I realize that not everyone has the knowledge (Or desire) how to behave, how to learn, how to succeed, how to stay out of trouble, but there are people out there who are capable of learning more, doing more, even just being more.  I was raised by a nut and I made it out, went to college, and traveled the world.  Had I not had the desire, who knows where I would be today?  For months I’ve been thinking how cool it would be if I could start my own non-profit charity.  I want to help people, and it would be cool if I could also help them be smarter.  I have the degree to do this, and past experience as a non-profit volunteer, but do I have what it takes to fundraise, pick a board of directors?  Three years ago I had the energy to do it, but now, maybe not.  These days I have to go to bed on Friday nights at like 7:00pm.  Seriously.  I’m not even volunteering regularly, just maybe three times a year.  I wish I could do more, but I get so tired and so sick so often it is cutting into everything, my family time, blogging time, work time, and even friend time.  So, I thought a great way to help people would be to maybe help them here. 

For people in Michigan, I thought that I’d first tell you that you may want to begin volunteering yourself.  You always meet great compassionate people when you volunteer, and if you are looking for work or a career change, this is a perfect way to do it.  Hell, I have known people who even meet their boyfriends this way.  You make your own hours, but these people count on you, so you have to make the effort.  You can learn more about volunteering here:

www.mivolunteerregistry.org

For the rest of the country, why not go here:

http://www.volunteermatch.org/

Wanna take it global?

http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/volunteering-abroad.aspx

I have this fantastic book called Volunteer Vacations, and I thumb through it all the time.  After hearing my friend’s first ex-wife went to Italy to help study dolphins, I have dreamt of doing something that cool.  You usually have to pay your way to and from, but get feed and have a place to stay for free.  To me, this sounds like the coolest thing in the world.

I saw something on the news last night that was so awful.  This dude was in his yard, and heard a little girl crying.  Instead of just ignoring her plea for help, he took action.  A man was abusing her, and this guy was sick,  so he went back home, grabbed a friend, grabbed his cane, grabbed his pit bull and german shepherd dogs and then these two little skinny dudes went and saved this six year old child from further molestation.  You could see how skinny and frail he was on tv, and he was so proud that he saved her!  A lot of people won’t get involved in things like this … and I’m saying that maybe you should.  The mom was on tv crying, thankful for them, and it turned out it was her own brother doing this.  It made me sick, and made me realize that a lot of people stay out of stuff like this.  I think it is important that if you notice kids in trouble, looking malnourished or beaten, you have to help them.    They can’t help themselves.

Lastly, I want to move on to reading.  Only 50% of adults read past high school.  People say they don’t have time, but you have to make time.  Keep books or magazines in your purse or briefcase.  I read at my doctor’s office, during rush hour traffic, while waiting in line for anything, and during lunch, and before I go to bed.  Sometimes I just read instead of watching tv or blogging.  I always read on vacation.  It is important to keep your mind sharp and to keep learning new things.  You don’t have to pick up classic literature, hell, any book will do.  I was going to college for my Master of Arts in Humanities, (Had a 3.85 grad school GPA, sorry, I love to brag about my grades) but I got sick and school was becoming very unaffordable, so I am on a break, but hopefully not forever.    I thought you all should know that Governor Granholm, aka Jenny from the Block, announced this week that May 19 was Michigan’s “The Great Michigan Read Day.”  I forgot to check my email, and I missed the announcement.  I’m going to share the whole press announcement here.  The book sounds amazing, I love that Michigan is doing this, and if you are laid off or poor, you can even get this book for free.  It sounds great and I can’t wait to read it myself.

Stealing Buddha’s Dinner selected for Great Michigan Read
 
Governor Granholm Proclaims May 19 “The Great Michigan Read Day”

(LANSING)—-The Michigan Humanities Council and Meijer announce the selection of Stealing Buddha’s Dinner by Grand Rapids native Bich Minh Nguyen (pronounced bit-min-win) for the Council’s 2009-2010 Great Michigan Read.  At the event, an Executive Declaration from Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm was read, proclaiming May 19th as “The Great Michigan Read Day.” The public announcement was held at the Meijer store on 5533 28th Street SE in Grand Rapids and broadcast over the Internet (archived at www.michiganhumanities.org).  Meijer and the National Endowment for the Humanities are leading sponsors of The Great Michigan Read.
            With a statewide focus on a single book, the Michigan Humanities Council’s Great Michigan Read encourages Michiganians to learn more about their state, their history, and their society. The Council’s free supporting programming will focus on three themes: immigration stories, cultural understanding, and contemporary history. 

“It’s an honor to be chosen for a program like this,” said Nguyen. “I hope that residents all over the state enjoy the book and that it stimulates all kinds of important conversations.”

“The book is a perfect springboard for exploring these important issues,” said Janice Fedewa, executive director of the Council. “It’s a great read featuring an honest, youthful voice.”
 
About Stealing Buddha’s Dinner
Stealing Buddha’s Dinner is a memoir chronicling author  class=”hiddenSpellError” pre=”author “>Bich Minh Nguyen’s migration from Vietnam in 1975 and her coming of age in Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 1980s. Along the way, she struggles to construct her own cultural identity from a menagerie of uniquely American influences. The book is appropriate for adult and high school readers. Notably, the memoir was selected for the Read Along the Lakeshore program by 12 libraries in West Michigan this past winter. And, Purdue University recently selected the book for its inaugural Common Reading Program for entering students this fall.
 
How was Stealing Buddha’s Dinner selected?
The book was selected by a group of nearly 50 librarians, teachers, students, professors, authors, and others from all corners of the state. More than 75 Michigan-related titles were considered for the program.  Sue Patterson, Adult Services Librarian at the Plymouth District Library, served on the book selection committee. “Stealing Buddha’s Dinner is an ideal choice for the next Great Michigan Read. It reflects the growing diversity of our state, yet is a universal coming-of-age tale that illustrates the desire to belong,” she said. “The selection process mirrors this choice. Representatives from communities across the state were invited to participate in the process, leading to the consideration of a wide variety of titles and viewpoints.”
 
How to participate in the Great Michigan Read

a Michigan Author Homecoming, scheduled for April 2010.th applications, will debut throughout the year. The 2009-10 Great Michigan Read will conclude on Facebook in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Metro Detroit, Midland, and Traverse City. All appearances are free and open to the public.  Other programs and resources, including a teacher’s guide, special media projects, and th for free copies of supporting materials and will be eligible for Council grants for related programming. Readers of The Detroit Free Press will receive a free Great Michigan Read supplement, featuring a full chapter from the book, in the October 9, 2009 edition of the paper. Additional free copies of the supplement will be available to partner organizations and classrooms. On October 13-17, 2009, the Council will feature Nguyen on a five-city author tour, with online Partner organizations can register

This is the Council’s second Great Michigan Read. The 2007-08 initiative featured Ernest Hemingway’s The Nick Adams Stories, inspiring more than 500 programs, events, and activities in 75 of the state’s 83 counties. Highlights included a six-city author tour with Valerie Hemingway and a Michigan Author Homecoming with Richard Ford, Jim Harrison, and Thomas McGuane.
 
Why The Great Michigan Read?
            The Michigan Humanities Council’s Great Michigan Read is a humanities initiative encouraging the entire state to read the same work of literature. Targeting young adults to seniors, The Great Michigan Read aspires to make literature more accessible and appealing, engaging Michiganians with literature unique to the Great Lakes State while encouraging them to learn more about their state, their history, and their society.

The Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is an independent, non-profit organization funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.http://michiganhumanities.org

 

 

Think about what I’ve written, and please, consider just doing one thing, for one day.  You can make a difference, no matter what your life situation is. 

The Education Police aka Tha Girl from the Ghetto