Givingthanks

Givingthanks. I give thanks for family, friends and faith. I give thanks for the life that I have. I give thanks for being blessed to share food, friendship and faith with others. Thanksgiving. Its more than just a day, a meal or a holiday. What does thanksgiving mean to you?

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

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Children Need...

Children Need: Healthy habits, to nurture mind, body and spirit. Inspiration, to explore beauty, wonder, and mystery. Joy, sprinkle laughter and happiness daily. "Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."

Living History

“Every day of your life is a page of your history.” What will you write today? What will others read tomorrow? “You must be the change you want to see in the world!”

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

Stand Down for homeless vets is Friday

Stand Down for homeless vets is Friday

When the Heart of America Stand Down started 17 years ago, the focus was on homeless male veterans.

But as the program has developed, Stand Down organizers need more volunteers to help care for the growing number of female veterans who are homeless or on the verge of homelessness.

The fall Stand Down event is set for 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Hall, 600 Seventh St. in Kansas City, Kan.

Organizers said it’s hard to predict how many women will attend Friday. In June 2009 Stand Down served a mere six women. At the June 2010 event 50 female veterans — many of them mothers — turned out for assistance. Although it’s still a small portion of the 931 veterans served in June, organizers believe the number will continue to grow.

“We’re expecting more,” Stand Down coordinator Jennifer Gould said.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau in Kansas City organized an event to offer female veterans services, including health screenings, job search help, clothes and massages.

Friday’s semi-annual Heart of America Stand Down event offers veterans clothes, employment services, haircuts, credit counseling, housing assistance, family counseling and military benefits designed to get them back to self-sufficiency.

Independence is crucial, Stand Down officials believe, given that the Veterans Administration estimates that veterans are one-third of the adult U.S. homeless population.

Gould believes veterans, especially women, hesitate to reach out to others.

“We are the very last to ask for help. We use every resource imaginable before we do. Usually when push comes to shove, if it involves our children, we’ll seek help,” she said.

The change means the non-profit group needs help to serve female veterans specifically. Mentors — be it for personal finance, employment training or family counseling — are especially welcome, Gould said. The group also needs things like clothes, employment groups and more.

The number of veterans, men and women, who are homeless is staggering. This should not be for me who have served our country. It is a shame for our country and should be a mar on our consciences.

Here is how you can help...Operation Dignity.

Underemployed?

Underemployed?

1)Take time to read-blogs, ezines, magazine.

2)Take courses credit or non-credit-keep fresh-some are free!

3)Networking WORKS! Use friends & online tools to help.

4)Is your resume good? Good isn’t enough-it needs to be great!

5)Volunteer, a great way to network too!

6) Do it! Develop those ideas you dream of and think of. Be your own boss!

Pray, turn to: friends, church family & God!

Words of Wisdom

“When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.” We are never alone. Be open. Feel. Listen.

Homeless Choir Sings Against Sit/Lie

Singers of the Street continues Bay Area tradition of protest songs

Opponents of Proposition L, a proposed San Francisco initiative known as sit/lie that would criminalize sitting and lying down on public sidewalks, have made their presence felt across the city in a variety of ways, such as posting No on L signs, organizing city marches and promoting online campaigns. But Kathleen McGuire is taking a less conventional stand against the sit/lie motion: She’s started a choir.

Protest songs, after all, need protest singers.

McGuire, a choral conductor who has served as the artistic director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus since 2000, is the founder of Singers of the Street, a new vocal ensemble with both homeless and non-homeless members. McGuire formed the chorus in September to fight Prop L and raise awareness about homelessness in San Francisco, a city with an estimated homeless population of more than 7,000.

Around 15 singers currently participate in the ensemble. “Most cities provide homeless services like food, shelter and rehabilitation programs,” McGuire said, “But what they don’t provide is opportunities for socialization. That’s what a choir can provide.”

This is an example of using your gifts to raise awareness of homelessness. A joyful noise by a band of homeless angels.