50 in 52 Journey

If you are about my age you probably have a view of life in California through the lens of the lucky teens in Beverly Hills 90210. A life of abundance, fast cars, and travel. Nouriel and Yaelle Cohen lived this life. Successful entrepenuers, the Cohen’s had everything they needed or wanted and freely shared what they had with others. In an unimaginable twist of fate the Cohen’s lost everything virtually overnight. Suddenly those same organizations which they supported in the past were now supporting them.
The Cohen’s had to find a home and quickly needed help making ends meet for their family.
Trying to keep her family informed, Yaelle called her sister for a friendly shoulder to cry on. Her sister listened and told Yaelle that clearly it was time for her to help those that were in even greater need than she and her family.
Yaelle was raised in a prominent family from Morroco, her life had always been filled with volunteer work, she knew that her sister was right. She hung up the phone and immediately called the Tomchei Shabbos orgnization in her community. This group provides food for families in need each week so that they can have a Sabbath table that is full and jouyous. The work was not easy and Nouriel, a man who also believes in the value of helping others, needed some convincing. After all, here they are at the bottom of the heap, needing help themselves, and Yaelle is putting herself our there picking up food for the needy in the middle of the night.
They came together as a family and decided that while they need help they should also help those like themselves and together they could survive this turn in their lives.
Quickly the Cohen’s saw that the need was much greater than food for the Sabbath. They understood that families were going hungry, children going to school without being fed, once the weekly food package was consumed. They went to the organizers and asked if they could work on bringing food during the other days of the week. They started with four families and today they service 300 families from all walks of life taking donations in their home, using their kitchen as a food production facility, their backyard as an open dining area and storge facility. Their table is always filled with guests. Their phone rings off the hook. They have even gotten medical professionals to volunteer their time to help the families they serve. Their hearts continue to grow with each new donation and each family that goed to bed with full stomache and clean clothes for the morning.
Each morning, as they rise early to be sure everyone has what they need when they need it, Yaelle and Nourielle look at each other and know that they and their five children continue to struggle themselves but they are happier in the fullness of their lives giving then they ever were in Beverly Hills.

The way I find people to interview is by asking for nominations. We decided to do it this way so that this journey is not to find the answers to what I think are community issues that need solving but to open our eyes to issues that may not have even been on my radar. What a blessing this has been as I am able to see more fully what we are doing to make our world stronger as citizens of this country.

As if his 33 years (and 28 days as his wife tells it) of active service to this country as a Navy Seal were not enough, Larry Lasky and his wife Stacy continue to fight for freedom for those who need them. Larry is a man who dedicated his life to protecting freedom so when he was approached by a group working to end child sexual slavery it was a no brainer for him. He knew he had to get involved. Larry speaks with passion for his family, passion for country, passion for those he protects. This mission for Larry is the marrying together of his skills as a Navy Seal and his heart as a husband and dad. Through the efforts of Global Centurion he knows that they will leave an indellible mark on the predators who hunt children. Larry will not rest until he does.
Larry’s wife Stacy has been moving around with him and the children throughout Larry’s illustrious career. You can imagine how excited she was as retirement loomed closer knowing that they could set down roots, that she would always know where he was and that he would be safe. As they began to prepare for civillian life Stacy realized that fellow service families about to retire did not know how to integrate into American society with basic dreams like homeownership. As she expalins it, most of the families had lived on some sort of base housing their entire careers and they did not know where to begin. As she began to help servicemen learn their way around the world of real estate she noticed another need. Many of the men were coming out as wounded warriors. These men who fought for our freedom paid with their bodies and are coming home needing homes that they can navigate with assistive devices like wheelchairs. Through collaborations the nonprofit FAM was born and now Stacy lives her days finding homes and retrofitting them for the warriors she respects and honors who gave us our freedom.

Up the road in La Jolla lives Scott Silverman. When you listen to Scott’s story it is a wonder that he is alive, married and successful. His start was rough. Learning problems led to discipline problems led to drinking problems led to drug problems… You know the drill. He went to work in the family retail business and life became very dark for him, he was ready to end it. In those darkest moments he found support and spiritual connection and was able to navigate his way out if a very dark tunnel to save his life. He was given a second chance at life.
Scott has shared his experiences through the gripping book “Tell me no, I dare you!” in which he teaches the art of turning “no” into “yes”.
As Scott was reclaiming his life he began to volunteer in a soup kitchen. He knew many of the guys from his life experiences and he kept going day after day giving casual counsel to those coming through the line. As life progressed he began to help people off the line and into jobs and he realized he had a talent that his friends needed. Scott went to Human Services and asked to help with job placement for ex-offenders and people who were homeless and was told “no”. This fueled Scott and Second Chance was born to help those wanting to get off the streets and those getting out of prison to have a real chance at employment and a real chance at life. In a state where the recidivism rate is an astounding 80% the people going through Scott’s program are by and large staying out of prison and staying off the street. He is saving his state, with a renowned budget deficiency, money and protecting countless individuals who are the would be victims if these men would not have the support and training Scott gives them. He is giving these men back their opportunity for success and making California a safer place to live at the same time.
Scott has been recognized as a hero but he will tell you that the true heros are the men who graduate from his program and rebuild their families and their lives.

I always know I want to interview someone when they tell me they have dine nothing of great import. This was the case with Jim Keegan of Laguna Beach. A successful business man, Jim felt strongly throughout his life that he needed to help those who had less than he and his family. From a very early age he dedicated his free time to helping the poor and the homeless. He did this wherever he lived. When he arrived at Laguna Beach he found the community of homeless under served and under attack.
Jim started simply by feeding breakfast to the homeless every morning and as he became more involved with the community by attending city meetings he began to recognize the discriminatory way these individuals were being treated. Jim started reaching to lawyers to see who might come to the aid of these people who were being treated as far less than human. It is a tough battle and one that is not easily won, as it plays out Jim continues to get up every morning and make the coffee, pour it inti thermoses, pack the car and serve breakfast to people who deserve to be treated like people.

It is days like these as I am driving to the place I get to lay my head that my mind is spinning. So many thoughts and ideas of people who need to be connected, problems that need to be solved, money that needs to be raised. As I finally lay my head on the pillow, my exhausted brain can rest because I know that Larry, Stacy, Scott and Jim are out there helping inspiring the rest of us to join in.

 I am all choked up. Not surprising to those of you who have been following my blog. I’m an emotional woman and often throughout the last 25 states I have gotten choked up to sobbing as I have listened to the incredible triumphs and lives changed by one individual taking action to solve a problem.

Today I am choked up by the mere fact that one half of this incredible journey is over. I am filled with varying emotions. As we drove to the airport today, and I updated my Facebook and Twitter stati to reflect my weekly travels, I tried to imagine what I would have to tweet about once the Journey is over. I can’t even begin to imagine a week where I don’t drop the kids at camp or school on a Wesnesday morning give them a kiss and run off to the airport where I squeeze Michael at the curb and give him a much different kind of kiss…the kiss that says so many things. The kiss that tells him I can’t wait to get home to kiss you again. The kiss that says thank you for helping make this dream a reality. The kiss of deep love and respect. The kiss I give again on Friday as he picks me up at the airport and we race traffic to pluck the kids from school or camp and give the other kind of kiss, the one that is surrounded by giggles and tickles!

The last six months, 25 states, 100’s of inspiring role models and dozens of new close friends, have shown me the true beauty and vibrancy of our nation. I set out to find the community problem solvers with the belief that if I shared the stories of people taking control and solving problems not only for themselves but for the people around them that I would be giving America the gift of understanding that the power to change our country, the power to return our nation to the land of prosperity and opportunity, rests within each of us. I wanted to give that gift to you, to your community to your state. I guess I did not realize how much I too needed that gift.

This last six months has not been easy. Fundraising came to a standstill, as the economy collapsed around me, right after I quit my job. My children, while they are engaged and excited about the journey, constantly telling me who they think I should interview in Colorado when I cover our home state, miss me. Even though this is their time to be with their dad, whom they love so much and who dotes his love upon them, they know I’m not a mile away and I misjudged how hard that would be for them. They too are counting down to…we’re not sure what…they want me home and yet just this morning my 8 year old daughter suggested that maybe Mexico needs a journey next!

The challenges of work/life balance are always there for a parent and somehow we make them work all the while hoping we are instilling in our children a work ethic and a belief that anything is within their reach, they just have to dream it.

I love sharing the stories of the people I have met. They embody the “If you will it, it is no dream”  belief. These ordinary heros have overcome obstacles in the forms of attacks on their heritage, their religion, their economic station, their physical status. These heros have created systems to help their neighbors in times of natural disaster, food system shortages, violence and worse. These heros have built community where non existed and pulled people out of isolation. These heros have fought against laws that discriminate against their sexual orientation, their right to access basic human neccessities like water, their right to a safe place for their children to learn and grow. They are all truly heros.

Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, there was a news anchor that I idolized. I was in high school when he went undercover for a month to live on the streets and increase our awareness of how we treat the homeless in our community as invisible. I was so moved by this piece. It spoke to my understanding that as human beings we must open our eyes to all around us and take responsibility for fixing the problems not looking through them. He changed the way I look at people, he shaped an important part of who I am. He went on to become Mayor…and if you are not familiar with who this man is, he is the same man who now has a successful talk show which I can not even watch as I fear that people watch his show and believe that it epitomizes America. Jerry Springer at one time shaped me in a very positive way and then he shaped me to understand that he can not be the lone voice introducing Americans to America. The people he talks to are not America. The people I talk to are. I have Jerry in part to thank.

If you are new to the journey, if you have not yet met the community problem solvers I have introduced on this website, I encourage you to take ten minutes a day and become inspired by the truly American amongst us. You will not be disapointed.

As we celebrate our Independence this week I urge you to learn our history and start with the hard stuff, start with the history of the Native people to this land. Learn from our mistakes and then begin to look at the miracle of the democracy that was formed, the immigrants who flocked to the land of the free, the men and women who gave their lives for that freedom and the struggles we have all faced as we continue to build this young nation and invite the poor, the hungry, the nationless to build a future with us.

I am a proud American. I believe in our country’s bright future. I believe because I have met the people who are building it. Allow me to introduce you to my heros: http://50in52journey.com/video.asp

Paula Meyer, a seasoned business professional, took her family on a trip to Africa. A much anticipated adventure, Paula shared her plans for her vacation with her friends. A colleague, upon learning about Paula’s upcoming trip urged her to seek out and meet a friend of hers in Nairobi, Peter Ndungu.
Towards the end of her trip Paula sought out this man and found a Pastor ministering to children orphaned by AIDS who are living uneducated and hungry. She learned about Peter’s own history with poverty and how one man who helped him become educated changed the course of his life. In return Peter hoped to help the children under his ministry become educated and break out of the cycle of poverty.
Paula investigated what it would cost to help these children. As she learned about the children’s prospects without help she also learned that, even with all of the aid organizations out there, these children had no one to help them. The knowledge that as little as $500 could help a child on a path to education and self-sufficiency in a world that is afraid of them because of their medical status was too much for Paula to turn her back on. She knew she had met Peter for a reason. She knew she could help.
Paula will tell you that she has not a family member or friend left who has not contributed either monetarilly or of their time and talent to make Friends of Ngong Road a loving supportive community helping shape the face of the next generation.
Karen Bohn is one of those friends to Paula. A dedicated community volunteer and business leader in her own right, Karen took Paula’s concept to heart and jumped right in to help bring the concept to reality. Karen’s home is filled with pictures of the young woman of Ngong Road she and her family have sponsored. She shared with pride her scrapbook of letters and progress reports from her African daughter. She welled up with tears as she shared the story of her first trip to Africa to meet her.
As Paula’s work changes lives in Africa through education it also changes lives in Minnesota through education.
Paula believes that every child has the right to be safe, to be loved, to be educated.

Across the river in St. Paul, MN live two young men who society discarded upon their birth into tough neighborhoods and poverty as misfits and hoodlums. Antonio “A&R” Richardson remembers vividly when he was 9 years old he had a cousin he idolized. Antonio followed him around like a shadow and was impressed by the college scholarship this cousin earned. One day across the street from Antonio’s house there was comotion, flashing police lights and sirens. Antonio came out to see his hero on the ground, in handcuffs, shot in the stomach. His cousin had robbed the business. Antonio was devastated and headed down a less than positive path, all the while writing music to release the emotion inside of him.
As he grew his drive got hold of him and he began focusing on his music believing he could make himself a success and along the way bring up his sisters and cousins and neighbors. And so he began.
Brian White, Antonio’s cousin and a demonstrated athlete, shares that drive. Together they created an Urban Bowl competition attracting the best high school athletes from the toughest schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Through this competition the students have an opportunity to get recognized for their skills and seen by people who may be able to better their future.
At a recent meeting of the Urban Bowl athletes at the community center a shooting took place across the street. A young man, 17, was shot in the face and killed while they looked on. As Brian recalled the experience he pointed out that he and the kids in the meeting were safe because they were participating in their program. Together these dedicated cousins believe they can break the cycle of violence around them and as they gain success they can pass that around to the family and the neighborhood.
Antonio works very hard on his success as a musician and through his own investment and the investment of sponsors he is starting to see the lights at the end of the tunnel, and this time they are not flashing.

I am going to go out of order for Minnesota. I have been running since the moment I landed and have met some truly incredible individuals making a difference in the lives of their fellow Minnesotans and in some cases on communities around the world.

I would like to start with my interview of Robert Lilligren. Robert is Vice President of Minnesota City Council and was nominated by someone he did not know for the work he has done in the community. As he started to tell his story I was filled with awe.
When Robert was in his twenties and working as a bar tender he wanted to buy a home. There was a program in the government at the time giving incentives to people with incomes to move into economically troubled areas. He sought out a neighborhood and found a condo on Lake street that ne thought would be perfect for him.
As he tells it, he moved in and soon after so did crack cocaine. The neighborhood began to rapidly decline and one day as he watched two young girls cross through a group of grown men fighting over drugs to get to the school bus he felt, there must be something better than this. Robert believed that the girls, the other neighborhood children, himself, all deserved a nice saf place to live.
Robert and his partner set about creating that nice place by picking up garbage and then placing a flower planter at his front door. When the planter did not disappear or get vandalized Robert started organizing neighborhhod gatherings to start changing the culture and safety of his meoqgjnorhood.
Much work has been done and many lives impacted by Robert’s investment in his neighborhood.
Through his Native American heritage and European roots, Robert is a walking diversity lesson and he takes his committment to children and community very seriously.

While Robert was sharing the story of the young girls I was very moved and began to cry. He was tearing up as well but my response was disproportionate.
I listened as he spoke and remembered my own experience living in a tough low income apartment comeplex in Queens, NY right after my parents divorced. While living there I watched a man get stabbed, watched kids set the park on fire, I was jumped by another young kid who wanted my wallet and each night as I went to sleep I listened to the sounds of firecrackers and violence out my window. I lived in fear in NY, every day.
No Robert existed in my community. No one was going to make it better. As soon as she could, my mother got us out of there. The impact it left on me was very deep and truly I had not thought of it until Robert illustrated the story of the young girls walking to the bus. How badly my neighborhood could have used a Robert. How different my life and the lives of so many others may have been.

Minnesota is lucky to have a man like Robert amongst them. I am honored to have met him.

Off to bed. So much more to come…

The story of American leadership is varied and colorful, often weaving complicated tales of immigration, life struggles, honor and passion. Sometimes that story is simple, a simple desire to lead. For Lewis Moore a childhood spent in the Boy Scouts fed Lew’s passions and he started to dream of serving his country in the US Army. As soon as the time was right, Lew enlisted and began serving his nation as a leader in his unit, fullfilling his childhood dream.
Time came for Lew to start his family and so he did joining the civilian world of work and family balance. As his children came and filled his life he continued to lead bringing his boys into the Boy Scout world he knew.
All this time, in the back of his head, Lew knew he wanted to continue to lead, this time at the state level.
One day, while his wife and daughter were out of town, Lew received a call. He was asked to run for the Oklahoma House of Representatives and told he had 60 minutes to get his paperwork in.
With no time to think he grabbed his boys, threw them in the car, called his father-in-law and asked him to pray for him. He told the caller “if I can make it there in time I’m your man, if not, then I am not.” Well, he made it in with a minute to spare. Others came after him and were too late.
Lew just completed his first term in office and is very excited about the work he has ahead of him building on the strength of Oklahoma.

Following generations of leaders that came before him Jay Hannah lives each day with humor, passion and an ability to lead that was handed down from his ancestors. Jay is Chairman of the Board of the Cherokee Nation. In his role he works with his community to strengthen the Nation’s future and preserve the Nation’s history.
With an organized government older than the US government, Jay and the leaders of the Cherokee Nation are dedicated to keeping their leadership relevant and their Constitution vital. In 1999 the Constitution was revised with Jay having been given the honor of leading the committee. A family tradition, Jay took this honor with humility, understanding the great responsibility.
In his day job, as Bank Vice President, he leads a financial institution through one of America’s times of economic hardship. He does so with the same humility and sense of reponsibility.
I can’t even begin to share appropriately Jay’s passion for people and his skill at bringing out the best in them. A lover of history he is certainly a builder of the future.

Before I left Oklahoma, I stopped at the site of the Arthur P. Murrah building to pay my respects to those who perished at the hands of men who would attack the freedom we so treasure in this country for their hateful ideals.
As many Americans do, I remember that day so clearly, and the days that followed, glued to the TV hoping for one more innocent person to be found alive. We were shocked to the core that day.

Never could we have imagined the horror that befell our nation on 9/11.

I will never be able to understand what makes a person feel they have the right or the “moral obligation” to take life from another. Our own histories are so blemished in the taking of Native American life as we founded this country. We each have family histories filled with persecution. Some of those stories are modern day events. What will it take for people to learn that randomly seeking out a people we don’t understand, and therefore fear, and attempting to wipe them from the face of the earth does not work? I weep for the families of those who perished on this site in Oklahoma City. I weep for the lives and liberties lost that horrible morning in New York. I weep for those whose families have been afflicted by bigotry and persecution. I weep for the members of my family murdered for their beliefs. I weep for those being hunted today.
Somewhere inside me, through this very real pain, is the hope and belief that people like Jay and Lew and the 100’s of other people I have shared with you throughout this Journey are the leaders who quietly or loudly will bring about a safer and more accepting world for all of us to share. Their work will truly make this the Land of the Free.

What a week! Camp has begun. Summer is officially here. We are embarking on state #25 of the 50 state journey. I just can’t believe it.

We have been busily preparing for the Journey trip to Minnesota. We are all set for a great visit. I will write one more Oklahoma post tomorrow morning while en route.

Now for a short nap before I run off to the airport.

Married to his college sweetheart, father to four beautiful girls, a man of faith and good humor, in Chandler, Oklahoma, is J. Todd Vinson. With his warm manor and easy smile Todd invited me into his home on the Willow Springs Ranch for boys.

When Todd graduated college and started his family life there was a part of him that was yearning to help others in a way he could not quite pinpoint. He was happy and fulfilled with his soul mate and as each of his daughters entered the world he knew he was living the life he was meant to live, and yet… One day a relative approached him and told him about this plot of land in Chandler and asked him what he would do with it given the opportunity.

Instantly the ideas started flowing. Todd had been greatly affected by his camp style experiences and he knew that there were boys living in Oklahoma City and other areas of Oklahoma who were not in homes conducive to growing, learning and being loved. The Willow Springs Boys Ranch was blossoming before his eyes and as he shared his ideas they began to form into reality.

Todd and his girls packed up their belongings and with their strong faith that God would provide took off for Chandler and began to build.

Willow Springs Boys Ranch opened beautiful ranch homes for boys from age 7 through graduating from High School and just recently added a new house on the ranch for boys who have graduated High School and are working on college. In these homes the boys have big rooms, desks, family style eating, family rooms, outdoor play space and most importantly love from the house family and the Vinson family.

In my travels I have seen models of homes for children so that they may get a better educational opportunity and a safe place to live. Each of these programs have been saviors for the children who participate. The Willow Springs Boys Ranch is the first example I have seen where the children truly become Todd’s children. As we walked the ranch Todd continued to point out the buildings in his imagination for which he knows that donors will be sent when the time is right. He is building a place where these boys can continue to come home well after they have graduated from high school, the military, college. This is a place where he hopes his boys will continue to come home and bring their wives and children well into the future with the knowledge that the Willow Springs Boys Ranch is a place they truly can call their home.

This Father’s Day, as I am thankful for the two men I call Father and thankful that my children have a Father who loves them and they hold dear, I am also thankful to know that in Chandler, Oklahoma exists a father like J. Todd Vinson who roams our country and shares his love with his children and the children around him who otherwise would not know the love of a Father.

Playing some catch up here. Massachusetts ended with three stories of individuals who have a vision and have had this vision for as far back as they could remember and each of them has carried out their vision in their life’s work.

Shel Horowitz’s earliest memory of activism was when he was three years old. His parents were hosting a party in their home and people were placing their cigarette containers all over the house. Shel knew innately that there was something wrong here and went around collecting and disposing of the containers and the cigarettes.
Today he lives in Hadley, Massachusetts with his wife and kids. He is an author and works on books that he hopes will bring the business world forward from an ethical and “Green” perspective. One day while reading the newspaper he read an article lamenting how a nearby mountain was soon to be covered with million dollar homes obstructing the view and ruining the mountain for public use and sadly there was nothing anyone could do about it. The words “nothing anyone can do about it…” are not taken lightly by the likes of Shel Horowitz. He quickly prepared some fliers and called a public meeting in his home to “Save the Mountain.”
The night of the meeting came and Shel’s home was filled to bursting with neighbors wanting to “Save the Mountain.” It was an intense campaign giving voice to the people of Hadley and her surroundings and together they did indeed save the mountain.
From fighting his parents smoking to saving mountains, one thing is for certain, Shel is not afraid to battle for what he thinks is right for his family and his community.

There are certain people who you meet and know instantly that they have a warm heart and are the kind of person with whom you can be safe and loved. Kathleen Drew epitomizes that person. From the moment I met her I felt her warmth emanating from her smile.  A very important trait when you know that Kathleen is the Volunteer Coordinator for the local Hospice.
I listened as Kathleen shared with joy and love the experiences she has had sharing time with people about to leave their journey on earth for the next journey and all I could think of was the pain after the person’s departure. I asked her how she and her volunteers cope with that and she corrected my thinking right away. Kathleen explained that when she and her volunteers receive information about a person entering the Hospice system they go in and begin an adventure. They begin by meeting the family and learning about the patient and then the real fun begins. Each Hospice volunteer is trained by Kathleen to gather the stories of the person’s life. These discovery sessions are often filled with joy as the volunteer listens and records intently the life experiences to share with the family.
Kathleen explained that this process is healing for the patient and healing for the family and when the family member passes to the next phase of their journey the family and the volunteer are left with the joy of remembering the life of he or she who passed as they spent their last days mired in memory.
Kathleen is a woman whose own spirit is renewed by the love and dignity she is able to give to those on their final earthly journey and she feels that in this role she is truly living out her passion for connecting people, family and history.

I am a goal oriented individual. I always have been. I set my sites and work towards that goal whatever it may be. I set high goals for myself (BECOME AN EMT having never taken a biology class, EARN AN MBA having never taken a college level business class, GET ELECTED youngest PRESIDENT of a 1400 member 95 year old organization in Denver….) each time raising the bar continually working to better myself and community. I think I set myself pretty tough goals… I have been put to shame!
Christa Drew, when asked what her goals were, humbly replied, “I would like to win the Nobel Peace Prize for my work helping others.” Now that’s a goal, and more importantly, this is a woman who is likely to achieve it.
In her life Christa (who you may have guessed is the daughter of Kathleen above) has sought out many unique opportunities to help other people, two of the areas we spoke about were her work with men in prison and her work with the hungry.
Men in prison often do work before they are released talking about the crimes they committed and working through why they committed them. For Christa it felt that there was a group that was missing from this conversation, those against whom the crime was committed. Christa and the organization she was working with at the time, felt that true healing could only begin if both the offender and the victim were at the table.
Christa began leading dialogues that for the first time allowed the victim to ask the offender: why? Why did you pick me? What was it about my house? And, for the first time, the victim could get honest answers. This process for the first time was offering healing to the victim and was allowing the offender to process the information in a way that they were also able to get closure on the offense. The belief is that this closure and understanding of self has better prepared the “offender” to exit prison and be prepared to start fresh, no longer “offender” simply “human.”
Christa also is a leader in the fight against hunger. She believes with her entire being that not being hungry is a basic human right and we should start battling hunger as a human rights violation in this country. She has worked diligently bringing people and resources together through the Worcester Food Policy organization who are addressing just this issue in one of Massachusetts poorest areas. They are looking at the whole system such as creating incentives for corner stores like 7-11 to carry more nutritive food at the same prices as the inexpensive “junk food” now carried and at teaching people the best and most delicious ways to prepare healthy low cost meals.
These are simply two peeks into the work Christa has begun dedicating herself to the basic human rights of health and dignity for the people in our country she calls her community.

Inspiration, Massachusetts style: on the ground, door to door, from the heart.

Massachusetts was a whirlwhind! I owe you one more Mass blog and an apology.

I finished my final day in Massachusetts on a total high. I interviewed three individuals who rocked my world. One who told me her goal was to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her work helping people. One who shared her life’s passion foe helping others has brought her to a role giving dignity, pride and recognition of lifes accomplishments to those who are leaving our world. One whose earliest recollection of fighting against things that harm people and the earth was stealing and breaking all the cigarettes hanging around at a party in his parents home when he was just three years old. He did not know why but he knew they were bad.

These three individuals have clarity of purpose and clarity of vision. For all three they have harnessed their energies and impacted some unexpected communities. I write on the plane right now and promise you more detail when I am at my computer.

What I want to share right now as I fly to Oklahoma, a state I know nothing about and enter with no assumptions, is a thank you to two women who have moved me by their dedication to this Journey.

Charlene Andersen. You have heard me speak of Charlene before, after all she was a featured community problem silver when I covered New Hampshire. Charlene’s dedication and committment to her community did not end with her involvement protecting well water in Nottingham, NH, indeed that was only the beginning. Each time I have the honor of traveling through New Hampshire to visit New England I am treated to intense conversation around New Hampshire issues between Charlene and her life love and significant other, Cheryl Smith. The two are out there making their voice heard and standing up for those who may not have found their voice. They exemplify the pioneering spirit of working their land and helping those around them work theirs.

Charlene, who runs her own marketing firm, Kamigo Marketing, has taken time out of her life to help me as “Journey Ground Crew” in two states. Coordinating schedules, mapping the state, keeping me on time, joining me and alleviating the amount of driving I do and most significant, keeping me company and allowing me to share my excitement of the individuals I am so honored to meet. I have said often that I am most surprised by the incredible friendships I have made on this journey. Charlene, you have changed my journey with your friendship and I can never thank you enough.

Lorii Rabinowitz is a ball of dynamite. Perhaps akin to the red mass of the recent Star Trek flick. A long time good friend of my boyfriend Michael, Lorii openly extended her friendship to me when we met. Lorii is one of those women everyone should have in their corner. She is dedicated to community sitting on numerous boards and being that go to gal that gets the work done for each of them…all while working a 60 hour work week at her “real job.”
When Lorii first learned about the Journey she promised her help. Many made the same promise but did not follow through. Not so for Lorii. As busy as she is Lorii has consistently connected me with media, frequent flier miles, donors and the constant encouragement that “we’ll get this done right!” I am very lucky to call her friend.

Thank you Charlene. Thank you Lorii. You both are making the Journey a reality.

Landed in Oklahoma City! 98 degrees… Here goes state 24!