Readers have often suggested I should write the individual stories of the people I meet when I am on the road. This is something I have done only a few times… when I do, it is because that person had a particular impact on my experience with Angels of the Road. And there was that one time in Kelowna because the woman asked me to share her story. There are a few reasons why I avoid talking about specific individuals. Mostly it is about respecting people’s privacy. Also by telling an individual’s story the reader can focus in on the differences and separate themselves from the experience. Those of you, who know me, know that I am all about the oneness of humanity. I hope that what I write is always mindful of that fact.
For anyone who wants to read the individual stories of the homeless, there are any number of good books at the library. I recently read, “Radical Compassion” by Father Gary Smith a Jesuit Priest working (at that time) in Portland Oregon’s old town. It reminded me very much of the people I met during my time in Vancouver’s DTES. Also on my, to read list are “Realm of the Hungry Ghost” and “All My Sisters”.
“Radical Compassion” focused entirely on street people (and the mentally ill), the reason for this is simple; these stories are more interesting than those of the working poor who drift in and out of the shelter system due to poverty and substandard housing. Stories about addiction and schizophrenia evoke much sympathy but very little empathy… yet 59% of Canadians live one pay check away from homelessness. These are the unsung masses that represent 50% of Canada’s 300,000 (or more) homeless. This commonality of experience is what makes their stories relatively boring and overlooked by journalists.
But it is a struggle which most of us can relate to, finding work, making the rent, covering necessities; the day to day uncertainty. Since coming to Hamilton I am neck deep in that scenario. Two months of prolific looking, both in and out of the shelter industry and I’m still unemployed. In time one begins to wonder what you are doing wrong. Even in a bad economy, a part of us takes these things on as a personal failures. I can well imagine if one were a drinker or a person of little faith, that ongoing rejection could lead one into a downward spiral, which would be hard to reverse. I cling to the belief that there is a lesson in this experience which the Creator will eventually make me aware of. Ok, I think I’m drifting into an ADD moment… Short answer is that we have to remember, “There, but for the grace of God…etc”.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
I HATE haters ;-(
If there could be such thing as an emergency blog… I guess this would be it. There is an advertiser on this blog site which sent me into a tail spin this morning. “Intolerant Canadians” … since the only thing I have no tolerance for is intolerance, I went right in to check this out. The title is intended to be ironic… suggesting we should be intolerant of war, injustice, poverty etc. The discussion board is extensive and carries many very interesting comments. Sadly some of the comments reflect the kind of ignorance that has been traditionally associated with the word “intolerance”. One guy’s attitude toward new Canadians is to assimilate… or go home. If only our Native brothers and sisters had taken a similar attitude when the ships began arriving from Europe, Canada would be a better place right now. Anyway take some time to check it out for yourself. This is the second time a Google Ad has spawned a blog… so I guess they are doing something right.
For me intolerance seems counterproductive. Even if the subject of your intolerance is war, poverty, injustice etc… how does your indignation resolve anything? Intolerance simply polarizes the two sides reducing our ability to influence change in each other. When the US president asked Pierre Trudeau to boycott Cuba, his response was, “you can’t influence someone, you are not talking to.” I have held the same position with my work at the shelter… I do everything I can to keep the lines of communication open. Nothing / No one is all bad or all good. By choosing to focus on the good in ourselves and others we learn to control the bad.
The war in Afghanistan has been a long and terrible tragedy on many levels…. before the war, under a 1,000 children went to school none of them girls. Now tens of thousands of children are learning and almost 40% of them are girls. This is only one of the measurable positive impacts of one war.
I am NOT pro-war; we should totally look for nonviolent solutions to every dispute. I am not in favor of poverty or injustice either and I will always work to end such things. Casting blame or judgment serves no good purpose; whether healing a person, or a nation, or a planet.
During my stay in Edmonton I was standing in line for lunch at the Hope Mission, when a Native man in his 40’s turned around look down at me and growled, “I hate white people… you diddle our children!” All I could do was look into his eyes, shrug apologetically and said, “Sorry ‘bout that…but I wasn't there”. He turned his back to me and that was the end of the discussion. But the next day we were dancing together at the pow-wow and our future encounters were friendly. He probably still hates white people but at least now there is one of us he can tolerate.
I am well over my 400 word count today and this subject is barely touched. Don’t forget to email me with details of your antipoverty and homelessness related projects and events, for the new page. But if the ad for “Intolerant Canadians” shows up it is well worth checking out and feel free to comment.
For me intolerance seems counterproductive. Even if the subject of your intolerance is war, poverty, injustice etc… how does your indignation resolve anything? Intolerance simply polarizes the two sides reducing our ability to influence change in each other. When the US president asked Pierre Trudeau to boycott Cuba, his response was, “you can’t influence someone, you are not talking to.” I have held the same position with my work at the shelter… I do everything I can to keep the lines of communication open. Nothing / No one is all bad or all good. By choosing to focus on the good in ourselves and others we learn to control the bad.
The war in Afghanistan has been a long and terrible tragedy on many levels…. before the war, under a 1,000 children went to school none of them girls. Now tens of thousands of children are learning and almost 40% of them are girls. This is only one of the measurable positive impacts of one war.
I am NOT pro-war; we should totally look for nonviolent solutions to every dispute. I am not in favor of poverty or injustice either and I will always work to end such things. Casting blame or judgment serves no good purpose; whether healing a person, or a nation, or a planet.
During my stay in Edmonton I was standing in line for lunch at the Hope Mission, when a Native man in his 40’s turned around look down at me and growled, “I hate white people… you diddle our children!” All I could do was look into his eyes, shrug apologetically and said, “Sorry ‘bout that…but I wasn't there”. He turned his back to me and that was the end of the discussion. But the next day we were dancing together at the pow-wow and our future encounters were friendly. He probably still hates white people but at least now there is one of us he can tolerate.
I am well over my 400 word count today and this subject is barely touched. Don’t forget to email me with details of your antipoverty and homelessness related projects and events, for the new page. But if the ad for “Intolerant Canadians” shows up it is well worth checking out and feel free to comment.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Tips & Tricks of Successful Fundraising
On a related subject I cannot block individual ads… so because of my use of the word shelter you are going to keep seeing ads for industrial, prefab buildings and tents. Sorry…. But just for fun if the Tectonik ad appears you should so take a look…. They have these really cool inflatable igloo things in amazing colours and shapes. I think deflating should be done by pulling out the stopper and letting everyone jump on it like a bouncy castle until all the air is gone LOL.
To compensate for the failings in my own fundraising... I have added a new FEATURED EVENTS page where I will list events, projects and fundraiser for agencies working on anti poverty and homelessness issues. For the first in our series open the ART SHOW link below.
On the subject of fund raising the Calgary Drop-In does some very amazing things and one of my favorites, is the ART SHOW and SALE which is coming up next weekend. I can’t be there this year but if you are in the Calgary area do attend. Funds are split between the author/artist of the piece and the DI. The DI’s share goes to support the arts programs…. for clients. I believe strongly in the arts and sports programs which go a long way to building an individual’s self-esteem and that is the first step to rebuilding a life. You can give a person a job or a home but if they don’t feel deserving, it won’t last long. Working to end homelessness requires addressing the problem on several fronts, providing warm beds and hot meals is an important first step (insert Ladybug Foundation). Beyond that we need the knowledge and skill to move people forward in their personal lives (that is what Angels of the Road is doing). But most important is the movement by everyone to create adequate (1.3 million units) levels of affordable home ownership in Canada (Habitat for Humanity). I hope you will decide to participate in which ever area you feel best serves your social conscious. Raise funds, raise awareness, raise a roof… donate a blanket, donate money, BUY A PAINTING….
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Up like a rosebud
Well, today’s blog is all about me… those of you who have been following know that this past month has been really stressful. Not finding a job (of any kind), bills needing to be paid, internet not working, working on my friend’s legal problems… and dealing with bureaucracy in general.
And if you are long time follower you know that I have a history of clinical depression. I have been un-medicated and self-monitoring for 5 years as of next month; the symptoms were sneaking back and my daughter was offering to send me to Calgary, if that is what I wanted. The biggest contributing factor was not being able to interact with the homeless and street people. My outreach work gives me joy, a reason to be…. Since 2005 this has been the longest I have been separated from my client friends. It is a quirk of the shelter industry… that clients cannot become employees; as I very painfully learned in Ottawa it doesn’t take much contact to be considered a client and ineligible for work. So I have spent the last 6 weeks avoiding my homeless friends.
Happily this week, I started a volunteer position with the food bank…. Many of the clients are working poor. And some are transients, in and out of places every few months, but that is a conversation for another time. It just felt so good to be useful again to be connecting with the clients, but that’s my thing. I hope you all have or find something that makes you feel that way.
Also, I interviewed for a position that has me really excited…. It is creative work with a team developing a brand new educational initiative. Ideas keep hitting me left and right. I am working up a flow chart and researching links, if I don’t get hired I’ll probably still have to throw in my two cents every now and then LOL. I had forgotten how exciting it is to watch a project unfold; to see concrete final results. In human services everything is fluid; circumstances change, people change and addiction recovery is mostly 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Nothing is actually ever “done”; it would be so refreshing to actually complete something. If I am lucky enough to get this job… my weekends will be spent with the homeless either through formal or informal outreach.
Guess I can’t go without talking a bit about the Google Ads. So far most ads are reasonably appropriate and inoffensive, also I have discovered that they have a mechanism whereby I can block anything I find inappropriate (like get rich quick schemes, or dating sites). The ads pay a few cents for every click, but I don’t get paid unless people check out the advertiser’s site. I open each new site at least once and so far I haven’t been spammed by anyone. Angels of the Road will need $6000 dollars to finish our journey, the ads are just one small part of a plan to make that happen… the rest will come from a day job, and whatever other freelance work I can come up with. So thanks for checking out the ads often… every little bit help. Have a joyous day. Bonny
And if you are long time follower you know that I have a history of clinical depression. I have been un-medicated and self-monitoring for 5 years as of next month; the symptoms were sneaking back and my daughter was offering to send me to Calgary, if that is what I wanted. The biggest contributing factor was not being able to interact with the homeless and street people. My outreach work gives me joy, a reason to be…. Since 2005 this has been the longest I have been separated from my client friends. It is a quirk of the shelter industry… that clients cannot become employees; as I very painfully learned in Ottawa it doesn’t take much contact to be considered a client and ineligible for work. So I have spent the last 6 weeks avoiding my homeless friends.
Happily this week, I started a volunteer position with the food bank…. Many of the clients are working poor. And some are transients, in and out of places every few months, but that is a conversation for another time. It just felt so good to be useful again to be connecting with the clients, but that’s my thing. I hope you all have or find something that makes you feel that way.
Also, I interviewed for a position that has me really excited…. It is creative work with a team developing a brand new educational initiative. Ideas keep hitting me left and right. I am working up a flow chart and researching links, if I don’t get hired I’ll probably still have to throw in my two cents every now and then LOL. I had forgotten how exciting it is to watch a project unfold; to see concrete final results. In human services everything is fluid; circumstances change, people change and addiction recovery is mostly 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Nothing is actually ever “done”; it would be so refreshing to actually complete something. If I am lucky enough to get this job… my weekends will be spent with the homeless either through formal or informal outreach.
Guess I can’t go without talking a bit about the Google Ads. So far most ads are reasonably appropriate and inoffensive, also I have discovered that they have a mechanism whereby I can block anything I find inappropriate (like get rich quick schemes, or dating sites). The ads pay a few cents for every click, but I don’t get paid unless people check out the advertiser’s site. I open each new site at least once and so far I haven’t been spammed by anyone. Angels of the Road will need $6000 dollars to finish our journey, the ads are just one small part of a plan to make that happen… the rest will come from a day job, and whatever other freelance work I can come up with. So thanks for checking out the ads often… every little bit help. Have a joyous day. Bonny
Friday, November 12, 2010
Do Ladybugs Twitter?
If you are following Angels of the Road on Twitter you have probably already, visited the Ladybug Foundation website. The Ladybug Foundation showed up as a Google advertisers here, so I checked it out (AR doesn’t get paid when I click… only when you click). The foundation was formed in 2005 out of an idea from an 8 year old girl named Hannah. Little Hannah wanted to do something to help the homeless in Winnipeg. Now 5 years later her project is still going strong with Hannah spearheading a national public awareness campaign, through Red Scarf Day (Jan 31, 2011). Please get the details on how to participate in your city from the Ladybug website.
Always one to admit to my very human failings, I have to say that Evil Me is jealous of the support young Hannah has been given. Not just from the luminaries listed on the website, but also by parents who understand how to nurture a child’s dreams. I am pretty sure if 8 year old Bonny had come home with a dime in hand, saying I wanted to help the poor; my parents would have said, “We ARE the poor”. Then my dime would have found its way down to the hotel to buy a draft LOL.
Good Me realizes that having the parents I had, contributed to me becoming who I am… and I very much like who I am. Also… maybe I don’t have a lot of famous people supporting Angels of the Road. But I’m not 13 years old and cute as a baby seal… no disrespect intended, I admire this girl and what she is doing more than you can even imagine. My journey does have the support of my family, my friends, my co-workers, other shelter industry workers (p.s. thx for the words of support Surry Shelter) and so very, very, many client friends. Every day more than 20 new people visit the Angels of the Road’s website and over 200 people return. I have found out recently that less than half as many people visit the blog site; guess I’ll have to work on that. So, to all my friends and followers, thank you for the time you spend with Angels of the Road and know that I am so very grateful for your interest and support.
Seeing that very classy website yesterday, also made Evil Me really jealous, wishing I had the kind of marketing team (and budget) that the Ladybug Foundation seems to enjoy. A very professional and polished presentation… my compliments to the designer. And if you donated your services, congrats on the karma build. So people, please don’t make comparisons…. I’m doing the Angels of the Road site on my own and learning as I go. Fortunately, I don’t mind learning; hope you don’t mind watching LOL.
Every project has its own focus. Ladybug pulls at the heart strings; giving the public a cursory understanding of homelessness and a very tangible way in which to become proactive in the fight for social justice. Angels of the Road is for the most part an intellectual pursuit. Though born from a place of love, the purpose of AR is to deepen our understanding of homelessness and the shelter system. How it works, how to make it work better and why that is so very important to each and every Canadian (North American). Different routes to the same destination, a community where everyone can live with dignity and security.
Good Me says that, the most important thing is to move our society toward social justice and an end to homelessness. Every effort small or large should be celebrated. That is why (inspired by this week's find) I am going to seek out other charities and projects looking to end homelessness, which I will feature in weekly blogs on this site. If you aren’t inspired by Angels of the Road or the Ladybug Foundation's Red Scarf Day maybe you will come across something in the future that will inspire you to action. The very best reason in the world to do the right thing... is because it is right. Ending poverty and homelessness, is the right thing… finding a personal way of doing the right thing may take a little longer. Have a joyous day.
Always one to admit to my very human failings, I have to say that Evil Me is jealous of the support young Hannah has been given. Not just from the luminaries listed on the website, but also by parents who understand how to nurture a child’s dreams. I am pretty sure if 8 year old Bonny had come home with a dime in hand, saying I wanted to help the poor; my parents would have said, “We ARE the poor”. Then my dime would have found its way down to the hotel to buy a draft LOL.
Good Me realizes that having the parents I had, contributed to me becoming who I am… and I very much like who I am. Also… maybe I don’t have a lot of famous people supporting Angels of the Road. But I’m not 13 years old and cute as a baby seal… no disrespect intended, I admire this girl and what she is doing more than you can even imagine. My journey does have the support of my family, my friends, my co-workers, other shelter industry workers (p.s. thx for the words of support Surry Shelter) and so very, very, many client friends. Every day more than 20 new people visit the Angels of the Road’s website and over 200 people return. I have found out recently that less than half as many people visit the blog site; guess I’ll have to work on that. So, to all my friends and followers, thank you for the time you spend with Angels of the Road and know that I am so very grateful for your interest and support.
Seeing that very classy website yesterday, also made Evil Me really jealous, wishing I had the kind of marketing team (and budget) that the Ladybug Foundation seems to enjoy. A very professional and polished presentation… my compliments to the designer. And if you donated your services, congrats on the karma build. So people, please don’t make comparisons…. I’m doing the Angels of the Road site on my own and learning as I go. Fortunately, I don’t mind learning; hope you don’t mind watching LOL.
Every project has its own focus. Ladybug pulls at the heart strings; giving the public a cursory understanding of homelessness and a very tangible way in which to become proactive in the fight for social justice. Angels of the Road is for the most part an intellectual pursuit. Though born from a place of love, the purpose of AR is to deepen our understanding of homelessness and the shelter system. How it works, how to make it work better and why that is so very important to each and every Canadian (North American). Different routes to the same destination, a community where everyone can live with dignity and security.
Good Me says that, the most important thing is to move our society toward social justice and an end to homelessness. Every effort small or large should be celebrated. That is why (inspired by this week's find) I am going to seek out other charities and projects looking to end homelessness, which I will feature in weekly blogs on this site. If you aren’t inspired by Angels of the Road or the Ladybug Foundation's Red Scarf Day maybe you will come across something in the future that will inspire you to action. The very best reason in the world to do the right thing... is because it is right. Ending poverty and homelessness, is the right thing… finding a personal way of doing the right thing may take a little longer. Have a joyous day.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Pebbles
People often say to me, “I could never do what you do.” To some people that means, working with street people and the homeless. For others it means giving up the security of a steady pay check to make this journey. For others it is about sleeping in strange places, surround by strange people. For some it is about being face to face with real poverty in our own backyard… I'm pretty sure I can't NOT do what I do..
When someone says “I could never do what you do”… I can’t help but think about all the things I could never do. And I want to take a minute (a blog) to share some of them. In no particular order I want to thank pedicurists, dental hygienists, hairdressers, hospice workers, personal support workers, geriatric care workers, nurses, paramedics, life guards, doctors, accountants, daycare providers (I like little kids in numbers fewer than 6), statisticians and cable guys. These, off the top of my head, are just a few of the people who make this world a better place and to whom I can honestly say, “I could never do, what you do.” I especially want to thank the sweet young woman, who spends every waking hour appealing to the alien forces not to annihilate human kind. Her arguments are articulate and well thought out…and near as I can tell they must be working. My only thought is… what terrible burden for one person to have to carry… “I could never do what she does”, I only hope I can prove worthy of her efforts.
Every one of us can only do… what we can do. Whether, it is a moment of kindness by word or deed or a lifetime committed to a cause (or a person)… joy is derived from sharing ourselves. Using the Buddhist metaphor, we are all pebbles in the stream (of life), it is inevitable that by touching the world, we change it. So try to keep your heart open, and your touch gentle. You are making a difference, by being you.
Have a joyous day.
When someone says “I could never do what you do”… I can’t help but think about all the things I could never do. And I want to take a minute (a blog) to share some of them. In no particular order I want to thank pedicurists, dental hygienists, hairdressers, hospice workers, personal support workers, geriatric care workers, nurses, paramedics, life guards, doctors, accountants, daycare providers (I like little kids in numbers fewer than 6), statisticians and cable guys. These, off the top of my head, are just a few of the people who make this world a better place and to whom I can honestly say, “I could never do, what you do.” I especially want to thank the sweet young woman, who spends every waking hour appealing to the alien forces not to annihilate human kind. Her arguments are articulate and well thought out…and near as I can tell they must be working. My only thought is… what terrible burden for one person to have to carry… “I could never do what she does”, I only hope I can prove worthy of her efforts.
Every one of us can only do… what we can do. Whether, it is a moment of kindness by word or deed or a lifetime committed to a cause (or a person)… joy is derived from sharing ourselves. Using the Buddhist metaphor, we are all pebbles in the stream (of life), it is inevitable that by touching the world, we change it. So try to keep your heart open, and your touch gentle. You are making a difference, by being you.
Have a joyous day.
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