built on relationships based on mutual aid and cooperation,” Free Store 15104’s website says. “We use the distribution of free items as a catalyst for change. We encourage recycling and reuse as a means to counteract excessive waste and consumption. We aim to eradicate food and clothing insecurity.”

She helped develop a clever way to fight hunger

412 Food Rescue, which she co-founded, sends volunteers to retailers who have surplus food that risks going bad and delivers it to nonprofits that serve the hungry.

“With the help of 2 trucks, 1 van, and thousands of volunteers, we are able to rescue perfectly good but unsellable food that would otherwise be wasted and redirect it to people who need it,” the nonprofit’s website says.

Based on the premise that it would take only one-third of the nation’s discarded food to feed its hungry population, it also strives to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from food waste, which the organization says is almost double that of aviation and the iron-and-steel industry combined.

The Pittsburgh City Paper cited both the Free Store and 412 Food Rescue in naming Fetterman 2017’s best activist.

The Fettermans opened the ‘The People’s Pool’

When John Fetterman took office, the couple opted not to move to the 2,400-square-foot state residence in Fort Indiantown Gap, instead opting to live in a remodeled car dealership in Braddock. Fetterman told Pittsburgh magazine this year that it was “not appropriate” to live in a taxpayer-funded mansion with staff. Plus, he said, Braddock is home.

As a result, the property’s 30-by-40-foot swimming pool was going unused, so Gisele Fetterman opened it up to nonprofits and summer camps and instituted a program to teach water safety because federal statistics show African American kids have a 3 times greater risk of drowning than do White chlidren.

“We can have a direct role in changing those statistics,” she said. “Swimming comes with a painful legacy of racial segregation. If my children can swim in that pool, so should every child in Pennsylvania.”

She came to Antwon Rose’s defense

After an East Pittsburgh police officer fatally shot Antwon Rose during a 2018 traffic stop, Fettermen revealed that the “very goofy” 17-year-old volunteered at Free Store 15104 and appeared in one of her husband’s campaign commercials. She also spoke at the teen’s funeral.

“He looked you in the eyes and gave anyone speaking to him total attention and respect,” she said in her tribute. “He would look at you with his big sweet smile, and you would feel, deep in your heart, that this was someone who would make the world better.”

“Antwon’s death shakes my heart, it rattles my faith that things will ever get better or that injustices will ever end. Slowly, too slowly, things will get brighter, even though they’re now so dark,” she said.

A jury cleared the officer who shot Antwon of all counts the following year.

She does little things, too

In addition to tackling major issues like hunger and inequality, she knows smaller improvements can make big differences in a community, as demonstrated by her Braddock Bench Building project, which created places to sit at public bus stops — using repurposed materials from homes slated for demolition, of course.

She also sought to brighten Braddock’s primary thoroughfare with uplifting signs, such as “Eat More Vegetables,” “Believe in Yourself,” “More Hugs Needed,” “Follow Your Dreams,” “Be Kind Always” and “Hug a Tree.”

“The signs you see along the streets are always so negative — ‘Don’t park here,’ ‘Don’t loiter there,'” she told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We wanted to counter those with signs spreading cheer and kindness, signs with uplifting messages.”

The Fettermans spent $1,000 of their own money on the signs, the paper reported.

Inclusion is a major thrust of her work

For Good PGH, which Fetterman co-founded, drives numerous initiatives in the Braddock community.

Under the group’s umbrella, the Helping Out Our People coalition, made up of families in the Woodland Hills School District who lost a child to gun violence, mentors young people in hopes of “disrupting the disease of violence.”

The Foster Good program provides foster kids with unique suitcases rehabilitated by artists, Green Initiatives works to counter Braddock’s blight, Girl Code Woodland Hills introduces high school juniors to businesswomen in greater Pittsburgh, the Hollander Project serves as an incubator for “women-powered businesses” and Hello Hijab makes tiny Muslim headscarves for Barbies and other dolls to promote inclusion and fight stigmas.

Last year, Rodef Shalom, a Jewish congregation, made Fetterman the first woman to receive its 2020 Pursuer of Peace award, citing For Good PGH’s work.

She’s an unapologetic advocate for immigrants

The Fettermans submitted a joint op-ed to several newspapers in August, recounting how Gisele “and her family lived in constant fear that they would be discovered and lose their shot at the American Dream.”

“No child should have to live with that kind of stress,” they wrote. “They deserve to feel secure in the knowledge that they can do normal things like go to school and play sports without living in constant fear that they will lose their family.”

In a 2019 editorial for the Tribune-Review, Gisele Fetterman, a Dreamer herself, wrote that she’ll always be grateful for her mother’s courage and how she took jobs cleaning houses and checking coats to support her family.

“She was routinely paid less than she was supposed to be, if she got paid at all, and she was even assaulted while at work,” Fetterman wrote. “She never complained — she just did what she had to do for her children.

The Brazilian immigrant also recalled how, at 8 years old, she broke her nose playing kickball and her family couldn’t afford medical care, but stories from her native Rio convinced her just how lucky she was to escape the violence.

“When I look in the mirror and I see my broken nose,” she wrote, “I am reminded of how much worse it could have been, and how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to grow up in the U.S.”

Today, she tears up when she hears the National Anthem and gets “super excited to vote,” and she geeked out upon being called for jury duty, she said.

“I wasn’t chosen for a jury, probably because I was so visibly excited to be there that the lawyers thought I was crazy, but for me, that was the sign that I truly belonged, and that I could come out of the shadows,” she wrote.

Appradab’s John Berman contributed to this report.

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bethestaryouareradio · 5 years ago

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Become Color Blind

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Become Color Blind

MIRACLE MOMENT®

“When ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.”

Anais Nin

MESSAGE FROM CYNTHIA BRIAN, Founder/Executive Director

“You are so lucky! You have red blood!” my mother chimed when, as children, any of us would injure ourselves and be bleeding. We’d immediately stop crying and be grateful that our red blood meant that we were humans and not some form of alien. We were taught that every person was equal. No one was better or worse than anyone else and that no matter what color our skin, what God we worshipped, what gender we were, where we came from, or what language we spoke, we all deserved the opportunity to succeed and be happy. We were taught to work hard, respect others, and live by the golden rule. “Care, share, and be fair” was a family motto.

The last few weeks have been tragic for humans. Not only is the world struggling to survive a pandemic with Covid-19, but the death of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, by an officer sworn to protect and serve us, has struck a deep wound in our global consciousness. Our hearts go out to his family and friends and to all the other people who have endured racist encounters. Fear and pain are prevailing. There is no place for racism and bigotry in our country. We are all human.

Here at Be the Star You Are!®, we are color blind. We welcome everyone-black, brown, yellow, beige, white, and any color in between. Be the Star You Are!® supports all ethnicity’s, genders, cultures, and has no religious or political agendas or affiliations. Our goal is to amplify your inner greatness and help you be the best person possible by improving literacy, increasing positive media messages, and offering tools for living a purposeful life.

Protesting is our right as Americans and peaceful protests are valuable. Looting and rioting is counter-productive and only leads to more violence, hatred, and alienation. It is time that we all stopped to listen and hear what others are saying and feeling. We must empathize and start conversations that can lead to healing. I have always believed that ALL LIVES MATTER. But right now, we need to embrace BLACK LIVES MATTER because black men and black women are suffering deeply. Our volunteer Karen Kitchel, shared a video that you may have already watched, but it is worth viewing again. It displays the disparity between a life of privilege and one of racial inequality. Watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BEwiqrXrjw

No one must be shackled. It’s time to break down the walls of differences. We must come together to create positive, systemic change that will provide dignity, respect, opportunities, and resources to all. We can each be a catalyst for change.

Once we learn to communicate and collaborate, we will escape to innovate.

Be the Star You Are!® is proud to have been serving the community, country, and world since 1999 with resources to create a better future.

Become color blind. We all bleed red.

Stay safe. Stay strong.

In solidarity,

Cynthia Brian

Founder/Executive Director

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

[email protected]

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

http://www.BTSYA.org

P.S. During the lock-down, I am available for consultations, webinars, interviews, or speaking via on-line sources only. If interested, email [email protected] or visit https://www.starstyleradio.com/coaching

DONATE: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

ONLINE AUCTION

If you want to jumpstart your business, service, or promote your products, IConnectx has created an online auction to benefit Be the Star You Are!® with opportunities for LIVe or pre-recorded radio interviews and phone or online consultations with Cynthia Brian. More auction items will be added in the following days. Auction ends on June 20th so start bidding right away to win. Visit: https://bit.ly/2ZuIQkE

THE REAL MEANING OF DIGNITY

by Karen Kitchel

“Dignity has the potential to change the world, but only if people like you help to spread its profound message” concluded Donna Hicks in the Psychology Today article “What Is the Real Meaning of Dignity?”

We are all born with dignity, which is different than respect which must be earned. Every individual has worth as a human being and wants to be treated as someone with value.

Everyone wants to be heard and to feel safe in the world. When we feel included, we gain a sense of hope and possibility. Receiving an apology when someone does us harm is a way to reconnect. “I’m sorry” can be two of the most powerful words anyone can utter.

Building strong relationships can be as easy as asking for opinions, listening to concerns and including others in conversations. Seek out someone you don’t know and take a step in changing the world.

Karen Kitchel penned two chapters in the book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Gifts of Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World, and is a dedicated volunteer with BTSYA. She serves meals to the homeless and is a volunteer teacher, writer, job coach, and mentor. www.scatteringkindness.com

THE IMPACT OF ILLITERACY-Young Children

by Stephanie Cogeos

According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Education, 32 million American adults are illiterate, 21% read below a 5th grade level and 19% of high school graduates are functionally illiterate, meaning they cannot read well enough to manage and perform daily living tasks. This can be avoided when people are aware of these statistics and what lack of literacy skills can cause.

When children do not learn to read and write effectively, it affects them and their families. The psychological effect impacts their progress during their early school years. It can also make math and science just as difficult. About 80% of a child’s brain is developed by age 3 and a key period of development occurs in their language and literacy skills. The quality of early childhood education can be determined by one’s economic status. Half of all children by age 5 living in poverty are not academically or socially ready for school, studies have shown (Center on Children and Families at Brookings). Poverty is a risk factor for illiteracy. By fourth grade, 80% of low-income children read at below grade level. Falling behind during critical years will also affect social skills, health and economic status later in their lives. Low literacy often impacts a person’s health, preventative healthcare actions and taking medications correctly as well as impacting them psychologically. Shame, fear, low self-confidence, low self-esteem are all impacted by how well a person can effectively communicate and read and educate themselves. All these things can have a negative impact on society in general. These things can be avoided.

CONTINUE READING: https://files.secure.website/wscfus/10307163/26270304/the-impact-of-illiteracy.pdf

Volunteer Stephanie Cogeos is our Book Review coordinator. She is now doing research to provide resources for the public to learn about the importance of literacy, positive media messages, and empowering women families, and youth. You can keep up with the resources at this link: http://www.btsya.com/resources.html

"To be a leader, you must be a reader! Read, lead, succeed!"

BOOK REVIEWS IDS

Our Star Teen Book Review Team is constantly growing and evolving. When you are looking a for a great book, check out the reviews of thousands of books for all ages at our Book Review web site.

Read book reviews by our volunteers: http://www.btsya.com/book_reviews.html

Also, check out these and other reviews at our literacy partner site,The Reading Tub, https://thereadingtub.org/books/be-the-star-you-are/

Librarians, teachers, parents, and care-givers rely on these reviews as excellent sources for recommending a good book.

WRITER WEDNESDAYS and SUPER SMART SUNDAYS

As part of our Be the Star You Are! Disaster Relief Outreach program (https://www.bethestaryouare.org/copy-of-operation-hurricane-disaste), Be the Star You Are!® has collaborated with the Authors Guild to showcase the new books launched by many authors from around the country in a variety of genres. We will also be showcasing artists, actors, and musicians, all of whom had had their gigs canceled and are out of work. We believe in supporting creativity and believe that books, art, music, and film provide escape and joy, especially during tough times. For the next few months, make sure you are tuned in to both StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® on Wednesdays at 4pm PT for “Writers Wednesdays” LIVE http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2206/be-the-star-you-are as well as our teen program, Express Yourself!™ airing on Sundays at 3pm PT for “Super Smart Sundays”, https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2014/express-yourself

Both programs broadcast on the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel and will be archived on that site as well as iTunes, Stitcher, etc. It’s a giant artistic festival!

DONATE TO OPERATION DISASTER RELIEF TO KEEP POSITIVE MEDIA ALIVE!

NEED A POSITIVE OUTLOOK-BUY OUR BOOKS!

If you need a dose of inspiration, humor, and positivity, check out our books at http://www.StarStyleStore.net. All of the money from purchases benefits Be the Star You Are!® and you get extra goodies when you buy direct. Plus, these are first editions and can be custom autographed for you. www.StarStyleStore.Net

Raise your eyes to the STARS and shine!

SHOP ONLINE WITHOUT A MASK!

Since we need to stay at home and only go out when absolutely necessary, these are on-line shopping portals that will sell you what you need, offer discounts, and assist our mission as a nonprofit. Please use these web sites for all of your shopping essentials,

1. AmazonSmile donates .5% of purchases https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-3333882

2. Discounted books at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shops/be_the_star_you_are_charity

3. Giving Assistant: Shop. Earn. Give! Use Giving Assistant to earn cash at 3500+ popular online stores, then donate a percentage to BTSYA:https://givingassistant.org/np#be-the-star-you-are-inc

& buy from your favorite stores.

4. Search and GoodShop: Choose Be the Star You Are as your charity to support. You can log in with Facebook, too! https://www.goodshop.com/nonprofit/be-the-star-you-are

5. Shop at over 1300 stores on IGIVE: http://www.iGive.com/BTSYA

6. BTSYA Logo Store: http://btsya.rylees.net

7. Buy or Sell on EBAY:http://givingworks.ebay.com/charity-auctions/charity/be-the-star-you-are-501-c-3/1504/?favorite=link

8. Designer Clothes to Buy or Sell: https://www.unionandfifth.com/charities/be-the-star-you-are-moraga-ca/shop

9. Buy “Read, Lead, Succeed” T-shirts and tanks $19.99 at StarStyle® Store: http://www.starstylestore.net/

10. Are you a gamer, lover of new software, or other digital content? Buy all of your favorites at Humble Bundle. http://ow.ly/cYs130iN6n4

PLEASE DONATE!

Since BTSYA receives no government or corporate support, we count on YOU to help us help others. During this pandemic, all of our fundraising events have been canceled, yet we continue to support those in need. We appreciate a direct donation most of all via PAYPAL GIVING FUND at https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

Checks can be sent to PO Box 376, Moraga, California 94556

http://www.btsya.org

Direct Links you can use for Be the Star You Are!®

Positive Results: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/positive-results

About Us: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/about_us

Programs: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/programs

How to Help: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/how-to-help

Blog: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/blog-1

Events: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/events

GREAT NON PROFITS REVIEWS: https://greatnonprofits.org/org/be-the-star-you-are-inc

GUIDESTAR/CANDID: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3333882

We invite you to volunteer, get involved, or make a donation. Make a DONATION through PAYPAL GIVING FUND and PAYPAL with 100% going to BTSYA with NO FEES: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

Be Color Blind.

Communicate, Collaborate, Innovate!

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

[email protected]

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

Be the Star You Are!® PO Box 376, Moraga, Ca. 94556

Get Social with us

Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 PO Box 376 Moraga, California 94556 US

#Keywords: bethestaryouarecharitycolorblind riotsgeorgeFloiyd tolerance lovedignitycovid19radiobooksliteracybookreviewscynthiabrian

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goddessgardener · 5 years ago

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Become Color BRAVE

Click to view this email in a browser

Become Color Blind

MIRACLE MOMENT®

“When ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.”

Anais Nin

MESSAGE FROM CYNTHIA BRIAN, Founder/Executive Director

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BEwiqrXrjw

Once we learn to communicate and collaborate, we will escape to innovate.

Be the Star You Are!® is proud to have been serving the community, country, and world since 1999 with resources to create a better future.

Become color blind. We all bleed red.

Stay safe. Stay strong.

In solidarity,

Cynthia Brian

Founder/Executive Director

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

[email protected]

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

http://www.BTSYA.org

DONATE: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

ONLINE AUCTION

THE REAL MEANING OF DIGNITY

by Karen Kitchel

We are all born with dignity, which is different than respect which must be earned. Every individual has worth as a human being and wants to be treated as someone with value.

THE IMPACT OF ILLITERACY-Young Children

by Stephanie Cogeos

CONTINUE READING: https://files.secure.website/wscfus/10307163/26270304/the-impact-of-illiteracy.pdf

"To be a leader, you must be a reader! Read, lead, succeed!"

BOOK REVIEWS IDS

Our Star Teen Book Review Team is constantly growing and evolving. When you are looking a for a great book, check out the reviews of thousands of books for all ages at our Book Review web site.

Read book reviews by our volunteers: http://www.btsya.com/book_reviews.html

Also, check out these and other reviews at our literacy partner site,The Reading Tub, https://thereadingtub.org/books/be-the-star-you-are/

Librarians, teachers, parents, and care-givers rely on these reviews as excellent sources for recommending a good book.

WRITER WEDNESDAYS and SUPER SMART SUNDAYS

Both programs broadcast on the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel and will be archived on that site as well as iTunes, Stitcher, etc. It’s a giant artistic festival!

DONATE TO OPERATION DISASTER RELIEF TO KEEP POSITIVE MEDIA ALIVE!

NEED A POSITIVE OUTLOOK-BUY OUR BOOKS!

Raise your eyes to the STARS and shine!

SHOP ONLINE WITHOUT A MASK!

1. AmazonSmile donates .5% of purchases https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-3333882

2. Discounted books at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shops/be_the_star_you_are_charity

3. Giving Assistant: Shop. Earn. Give! Use Giving Assistant to earn cash at 3500+ popular online stores, then donate a percentage to BTSYA:https://givingassistant.org/np#be-the-star-you-are-inc

& buy from your favorite stores.

4. Search and GoodShop: Choose Be the Star You Are as your charity to support. You can log in with Facebook, too! https://www.goodshop.com/nonprofit/be-the-star-you-are

5. Shop at over 1300 stores on IGIVE: http://www.iGive.com/BTSYA

6. BTSYA Logo Store: http://btsya.rylees.net

7. Buy or Sell on EBAY:http://givingworks.ebay.com/charity-auctions/charity/be-the-star-you-are-501-c-3/1504/?favorite=link

8. Designer Clothes to Buy or Sell: https://www.unionandfifth.com/charities/be-the-star-you-are-moraga-ca/shop

9. Buy “Read, Lead, Succeed” T-shirts and tanks $19.99 at StarStyle® Store: http://www.starstylestore.net/

10. Are you a gamer, lover of new software, or other digital content? Buy all of your favorites at Humble Bundle. http://ow.ly/cYs130iN6n4

PLEASE DONATE!

Checks can be sent to PO Box 376, Moraga, California 94556

http://www.btsya.org

Direct Links you can use for Be the Star You Are!®

Positive Results: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/positive-results

About Us: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/about_us

Programs: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/programs

How to Help: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/how-to-help

Blog: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/blog-1

Events: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/events

GREAT NON PROFITS REVIEWS: https://greatnonprofits.org/org/be-the-star-you-are-inc

GUIDESTAR/CANDID: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3333882

Be Color Blind.

Communicate, Collaborate, Innovate!

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

[email protected]

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

Be the Star You Are!® PO Box 376, Moraga, Ca. 94556

Get Social with us

Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 PO Box 376 Moraga, California 94556 US

#Keywords: bethestaryouarecharitycolorblind riotsgeorgeFloiyd tolerance lovedignitycovid19radiobooksliteracybookreviewscynthiabrian

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shelbeymurphy-blog · 5 years ago

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Post-Challenge Reflection - March 2nd, 2020

I can now say that I successfully finished the Welfare Food Challenge. While these past seven days have been hard, they taught me some much about myself and my choices. While I thought that today would consist of me treating myself with coffees and chocolate bars, that was not the case. I had a fairly standard breakfast, a bagel, a bowl of strawberries and a coffee (which was amazing) and my lunch was a greek salad with spinach. As I ate my meals today I was already more conscious about what I actually needed to eat and what I just wanted to eat. Just beneath this paragraph is a picture of my breakfast today.

Tonight my boyfriend and I went out for dinner as a celebration of finishing the challenge (he is just as relieved as I am). However, I did recognize that the portion of food I was eating was definitely more than I need to eat and I ended up bringing half of my food home for lunch tomorrow

Throughout this challenge I have learned so much about nutrition, the needs of my own body, and how hunger can impact my daily life.

1. Food is apart of your social life whether you believe it or not. I had never truly noticed that whenever my family comes down to visit, we always go for dinner. However, in learning that I was doing this challenge, my parents decided not to come down for dinner. Family dinners have been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember and I carry that idea of food being a social thing with me in my daily life. I love to share a bite to eat with my friends and I find that food really brings out the best in people. This week I really missed cooking with my roommates and spending time in the kitchen. I felt like I spent way more time in my room because I did not want to have to smell and see my roommates cook great meals. Furthermore, there are many benefits to eating with others such as: regular shared mealtimes provide a sense of regularity to peoples lives, sharing meals allow opportunity for people to learn and listen, and eating at a table with others make individuals eat in upright chairs which improves digestion (Mental Health Foundation, 2020)

2. Without the proper nutrients it is hard to regulate your emotions. Throughout the week it was like I was on an emotional roller coaster. I went from being happy and full of energy one day, to being super tired and emotional the next. As I mentioned in a previous post, serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and appetite and without out, you can expect so fluctuation in your emotions (Dallas, 2011). Furthermore, having low blood sugar can lead to fatigue, weakness, and the feeling of being frustrated, all of which are tied to being hungry (Dallas, 2011). I have discovered this week the importance of giving my body the nutrients it needs to function and what happens if I don't. I became dizzy some days, I was forgetful others, and sometimes I even broke down crying.

3. I eat way more food than my body requires in a day. Prior to this week I would have never though that I was overeating. However, this week I was shocked to see that I was not very hungry. I anticipated that I would be starving, but I actually had enough food to keep me going throughout the days. Due to this, I have now purchased small containers for my lunches and leftovers because I do not need to have such portion sizes.

4. This challenge takes a lot of self-control. This challenge really tested my patience and my ability to commit to this 18$ grocery bill. While I sticked to the challenge, I constantly thought about how I could cheat if I wanted to. This was something that stuck with me through the challenge because whenever I felt the slightest urge for a treat, I would think “well no one would have to know if you did.” I almost found it comforting being able to know that if I needed to, I had food in my pantry to eat or an extra dollar to spend in a vending machine. Every time I quickly snapped myself out of that thinking because a welfare recipient does not have that luxury. They do not get to cheat if they want to, they have to stick to the “challenge” whether they want to or not.

5. Hunger can be psychological. Throughout this week I found that I did have enough food to last me the full seven days, meaning I had three meals a day. While this was the case, I honestly believe that I could make myself hungry by thinking about all the food I was missing out on even though I just ate. This is a very interesting phenomena that I had never experience before.

6. I am very lucky. The most important thing this week had taught me is that I am very lucky to have a roof over my head, food in my fridge to eat, and the support of my friends and family. I have a new found appreciation for the life I have. This challenge forced me to realize that my “problems” are really small in the big scheme of things.

In learning all of these things and experiencing a week in a welfare recipients shoes, I wanted to provide some resources below for anyone who may need them.

Red Deer Food Bank Society (403-346-1505) provides a food hamper to those in need, all you have to do is call in or visit their website for more information. The website is as follows https://reddeerfoodbank.com/need-help%3F

The Mustard Seed has services in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Kamloops. In Red Deer, the Mustard Seed provides meals on Mondays from 5-7 p.m and has many other services including bible study, prayer meetings, and drop-in hours. The program here in Red Deer also provides almost 350 meals to low-income children at school so that they can have healthy and nutritious lunches. The website is https://theseed.ca/services-red-deer/

Potter’s Hands Soup Kitchen is a local organization in Red Deer that serves breakfast on Monday through Saturday, lunch on Monday’s, and dinner on Tuesdays. They can also help find local low income housing for family. To view the website for more information go to http://pottershandsministries.org.

In being from a small town I wanted to include some rural communities in Alberta that all have a food bank in them for those who need it. People in these communities may not have access to accommodations that they have in the bigger cities. Some of the communities include: Sylvan Lake, Whitecourt, Olds, Killam, Brooks, Cochrane, and the list goes on and on. From my experience growing up in a small town, many local churches and community centres all have a food bank which is a great resource of the less fortunate to access.

If you have time or even just a small amount of money or food to donate to these wonderful places above, all of their websites have tons of information on how anyone can help out.

Overall, this challenge has allowed me to truly understand just how welfare recipients live everyday. I am so grateful for the life I have, but I am even more grateful for the opportunities I have every day to help people less fortunate than myself.

To view the article about the benefits of eating with others from the Mental Health Foundation (2020): https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/m/mealtimes-and-mental-health

To look at the website Research Reveals Why Hungry People Get Cranky: https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/0916/research-reveals-why-hungry-people-get-cranky.aspx

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ryancrossfield · 4 years ago

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off topic: your personal trainer sucks

I am ashamed to tell people what I do. And here’s why…

I once worked with a guy who tied a mini-band around a clients ankles and made him do Power Cleans while directing him to jump onto a box. Maybe he was into some kinky Franz Bosch training, but you cannot convince me this was relatively safe or even sound training. The bad part was this guy had a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from a great school. (◔_◔)

This guy had 4+ years of education about exercise physiology, strength training, biomechanics, etc., and the best thing he could come up with can basically be classified as circus training. Degrees and certifications aside, it seems ridiculous to me why people go to college to learn how to become Personal Trainers or Strength Coaches to begin with. The concept of learning from a professor, who isn’t in a gym or weight room producing results that inevitably you are going to want for your clients but instead reading out of a book is completely backwards. Don’t get me wrong, I fully embrace education, but from reputable sources. For example, if you wanted to be the best carpenter in the world, would you rather go to carpentry school or apprentice with the top carpenters in the world? Given you had a choice to hire one or the other to craft the woodwork in your new house, who do you hire? My money would be on the guy who learned from the best people in the industry, not from a book or an online certification.

When I was in college, the last week or so we were having a discussion about what we were grateful for and I remember one girl say she was “grateful that she wouldn’t have to read anymore.” The fuck?!? If you aren’t reading like they are burning libraries down, then you don’t deserve to be in this industry. I don’t care what school you went to, you don’t know enough to stop learning. But let me be honest, after I got my Personal Training certification, I thought I was Einstein. I knew every-fucking-thing and was happy to hand out unsolicited advice to any and all gym goers. However, once the basic advice I learned stopped working and came across someone who knew the game better than me, I quickly begin to tumble down the Dunning-Kruger curve into a realization that I really know nothing. It is a necessary and humbling experience that all great coaches have had.

Perhaps that is why, no matter what gym you step into it seems like it is a revolving door for Personal Trainers. Every 6 months or so you have a whole new crew, using the same basic level of knowledge as the last. The ones that left, probably did so because they were facing challenges that Instagram didn’t prepare them for and thus had to further educate themselves. I think turnover is so high because knowledge is so low. Not everyone wants to put in extra work, however those that deliberately put in the time for continuing education and additional research make the best coaches. To be successful in this industry you have to have a desire to want to improve yourself everyday.

Another reason turnover is so high is that the pay is so low due to the highly competitive nature of the Personal Training/Gym business. Companies want to undercut the gym across the street so they slight the trainers pay so much that you need 40 clients to pay the bills which takes up all the time you have training, and leaves none for education. Yes, every certification has its requirements of continuing education but it’s all sponsored bullshit from the certifying body and besides, if you think that only completing the minimum amount of education to retain your cert is enough, you don’t deserve to be in this industry. Humblebrag, I did 64 hours of continuing education and read 57 books last year on everything from business, to sleep, strength training, anatomy, brain health, hormone imbalance, biomechanics, nutrition, to Alzheimer’s, all in hopes of expanding my base of knowledge on how to improve the health and performance of my clients.

Unfortunately, companies do not value knowledgeable employees or good training, because they would have to pay them more, so again turnover is favorable. They devalue the profession by taking an obscene % of the training rate charged to the client. You are lucky to get half of what they charge the client for an hour of training. And some companies take as as much as 85% of the revenue coming from the sales of training, which is asinine. Once trainer’s build a client base and realize they can basically double their income by working for themselves, their out. Personally I think it behooves you — the corporation or the client — to pay more money so that I don’t have to run around all across the city to make money to eat. Instead, pay me what I’m worth, then I will have enough time on my hands to invest into learning more about how to help you optimally achieve your goal or, even better, how to improve myself as a coach. It makes more sense for me to charge $100 an hour and have 10 clients, with 30 hours to invest into education, than to charge $10 an hour and have 40 clients with no time to invest in education. Anyone who has studied the body substantially will tell you that there is a LOT going on in there (and no one is the same, just check out the book Biochemical Individuality). If you have 40 people, you can bet your ass that you will never be able to optimally impact the individual health or even handle a client base that high.

Speaking of not being stretched too thin, if you’re walking around with a cup of coffee or another stimulant drink in your hand during each session, what do you think that tells your client? Their workout bores you to sleep or that you aren’t fully prepared to give them your full attention. It gives off a terrible vibe. Maybe, if you went to sleep earlier or didn’t need to have 8 clients back-to-back to pay the bills, you wouldn’t need a stimulant and you’d have a free hand to actually write down the workout so that you can track the progress of your client, or better yet be awake enough to provide safe and sound training for your client.

Not too long ago, I was working out next to the Personal Training manager at a large gym chain who was “training” his client. He had this poor girl, who was obviously new to lifting, doing Split Squats at near maximal weight with poor technique. Needless to say it didn’t end well. She fell over and busted her ass and the trainer made it seem like it was her fault. Perhaps, if this guy wasn’t sitting on the nearest bench observing with a fucking Bang in his hand, he could have seen the faults in her execution and adjusted accordingly. The scary thing is this guy is a manager and suppose to set the example for the fleet of trainers he is in charge of.

Here’s another thing, if you’re in charge of a Personal Training department, I would expect you to look like you workout. I don’t think that is asking too much. You don’t need to be jacked or ripped or flawless, just look like you practice what you preach. I say all that to say this… I once worked with a guy who was a Metabolic Specialist. He ran a national program that sought to improve the efficiency of people’s fat-burning through a “specialized” heart-rate training. He was obese. I feel that this is akin to taking advice from a overweight dietician. The program obviously had some flaws!

Now, I’m not perfect, but I feel that physical appearance should play a part in being the face of a company wide program about weight-loss. Powerlifting and Strongman aside, your physique should have some semblance of what your clients desire because after all the majority of Personal Training clients are simply looking to lose weight to look better naked. This just speaks to the fact that people really don’t know what they are doing, whether it be metabolic assessments, nutrition or even lifting, which leads me into my next gripe…

Last time I checked, no one cares how much you can Lat Pull, but that didn’t stop this one trainer from trying to impress a potential client by attempting to pull the whole weight stack. Obviously, it was too heavy, but fortunately for him he lifts like he’s having an epileptic fit. Even with him swinging, rocking, slamming and bouncing the weight, he only gets a few half-reps but does manage to make a complete fool of himself. I don’t understand how, as a trainer who is supposed to teach proper movement, this is acceptable. behavior.

It’s shit like that that has made me jaded. Terrible training is everywhere and people refuse to listen to common sense or learn simple biomechanics. Case in point; I had a trainer tell me that the best way to “isolate the hamstring” (like it’s one fucking muscle) is by doing an undulating single-leg half squat with a weight in the contralateral hand placed in the midline of the body. Last time, I checked, the Hamstrings either a primary knee flexor or assist in hip extension. Now you can argue for the Hamstrings being worked with the aforementioned movement, but by no means are they working hard as if you were to use an exercise that mirrors knee flexion or hip extension — a Leg Curl or an RDL, respectively. The funny part is, the trainer had the client holding onto the Leg Curl machine for balance while she was “isolating the hamstring” with this ridiculous movement.

Speaking of Hamstrings, I knew a trainer who had a 4-year degree in Kinesiology, along with multiple certifications on top of an internship who couldn’t tell me the muscles that make up the Hamstrings. I’m not an anatomy wiz by any stretch of the imagination, but I know that medially to laterally the muscles consist of Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus, and the Biceps Femoris (Long head and Short head). And I know their actions. It is a major muscle group, so the lack of understanding is just baffling.

To go further, if you aren’t well versed in the basic anatomy of a major muscle group, what makes you think you have any business helping people break up scar tissue or “release” a tight muscle? Because you bought a Hypervolt?!? Scar tissue probably wasn’t even on your radar before you saw the advertisement. Without a fundamental understanding of anatomy, using a tool such as a Hypervolt or a Theragun, is at best a shotgun approach to a more complicated problem. Your power to use this tool has successfully educated you beyond your intellect. Your clients deserve a more informed approach and so does the industry.

Another thing plaguing the industry is professional athletes thinking they know how to train, when in fact they make the worst trainers. Due to their freakish genetics, pretty much anything they have been instructed to do in the weightroom, whether considered good or bad training, has worked for them. So when they retire from their sport or are forced out from injury, some of them revert to Personal Training because they are so “familiar” with the gym. I’ve worked with two NFL guys. One swore up and down that Speed Ladders were the key to his on-field success, which led me to write this: Ladder Drills DO NOT Increase Sport Performance. To my dismay, he refused to respond after I sent him the article. And as for the other guy, he had the bright idea to do Power Cleans… with chains on the bar. It wasn’t long before he realized why no one else was doing it when he smacked himself in the face. It may be surprising to hear but there are very few novel things in the world of strength training.

It’s not just the people within the industry, but the clients as well. The majority of people who hire Personal Trainers do not want to work hard. They just want to be babysat and talk. These are the worst clients because they not only get zero results but it’s your fault and their attitude toward training will drag you down with them. How can I, as a coach, improve my craft if all a client wants to do is sit and talk about the Bachelor? I got into this industry because I think the human body is fucking fascinating. I read and learn constantly so that I can get better at what I do. I am not a conversationalist, I am a coach. I haven’t watched TV in months, so I give zero shits about a reality show where you can vicariously live out your fantasies of being whisked away. You know what my fantasy is? Someone who wants to listen, work hard and get results. That is really the only way I am able to get better, but maybe I’m selfish.

I’ve gone on far too long so I want to finish by saying that I no longer consider myself a Personal Trainer. That is not what I am because I am better. I have seen too much fuckery in this industry to allow myself to be associated with the halfass attempts, low paying jobs, lack of effort, disrespect and ignorance. I am henceforth known as a Health and Performance Coach. I am facilitator, not a motivator. I didn’t get into this industry to tell you you can do it, I got into this industry to show you how. I’m not a cheerleader, nor do I desire to be one. I am a coach. It’s simple; do the work, get results.

#personal training #gym #workout #nasm

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wendyimmiller · 4 years ago

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‘Martha Knows Best’ Is Not Great. It’s Not Even a Good Thing.

So, it’s come to this.

As a nation, we are so starved for American garden programming that we are willing to accept that a woman worth over $620 million dollars, stuck for 82 days on her 153-acre estate in Bedford, NY; with her gardener, one of her housekeepers, and one of her drivers; and joined as needed by groundskeepers and their foreman, is going to fill that need and leave us hungry for another season of down-to-earth gardening advice.

So starved, that we are willing to accept HGTV promos that tell us that this immaculately dressed and fully made-up celebrity, sans sweat, sans grimy hands, and sans, apparently, a production assistant to create some small illusion of same, is relatable; and “puts the G back in HGTV.”

So starved, that we are willing to overlook her frequent – and historical – transposition of the pronouns “I” and “they” when discussing the nitty-gritty of projects undertaken on that 153-acre estate.

So. Starved.

Six episodes worth of gilded crumbs. And I’m afraid this gardener has lost her appetite.

It’s not about the money…

Perhaps the best way to launch into my review [and accompanying visual aids] of the first season of HGTV’s Martha Knows Best, (which I watched in its entirety after Susan’s recent review here) is to make it perfectly clear that I have no problem with the [legal] accumulation of wealth.

What wrestling a tiller really looks like.

I have no problem, as it were, with the wealthy.

You earned it. You spend it. Martha Stewart is not just an extraordinary business woman, but a talented creative with an expert eye sharpened over many years.

She also has the genius to recognize, nurture, and promote that spark in other creatives.

If she insists that the 1000+ containers on her property be of the same color family (stone, concrete or marble), and never wishes to see an artistic vegetable in a flower arrangement, and lines utilitarian pathways to peacock enclosures with cut blocks of granite, who am I to criticize her from enjoying the whims that whacking great wads of cash can indulge?

I’ll have to tell my insanely talented friend Louisa Zimmermann-Roberts at Thanksgiving Farms in Frederick, MD, that her summer arrangement of Swiss chard, sweet pea, red raspberries, grapes eggplant, okra, chives, black-eyed peas and banana leaves is not officially sanctioned. She’s going to take it really well.

If I lived across the street as one of her “very many fancy neighbors” I would raise a glass to her abilities at the neighborhood block party, and conscientiously ask her advice when it came to pairing champagne and stemware for a well-lubricated celebrity crowd of twenty on a Saturday night.

I might even ask which echeveria to use in the tablescape.

Wickedly, I’d also try to tempt her hardworking gardener, Ryan McCallister, to cross the street and become my personal gardener. My current gardener, Cutout Andy (though versatile and well-traveled), doesn’t have the same twinkle in his eye.

Cutout Andy and I discussing plans for the garden.

All this to say, I respect what she has achieved and have no desire to set up a mini-guillotine in the exquisitely designed cobblestone courtyard of her horse stables. I won’t even debate aspects of her gardening advice. Susan did that already.

I also respect the fact that she is a 79-year-old woman who is a damn sight more active than your average 79-year-old American.

Let Them Eat Cake

What I don’t respect however, is this laughable attempt to appear ‘relatable’ as someone who is just like me, or like 99% of the gardening public.

I don’t respect the producers of this show having so little awareness of the current suffering going on throughout the country that they felt that a conspicuous display of fabulous wealth could feed the public’s very real (and in many cases, economic) need for gardening advice.

At a certain point it goes from being laughable, to being downright offensive. From the intro:

“I’ve lived on this farm for about 17 years. And like you I’m spending more time at home than ever before. So I’m going to take you behind the scenes as I do my gardening projects. I’m going to help my celebrity friends. And surprise new gardeners.”

Here’s one of my gardening projects – Endlessly Weeding. On my knees. On my own. And I’m one of the lucky ones.

It must be horrific to spend 82 days on 153 acres. With a modified staff.

What about 82 days on a tenth of an acre (like my last house)? What about 82 days in an apartment with a philodendron?

Uhhh….there’s a pandemic going on?

We have been six months at this pandemic. After years in cramped quarters, I now live on ten beautiful acres in a four-bedroom house. And I’m ready to bury my husband’s work-from-home body in a remote corner of the property at this point. It might even be classified as a COVID death.

And no doubt my husband feels the same way.

And yet, every evening of this mess, when I watch the news and see cities in such turmoil, I think of my 10×12′ apartment in New York, when I was 100% dependent on food service jobs and student loans to make my bills.

Each and every morning when I walk through the garden I think of our little upstairs flat in Southeast London when my son was a toddler, and how desperate I was for more than a window box and a few pots by the door.

My very first vegetable garden – a 2x17ft unpaved strip in the parking lot outside our tiny apartment in Southern California. (Photo from Big Dreams, Small Garden, 2017)

And each morning I am deeply grateful for the space around me, and painfully aware that others are struggling in this pandemic under terrible conditions with no end in sight.

No awareness from Hollywood apparently. Or from Bedford.

“When the pandemic started and quarantine became de rigueur,” says Stewart, “I invited Ryan, my gardener, I invited Carlos, one of my drivers, and one of my housekeepers Elvira, to stay with me during this time.”

Quarantine. De rigueur. Alrighty then. So is a floor length gown at a debutante ball Martha. But okay, we’ll just go with it.

Lost in Translation

And if you didn’t study French in high school and are currently running to Google Translate – keep the tab open. To Martha, soil that is ready for planting does not resemble a palm full of pastry dough, but pâte brisée.

It’s actually an excellent analogy that falls short in its delivery. As does dropping mise en place to describe setting gardening tools in place for a project.

While you’re at it, you might want to check out Île de la Cité, where Martha gets “all her seeds.”

No Chanel or Dior for this everyday gardener when she arrives in Paris, she tells us, but straight to those lovely little seed markets.

I didn’t want to bring Marie and her cake into this, but damn.

My husband and I on our way to the seed markets. Regrettably he had to drive us due to some staffing issues.

I remark upon these Gallicisms as someone with five years of French under her belt, a fair amount of experience in the kitchen and garden, and an unfortunate history of dropping sans into conversation, but a young, beginning American gardener doesn’t know her pâte brisée from her pot of ease-ay.

99.9% of low or middle-income gardeners are not jetting to Paris for their seeds and will probably see what’s available at local garden centers before they consider even splurging on shipping fees for online sources, no matter how wonderful they are.

I know I did.

And here. Here is the issue. Pretending that this is a gardening show instead of a celebrity reality show.

The wonderful thing about Cutout Andy is that he is so incredibly portable. Here he is on his way to help my mother in her garden in California.

Just Ask Martha

A few moments of FaceTiming Mitch in Lemoore, California about soil preparation for his carrots; or telling Maggie in Mississippi that she needs “ferns” for the north side of her shady house; or letting Karlin from Florida in on the not-so-little secret that she needs a coop for her ducks to keep them safe from predators; does not constitute ‘hanging with the little people.’

Especially after each performs the requisite sycophantic prelude before speaking to “the Gardening Queen Herself”

Maggie: “I almost started crying but I did keep it together.”

And then there are the celebrity cameos. Hailey Bieber needing dog grooming tips. Jay Leno showing us the kitchen in his garage and asking what a pomegranate is. Zac Posen telling Martha he’s been gardening since March in Bridgehampton.

“Well. It’s SOOO easy to garden in the Hamptons” she laughs.

I’ll just leave that right where it fell.

Cutout Andy taking a few moments away from digging out a new pathway to enjoy a warm tomato from my mother’s garden.

I made my life-long gardening mother watch two episodes with me. When Martha begged Snoop Dogg to join her in Maine on her 63-acre estate, Skylands, for her next party post-COVID, Mom turned to me with a puzzled look on her face. “It’s like digging your heel into somebody’s face.” She said quietly. “I’d be embarrassed to say that.”

Even if I gave millions of dollars to charities each year – as no doubt Martha does – I would too.

To his credit, a tee-shirted Richard Gere sat cross-legged and underneath a tree in his father’s average suburban garden where he grew up – even if they spent the entire time discussing the shade beds at his exclusive Relais & Châteaux establishment, The Bedford Post Inn. He almost seemed a little embarrassed.

Perhaps we have his friendship with the Dalai Lama to thank for that.

She knows her stuff. But she’s forgotten her audience.

Martha’s smart. She’s exceptionally talented. She built an empire.

But she is not the person to put the G back in HGTV.

Those are people like Joe Lamp’l on Growing a Greener World, or Nan Sterman in A Growing Passion, or or down-to-earth influencers like Erin Schanen (www.impatientgardener.com) or Doug Oster (www.dougoster.com), or Ron Finley (www.ronfinley.com) who show you the trials, tribulations and glorious successes without the catchy music and celebrity friends.

Ron Finley of South Central L.A., an activist gardener who has changed thousands of lives by inspiring people living in the food deserts of inner cities to garden (Source: www.RonFinley.com)

For advanced gardeners who have yet to watch ‘Martha Knows Best,’ do. I’d like to know what you think.

But if you’re a brand-new gardener – look to the shows, feeds and podcasts of those who garden with the resources and in the region that you do. I guarantee you there are hundreds on YouTube.

Or, depart these shores altogether and take advantage of UK programming that still respects its population enough to provide polished and professional gardening programs to inspire everyday gardeners, such as Charlie Dimmock’s new endeavor, Garden Rescue, classic episodes of Ground Force, or Monty Don and others truly getting their hands dirty in BBC Gardener’s World. (Please leave your suggestions in the comments for excellent gardening programming in other parts of the world.)

Martha Knows Best is not a gardening show. It’s a celebrity reality show that takes place outside. And in the middle of a pandemic, when millions are out of work, businesses are shuttered, and large segments of the population are watching their future dreams for even a modest home and garden sabotaged by something completely out of their control, we deserve better.

Let’s hope HGTV digs a little deeper and finds it.

‘Martha Knows Best’ Is Not Great. It’s Not Even a Good Thing. originally appeared on GardenRant on September 10, 2020.

The post ‘Martha Knows Best’ Is Not Great. It’s Not Even a Good Thing. appeared first on GardenRant.

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turfandlawncare · 4 years ago

Text

‘Martha Knows Best’ Is Not Great. It’s Not Even a Good Thing.

So, it’s come to this.

So. Starved.

Six episodes worth of gilded crumbs. And I’m afraid this gardener has lost her appetite.

It’s not about the money…

What wrestling a tiller really looks like.

I have no problem, as it were, with the wealthy.

You earned it. You spend it. Martha Stewart is not just an extraordinary business woman, but a talented creative with an expert eye sharpened over many years.

She also has the genius to recognize, nurture, and promote that spark in other creatives.

I might even ask which echeveria to use in the tablescape.

Cutout Andy and I discussing plans for the garden.

I also respect the fact that she is a 79-year-old woman who is a damn sight more active than your average 79-year-old American.

Let Them Eat Cake

What I don’t respect however, is this laughable attempt to appear ‘relatable’ as someone who is just like me, or like 99% of the gardening public.

At a certain point it goes from being laughable, to being downright offensive. From the intro:

Here’s one of my gardening projects – Endlessly Weeding. On my knees. On my own. And I’m one of the lucky ones.

It must be horrific to spend 82 days on 153 acres. With a modified staff.

What about 82 days on a tenth of an acre (like my last house)? What about 82 days in an apartment with a philodendron?

Uhhh….there’s a pandemic going on?

And no doubt my husband feels the same way.

My very first vegetable garden – a 2x17ft unpaved strip in the parking lot outside our tiny apartment in Southern California. (Photo from Big Dreams, Small Garden, 2017)

And each morning I am deeply grateful for the space around me, and painfully aware that others are struggling in this pandemic under terrible conditions with no end in sight.

No awareness from Hollywood apparently. Or from Bedford.

Quarantine. De rigueur. Alrighty then. So is a floor length gown at a debutante ball Martha. But okay, we’ll just go with it.

Lost in Translation

It’s actually an excellent analogy that falls short in its delivery. As does dropping mise en place to describe setting gardening tools in place for a project.

While you’re at it, you might want to check out Île de la Cité, where Martha gets “all her seeds.”

No Chanel or Dior for this everyday gardener when she arrives in Paris, she tells us, but straight to those lovely little seed markets.

I didn’t want to bring Marie and her cake into this, but damn.

My husband and I on our way to the seed markets. Regrettably he had to drive us due to some staffing issues.

I know I did.

And here. Here is the issue. Pretending that this is a gardening show instead of a celebrity reality show.

The wonderful thing about Cutout Andy is that he is so incredibly portable. Here he is on his way to help my mother in her garden in California.

Just Ask Martha

Especially after each performs the requisite sycophantic prelude before speaking to “the Gardening Queen Herself”

Maggie: “I almost started crying but I did keep it together.”

“Well. It’s SOOO easy to garden in the Hamptons” she laughs.

I’ll just leave that right where it fell.

Cutout Andy taking a few moments away from digging out a new pathway to enjoy a warm tomato from my mother’s garden.

Even if I gave millions of dollars to charities each year – as no doubt Martha does – I would too.

Perhaps we have his friendship with the Dalai Lama to thank for that.

She knows her stuff. But she’s forgotten her audience.

Martha’s smart. She’s exceptionally talented. She built an empire.

But she is not the person to put the G back in HGTV.

Ron Finley of South Central L.A., an activist gardener who has changed thousands of lives by inspiring people living in the food deserts of inner cities to garden (Source: www.RonFinley.com)

For advanced gardeners who have yet to watch ‘Martha Knows Best,’ do. I’d like to know what you think.

But if you’re a brand-new gardener – look to the shows, feeds and podcasts of those who garden with the resources and in the region that you do. I guarantee you there are hundreds on YouTube.

Let’s hope HGTV digs a little deeper and finds it.

‘Martha Knows Best’ Is Not Great. It’s Not Even a Good Thing. originally appeared on GardenRant on September 10, 2020.

The post ‘Martha Knows Best’ Is Not Great. It’s Not Even a Good Thing. appeared first on GardenRant.

from GardenRant https://ift.tt/2Zo3nqd

#GardenRant

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kennethherrerablog · 6 years ago

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How This Family Lives Off $45K/Year While Raising a Special Needs Child

On a late November afternoon, Vicki Fouche heats up slices of frozen pizza in the toaster oven for lunch.

Her daughter Hannah, 10, waits at the dining room table in their Ocala, Florida, home.

Hannah has challenges eating on her own. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects motor skills, muscle tone and movement, when she was 6 months old.

Vicki, 48, places two plates in front of Hannah. “Look here. Which pizza do you want? Do you want ‘The Lion King’ or Olaf?” Vicki asks, referring to the Disney characters decorating each plate. “Which would you like? Lion King? Olaf?”

Hannah replies with just a sound — one that would be incomprehensible to most. But without any words exchanged, her mom knows what’s wrong.

“You don’t want either one?” she guesses. “You want pretzel bites?”

Hannah utters another obscure sound.

“You’re a pain in the butt, do you know that?” Vicki jokes, and she whisks the plates away from Hannah, handing a pizza slice off to Hannah’s 21-year-old sister, Bethany.

Vicki heads back to the freezer to get some pretzel bites, one of Hannah’s favorite foods.

When Hannah’s lunch is heated, Vicki brings a plate over to Hannah, whose attention is fixed on the iPad in front of her. Vicki proceeds to cut the pretzel bites into small pieces and feed her.

Hannah’s condition is hypotonic, meaning she has low muscle tone — specifically in her head, neck and trunk. She can’t stand on her own, walk or talk.

Hannah has the cognitive abilities to communicate; she just lacks the physical abilities to speak more than a few words. She uses an app on her iPad that lets her select words and phrases to speak aloud for her. In fact, Vicki says Hannah often uses the app to request pretzel bites.

There are many variations of cerebral palsy. For some, the disorder has a minimal effect on their lives. Others require around-the-clock care.

According to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, 1 in 323 U.S. babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy. There is no known cure for the disorder, which affects approximately 17 million people across the globe.

Hannah’s physical challenges mean that Vicki and her husband, Tim, have to care for Hannah in ways similar to caring for an infant. They feed her. They bathe her. They carry her down the hallway and lift her into her safety bed, which resembles an oversized crib.

Hannah’s parents also shoulder all the financial responsibilities of raising a child with cerebral palsy.

The Fouches are a family of five living off less than $45,000 per year. Though Bethany, their oldest daughter, doesn’t live at home anymore, Vicki and Tim have a 6-year-old daughter, Mikayla, and they took in their 15-year-old niece, Naomi, last summer.

Tim, 48, who works as a residential construction estimator for a custom home builder, is the family’s sole breadwinner.

“I work hard,” Tim says. “As a husband and a dad, you try to maintain a balance of working and being there for your family, too, at the same time. When you do that and you still feel like you’re falling short at the end of the month… it gets frustrating sometimes.”

Why Making More Money Isn’t an Option

The family qualifies for Medicaid and Social Security benefits for Hannah, plus a scholarship that covers home-schooling expenses. But Vicki says she’s scared of the possibility of losing that assistance if her husband makes more money.

“We’re [between] the proverbial rock and a hard place,” she says.

The Fouches know other families with disabled children that don’t qualify for assistance and aren’t able to get certain treatment or equipment covered under their private insurance.

“If [Tim] were to make more money and then they took [Medicaid away], it would cost us more in the long run,” Vicki says.

Vicki usually handles paying the bills and budgeting for the family since Tim works full time.

“How she does it, I don’t know,” Tim says. “She takes something out of nothing, and she pays the bills. But it’s a struggle every month.”

The Fouches have between $10,000 and $15,000 in credit card debt. They’ve used their credit cards when unexpected expenses came up, such as when the transmission went out in their minivan last year. They’ve made home-schooling purchases on credit, only to later find out Hannah’s scholarship wouldn’t reimburse the expense.

Every year, they like to put money aside from their tax refund to save for emergencies. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stretch through the year. They don’t have any other financial safety net.

“We never have money to save,” Vicki says. “We’re lucky that we have enough to pay our bills.”

Medicaid Helps… but It Has Limits

Each week, Hannah sees a speech therapist, physical therapist and occupational therapist. She also participates in therapeutic horseback riding. Because of assistance, the Fouches don’t have to pay out of pocket for any of that.

The Fouches have also gotten some of Hannah’s equipment paid for through Medicaid: an electric wheelchair, a manual wheelchair, a walker, a shower chair and Hannah’s safety bed, plus her nutritional drinks and diapers.

“We’re very, very blessed,” Vicki says.

But Vicki says the diapers Medicaid covers for Hannah leak easily. The electric wheelchair has malfunctioned several times.

Hannah never felt comfortable in the first shower chair they were able to get through Medicaid when she was little, so her father built one out of PVC pipe and trampoline material.

Vicki says she’s glad her husband is so handy. He also built a makeshift wheelchair ramp for their front door and widened the entrance into their kitchen so Hannah’s wheelchair could fit through.

Getting requests approved through Medicaid can be challenging, Vicki says. She says the agency requires in-depth explanations about why they need certain equipment or therapy and how Hannah will benefit.

And even when something is approved, the family sometimes still has to pay for part of it. Last spring, for example, Hannah received three weeks of intensive therapy at a facility in Melbourne, Florida. Medicaid covered the cost of the therapy, but the family had to pay for travel and lodging, since the facility was three and a half hours from home.

The family sold bracelets as a fundraiser and made about $2,300.

“We ended up having to come up with some of it out of our pocket,” she says. “We raised most of it, but not [all].”

A Plan Abandoned

Vicki used to work as a Girl Scouts program coordinator, but high day care costs caused her to become a stay-at-home mom after having Hannah. She thought it would be temporary and that she’d go back to work once Hannah started kindergarten. Then, she got unexpectedly pregnant with Mikayla.

Vicki had her tubes tied after that pregnancy. With Hannah in school, Vicki’s new plan was to go back to work once Mikayla was in kindergarten. But then Hannah started having troubling experiences at school.

“She came home one time with rug burn on her cheek, a black eye, a split-open lip, and they say she fell over at circle time,” Vicki recalls, saying she suspects Hannah fell off a changing table instead. “She would come home 90% of the time with her lunch [uneaten].”

The Fouches were concerned their daughter wasn’t getting proper care at school. Two weeks before Hannah was going to start third grade, her parents told her she’d be going back to school soon. She cried hysterically.

“What kid at 8 years old hates school so bad?” Vicki asks.

So the Fouches made the decision to home-school their girls, and Vicki abandoned her plan to return to work. Though Vicki does a lot for her family, she sometimes feels bad that she isn’t able to earn an income. However, Tim says he’s very thankful for the role she’s taken on.

“[It’s] worth a whole lot for her to be with our children, to keep them safe and [see to it] that they’re taken care of and getting a good education,” he says.

That’s not the only sacrifice the Fouches have had to make.

Vicki says they choose not to go to places as a family that aren’t accommodating for Hannah, like the playground or the fair. If Mikayla wants to go, she has to wait until one parent can stay home to watch Hannah.

The Fouches try to make sure Mikayla gets to do things she likes — such as gymnastics and T-ball — but the money isn’t always there for her to participate. Vicki says they had to charge T-ball registration fees to their credit card. They pay per class for gymnastics, and when money is tight, they’ll just skip it for the week.

One special treat the entire family enjoys is going to Disney World, which is only about an hour-and-a-half drive from their home. Last year, the Fouches had annual passes. They got them as a Christmas gift for the girls and paid for them in monthly installments. However, Vicki says they decided not to renew the passes for this year after Disney raised its prices.

“That’s been really frustrating,” she says. “That’s really the only thing that we do with the kids… Hannah doesn’t feel disabled at Disney. She can go on all the rides. She can’t do that at all the other parks.”

Their Plans and Dreams for an Uncertain Future

About a decade ago, when Hannah was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Vicki remembers the doctor explaining the diagnosis twice.

“I guess most people get hysterical and we didn’t, so the doctor [asked], ‘Do you understand what I’m saying to you?’” she says.

But Vicki and Tim knew something serious was wrong with Hannah. Their infant daughter wasn’t meeting typical milestones for her age. Unbeknownst to each other, they both had suspected it was cerebral palsy.

Instead of being devastated, they were grateful Hannah didn’t have a terminal illness, but rather a disorder that can improve over time through therapy.

And the Fouches have seen Hannah progress over the years. She can sit up unassisted, whereas before her body wasn’t strong enough to support itself.

One speech therapist told the Fouches that Hannah would never be able to work a communication device.

“She said she would never be strong enough to push the buttons on the communication thing,” Vicki recalls. “And yeah, this kid’s a whip on the iPad. It’s not even funny.”

In early December, Hannah was fitted for a leg brace that will keep her body from folding up in her sleep. Since she can’t control her limbs, it can be dangerous if she bends herself in half overnight, causing her to hurt herself or even block her breathing. Hannah often sleeps in her worried parents’ bed so they can closely monitor her.

A few weeks after getting the brace, Tim says she’s still having trouble adjusting to it. Hannah’s therapist suggested putting the brace on for an hour or two in the evening and working their way up to using it while she sleeps. Once Hannah is able to use the brace overnight and transition to her own bed, her parents will be able to get a more restful night’s sleep.

There’s still other equipment the Fouches wish Hannah had to better her life.

They’d love for Hannah to have a mobile stander, a device that would help her stand and move around without having to support her own weight.

“We can stand her for a little bit… but the last couple times we had her in her walker, she’s gotten so overheated, she’s thrown up,” Vicki says.

Having a device that doesn’t make Hannah strain to support herself would be ideal. Being in a wheelchair so often causes Hannah to have poor circulation in her legs.

However, Vicki says Medicaid won’t cover the mobile stander, because Hannah already has the electric wheelchair. She says it’d cost $5,600 to pay for out of pocket — money the family doesn’t have.

She also says it’d be wonderful to have a hoist system in the house to lift Hannah up. At 60 pounds, Hannah isn’t easy to carry anymore.

“I’m scared I’m going to fall with her,” says Vicki, who had to be hospitalized twice last year after bad falls. Luckily, she wasn’t carrying Hannah on either occasion.

The Fouches also wish they had a handicap-accessible van, but they can’t afford one. Vicki said even getting their current minivan converted to be wheelchair accessible would cost around $15,000.

Instead, they have to lift Hannah into the minivan, and they use her manual wheelchair when they go out.

Hannah’s only 10 now, but Tim and Vicki have thought about what her life will be like as she gets older. It’s uncertain what Hannah will be able to do on her own once she reaches adulthood.

“If we could have one wish for her… I would really hope at some point that she could be able to speak,” Vicki says. “I think that would make a huge difference for her, instead of having to rely on a communication device. I don’t know if that will ever happen — and if it doesn’t, it’s fine — but if I had a choice between her walking or speaking, I’d rather have her speak.”

One thing Vicki and Tim do know is that they never want to place Hannah in a nursing home. The Fouches say their faith in God gives them strength to handle all the challenges that come their way.

Overall, Vicki’s greatest hope for her daughter is one most parents have for their child.

“I just want her to have as [good of] a life as she can,” she says.

If you are raising a child with special needs, learn more about how to plan financially for your child’s future.

Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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How This Family Lives Off $45K/Year While Raising a Special Needs Child published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

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deniscollins · 6 years ago

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Michael Bloomberg: Why I’m Giving $1.8 Billion for College Financial Aid

Michael Bloomberg just donated $1.8 billion to his alma mater, John Hopkins University, in addition to $1.5 billion he previously donated, to be used for financial aid for qualified low- and middle-income students and make admissions at Hopkins forever need-blind; finances will never again factor into decisions. If you had $5 billion to donate in 3 areas, what three areas would you choose and why? What are the ethics underlying your 3 choices?

Here’s a simple idea I bet most Americans agree with: No qualified high school student should ever be barred entrance to a college based on his or her family’s bank account. Yet it happens all the time.

When colleges review applications, all but a few consider a student’s ability to pay. As a result, high-achieving applicants from low- and middle-income families are routinely denied seats that are saved for students whose families have deeper pockets. This hurts the son of a farmer in Nebraska as much as the daughter of a working mother in Detroit.

America is at its best when we reward people based on the quality of their work, not the size of their pocketbook. Denying students entry to a college based on their ability to pay undermines equal opportunity. It perpetuates intergenerational poverty. And it strikes at the heart of the American dream: the idea that every person, from every community, has the chance to rise based on merit.

I was lucky: My father was a bookkeeper who never made more than $6,000 a year. But I was able to afford Johns Hopkins University through a National Defense student loan, and by holding down a job on campus. My Hopkins diploma opened up doors that otherwise would have been closed, and allowed me to live the American dream.

I have always been grateful for that opportunity. I gave my first donation to Hopkins the year after I graduated: $5. It was all I could afford. Since then, I’ve given the school $1.5 billion to support research, teaching and financial aid.

Hopkins has made great progress toward becoming “need-blind” — admitting students based solely on merit. I want to be sure that the school that gave me a chance will be able to permanently open that same door of opportunity for others. And so, I am donating an additional $1.8 billion to Hopkins that will be used for financial aid for qualified low- and middle-income students.

This will make admissions at Hopkins forever need-blind; finances will never again factor into decisions. The school will be able to offer more generous levels of financial aid, replacing loans for many students with scholarship grants. It will ease the burden of debt for many graduates. And it will make the campus more socioeconomically diverse.

But Hopkins is one school. A recent analysis by The Times found that at dozens of America’s elite colleges, more students came from the top 1 percent of the income scale than from the entire bottom 60 percent of that scale — even though many of those lower-income students have the qualifications to get in.

And until recently, by some estimates, half of all high-achieving low- and middle-income students have not even been applying to top colleges — largely because they believe they can’t afford it, doubt they’ll be accepted, or aren’t even aware of their options.

As a result, they often lose out — and so do colleges that would benefit from their talents and diverse perspectives. Our country loses out, too.

College is a great leveler. Multiple studies have shown that students who attend selective colleges — no matter what their family’s background — have similar earnings after graduation. But too many qualified kids from low- and middle-income families are being shut out.

As a country, we can tackle this challenge and open doors of opportunity to more students by taking three basic steps:

First, we need to improve college advising so that more students from more diverse backgrounds apply to select colleges. Through a program called CollegePoint, my foundation has counseled nearly 50,000 low- and middle-income students about their options, and helped them navigate the financial aid process.

Second, we need to persuade more colleges to increase their financial aid and accept more low- and middle-income students. Through the American Talent Initiative (which my foundation created several years ago), more than 100 state and private schools have together begun admitting and graduating more of these students.

Third, we need more graduates to direct their alumni giving to financial aid. I’m increasing my personal commitment — the largest donation to a collegiate institution, I’m told. But it’s my hope that others will, too, whether the check is for $5, $50, $50,000 or more.

But these steps alone are not sufficient. Federal grants have not kept pace with rising costs, and states have slashed student aid. Private donations cannot and should not make up for the lack of government support.

Together, the federal and state governments should make a new commitment to improving access to college and reducing the often prohibitive burdens debt places on so many students and families.

There may be no better investment that we can make in the future of the American dream — and the promise of equal opportunity for all.

#Philanthropy

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michellemasciolithings-blog · 7 years ago

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Dear Mayor DiBlasio & First Lady Chirlane McCray

I am a resident in an affordable housing unit in Chelsea, Manhattan. I’ve lived in the same apartment since 2012, when my son was only 6 months old. His father and I signed the lease and qualified for an affordable unit, with a total income of 160k for our family. At the time, I was not earning any income and caring for our son full time.

In 2014, my son’s father moved out of the apartment and we entered into the Family Court system for custody and support matters. I remained in the apartment, determined to keep a stable home for our son, and became responsible for the lease and monthly rent of $3665.

My lease was renewed in my name and my son’s father was taken off the lease. The management company allowed me to renew without having to qualify based on income, due to domestic violence. Having no work history for a few years, steady income or savings, and being a real estate agent in Manhattan, I knew I would not be accepted for a different apartment nor did I have a guarantor to help.

I have faced being evicted because I was unable to pay the rent when my son’s father failed to pay child support. I am now facing eviction again because of serious financial strain. I understand that I am one of many New Yorkers that craves the luxury of stable, affordable housing and I’m grateful for having my apartment.

Tonight I watched the Town Hall meeting on Youtube where you discussed the issue of affordable housing, and that the goal is to “build affordable housing and keep people in the affordable housing that they have.” My building, specifically is part of the 421-tax incentive and 80% of the building is affordable while 20% is for low income residents.

I have asked the landlord to work with me so that I am not displaced from the apartment. I’ve asked that my income be reviewed and rent adjusted as I am now a low-income resident. I was told that my unit, is not “one of the low-income units”. It is on a higher floor with a nice view and despite the housing “lottery”, management reserves the better apartments for tenants that have a higher income.

Please make a difference for my family and my son’s future and help us become one of the “families that have affordable housing for the long haul”. You spoke tonight about a housing preservation program which constitutes 30% of a tenants income the determining factor for monthly rent. This is a brilliant idea- fair and efficient.

The ability to have stable housing affects every aspect of our lives, and we hope to continue to thrive in this community.

Thank you for serving this wonderful City, we will be lucky to have you for another term.

Warm Regards,

Michelle Mascioli

#FLONYC

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preciousporras · 8 years ago

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What TRIO Gave Me

I want to share one of my favorite poems by Langston Hughes:

Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor -- Bare.

But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners,

And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light.

So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.

Don't you fall now -- For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin',

And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Like many in this room, I am a first generation college student. I was also very poor growing up. I am a woman of color. The combination of those identities crafted a narrative in which I wasn’t supposed to succeed. I wasn’t supposed to get to where I am today. My life was not a crystal stair.

My life had tacks and splinters, I grew up in single parent home and we were very poor, using welfare and social services to supplement my mother’s meager income. My mother dropped out of school in the seventh grade to help raise her siblings. However, she always understood the value of education and she encouraged me to do my best so that I could go to college. My education was always a priority in my family. My mother taught me to read when I was four, always encouraged me to do well in school and homework always came before fun. I watched my mother work various low paying jobs to make ends meet; both she and I knew that college would be my key to a more fulfilling life. So while I knew that I was going to college, I had no idea how to get there. My life was bare and I stumbled in the dark, until I found TRiO.

When I was a sophmore, I was introduced into Upward Bound (Project Focus through Emporia State University). I joined because my friends told me how much fun it was and because that summer’s trip was going to be to Minnesota and the Mall of America. I stayed on through 3 more summers as a student and 6 more summers working for my program because of all of the things that TRiO gave me.

TRiO gave me a brother. That’s right, during one of my first Upward Bound trips, I met the half brother that I always knew I had, but had never met before.

TRiO gave me academic skills. Good Upward Bound students sit in the front and center; a rule I still say to myself to this day. I was always a good student, but I developed many strong skills that carried me through college and to this current degree.

TRiO gave me a college education. Now, I worked hard, as the poem says. I never gave up, but there were times I wanted to. College wasn’t easy, but I still had my TRiO family with me, as I had joined Student Support Services at Northwest Missouri State University, where I graduated, first in my family, with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.

TRiO gave me life long mentors. Upon entering college, I met the woman who would become one of my biggest mentors, Kenna Johnson. Kenna was the Associate Director for Student Support Services at Northwest. She spent countless hours with me. She answered my questions; she helped me with resumes and cover letters. She was the first person to hug me after I walked across the stage at graduation. She was waiting and she told me how proud she was of me; it’s one of the proudest moments of my life. When I look back upon college, she is the first thing I will always remember. Her commitment to TRIO and her devotion to the students was awe inspiring to me!

TRiO gave me a family. As much as I love Kenna, there are also a whole slew of other folks that I count lucky to have supported me on my journey and I have to say thank you to each of them. Carole Johnson is like a second mom to me. She has been a constant source of advice and support to me for over 20 years. Arland Donaldson, who taught me how to have the tough conversations. Duane Powell who taught me how to have fun and enjoy the job at the same time. Phil Kenkel, who showed me how to be selfless when it comes to my students. Jacque Loghry whose kindness knows no bounds. Kristi Bolen who led me through some of my toughest challenges as a first time supervisor, including firing a tutor! Trudi Benjamin who was my TRiO role model from the first time I met her when I was in high school. I got to work for Trudi when I was graduate student and her wisdom and unwaivering support of students were truly inspiring. Perhaps the best thing Trudi ever did for me though, was to introduce me to my husband. We met working for Upward Bound when were both in college.

TRiO gave me a passion and a career. As a senior, I had the opportunity to attend the MAEOPP Student Leadership Conference. The last night of the conference, we were at the banquet dinner and our keynote speaker was Bertice Berry. Dr. Berry spoke to us about making the most of the opportunities that we were given. She had also been in Upward Bound. Her message was one of giving back. She became a professor, she said, to help students in the way she had been helped along her journey! As I sat there and listened to her speak, it was as if I light bulb went on over my head. By the time her speech had ended, I knew that I would work for TRIO. I realized that I wanted to spend my life helping students from similar backgrounds! TRiO gave me a passion to help others.

In 2005, I accepted a position in Multicultural Affairs at the University of Kansas. During my time at KU, I have had the opportunity to learn and gain many new experiences. However, there are two parts of my job that I truly treasure: Hawk (welcome) Week and Graduation. Those two events signify my life’s dream of helping students navigate and graduate from college. In the past 11 years in the office, I have held every position and was recently named Director in January of this year. This has been the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done. As the nation, region and our institution has been rocked by racial injustice, I have been able to provide leadership for the KU community to engage in dialogue and push the needle to create a more inclusive campus climate.

In my current position, I know that it’s important to have metrics. We have to show how we spend money and which services we provide students. At some point in my TRiO journey, I have been a metric. I have been a number that shows that yes, TRIO WORKS! But that metric can never truly convey what TRiO has done for me.

Did I graduate from college, Yes. Did I get my Masters, first in my family, yep! Am I currently ABD and one semester away from being a Dr. Precious Porras? Yes!!

Was it easy? Not at all! Which is why I love this poem because I think it speaks to preserving, even when times are the toughest. When life trips you up and feel like you can’t go one more step; don’t give up! Keep pushing on. I know this easier said than done because I’ve had more than my share of moments when I wanted to quit. But I didn’t quit because I knew I had a support system. TRIO was always my light in the dark, guiding me forward.

When I say I would not be here if it weren’t for TRIO, I mean it. TRIO gave me my life. I met my brother, I met my husband, and I discovered my career path; and those are just the large highlights. I wish I could quantify the intangible things TRiO has given me.

All of my life experiences were shaped by TRIO. I have no words of gratitude for the amazing professionals who helped me get to where I am today. Instead, I work to pay it forward and help the next generation. I was once given a road map and I want to share my map with others. I participate in McNair and SSS programs at KU, including graduation events. It is without fail that I am brought to tears every year as I celebrate with the students. I am always in awe at the power of TRiO. I am eternally grateful for those who helped me climb and achieve, despite that fact that my life has not been a crystal stair. I truly believe that we rise by lifting others. At the end of the day, it’s not about what you’ve accomplished, though don’t diminish your own light; it’s about who you’ve lifted up and who you’ve made better. Thank you to all of you in the room who devote your lives to lifting other’s up. I am, we are, here because of you.

#triowork trio upwardbound studentsupportservices

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sustainablevolunteergroup · 8 years ago

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Overall, this was a very rewarding experience for all of us and we had a great time volunteering at Thistletown. The full-time volunteers were amazing to work with and we promised that we would be back again soon. If interested in volunteering at the Thistletown Food Bank, you can contact Theressa Rafferty or Eda Black at 416-745-2822. The food trucks come every Wednesday and Friday.

“Personally, my experience at the food bank was really inspiring and opened my eyes to the fact that not everyone has what you have and to be grateful for the life you have been given. Many people in Toronto alone, let alone third world countries are struggling to make ends meet. I feel as though we have become blind to this, blind to the fact that people in our own city don't even have anything to eat on a daily basis, meanwhile we sit at home and throw away leftovers. Volunteering at the food bank really helped me and inspired me to become more involved within my own city. The smallest amount of effort from you can make a very big difference to someone in need. Carrying the heavy loads of food made me feel really useful, the food bank is a non-profit organization, and most of the volunteers are women. These women volunteer on a daily basis to do the things that my group and I only did for one day. I felt bad knowing they had to carry heavy loads of food, and made me think that more male volunteers could really make a difference. After spending my day at the food bank, I decided to become more involved with my city and start helping those in need. I have been given a wonderful life, and I am so grateful. I was blind to how many people out there don't have it as lucky as I do. From now on, I will do whatever I can, whether it be donating food or volunteering.”

- Christopher Nieto

“I really enjoyed my time volunteering at Thistletown. I was not completely sure what to expect after I called Theressa to ask if we could come and help out on Friday morning. I immediately felt welcome when we got to the food bank. There were around 4 or 5 volunteers that work there 5 days a week, these women were so friendly to us and were joking around with us right away. I cannot think of anything more selfless than volunteering that much of your time to help hungry people, and they really love doing it! They were having just as much fun as we were and I think that they really appreciated the extra help, especially from the boys, who did lots of heavy lifting for us. It made me feel really good to be able to help out these hardworking women, even if it was just for a couple of hours. We all had to do a test later that day, or we would’ve stayed longer to help hand out the food to the customers. I am definitely interested in going back to Thistletown to help out again. I am thinking of going back on a Wednesday because Eda Black, the program coordinator and one of the full-time volunteers, told me that two trucks full of donations come every Wednesday, and they need all the extra help they can get. We only unloaded one truck, I can’t even imagine how those ladies manage to unload two, but they do every week! This experience really reminded me how tough things can be for people, especially if they are trying to raise a family on a low income. Healthy food is a basic that everyone needs to survive, people should not have to worry if they will be able to feed their family properly that week. That is why non-profit organizations like Thistletown are so important in communities like ours, and the amazing people who volunteer their time at the food bank day after day are even more essential. This volunteering experience showed me that even just giving back a little, can help out so much. For instance, donating some food or even just a few hours of your time to a local food bank can make such a difference. I think our whole group realized what a difference we made helping out at Thistletown that day and I am so glad we decided to do our project at the food bank.”

- Hannah Greenough

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tribuarganzuela · 8 years ago

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An afternoon with Finnish activists, mothers and educators

After our institutional interviews, it was time to get in touch with more informal realities. We wanted to meet people who, like us, are closer to the social movements than to the institution. Thanks to Lotta Meri Pirita Tenhunen, a researcher specializing in political communities and a Finnish activist based in Madrid, who got us into contact with several people. We were lucky enough to spend an afternoon getting to know other realities and other glimpses about raising and caring for kids in Helsinki.

The first stop was in the cafe of a central bookstore. We were meeting Warda Ahmed, cartoonist, activist, cultural worker and feminist, and Atlas Saarikoski activist and feminist journalist. And both, moreover, mothers. We had a coffee listening to their views about the current situation for people like them who are caring in Helsinki, with more than one child, aware of and active in the political situation and with cultural interests and temporary jobs.

Some of the most powerful issues we addressed were:

The cuts are affecting the maintenance at home policies and the day care quality

Currently, the home stay money allows you to stay up to three years caring for your child at home. However, the achievements of the seventies feminists fights are now in danger because the conservative government is calling it into question. There is talk of the transition to new benefits such as the Icelandic model (which contemplates 6 months per parent and 6 months enjoyed by both), which, whether or not they have positive aspects, are a reduction of the current three years. Another backlash of the neoliberalism here In Finland.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the cuts have not stopped hitting. The current government wants to justify the reduction of aid to care for children at home with the twisted argument that the people who benefit from this assistance are mostly migrants and excluded sectors, to whom a job would serve to "turn them into functional citizens". The result is the impoverishment of the parents, especially mothers, since the type of work she can access (the increase in the unemployment rate is a pressing reality in Finland) will have low salary and conditions. There is a whole ongoing debate in Finland, even within feminist currents, on this issue.

The changes are happening very fast and the cuts have not stopped coming. And, most dangerous, they often do so in the name of the liberation of women. Strategies of the right wing are to disguise the cuts policies in the name of feminism and of protecting poor and migrant women (they can be at home). This upper class argument shows its worst face against minorities and poor people.

The decrease in the quality of care and education services is another expression of the cuts and something that is very worrying is the increasing of the ratio of the day care groups.

-Isolation and (Not) Equal Homes

"Staying at home gives you some kind of freedom", recognizes Atlas, who is about to have her third child, "but it also isolates you. "In spite of the wide range of care options that Finnish families have (home policies to take it home, nursery, kindergarten, Pre-School, alternatives between Nursery or take it at home, Family Caffés, or cultural activities at the parks, specially in summer, where free lunch is given), the phenomenon of isolation continues to occur, especially among people who decide to raise at home. That argument has also been used in a twisted way by the government, who argues that with less help, people will leave the house and integrate more.

Therefore, the vertigo of staying at home and of not being able to do anything but caring and somehow being disconnected from the world is just as present among Finns as among the inhabitants of southern Europe, as we could see in the first part of our research. A lot of mothers are scared of being at home because of this tendency.

Nor do labor policies help in this regard since, although the law protects working mothers, employers look at age and reproductive possibility as a determining factor.

Another problem shared between mothers in northern and southern Europe is the question of households or non-egalitarian couples. The issue of permissibility of permits and non-transferability is also in the debate of the Finnish Feminist Party -as we are told by Warda, one of its leaders- who is studying the program of measures of the Swedish Feminist Party to try to do their adaptation to Finnish reality.

Atlas thinks it is fundamental that both parents could spend at least two years ideally

so that the implication was more balanced. Regarding the symbolic asymmetry between genders in relation to care, it is worth it to look at the cultural stigma of childcare for Finnish man (with respect to his Scandinavian companions). The fact that the term "Swedish Dad" exists referring to a man dedicated to childcare and, therefore, or implicitly, not entirely masculine, speaks for itself. We say goodbye to Atlas and Warda, in a very grateful mood. And wishing luck to Warda! Next year there will be municipal elections in Helsinki and the Feminist Party will take power!

Afterwards, we were fortunate to be invited for coffee at Solja Kovero's house, a philosopher and activist and her two companions, Anki Sievänen, experienced teacher at Kindergartens and Heidi Kangas, former Kindergarten teacher, and now university student to be Secondary Teacher. And Punni, Heidi's daughter! We were greeted with a huge tray of Karelia, the typical Finnish cake, made by Anki.

With them we addressed the issue of education in particular. They gave us a review of the modalities and the current conditions of Kindergarten, institutions that they both know very well. Kindergarten is not totally free but mostly affordable because it depends on the parents’ income. On the other hand, Private DayCare is very expensive (if you are not registered you do not have the right to DayCare). Pre-schools are free (from 3 to 6) and they were created in the seventies.

The question of the cutbacks related to education came out immediately. Anki also told us about the increasing ratio per class and the lack of staff. In general terms, the quality of education is getting worse (less space, less activities) because of the decreasing of resources. Although, public kindergartens are still great places and people trust in them, although this trend is changing now because of the lack of resources. The middle class is changing now, looking for something special such as innovative pedagogy.

Heidi told us about her experience about being a young mother of a baby (Punni is one and a few months) still studying. She does not receive allowance or extra benefits at the university. Punni is now in DayCare, but she still needs help from some friends, as her partner is working full time. Here in Finland, it's more common that people rely on relatives than on friends.

We were also talking about the issue of (Not) Equal Homes. In 99% of the cases, the women are the ones who stay at home for a long time and also women are more engaged with education, indeed it's a challenge for Finnish society to get over this gender gap. Anki and Heidi complaints about the same idea that everybody has about Finland, but this is a superficial view. "Finland is not so equal. The glass ceiling is also an issue". Especially with the new conservative politicians putting more and more pressure on women (pressure to be mothers, to be the perfect mother, to parenting as a way of consuming) with their conservative culture. "The new right wing (now in government) is the most horrible government for women”.

For all these questions, Heidi thinks it could be crucial to develop more solidarity between parents to fight against isolation; more flexibility to do things collectively and imagination to create a collective childcare system (it's not even easy in big cities).

For Anki it is important to say how much time the kids spend at Kindergarten (8 or 9 hours) and to develop special policies to avoid the creation of ghettos. Both of them agree on how city planning is a deciding factor in avoiding segregation. Cheap houses are in certain areas, far from the center, where it's difficult to mix. This favors racist structure in everyday life, which allows discrimination and makes Helsinki a less friendly city.

We finished our day exhausted but happy to have gotten to know all these warm and interesting women! Thanks to all.

#CaringIntheCity ECF

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