My Name is Kate

It's time for some #ShoeboxLove

The Shoebox Project for Shelters has officially started again for the 2013 holiday season and we're pleased to be a drop-off point again this year.

Last year I wrote about why this project is important to me so I won't repeat that here. But I'm inviting my network, again, as individuals or part of a group, to create one or more shoeboxes for women who are spending the holiday season in one of Vancouver's shelters.

Shelters provide emergency and transitional shelter and services to women who are homeless because they flee abuse or difficult living situations, they are poor or afflicted with mental illness or they are new Canadians who require assistance.

These shoeboxes brighten the holiday season and let the women know they are special and not forgotten. They are filled with items that a woman would enjoy but would not splurge on for herself in times of difficulty. It's a special gift, just for her, that hopefully will not only brighten her day, but it will also let her know that someone in her community is thinking about her, and remind her that she is not forgotten.

 

Frequently Asked Questions about Creating a Shoebox:

What should I put in the shoebox?
Items that, in a time of budget constraint, could be considered a luxury or that someone wouldn't be able to splurge on. Something that YOU would like to receive if you were in a strange, unfamiliar environment at a difficult time in your life.  Some ideas:

• Body or hand lotions
• Makeup: mascara, lipstick and nail polish. (Please no concealers or foundations)
• Chocolates, cookies, candies (Nut-free products please)
• Mitts, hat, scarf
• Perfume
• Brush, comb
• Bus or subway tokens / phone card
• Gift certificates (McDonald’s, Tim Horton’s, Shoppers Drug Mart, Wal-Mart). Please include the value of the card (if possible, include the receipt)

IMPORTANT: Please do not include razors in your shoebox. Shoeboxes should contain packaged goods only. Please make sure that the individual items are all packaged, sealed and unused!

How much should I spend?
We are asking that the value of the contents be around $50. If that amount isn't doable, consider going in with a friend on a box. Or, make a small box and bring it by one of the drop-off locales (see below). We can often supplement a box to bring it up to the $50 value.

Does it have to be in a shoebox?
Nope, you can bring it by in a Shopper's Drug Mart bag. But if you do have a box, please use it. If you have two boxes, please bring the extra empty one with your full one. :) We ran a little tight on shoeboxes last year :)

Should I wrap my shoebox?
You can decorate it or wrap it, but it should not be wrapped shut (all the boxes are inspected by the shelters). You can wrap the lid separately if you have a two-piece shoebox. Those one-piece shoeboxes are tricky to wrap, but it can be done (I did about 50 of them last year). However, if you bring by your plain ol' box, we'll make it all Christmasy for you.

Can I include an inspirational message?
Yes! Feel free to include a poem, a card or an inspirational quote that could resonate with someone who is homeless this holiday season.

When and where can I drop off my shoebox?
In Vancouver, we have four five locations:

• Vancouver (East Van): 2305 McLean Drive (Monday to Friday 8:00am – 6:00pm, Saturday 11:00am – 5:00pm)
• Downtown: 100 - 1050 Homer Street (Monday to Friday 9:00am-5:00pm)
• West Vancouver: 303 - 545 Clyde Avenue ( Monday to Friday 11:00am – 4:00pm)
• Downtown: 1088 Richards Street (only available on select evenings and weekends). Please email to confirm drop off at this location.
• Burnaby: CH2M HILL Canada Limited, Metrotower II, Suite 2100, 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby V5H 4N2  (Monday to Friday 9:00am-4:00pm)

Drop-offs begin on Monday, November 18 and can be made through Friday, December 13 Wednesday, December 18, 2013.

Is this just Vancouver?
Definitely not! There are over 2 dozen locations across Canada participating in the Shoebox for Shelters project!

How do I share this with my friends on social media?
The Shoebox Project for Shelters is on:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheShoeboxProjectCanada
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shoeboxcanada
• Pinterest: (this is a great board for both shoebox item inspiration as well as wrapping inspiration) http://www.pinterest.com/shoeboxp/shoebox-project-inspiration/

This year, we're using the hashtag #ShoeboxLove - share your photos of your shoebox or your shoe-box-making party!

Anything else I should know?
This time of year is insanely busy - and I know we're all pressed for time as well as funds. But this gesture of love and kindness to someone in our own community who we don't even know is something that truly embodies the spirit of the season. You can see what I put in my shoebox this year. I hope it inspires you to create your own!

Celebrate my birthday with clean water

Earlier this year at Fireworks Factory, I saw Paull Young from charity:water speak about his organization and how they activate their base and get people excited and participating in their organization. One of their ongoing themed campaigns is to donate your birthday. And I thought that was an awesome idea.

November is my birthday month. So this month, I'm running a campaign called "Like Water for Kate". If you would normally treat me to a coffee or a martini (or TWO martinis) or to dinner or get me a present, I'd like to ask that you donate that amount to charity:water instead.

I'm turning 45 this year .. so I set getting 45 people clean water as my campaign goal. It only takes $20 to get one person clean water. That's a total of $950 for my campaign. A modest goal, perhaps .. but I've never done anything like this before.

And why water? Well, first, I was really impressed with Paull Young and his presentation. I've been thinking about it every week since May - so I figure that's pretty good.

But more important, clean water enables so many things. I have to walk for 15 seconds to get clean water. So many women spend their entire DAY getting clean water. Clean water frees up their time. More girls stay in school. Households become less affected by inadequate government services and external conflict. People thrive.

And what I really love about charity:water, is that 100% of the money goes to the projects. When my campaign (#LikeWaterForKate) is complete, they will tell us how the money is being used. Whether we are part of a hand-dug or drilled well or we contribute to a rainwater catchment or pump rehabilitation, they'll let us know. We'll get a project report (like this one) that includes how the $$ were spent and the location of the project. Pretty amazing - I like that accountability and being able to see the impact. I know we all give to projects and it can be a mystery where the money goes.

This image is from the Get Water! for India iOS game. Beautiful art!

So, please help me celebrate my birthday. Together I know we can help 45 people have clean water. Thank you!

 

The Internet Wants YOU to Contribute!

For better or for worse, we're all on the Internet together.

Yes, there are a lot of dark alleys and corners full of stupid. But there are also a lot of amazing, mostly-accurate pockets of information. So, my question to you today is how do you contribute to making the Internet a better place?

Now, I don't mean that you need to start a tell-all blog, sharing the daily minutia of your life. I'm really thinking outside of every day social networking activities. There are lots of simple and quick activities that if we all did, it would make the Internet even better.

Editing Wikipedia is, to me, the most obvious. (If you read my blog, I'm going to assume that you know a) what Wikipedia is and b) that normal humans can actually edit it.) I'm a Wikipedia contributor, albeit an infrequent one, but a contributor nevertheless. Now, I can't (accurately) edit articles on Heart Surgery or wax profoundly about the Biedermeier period in central Europe, but I can add in a missing link to the official website of a film I liked or put in who was a guest on The Colbert Report. These are small, but valuable efforts in contributing to a larger body of knowledge.

Now a lot of people FREAK out about the prospect of editing Wikipedia - I think, largely, because the formatting language is a little off-putting (remember Word Perfect's "Reveal Codes" feature - it's like that). But don't let that trouble you. Find something you love (a TV Show, an author, a location, an art movement) and check out the page for it. Is there something you can contribute? This video from ehow shows the steps in how to register as a contributor and make your edits. And of course Wikipedia itself has great info on how to edit it.

Nerd Alert - I'm also a librarian over at Goodreads. This I'm actually a lot more passionate about than Wikipedia. (I could go on for DAYS about how much I love Goodreads. Don't remind me that Amazon bought them. I will ignore you.) The thing is, being a librarian (at Goodreads) isn't super-sexy. Generally, it's just a lot of cleanup. Is the book cover finally out for a book that I want to read? I'll upload it. No picture for the author profile? I'll add it. No link to the author's blog? I'll fill it in. Book attributed to the incorrect author? I'll fix it. It's like being the Bob Vila of Goodreads (well, one of many Bob Vilas). It's quick, easy and it makes Goodreads better. I appreciate what the other librarians do - I'm sure someone appreciates my contributions too.

But maybe books or "facts" aren't your thing. That's ok. There are still a lot of places you can contribute. My lovely wife, Rosemary, is (for example) a prolific writer of travel reviews. After we've visited somewhere, she generally writes it up on Trip Advisor. Her ratings and reviews are read and marked as "helpful" by several Trip Advisor users. It's a great contribution as well as a fun digital souvenir of our trips. Same goes for reviews on Yelp (Rosemary writes reviews there as well); contributing to your local scene is so helpful. I go to Yelp all the time to look for a new place to take friends or when I'm in a new city where to eat out.

Product reviews are another area ripe for contribution. Did you just buy a new lawnmower? Taking 5 minutes to rate and write a couple of lines on the Canadian Tire or Home Depot sites about the product - super helpful! I always read these before I buy something and really appreciate the time people have gone to. Especially when they add info about how easy something was to assemble or how durable it is.

I know some people don't write reviews or be an editor on a site they don't own because they don't want to give their contributions to a site (like Yelp or GoodReads) where the site ultimately reaps the benefit. Well, I guess I can understand that. Sure, The Man owns Yelp and is reaping a benefit from all of us contributing. But each of us get our own benefit as well. So, I'm not sure that's really a good argument. And Wikipedia - that's a non-profit. So start there :) But think about it. Everyone I know has some really interesting expertise or perspective that is worth sharing. Find the best place to share that expertise online and do it!

I got started thinking about all of this because of some recent handwringing about some editing practices on Wikipedia that have highlighted the need for a diverse group of editors. Also, a few months ago was Wikipedia Contribution Month in Canada. I missed it this year, but next year I'd like to organize an event in Vancouver. And get involved in the WikiWomen Collaborative and maybe write for their blog.

Photo Sources: Wikimedia, BatBlog.com

Win $5,000 to Make Your Dream of a Better Organic World Come True

The good folks at Soyaworld, manufacturers of Canada's largest organic soy beverage brand So Nice, are holding a contest - asking you to submit your idea about how you would spend $5,000 towards a better organic world.  I really do love it when an organization wants to encourage and support the creativity of their customers, especially when it comes to organic living.

Now, I'd be keen on this contest for the idea alone, but I've also been asked to be a judge. So I'm doubly keen. That, of course, means that neither I nor Rosemary can enter.  But I hope you will!  Here are the deets …

Contest Information
The So Nice “A Better Organic World” Contest runs from August 16 to December 31, 2010.Entrants are invited to answer in 300 words or less how they would spend $5,000 toward a better organic world. Throughout the Contest, members of the general public will be able to visit the Facebook Contest app and vote for their favourite sustainability ideas
http://www.facebook.com/SoNiceOrganic

Who is Eligible?
All legal residents of Canada and the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana in the United States of America are eligible to win, providing they are over the age of majority on August 16, 2010 in the province or state in which they live and providing that they are not employees of Soyaworld Inc., their advertising or promotional agencies, the independent judging organization, any independent judge or family members with whom these employees are domiciled.
http://www.sonice.ca/rules-regs

How to Win
On January 18, 2011, the 10 entries with the most votes, along with 10 entries selected by the Contest Sponsor (Soyaworld, manufacturer of So Nice) will be reviewed by the 6-person judging panel, who will award the Grand Prize of $5,000 to the selected entrant.

I've been reading through some of the entries that have been posted.  There are a lot of great ideas and passionate people out there.  I've made a few observations about what I think makes a good entry (remember, you only have 300 words):

• Upload a picture. It makes a big difference if the picture for your entry isn't the default So Nice graphic.  If you're at a loss for a picture, browse Flickr's Creative Commons - lots of eye-catching images there to illustrate your idea.
• Be realistic. While $5,000 is a generous sum, it is a finite sum. You probably can't put a community garden on every street corner in your home town, though you may be able to put one in your neighbourhood. Or, create an education kit that you distribute that will tell everyone how to start a community garden.  
• Be specific. The better entries are well thought out, sometimes even including some offline research.  For example, back on the topic of community gardens, one entrant described where she would put the community garden in her neighbourhood, that she had canvassed the neighbourhood and had a team of volunteers, requested the permit from her city to start the community garden and now just needed to win.  That kind of detail gives me a lot of confidence that this person would follow through and be successful.
• Be altruistic. While I appreciate that you would like to win $5,000 to redo your kitchen to cook better meals, I'm likely more inclined to be supportive of an entry that includes your community or your child's school or your co-op or even your bookclub.   Of course, if you're going to redo your kitchen so that once a month you can hold a monthly neighbourhood potluck and heirloom seed exchange, well .. that's different :)

Now these are just a few of my observations about the strongest entires. My fellow judges (Lindsay, Élise, Valerie, Celine and Raul) and Soyaworld may have other ideas about qualities of stand-out entries.

But in any case: put your thinking cap on and enter your best idea for making a better organic world!

The Magic of Water - Blog Action Day 2010

I woke up thirsty in the middle of the night last night. I padded down the hall to the bathroom with my glass. When I turned on the tap, magic happened. Clear, cool, potable, fresh, safe, life-giving water flowed from it. In the middle of the night I only had to walk a few feet to satisfy my thirst.

The same magic happens when I run the washer or the dishwasher or water the garden or boil potatoes.

We are so lucky to have such easy access to fresh potable water on a regular basis. Some people spend a significant portion of every day getting water to fulfill their basic needs.

And while it seems like our supply is abundant and never ending, we should still conserve it.  I once had a friend who said, after I chastised him for running the tap while brushing his teeth, that we lived in the middle of the Great Lakes (I lived in Toronto at the time) and that we would never run out of water so there was no need to conserve. I was quite shocked by this statement - while we know that the water level in the Great Lakes ebbs and flows over time, we also know that over time, levels are indeed dropping.

Evalyn Parry, one of my favourite Canadian singer/songwriters, has a song called "Bottle This" (there's a link at the top of this page on her site to listen to the song) - protesting the incredible consumption of bottled water in this country. One of the most haunting lines from the song for me is ..

They say “water is the new oil!”
Water is the new oil!
And Canada’s got it, so this war will come to our soil.

According to a Water Security Risk Index from Maplecroft (a global risk analysis firm), Canada is currently at a very low risk for water security.

But our immediate neighbours are at a higher risk and other countries around the world at higher risk even still.  We take the magic of fresh clean water for granted here in Canada.  And it's time we stopped. We need to conserve what we've been given but also work to ensure that everyone has access to clean water.

This post is part of Blog Action Day 2010.

 

Photo Credit: Aidan McManus

 

Investing in Girl Power

Plan Canada just released the 2009 edition of their report series "Because I Am a Girl".  This year's report is called Girls in the Global Economy: Adding It All Up.  It discusses how girls and women face not only economic inequality from a wage perspective - but that this inequality exposes them to additional violence in their lives.  Whereas small incremental investments in education for girls can help break them out of this cycle. 

Jennifer Heil is a celebrity sponsor of Because I Am a Girl.  In the video below, Jennifer talks about the importance of dreams for young people and how she was touched by the dreams of young women she visited in a school in Burkina Faso.

There is also this great video about the AWESOME Willa who shaved her head to raise money for an ophanage in Toronto.

You can connect with and show your support for Because I Am a Girl in a variety of ways.  Easy stuff:

• Visit www.becauseiamagirl.ca  to learn about the campaign, become engaged on the issue of girl’s rights and contribute to the documentary by submitting a video
• Follow the Because I am a Girl Blog  to read about the documentary team’s cross Canada trip, some of the exceptional young women they have met and issues that are important to girls and young women in Canada and around the world
• Become a fan of Because I am A Girl Canada on Facebook 
• Follow Plan Canada on Twitter

Or, if you're feeling really inspired, donate.  I've set up an easy monthly donation on my credit card.  I know Christmas is coming and money is tight and everyone is asking for donations right now.  But it's important that girls be able to pursue their dreams free from violence.  I've had that privilege - how can I want anything less for these girls.

More Inspiration - Be a Kiva Lender

I first heard of Kiva a couple of years ago. But at the time, when I went to sign up, they didn't need any lenders (they were pretty small at the time).  I hadn't really thought about them for a while until Rose gave me a Kiva gift certificate this year.  So I made my first loan!

I'm lending to the Zakia bibi Hakim Shah Group.  They are a group of women in Pakistan who have come together, each with an individual enterprise, to support each other's entrepreneurial efforts and to, in effect, guarantee each others loans.  I thought that was pretty cool - community is good, right?!

In addition to being inspired by these women (and humbled - these women only need $875 to make a go of four businesses), I am also inspired by the power of community.  Below is a picture of everyone who has invested in this group.  All different kinds of people from all over the world.  So awesome!

If you're not familiar with Kiva or you need some convincing to become a lender, check out the video below.  Amazing stuff!

Start Video:
A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.

Hope

Today's the day.  At 9:49 in the morning I am doing my level best to concentrate on work-things and stay away from all the websites that are speculating, reporting problems, gearing up for celebration or mourning.

Breathe.

I'm lucky ... I voted absentee a couple of weeks ago.  In my home state of Texas where I won't be able to really affect the presidential outcome, but might help a congressional one.

Breathe.

I feel I've waited my lifetime for this.  This is his time.  This is our time.

 

h/t to Buzz Bishop for linking to the above image

It's Canadian Election Day - Have You Voted?

I love my adopted country of Canada.  And I am proud  to vote each and every time there is an election.  It is a civic responsibility that I take very seriously.  Rose and I went over the our polling station this morning about 9:00 am.  And per usual, I teared up a little after voting.

And in catching up on my feeds this morning, I also teared up when I watched the video below over at Brendan's blog (and read the original words that the commercial riffed on - that was something I didn't know).  Yes, it's a beer commercial.  But these are the things I (heart) about Canada.

So, if you are Canadian and haven't voted yet, get to it!

1. Find Your Polling Station
2. Bring the Right ID! (Rules changed this year - make sure you check before you go!)
3. Election hours are staggered, so make sure you get to your polling station on time!

Oh, and in case you're still not sure who to vote for, check out CBC's snapshot of the political parties and their stance on key issues.

Help a child have a great summer camp experience - Fresh Air Fund

This one is for my American readers in the Northeastern US.  The Fresh Air Fund, an organization that has been giving inner-city children the joy of a summer vacation with volunteer host families and at Fund camps, creating unforgettable memories and fresh possibilities sine 1877, needs 200 host families for August!

If you have room in your home, consider helping out Fresh Air Fund and giving a child a summer camp experience.  I wish they needed hosts in BC; I attended Camp Fire Girls camp for 5 years when I was growing up and it was truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my youth.

The Fresh Air Fund has already set the trip dates set for August 2008 for over 200 children and we need host families to volunteer to host these inner-city children. In particular, they are looking for families who want to extend an invitation to a 9-12 year old. They really need more families who want older children and boys.

The dates and locations are as follows:

8/11-8/21
New Jersey: Warren County, Bergen County, Union County, Somerset County, Morris County, Hunterdon County

8/11-8/22
Pennsylvania: Lancaster, Akron, Christiana, Denver, Donegal, East Earl, Elverson, Lititz, Manheim, New Holland, Quarryville

New York: St. Massena, Ogdensburg, Potsdam

8/12-8/22
Harrisburg, Pa

8/15-8/22
Central Massachusetts: Acton, Hopkinton, Lexington, Marlboro, Wayland

8/15-8/25
New York: Western Fingerlakes: Canandaigua, Canal Towns, Dansville
Central New York: Fulton, Marcellus and Oswego

Massachusetts: Cape Cod

Pennsylvania: Doylestown, Upper Bucks, Lower Bucks, Chalfont

8/25-9/1
New York: Columbia County, Red Hook/Rhinebeck (Dutchess County), Albany County

You can find out more details online about hosting a child or, if you know this is something you can do,  email Angie, [email protected], immediately and she'll speed you through the process! Or, you can call Fresh Air Fund at 1-800-367-0003 (212.897.8900) and ask for Angie.