Mom the Vote for our Children

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As we all know, there are very few moms in politics. Granted there are very few women in politics, whether they be moms or no. I have pondered the many reasons why women in our country enter politics far less often than men.

There are so many factors, but I believe the biggest to be the one that stops me short. It is simply far too great a sacrifice of my role as a mother. The long hours, the instability, the travel… Of course today’s men with children at home are making great sacrifices too. That may be why our public offices are filled with grey-haired grandfatherly types.

I don’t think any of the reasons that women are absent on the floors of legislative assemblies are insurmountable. Most of which can be overcome in time. I have to believe that.

Why IS it so critical that women become involved in the legislative process? Why IS it so important to vote? If we DON’T make our voices heard, we will continue to see policies incongruent with the needs and values of families. If we don’t stand up and stick our necks out, we can expect the same old boys’ club to prevail in our political forums.

For me the question has become HOW can I be involved while still maintaining my own family’s balance? Perhaps one day it will seem appropriate to step into the ring. Perhaps one day I will find the solutions I am looking for around how to make it work. In the meantime, I must get involved in some other way.

I have chosen to support two candidates in this federal election. One is the candidate for whom I will vote on Election Day. He’s a fantastic family man with values that closely align with my own. The other is a female candidate from a neighboring riding. Megan Leslie has been a remarkable Member of Parliament and speaks to the values of my family. She is doing what I so wish to see many other women doing.

How exactly can one person support women in politics? How can women, and especially moms, become engaged in the electoral process?

I began with information gathering. I have found this to be time-consuming and at times confusing.

There are many ways to become engaged. Going out to forums to meet the candidates in person, seeing how people present publicly is valuable. But I like to get to know the candidates. They are seeking to serve us and should willingly welcome the opportunity to speak with constituents in person. In the past I always waited for the candidates to come to me, canvassing at my door – only to meet very few this way.

In a federal riding there can be in the vicinity of 70,000 constituents. A federal election campaign lasts 35 days. Realistically, they are not going to make it to my door. But I can go to them! Every candidate has a campaign office. I don’t think you can find a more welcoming place than a campaign office.

Once I identified my pick, I became more engaged by supporting their campaign. There are so many ways to do this, from following their tweets and status updates and sharing with friends, to making campaign donations, and volunteering on the campaign doing anything from data entry to foot and phone canvassing to delivering signs.

As I mentioned before, I am a busy mom. I have two girls age 7 and 10. The only way I could find time to support my candidate(s) was to bring them along. They have helped me stuff envelopes, attended rallies and are a part of the everyday conversation about election activities. I can think of no better way than to encourage better representation of and by women (and their families) than to raise them up to be actively engaged!

Filed Under: Advocacy, Parenting, West Nova Family Tagged With: , ,

Bullying – yet another saga… (Installment #3)

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(For previous installments see:  To hell & back, bullying at primary school and  Bullying, the next installment )

My daughter’s experiences with bullying are probably the most difficult to tell. Not necessarily because they were worse, but because they really are not my stories to share. I can only give the viewpoint of the mother. As I have shared previously, going to an adult at the time that the bullying occurred was not something I was inclined to do. I can only hope that I have set up an environment in which my daughter is more inclined to speak out than I was. I can say this: I have a much better understanding of how helpless my mother must have felt in attempting to protect her young charges.

Who knew bullying would even start as early as grade 2? Perhaps even earlier? My then 8-year-old daughter knows.

When she started school there was an immediate group of fast friends, and of course one or two that she clicked with most readily. The girls were a group of about eight, in Grade Primary (or kindergarten, for the rest of Canada) who played together, went to one another’s birthday parties and were almost all in the same class. My daughter often spoke of one girl who sometimes hit her on the playground. Being an early childhood educator, I imagined the antagonizer to possibly be a young five year old who simply didn’t express herself well and would act out in frustration in this new environment. As it turned out she was a very bright little girl, who was dealing with her own family issues and had an older sister who pushed her around a lot.

As the girls moved into grade 1, the clique grew stronger, and there continued to be little altercations. Both years incidents arose that brought me to the teacher inquiring after the situation. Each year there seemed to be little done to help my daughter.

In grade 2, things escalated. The bully and her best friend often attempted to divide the others, and my daughter became a target for more aggressive behaviours. Her bully organized their friends in excluding my daughter, then at times tried to force her to join in to activities she was not interested in, to the point of physical force. My daughter began having sleeping problems and tummy aches.

I had ignorantly assumed that teachers would have passed along the info to the succeeding grade’s teacher of such concerning behaviours in a so-called zero-tolerance environment. When things got out of hand I approached my daughter’s teacher only to find out it was new news to her.

Some time later I learned from my daughter that she’d been brought to the vice-principal’s office, along with her bully, because of an incident on the playground. No one from the school contacted me. I had to call the school myself to inquire. Not only had it not been communicated to me, but the vice-principal had no knowledge that this had been an ongoing issue since the previous year.

Anyone who works with children who have been bullied knows that we cannot rely on the children to bring the information forward. Communication and keen observation on the part all adults involved are key to addressing this problem. The Nova Scotia government has recently announced a task-force on cyberbullying. I commend this effort. But have we reached a place where we can say that our approach to all other forms of bullying has been effective? There is still so much work to do in effectively addressing bullying in any environment, at any age.

Filed Under: Advocacy, Parenting Tagged With:

Project 365 – March 27

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Elect Gregor!

From 365
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Why I run for Team Diabetes

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My sister is a brittle diabetic.

Since about 2004 my sister Dana has been through a turmoil of information and emotions. For years she had battled illness causing drastic weight loss, and a low immune system. She’s been on a roller coaster with her health. Finally, she seemed to have gotten under control, what appeared to be Candida. After carefully limiting yeasts, carbs and sugars, she was back at a healthy weight and feeling better than in a long time.

The cycle began again. Within a matter of months her weight plummeted 30+ pounds to a level that left many inquiring after her health, and again came an onset of infections. While in a walk-in clinic for bronchitis, she mentioned to the doctor the concern about her weight loss, and low immune system, as well as her observations of being thirsty most of the time, and that she thought she needed new glasses.

In October 2007 Dana learned that she has Type 1 Diabetes. When tested, her sugars were at 29. Dana is and always will be insulin dependent. It is uncommon to be diagnosed Type 1 (or Juvenile Diabetes) outside of childhood. My sister was 30. There have been many, many lifestyle changes for her and a great deal of ongoing learning. Dana experienced her first two seizures (back to back) three months after her diagnosis. Since then she has experienced a multitude of health complications from recurring infections due to her compromised immune system, to kidney problems requiring multiple procedures, drastically fluctuating body weight, wrist and foot complications, vision problems and all of the challenges that come along with accepting this disease for what it is (incurable) and incorporating all of the dramatic changes required to live with it.

At the present time my 34 year old sister is unable to work, live alone, or drive a car on the highway.

After MANY challenges with balancing her blood sugars Dana eventually ended up on an insulin pump. While this has saved her many needles each day, it has not stabilized her blood sugar levels for any significant period of time.

My sister has approximately 10-15 medical practitioners she works with on a regular basis. She sees her family doctor weekly, an endocrinologist, neurologist, urologist, gynecologist, diabetic nurse, social worker, and more. She carries a heavy bag with emergency/back-up supplies of insulin, testing strips and monitor, snacks, water and more with her everywhere she goes. Walking to the mailbox can cause her sugars to plummet. A change in stress levels can cause them to skyrocket. Everywhere she goes she must ask careful questions about the food she eats, watching for sugar content, carbohydrates, as well as her many allergens. She has had to instruct those of us who accompany her places how to recognize when her blood sugars are at dangerous levels and need to be adjusted immediately.

I first ran for Team Diabetes one year after Dana was diagnosed, in 2008 at the Okanagan (Half) Marathon. Last year I ran the Bluenose 10k for Team D. My daughters (and my spouse) are mine and my sister’s biggest cheerleaders. They ran in the youth run at the Bluenose last year, and after they finished my oldest told me that she wanted to run a 5k for Team Diabetes at the next Bluenose event. She is now ten years old and we are signed up to run together.

Please help Breanna and I do something that will have an impact on the life of my sister, my grandfather, my friends Jason and Deborah, and the many other millions of people with Diabetes in Canada.

Follow this link to contribute to our campaign:

http://bit.ly/hyyZub
Filed Under: Advocacy, Diabetes, Health & Fitness, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , ,

To Hell & Back: Bullying at Primary School

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I recently posted about my desire to write about some of the tough experiences that have shaped my life. There will be several installments, including 4 different experiences with bullying. This is the first:

When I was 8 years old I was a super-blond, fair, blue-eyed, tall & lanky girl. We moved to a small community north of the Arctic Circle and the treeline, for three years. The community consisted mostly of native and aboriginal Canadians. A small minority of the population being Caucasian, most of whom moved into the community with their families to provide services such as health care, education, fire and police services. My dad provided police services.

My three siblings and I were mostly used to moving and making new friends. We settled in the first year without too much trouble. By year two I had become a part of the community at our little school and knew everyone, it seemed. I had a large circle of friends, and was active in many school and extra-curricular activities. I was always pretty quick with learning, and often finished my work ahead of time. My teachers offered me opportunities to do additional activities, sometimes in the form of worksheets, but also outside of class helping in the library, etc. and even planning one or two sessions in math for my teacher.

I don’t really recall where the trouble started, it was sometime in grade five. There are only a few details that stand out to me today. First, these were the days when students were rarely “pushed through”, but would get held back repeatedly when they didn’t meet the expected outcomes. I had a 15 or 16-year-old in my grade six class. I was eleven. I was actually one of the youngest in my class, and in some parts of Canada would have started a year later in school, so was up to a year younger than many of my classmates, in this case far younger still than some.

My bully was 15-16 year old Inuvialuit girl. She was a much older, tougher, and bigger girl than me. I was mostly pretty quiet, even reserved, but friendly. Initially I was approached with sneers and negative remarks. She didn’t like my hair, the way I looked at her, the clothes I wore, who my friends were, how smart I was… When those didn’t ruffle my feathers and get the reaction she was looking for, it gradually escalated. I was timid (in a way) and I was not about to be baited into anything that I knew I couldn’t handle. By no means was fighting an option in my mind. I would ignore her. I walked away. I bit my tongue. I was shaking in my boots most of the time.

There are two (of several) incidents I remember most clearly. Both occurred during “recess” while waiting in line to go back into class.

In one instance, I was chatting with my friends when she came up beside me in line. She started with the name-calling and baiting. I ignore her. She got in my face more, and I tried not to flinch. She kicked me in the shins, and I stood my ground. She started egging me on “Come on! Kick me back! Come on! Why don’t you fight me?!” A friend/cousin of hers finally stepped in and told her to stop, that I obviously didn’t want to kick her back or fight her, and to just leave me alone.

I don’t remember anything substantial happening to address this in school. I don’t recall teachers stepping in, anyone being called to the office. It was almost as if there was no supervision…

My mom was furious and went to the school to speak with my teacher about it. Something was done, but it doesn’t seem significant – the only memory I have of interactions with teachers about the bullying, was after the incident I am about to describe. Then my mother charged into that school and let my teacher know that under no uncertain terms was I to be punished for fighting back as she has made it very clear to me that I was not to stand back and take it anymore, but to stand up and protect myself! I wish that had been a real option.

The most memorable incident occurred when I was at or near the entrance to the school and Bully (who’s name I have, curiously, no recollection of) approached me again. Again with the name-calling and again with the baiting. When I didn’t respond she hauled off and slapped me, hard, wearing a frozen Beaver-fur mitten. This encounter happened with no one around and I was terrified that it wouldn’t stop at that. The LAST thing I was going to do was hit her back and give her reason to continue. I waited for her to leave. I suspect a bell rang or a teacher came to the door, I don’t recall.

These are pretty blatant and obvious bullying incidents. There were of course many more subtle which I don’t have any real memory of anymore. Fortunately for me, dad was transferred. We moved on to a new community and a new school and the bullying stopped, for a time.

Next stop: junior high – new girl amongst a number of consolidating schools, where the Cool Kids were no longer at the top of the totem pole anymore.

I don’t really have any solutions to offer, except that as parents we must be diligent, and that as educators we must not tolerate such activities.  Perhaps it would even be pertinent to look at what we are doing that might be cause for escalating some of these activities.  Have we underestimated the impact special activities might have outside of the controlled environment?  How can we offer support and still meet the needs of every child?

If you have a story to share, please do so in the comments below, or contact me via email, my contact form or Twitter. I am also happy to share my experiences with others who may be dealing with challenging times.  Feel free to share this post!

Filed Under: Advocacy, General Tagged With: , ,

My 10-yr-old daughter joins me in the fight for diabetes research & support!

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Help us raise funds for Team Diabetes Bluenose 5K!  This year my 10-year-old daughter has decided she’d like to join in.  Breanna ran the Bluenose Youth run last year and has decided that this year she wants to run for the cause and enter the 5K event!  You can make a donation in support of this cause at the links below.  :)

You can read about my 2010 Team D Bluenose 10K here!

I have once again joined Team Diabetes, a team of people from across Canada who will be crossing the finish line together and who have raised funds to support the more than 2 million Canadians living with diabetes. I will be on the course of the Bluenose Marathon 10K in Halifax, NS on 23 May 2010.

It takes dedication to be part of Team Diabetes, but I am committed to making a big difference in my life, and in the fight against type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

One of the greatest contributions of the Canadian Diabetes Association is toward outstanding Canadian research. But that is not all the Association does – it runs camps for young people with diabetes and provides education and special services to people affected by diabetes in communities across Canada.

Please help me to support people like my sister, Dana, who was diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic 4 years ago (at the age of 30) and suffers numerous health complications due to Diabetes.

As I run the course, you will be with me in spirit and your support will help me be strong all the way to the finish line. A donation for each kilometre is suggested, but whatever you can contribute matters – it all adds up!

To support Breanna on her run, please click here: TBA

If you want to support my mission, please click https://ocp.diabetes.ca/pledge/cspledge.asp?prId=td&oId=1155480&tId=16205

Thank you so much for your generosity!

Trish

Filed Under: Advocacy, Health & Fitness, Parenting, West Nova Family Tagged With: , ,

I’m a Mommy Blogger? really?

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My children have changed my life. There is never any doubt about this. Of course, it has happened in the most obvious ways – I get woken in the middle of the night, I require childcare arrangements before I can make my child-free activity plans, my home is cluttered with toys and items strewn about where they left them…

But I tend to talk about how they changed my life in more obtuse ways. I used to be very controlling. Now some might argue I still am, but I know otherwise. 😉 Becoming a mother has meant that eventually I started to let go of that control, little bit by little bit. At first I totally bucked it, and everything that my ex-husband did that was counter to what I wanted to control became a much larger problem. After we split up, I was forced to let go even more. I *could* attempt to control the way things work when they are not at home with me, when they are at their dad’s on weekends and vacations, but to what end? While I have mostly let go. (I’ll admit to lapsing a few times and making a big issue out of something I deemed worthwhile). I’m not saying it was easy, but it has gotten easier.

My children have also helped me to get better at setting all work aside and just being. We will take days and do nothing but spend time together as a family. Of course, being a mom has brought about much work that forces me to not be so care-free, but I value the time spent simply living life, so much more, especially when I do it with the people who I care about most in my life.

They have also given me a much greater appreciation for the ability to care so deeply for another person that you are willing to sacrifice anything for their protection.

Many people define themselves as a parent first, a person/woman/man/other identity second. I have done the same on many occasions. And depending upon the circumstances, I sometimes still do today. When it comes right down to it, being a good mom is the most critical part of being me today. But something being a mother has taught me, is that I need to be ME, first. I can’t be the best mother/spouse/friend/etc. I can be, if I don’t allow myself time to nurture my being.

It is through this need to take care of myself that I re-started a lot of activities that I love. I started running through a need for self-care during a critical time in my (unofficially, still – but that’s another story) former marriage. I went back to school, as a single parent, to improve my chances at a meaningful career. I re-started my hobby with photography when I graduated from University recently. I started writing again because I realized that the exercise of writing once was an integral part of my being. It is because of my children that I had the motivation to be a better me.

So, it is ironic to me, that most people would refer to me as a mommy blogger. While I do occasionally write about my experiences as a mom, or about my children; and while I AM a mother I do not think of myself as a mommy blogger. I blog because writing allows me to ground myself. I write of the many things that I value. I write as an exercise in separating my identity from my outward responsibilities. I think of myself as a blogger, yes; as a mother, without doubt; but as a mommy blogger? I just don’t think it fits.

Do we identify ourselves as mommy nurses, mommy doctors, mommy bus drivers, mommy teachers, mommy police officers, etc.? Generally the mommy descriptor only applies if it is integral to the work we do. Sure I’ve blogged about being a mom. But I also have blogged about running, fundraising for a cause, photography, Nova Scotia, Halifax, poverty… the list goes on. I don’t think anyone would define me as a running blogger (I once blogged only about my efforts at fitness, so at that time it may have applied); or a photography blogger (by any stretch). If I were to define my blogging it would be about life, and perhaps leaning on the edge towards social change.

When I blog I am hoping to connect with people from all walks of life. People who care about life. People who want life to be better for generations to come. This applies to mothers, to be certain. But it also applies to fathers, grandparents, aunts & uncles, friends, caregivers, children, and on and on and on…

Yes, I am a mother. Yes, I am a blogger. Must they be one and the same?

Filed Under: Advocacy, General, Gratitude, Parenting, West Nova Family Tagged With: , , , ,

A coordinated approach to combating poverty

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A coordinated effort

After the poverty conference concluded I came to the same conclusion (but with more clarity) that what our community needs (and by community I mean the big C-Community, as in our city, region, province, and nation) is a coordinated approach at combating poverty. There were several major themes that stood out to me. Mainly that we must actively engage all stakeholders in the process while looking at how every “system’s” policies effects the other – from separate departments within each level of government, to different levels of government.   We must take an innovative approach.  And there needs to be far greater general/public awareness of poverty. It is too easy to turn the other cheek, but when 1 in 10 Canadians feel the impact, it is far too important that the face of poverty become ingrained in our minds!

How many people can here the words “smoking is bad for your health” without picturing those god-awful photos of blackened smokers’ lungs? If poverty is responsible for killing more humans than cancer, why is it not at the top of the agenda at all levels of government? Whay can’t we envision what poverty does to our souls?

People, until you have had the rug pulled out from under your feet and experienced the demoralizing “system” of welfare in our nation (among others), you cannot fully fathom the impact of poverty. I know I don’t get it entirely. I know that I have worked hard to stay above water, and out of the entrapment of our systems, but I also know that I have been just one crisis away at more than one time in my life. AND I am not alone. And there are people worse off than I have ever been.

It is time that we stopped and really looked at the face of poverty and said “It is NOT okay!” “I do NOT accept fellow citizens of my nation living this way!”. Stand up with me to form a united voice: Poverty MUST end!!!

Filed Under: Advocacy, General Tagged With: ,

We can no longer AFFORD poverty! (Conference Day 1)

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Tonight I had the privilege of hearing some amazing people share their stories. I was so touched by their genuine humble attitude and willingness to share and hopefully open a few people’s eyes with their stories.

If only the room had been jam-packed with those whose eyes really need to be opened. The Stephen Harper’s who seem to believe it is okay to attempt to revive our economy on the backs of our poorest and most vulnerable.

As Senator Art Eggleton said today, if we cannot reach such people via morals, perhaps we can via economics. We can no longer AFFORD poverty. He said, that in order to achieve future prosperity, we must reduce today’s poverty. It costs us as a nation more to maintain people’s current state of poverty (which is what our current systems of social support are set up to achieve; side note: tragically when they are not working well, which is much of the time, they not only maintain, but entrap people in poverty) than it would if we invested in eliminating it. Which, by the way, our nation committed to doing by the year 2000, for children of our nation, in 1989.

Speaking at the event tonight and listening to the panel afterward were Ministers: More (Labour & Development) and Peterson-Rafuse (Community Services). I truly hope that they will remain in attendance at this conference to take in more of those shared experiences and really see the faces of poverty, like we saw tonight.

The people we heard from today shared 3 entirely different stories, yet their messages were the same.
Poverty must end.

Laura shared a story of when she was the struggling artist trying to make a go of it in life, and needing a hand up temporarily after losing a job. Then of the more mainstream therapist (herself, later in life) being sidelined by injuries that have left her unable to work a traditional job, or perhaps any job at all. She was forced to deplete every one of her assets before she could get help. Her RSP’s, her small savings, etc. So now, not only is she living in poverty, but she has no hope of getting out of it in the future.

As Laura pointed out tonight, poverty is not complex. (my sidebar: perhaps the “issue” of poverty may be). The state of poverty is not complex, it is very simple. People deserve to eat. People deserve to have safe potable water to drink. People deserve to have a safe place to call home. Another person said that all people in the world have a right to have enough to live. That they have the right to be allowed to live. Senator Art Eggleton shared a Statistics Canada finding that poverty reduces people’s life expectancy even more than Cancer.

Kimberly shared her story of being a young mom and victim of abuse choosing to become a survivor. She relied on social assistance to give her a hand up in her time of need, but has become entrenched in poverty. She went back to school to be able to provide a better life for her children and now has student loans equivalent to many people’s mortgage payments. She cannot afford a home for herself and her children.

Wayne shared a story of medical needs putting him in a position of indefinite dependance on the system, of the humility of being forced to “shop” for second hand furniture with an allowance from Community Services that requires other people to communicate about his needs, rather than allowing him to be empowered to care for himself.

The right to shelter and other survival needs should not come at the cost of someone’s dignity. Sometimes dignity is all a person has left. As Laura pointed out tonight we must start saying that “my value system does not include a person living like that”.

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There was a little good news that came out of today’s events. Minister Peterson-Rafuse shared some important announcements with regards to changes to the service delivery design of Employment Support Income Assistance (ESIA): (*these are not verbatim and must be confirmed for accuracy) eye exams will be fully covered; benefits will still continue after a child turns “of age” if they are still a student living at home; the spouse-in-the-house rule has been changed so that an ESIA recipient’s benefits are not effected for one year after moving in with their partner (what happens after a year though Denise? We don’t really believe two poor people living together can lift themselves out of poverty simply by living together do we?); the total amount of assets an individual can have (rather than forced to deplete) will be doubled; supports will be based on individual needs; and the application process will be much less intrusive, asking only for Basic personal Information.

These are positive signs. As usual, they just aren’t enough. But these are important baby steps. I commend the Province of Nova Scotia for making steps towards a better quality of life for all of our citizens!

Filed Under: Advocacy Tagged With: , ,

Are you/we a “Have” or a “Have-not”?

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It’s a common theme at this time of the year, but it holds true in most parts of the world. Autumn is a time for change. The physical changes happening all around us seem to be an impetus for internal change processes. We send our children back to school, we ramp up the extra-curricular activities and move into a faster pace than the relaxed summer days (personally those weren’t around long enough for my liking).

I always feel compelled to reflect on my life and consider what changes need to happen in order for me to move forward and feel content with the direction of my life. I’ve been considering a lot what I want out of my life and how to achieve it. I feel compelled to make a difference in this world, which I know most of us do if we take the time to really consider what legacy we’d like to leave behind us at the end of our time on this earth. For me, it’s simply been a part of the way I think , for as long as I can recall.  I want the people and community around me to change with me, for the better.

I live in a “have” community in a “have not” region of a wealthy developed nation. What this region lacks is globally insignificant – in comparison to the “have not” regions of the world. Globally we are very well-off. What many of our impoverished must do without is still a far better scenario than those of other nations. Some would accept that as proof that we don’t need to change. I disagree. If we look around us there are people among us living without. Without everyday necessities. They live without things that many of us would never accept doing without in our own lives. Yet, we judge those same people for mis-spending, while we would never invite someone else’s judgment of our spending habits. Somehow most of us feel entitled to our privacy and right to determine our own priorities without external interference, yet think nothing of judging our neighbors who struggle to get by for their “poor choices”.

This is endemic in our society and way of being. We do so at the very micro level – passing judgment on our neighbors – and we do so at varying macro levels.

In my “have” community it is not uncommon to hear residents complain about being forced to contribute to the larger system, only to see other communities benefit from those funds for things that our own community believes not to be necessary (and we usually already have). Or a poor choice of priorities. Or (imagine!) to be taking away funds from our own community’s own priorities.

Now don’t get me wrong, I want to see my community develop and grow and thrive. I hate for us to do without in order for other priorities to be met. However, I believe very much that it is our responsibility as citizens of a larger community to consider what sacrifices might need to be made in order to lift others up. We must consider that if we make those sacrifices, and others are lifted up, the result will benefit us all. It’s always circular.

Just as we sometimes need to sacrifice something of our own (time/money, etc.) to help a family member or neighbor in need, so too must neighboring communities, regions, provinces, and yes, even nations. I absolutely support our nation helping those less fortunate nations, especially in extreme times of need (i.e. during floods, and earthquakes and wars). I also support each and every one of us remembering that it starts at home. If we take the time to care for our neighbors, we will as a nation have greater capacity to help other nations.

I’m not in a position to have much of an impact on the state of the world, or even how my own nation fits into that picture, but I can start right here at home. My vision is that my immediate community will begin to make it a priority to share our wealth, to lift up those around us, so that we all can become “have communities”, so that we can become a “have province” and one day be able to say that there are NO “have-not regions” in our own nation. When we can finally say that, we will be in a position to offer so much more to other parts of this world.

We CAN change the world, one person, one neighborhood, one community at a time.  Be the Change!

Filed Under: Advocacy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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