There are good people in this world.

• Aug
  16
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• 0

Some times a story comes across my desk that touches me and I just need to share it. The story might be big about changing the lives of hundreds of people, or small, touching but one individual. But, the story always moves me to smile and think, thank goodness there is still some decency left in our world. And today, one of those stories presented itself. Allow me to introduce Merrie Harris and Jay Valentine. Ad executive Harris loaned Valentine her credit card when the homeless man asked her for change and she had none. Much to the the surprise of the astonished onlookers, Valentine took the card, bought a handful of things like deodorant and bodywash (the total came to $25) and promptly returned the card to Harris. Read the full story here - This is a great example of someone helping out another human being - just because. And that human being being helped proving that they are worthy - just because. So the question is, would you loan a homeless person your credit card?

A Different Kind of Mother’s Day

• May
  12
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• 0

This past weekend, millions of moms were greeted with flowers, candy and the thanks of their children. Mine was no exception. Little did I know that this week I would hear a story that would make me appreciate my mom even more. At Project 7, we are exposed to numerous nonprofits and the good they are doing in the world. This week was no exception. I'd like to introduce you to Harvesters Reaching the Nations (HRN) and Mama Lilly.

We listened to their story, amazed by what we heard. 10 years ago, Mama Lilly and her husband sold everything they had to move to Sudan and start an orphanage to better the lives of hundreds of children. Just a few facts about Sudan: • It is called the Land of Death • 1/5 children die of preventable diseases before the age of 5 • 1/9 women die from childbirth Imagine if you had no mother and no one to care for you, and you were only five. Imagine having no one to tuck you in at night, no one to comfort you when you were scared or provide a meal when you were hungry. These facts are bleak, but thanks to people like Mama Lilly there is hope. Currently HRN serves almost 700 children each day. 170 children live at HRN and 500 additional children come daily from the village of Yei to get schooling. HRN employees 77 indigenous staff between the two orphanages. In addition, they are about to break ground on a much needed maternity clinic that will eventually serve as a hospital. The difference Mama Lilly and husband Dennis are making just goes to show  how important each of us is. 10 years ago, these two people decided to change someone else's life... and now they are mother and father to hundreds of Sudanese children. So, while it may be belated, we would like to wish Mama Lilly a Happy Mothers Day and thank her and Dennis for all that they do.

2.8 million children are homeless in the US. What are you doing about it?

• May
  3
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• 7

One of our goals is to educate people on the needs to surround us, to push people out of their comfort bubbles of everyday life. One of the best ways we can do this is by providing a way for great nonprofits to tell their stories. The following is a post provided to us by The Forsaken Generation Youth Homeless Project. This awesome nonprofit is trying to make a real difference for the homeless youth in America. Read on. (FROM FORSAKEN) Right here in the United States an estimated 2.8 million children are homeless. Nearly half of them are under the age of 6 years old Many of them physically and sexually abused Hundreds of thousands of them are forced into the horrific world of child sex trafficking It is estimated that nearly half a million children are sold for sex right here in the United States EVERY single year "About a year ago I walked into the first youth homeless shelter I had ever seen in my life. I was stunned to see a shelter filled with children that had no place to call home. Some with parents some without. I later discovered that millions and millions of children across the country were homeless. It’s a problem that’s literally spinning out of control. I realized that I had to do something. Someone needed to stand up and help these kids. By ignoring these helpless children we just continue to perpetuate the problem. We've truly created a Forsaken Generation." - Sean Wrench, founder Forsaken Generation In the last 2 years the number of homeless children have DOUBLED. Child and Youth Homelessness in America has become a NATIONAL CRISIS. Many of these kids actually sleep on the streets because they aren’t fortunate enough to find nearby shelter. Because we choose to ignore them, these homeless children are dying every...single...day. Will you be their voice? How can you help? We can connect you with a Youth Homeless Shelter in your area - Volunteer your time - Organize a clothing/food drive - Play with the children Sign our online petition! - Click on the change.org logo on forsakengeneration.com to sign it! Write a letter to your state representative - Find samples on forsakengeneration.com Raise Awareness - Invite Sean Wrench, founder of Forsaken Generation to come speak at your school, church, business or community organization. Join or start a Forsaken Generation Street Team - Act locally to be a part of ending child homelessness - Raise awareness for youth homelessness and child sex trafficking - Organize fundraisers for Forsaken Generation Follow us online! Web: forsakengeneration.com Twitter: @forsakengen Facebook: facebook.com/forsakengeneration YouTube: youtube.com/forsakengeneration1

On the Ground Post #2 – Human Trafficking Brought to Light

• Apr
  21
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• 2

Mary George imagined she would be doing social work in a hospital environment while in school, but sitting across from her in the crowded offices of the non-profit Mosaic Family Services show that a different story unfolded. “I interned with a police department in victims’ assistance and discovered a passion for domestic violence victims,” Mary explained. After referring victims to organizations like Mosaic, she took a job as a case manager working with mostly refugees and immigrants who were victims of domestic violence or human trafficking. Mosaic Family Services is a nonprofit community-based organization that provides services free of charge to refugees and immigrants who are victims of human trafficking and domestic violence in North Texas. The mission of Mosaic Family Services is to support, educate, and empower individuals and families of the communities we serve. After nearly three years with Mosaic, the most difficult part for Mary is watching victims who choose to return to their abusive situations. “I understand the reasons why women may tend to go back to their homes to some extent, but I worry about their safety,” Mary said. “I worry if before they decide to leave from our shelter or agency that they are fully aware and well informed with ample information and know all their options should they need to get out again.” On the other end of the spectrum, Mary is encouraged when she sees clients who walked in with submissive postures and fear in their eyes transformed into someone standing proud, speaking with assurance and walking with confidence. “You can literally notice the difference just looking at them – it’s often that significant of a change,” Mary said. According to Mosaic Family Services, the organization’s mission is to support, educate and empower individuals and families of the community they serve. The organization was started in 1993 by Dr. Walter Nguyen who saw a need specifically for services for refugee and immigrant victims. “We aim to educate them, to make them self-sufficient and to help them know what is available to them – whether that is services with the police, legal services, ESL classes, court hearings, a safe house such as our shelter, transitional housing, counseling, food stamps, Medicaid or knowledge about public transportation,” said Mary. “Many of the clients we serve are unaware about the services available to them and are undocumented. They’re afraid or brainwashed into thinking that if they go to the police for help then they will be deported, which is not the case. The police and organizations such as ours are here to help victims.” Mosaic assists clients from diverse backgrounds who speak one or more of the 29 languages Mosaic serves. They serve human trafficking clients - both male and female - from all over the world, including Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, and Korea. “They are lured here under false pretenses, lied to, abused and often brainwashed into thinking they are stuck in their situation without hope of freedom,” Mary said. “There are so many victims out there who don’t know who to go to or that help is available. I wish we could get a hold of each one of them and help them.” In response the constant debate about assisting illegal immigrants in the United States, Mary responds, “Victims are victims and should be helped.” Author’s note: While most of the stories and pictures of Mary’s direct work with clients have to remain unsaid and unseen for victims’ safety, the key thing I experienced from speaking with her is that these men and women aren’t stories on a blog or faces on posters at a church, they are real, un-famous, walking among us, and most importantly - they are hurting and need help.

Hot-Lanta gets its volunteer on.

• Mar
  30
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• 0

The Date: March 25th, 2010 The Purpose: Do some good in the city of Atlanta and promote volunteering The Story: Visit, Teach, Volunteer, Enjoy The Details: For those of you that don't reside in the ATL we missed you on the first stop in the Project 7 and Caribou Coffee 7 Cities Tour. The day before our volunteer event we had the chance to visit a few Caribou Coffee locations. The Project 7 team got to meet and greet the employees as well as tell the story of Project 7 to any customers who would listen. We were excited by the warm reception that is so synonymous with the South. It was a busy day but necessary to get everyone as excited about volunteering as we were. The morning of the 25th we rolled out with the managers of the local Caribous for a two part volunteering event. We would be visiting both the Atlanta Community Food Bank and City of Refuge. Both organizations do a ton for the Atlanta Community and we were honored to serve them. We had a good group at City of Refuge – about 14 people. It was a wonderful mix of people from Atlanta that heard about if from different sources. We toured the facility and served lunch. We all enjoyed learning what City of Refuge was doing in their community. At Atlanta Community Food Bank, we had 22 in our group. We all worked together to sort and pack salvage food goods. We packed 6,551 lbs of food & fed 4,367 families! So inspiring and easy to do. To end the day, we put on a concert at one of the local Caribou Coffees and invited all of the volunteers and the community to attend. The artist was the very talented Micah Dalton and the atmosphere was very relaxed and intimate. It had been raining, but the rain held off during the concert so we were able to have it outside. The perfect end to a great day. The next stop on our tour will be Charlotte, NC. Stay tuned for more details. We hope to make it even bigger and better. To learn more visit www.ChangeTheScore.com.