Growing up in the South Bronx Majora Carter watched half the buildings in her neighborhood burn down.  Landlords thought it was more profitable to torch their property in the dilapidated area and collect the insurance money than earn an honest return on their investment.  The South Bronx became degraded because banks “red lined” the area - meaning they would not loan money to businesses in the neighborhood.  When businesses moved out, rubbish moved in making the South Bronx the waste... [Read more]

When you hear the phrases Stream Team and Creek Restoration you might assume you will be participating in a volunteer activity involving water – not so my dear ones – prepare instead for a day of gardening. I arrived at Malibu Creek State Park at 9:00 am on a Sunday.  No friends joined me today as they all mysteriously lost their cell phones after I mentioned early morning Sunday volunteering. However the surroundings were lusciously green and the air was fresh (in LA a rare commodity) so... [Read more]

 Being environmentally conscious is not a new trend.  In fact the best conservationists living today might be members of “The Greatest Generation.”    If you are lucky enough to have friends or relatives in this age range (alive during the Great Depression and World War II) sit down with them and talk about conservation ideas.  These great individuals collected metal to recycle, planted victory gardens, and rationed gasoline all in the name of national security. If you don’t... [Read more]

Over 30 children an hour have to be rescued from situations of abuse and neglect in America.  Taken from their homes I imagine them sitting or standing in the middle of a police station.  Maybe they are given an old and particularly boring edition of Highlights magazine to read or maybe not. They are questioned by adults over and over again, but no stories, no hugs.  What about the children raced from their homes in a natural disaster?  What is it like for them sitting in a shelter and seeing... [Read more]

 I have a new personal goal - complete 50 different volunteer activities before 2010. I have mentioned on this blog before that my goal last year was one volunteer activity a month.  I decided to up the ante this year.  Why?  Because 50 is do-able.  Because I really love volunteering for these different organizations. But most of all… I want to do this as a tribute to my grandfather. “Pa” died in December last year. My grandfather might just be the greatest man that ever lived.  At... [Read more]