Homeless Push: 12 for 12K - Make an impact in your community

We are now 2 days into the 12 for 12K Homeless Push. The premise: take the 12 days before Christmas, and do a little “sumthin’ sumthin’” to help the homeless in your community. This shouldn’t be too difficult – it’s the month (and weeks) of the year where everyone is facilitating your ability to participate. So, I encourage you to do so…

1/ Register with the 12 for 12K community and share what you, your friends, your family, your colleagues are doing.

2/ Think beyond a monetary donation. Money is great – it helps a lot of the organizations run, but people who are homeless could use things made easy. Take a look at some of the suggestions put forward at 12 for 12K blog. (My personal favourite: the bake-off! Who would not like some home-baked cookies? You could even cheat and get some Pillsbury Holiday Cookies - mmm.)

3/ Go beyond what you would have usually done… Let’s face it, it’s the Holiday season. Every year, at the very least, you dig out one can of soup from your pantry and donate it to some food drive, somewhere. So, this year – can you do a little bit more?

Why? Let’s start by stating that the economy of the past couple of years has put an incredible strain on all our services for the homeless and the “less fortunate”. Canada’s unemployment rate is 8.5%, and although the economy appears to be turning around, the reality is that most of the indicators are still below 2008 levels. This is not good – and this also means that the “homeless population” in Canada has new residents…

What does this mean for my ‘hood? Let me try to provide some insight from a GTA (Greater Toronto Area) perspective:

• First, scroll to the bottom of this article and you will see that food banks and all major communities in Ontario have seen significant increases in use!
• Each year, an estimated 50 young women with no permanent home give birth at St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto. (National Post, November 09)
• From a CBC News Report (granted from 2004 – though I’m not sure things have gotten better):

Estimates of the number of homeless in Toronto range from 60,000 to 70,000. But advocates for the homeless say those numbers are low because they are based on shelter use and don't take into account those who live in parks or encampments, such as Tent City.

A planned census of Toronto's homeless was put on hold after advocates said street people were afraid the count would reveal their hiding places and make them vulnerable to eviction.

Now, I‘m a firm believer in the ripple effect… make changes immediately around you, and those changes will ripple out – like throwing a stone in the water. I also believe that if we can make a positive impact on youth today, we can make a difference for tomorrow. In light of this and what we are trying to do with 12 for 12K this December, you may want to get to know these shelters:

• Covenant House
• Eva’s Initiatives

On that note – check out 12 for 12K, and let them know Chief Lemonhead sent you…

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Conductors & connectors

Would you like to know the results of poll #2? Well, 66% of you would have given up laundry detergent, 33% of you would have given up shampoo, and none of you would have given up soap or toothpaste!

If you haven’t already, I really recommend you take the survey undertaken by the Daily Bread Foodbank; it’s quite insightful. You might be surprised what you say you’d live without and what you really can’t live without. Ah, the things we take for granted...

You know, one of the things I find interesting about our society as a whole – and, let me preface, this is my opinion only – is that we are really good, great in fact, at looking at problems and solving them. When faced with a crisis, our society comes together and, so it feels, makes miracles happen!

But, what happens when problems repeat themselves? I mean, with our ability to come together, we get really, really good at solving “chronic problems”! Perhaps we become more effective, more efficient. I wonder, however, if we could stop the issues from coming back in the first place?

Through this blog, I’ve shown (and will continue to show) a number of places, causes, societies, groups, and organizations that come together and help with food or shelter for people living in poverty. I call these people conductors; like the orchestra conductor. These people are in charge of the orchestra – they make music, the foundation of the show. Without the services they provide, many people would likely not be able to even start the day.

What our society is lacking is what I call connectors – the people in charge of linking the music with the entire show. (We have actors: you and I are part of the show, as well as the remainder of the 7 billion+ people who live on this planet.)

The world already has some great connectors: Monarch School, the Harlem Children’s Zone, and Chris Gardner. I’m sure I have missed many... I will continue to research and bring more to you.

It is just in my humble opinion that we are much better at conducting the orchestra than we are at putting on a show. I suggest we take some steps forward. Over the course of this year, I intend not only to show conductors and connectors that already exist, but also show how we can actually become these people.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with words from Mahatma Ghandi: be the change you want to see in the world... (And, here are The Top Ten Things to Think About if You Want to Change the World.)

Baby, it's cold outside... Some people don't have warm clothes!

Are you cold? Lord knows I am!

If you are below 39°N of latitude, you may not be quite as frigid, but let me share some temperatures with you (including wind chill).

• Toronto: -25°C (-13°F)
• Montreal: -29°C (-20°F)
• New York, NY: -17°C (5°F)
• Washington, DC: -18°C (1°F)

So, say you wanted to go out in temperatures like this, you’d likely require: a good winter coat, and preferably a multi-layered one, a tuque, gloves, a scarf, maybe a few extra layers of clothes, and I’d also recommend a decent pair of boots. Wouldn’t you agree?

Unfortunately, in the cities mentioned above, there are so many people who do not have proper clothing; who might not have shelter; and who probably need something warm to eat. I encourage you to check out the local missions or food banks, the Salvation Army in the US or in Canada, and of course there are a plethora of other sources. They are all in need of donations; can you help?

___

It’s funny – not “funny, ha-ha”, just funny interesting – to mention this today. I recall, a few weeks ago when the winter cold settled into the GTA, we had to buy scarves. When we did, Nichole turned to me and said: “OK, how do I do this?”

“Um, do what?” was my answer.

“Put this scarf on? I’ve never had one – so not really sure how this goes.”

WOW! The things we take for granted. I’m sure she could have figured out how to put it on, but when you have to rush through something you’ve never done, the simplest things seem so foreign.

Nichole never owned a pair of snow pants or water proof (resistant) boots; not even as a child. And, to be clear, she did not live in an area “below 39°N of latitude” so certainly, those pieces of winter clothing would have been welcomed!

___

What does any of this “cold air” have to do with learning and generating hope? Well, a couple of things, among others…

First, if you are in the situation Nichole was in – or anyone who does not have proper food, shelter or clothing – what are the chances of success in school? It is proven that children who are hungry have weaker academic performances. The Children’s Emergency Fund gives us a few indications of what happens when children go to school hungry.

Secondly, if you have opportunities: a regular (reasonable) pay check, transportation, and a basic education (high school graduation), your chances are much higher that you can acquire the above-mentioned clothing for yourself and for your family.

Take a look at this survey from the Daily Food Bread food bank. The additional questions I would ask are: “Which of these do you have?” and “Which of these are you willing to give up?” I could, for example, see how one might think that something like “access to Internet” is not a mandatory requirement for surviving in Ontario, but are you willing to give it up? And, if you lost it, how would you feel?

We take so many things for granted, including (often times) the warmth of our homes and clothes. We are quick to judge what “basic needs” are without truly being willing to give up on things we consider “luxuries”. It’s time, this year, to give back… And, I would encourage you, in these frigid temperatures, to help keep people warm!

If people feel safe, warm, fed, and hopeful, they will be have more clarity to seek out, to identify, and to seize the opportunities which will allow them to become self-sufficient.

CLARIFIER:

I believe that if you work hard for something, you deserve it. I believe that no one should take that away from you. But, I also believe that if you’ve worked hard for something, you probably had an opportunity to work hard for it. Therefore, what I am saying here is not to give anything up, but rather to allow others the opportunity; to help them find it. If people have opportunities and do not seize them, then we’re having a different conversation altogether. However, in many instances of poverty and homelessness, people have simply not had opportunity, or have had opportunity taken away from them.

A Penny for your thoughts...

Now, for a little more on Nichole’s family life… Today, I would like to introduce you to Penny - Nichole's older sister (by 4 years).

You’ll recall that Nichole's mother was working non-traditional hours, getting a very meagre pay, and when time permitted, imbibing to ignore the woes of the world. This left Penny with the role of "mother". Penny took care of Nichole and their older brother: cooking and cleaning in particular.

Nichole can remember Penny bathing her in the morning to get her ready for school. And, when Nichole was sick, Penny would spend time with her – making her soup, playing with her, and making sure she got the rest she needed. One of Nichole's fondest memory is of the 2 girls building tents in their room with their bedsheets and playing with their dolls. Then, the bottom went out again…

Pen’s vivid memory of her father leaving, the downturn her mother took, and the quick decent into poverty and despair scarred her. I suppose that’s not really surprising since it all started when she was 6!

Penny was a good student, focused on doing the right thing for herself and for her family. Penny concentrated on her cheerleading and her schooling until… At the age of 16, Penny started dating one of the high school basketball stars. By the time Pen was 17 she was pregnant and had to quit school to have and to take care of her baby. There was no one around to provide her with guidance, structure and discipline to help her understand and wade through the pressures she might face...

Aside from a broken family, no one provided any support required to a single, teenage mother. Even now, her “baby daddy” is still not paying any child support – and a lot is owed! The result: At the age of 17, Penny is trying to be a mother not only to her own baby, but to her siblings as well; and trying to make her own ends meet.

Just as Nichole’s mom turned to drinking as a way of forgetting the issues, Penny turned to men (though, I’m sure she thought she was turning to love). Anything to escape! Now 18 years later, Penny is the mother of 4 children from 3 different fathers. The poverty and despair cycle has been proliferated. Can you imagine what poverty is like with 4 kids!? How hard might it be to look at your children and encourage them, tell them they can achieve, when you haven't been able to see a glimpse of light yourself?

In the past 10 years, Penny married the father of her 2 youngest, whose drug addiction was rivalled only by his irresponsibility. By virtue of peer pressure and the desire to escape, she too got lured into the world of drug abuse. She even overdosed and luckily survived. Over time, she temporarily lost custody of her children. Her youngest boys (at the ages of 6 and 8) could tell you stories that no child – heck no adult – should ever have to know or see!

Today, Penny is slowly getting back on her feet, but there's still so much to do… She has tried to get her GED 4 times but has not been able to succeed. There are no accessible programs to help tutor her, and certainly not any that come with childcare! We can only wonder what might happen next.

Penny, as her mother before, is living in poverty supported by food stamps and welfare. Her children have had the luxury of witnessing these problems and the way in which they’ve been handled. When do you think the vicious cycle will end for this family? And, if it doesn’t end soon – what hope will the children have?

I deliberately omitted specific details of events due to the harsh and graphic nature of this reality.

Lemon Tree Idea Gallery – The Boulder Remover

(Lemon Creek Glacier, Southern Alaska)

There is a philosophy in management studies which suggests that the key to being successful as a manager is to remove obstacles from the path of your teams, and then get out of the way to let them do what they’re good at. The obstacle in question is usually something within the internal operations of the business.

It has also been proven time and time again that employees who have less personally stress, strife and distraction contribute more significantly and more productively to the organization than those who have more. In fact, SAS, a research software development organization in Cary, NC has – for eleven consecutive years – been in the top 30 of Fortune’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work for in America. One of SAS’s successes during their 30+ years, is the way it treats its employees, including providing: onsite subsidized medical centres, onsite subsidized gourmet cafeterias, subsidized health and daycare programs, among others. SAS believes that by helping employees relieve their personal pre-occupations, they will have employees who contribute more to the success of the organization – and they do!

This doesn’t mean that people who have more personal issues aren’t as smart or as capable; rather, they are distracted. You might think that one should separate their personal life and work life. To a degree, I’ll agree with you. But what if the “distraction” is the concern of whether this week’s pay check will be enough to pay rent, bills and to put food on the table for your 2-year old? Do you still believe it’s easy to just leave the personal problems at home? To so many, these issues are like a boulder in the middle of the highway and you’re driving towards it at over 100mph (160km/h)!

What if we could expand these business theories and practices into society at large? We all want our communities to continue improving – so, let’s be a part of the movement!

Those boulders I referred to are usually major hope crushers for so many people living in poverty. They may want to change their lives, learn, grow, earn and stand on their own two feet, but these big huge rocks (among others) are in their way:
• Who is going to take care of the kids while I go to school and learn?
• If I study, and give up or reduce my salary for 6 months (the average amount of time required to get a certificate), how will I make ends meet?
• Even if I study part time to not give up my salary – can my body handle the demands and stresses?
• Even if I get a job, I can’t leave the kids because I still can’t afford daycare!
• Will I make it through? And, even if I do, what’s at the other end? What if it’s all for not?
To make matters worse, these rocks are next to impossible to budge – and these people are usually alone (remember the reliability issue in "Lemons have families too..."). So there’s no help to even try to move them. What would you do? Over time, most people give up. Voilà: hopelessness!

What if we could create a movement whose key goal is to remove these boulders from the paths of people who aren’t quite as privileged as many of us? Don’t worry about the “how” right now? Worry about the “who”… If we could all commit to “creating a world with no borders where everyone can have true equal opportunity to improve their life”, we would all find the right ways to budget, nudge and even remove these boulders.

Boulder Removing Experts

Here’s idea #2… and, to tell you the truth, I don’t think I’ve heard of this kind of program in existence. Imagine with me:

…An organization that people can turn to for support in order to remove boulders from their path when they want to work toward self-sufficiency. In order to qualify, you need to be willing to work with a counsellor/case worker who will evaluate your needs and ambitions. Let’s be clear – this group is not going to help you get a BMW! But if you work with them, you could be able to get your own.

Independently of what your problems are, this organization removes the boulders. You can get a job, but you can’t leave your children because you can’t pay for daycare: we’ll help you cover daycare. You realize it’s time to get a high school diploma because no matter how hard you try, you can’t get a full time job that pays enough to cover rent and the bills: we can help you get that diploma. You have been working for years in a basic paying job without benefits or savings and now you’ve been laid off: we’ll make it easier for you to find another job and bridge the gap.

You’ll notice that the “helps” provided are built to remove boulders. These individualized programs are temporary. You and your case worker build a plan and timeline together (which unto itself is a learning). Once the boulder is out of your way, and you’re on your way, we get out of your way and you live your life. The point is to get you to self-sufficiency, to teach you how to fish.

There are two small additions to the organization and its programs: 1/ if you want to stay in touch, you are always welcome; and 2/ please pay it forward.

What do you think?

It may sound like welfare – but, I’d like to think it’s better. If this is what welfare is supposed to be then I apologize to those who created the welfare programs. I would suggest that those programs get better managed. I know people who live on welfare, and they really don’t believe there’s a way out. They almost seem to think that it’s going to be “welfare forever”.

In the meantime, feel free to share these ideas with anyone you think could contribute to making a difference. We need to take a stand today. The longer we wait, the more the issues proliferate. The more the issues proliferate, the more we get comfortable with the idea that “this is just the way it is”. I don’t know about you, but I refuse to accept poverty as a norm that just is…

Lemony Lessons: Climbing the pyramid

Many of you are probably familiar with the Chinese proverb: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life. One of my favourite business/self-help writers/speakers, Stephen Covey takes it a step further and suggests that if we create a generation of teachers of fishing, we will lift all of society. And, I believe that!

I also believe that many of the existing government programs that support those who live in poverty do so by “giving fish”. These programs deal with the symptoms: hunger and homelessness (among others). Don’t get me wrong, of course we need to deal with these symptoms otherwise we’d be faced with not only people in poverty but people who are dying from starvation and exposure to the elements (which I recognize happens in many other countries). Now, I’m not a psychologist and I don’t pretend to be, but I will wager that those who live at the poverty level are likely, psychologically speaking, at the bottom end of

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

And I believe that with all good intentions, those government programs I am referring to were built – at least in part – to respond to those “deficiency needs” shown at the bottom of the pyramid.

I’d like to “throw something out there”… Might it be possible to work through the pyramid rather than step by step? (Yup; I sure did just question Mr. Maslow, the Father of Modern Management Psychology.) Here’s what I’m thinking: Instead of these government programs focusing solely on giving the physiological needs to those living in poverty, why wouldn’t we expand the focus into teaching how to get those needs on their own? That way, people can become self-sufficient rather than continually relying on others.

I can appreciate that some of these programs might already exist but I would question their accessibility. And I can appreciate that some people might question the time required and cost involved in “hand-holding” some of the people to access these teaching/learning programs if we want to move them from dependency to self-sufficiency. But, if we spend the extra effort now to make a real difference, we might actually be able to reduce the problem significantly. Who knows? Maybe one day we can actually eliminate poverty – like so many governments, world-wide, have committed to doing!

I believe that if we could build a culture where teaching and learning combine to drive people to self-sufficiency, we will see a world where the intensity of poverty begins to lighten. I believe that the teachers, who are likely higher (psychologically speaking) on the Pyramid will find themselves “self-actualizing” and that the learners will find themselves striving for higher levels with each new lesson they can take away. We could actually expand hope.

I remember being a kid and learning to ride my bike. I don’t think there was anything more exciting than showing everyone that I could do it on my own! The sense of pride that I actually learned to do something by myself was amazing. It was that feeling – remembering that feeling – that made me want to learn the next thing. What I’m driving at is that if we can learn one thing and feel good about it, we’ll likely want to learn one more… This new cycle continues until learning becomes a habit. And from the lessons come growth, self-sufficiency, pride and self-respect.

Lemon-scented laundry...

Well, now that I’ve introduced you to Nichole, I’d like to walk you through a few episodes of her life. The following stories might get you emotional – they sure did me. Nichole’s life and life experiences are about as clear an example of how lack of education and poverty become part of an endless cycle until someone finds the hope and strength to break it.

Laundry detergent – is it a right or a privilege?

You know what I think is interesting: the term “underprivileged”. According to the

Merriam-Webster online dictionary, underprivileged refers to those deprived through social or economic condition of some of the fundamental rights of all members of civilized society. When most of us think of people who are living in underprivileged conditions, we think of subsidized housing and lack of food. Would you have even considered that access to laundry detergent, or clean clothes, would actually be restricted? I mean, I’m not trying to feign ignorance here but laundry detergent is not something top of mind… not even in our own daily lives, but it is very important.

When Nichole was 9, getting ready for school she often woke up to put on dirty clothes. There were days when the laundry just didn’t get done: without hope or when you're short on food, it’s hard to have the energy to clean clothes. Many times, it was simply a question of not having laundry detergent to begin with. Nichole even has memories of clothes being washed in the bathtub with dish soap because it is cheaper than laundry detergent. Not to mention that it was the only thing left in the house which could clean clothes… well, at least until the welfare check came!

Now, it’s hard enough being a kid who lives below the level of poverty. Add to it the regular stresses of going to school, throw in a dash of “out-of-style” clothing, and for good measure – make those clothes dirty! Do you want to keep going to school?

Here’s the thing – food stamps do not buy laundry detergent. When we look for ways to help bridge the gap between poverty and lack of education, we need to create an educational environment that breaks down (as much as possible) the silos that society creates and then imposes on our children. Those silos make it hard for “over-privileged” children; imagine what they do to underprivileged children?

* The image of the Sunlight detergent is simply used to depict a "lemon-scented" laundry detergent.

My Lemon Tree Inspiration: Setting the stage

I’ve spent some time in the first 5 posts showing why this cause is so important to our communities. Of course, there are many other reasons which I will discuss over time; this is just a beginning.

Over the next series of posts, I’d like to demonstrate why this issue is so important to me personally, and introduce you to my inspiration for the Lemon Tree.

My inspiration:
A little over 5 years ago, I met someone incredibly special. A person with a big heart and a great mind, but who had never had the opportunities I got. This person grew up in a small community in the US – though she would argue that the “small community” she grew up in was no small community at all because it’s the seat of government for the county. But, here’s the back story…

Nichole grew up in a world that I had only seen in movies and on TV (sure, maybe I was a little sheltered): Her family was on welfare and food stamps. (A little fun fact about food stamps: they only buy food. No soap, no toothpaste, no toilet paper. And, they’re actually called “food coupons”. Want more info, click here.) Nichole rarely, if ever, had new clothes – being the youngest of three, she usually received hand-me-downs. Their home was provided, in part, by county subsidies. And, the odds that their car would start in the morning were as good as the odds you’d win at a game of slots at the casino.

You’d like to think that was the worst of it, but such is not the case. Poverty often breeds despair; Nichole witnessed teenage pregnancies, drug use, abuse and overdose, alcoholism, and domestic assault.

Not that anyone should, but humour me… Can you imagine growing up in this environment and succeeding in school? Nichole quit high school in grade 10.

Over the course of the next week, I’ll share some personal stories on behalf of Nichole, and lead up to her ambitions, dreams and plan of attack.

A word of caution here: The posts may contain mature subjects. Reader discretion is advised.

Lemon Tree Facts: Canada and the US

One of the things you will notice throughout this blog is that I am focusing on Canada and the US.

Why?

Well, it’s certainly not because poverty or lack of education doesn’t exist anywhere else. In fact, I know it is rampant in some countries that didn’t make my shortlist. I am focusing on these countries because it’s where I live and it’s likely to be the area where I can make a larger and more realistic difference. The ideas that will be generated, I hope, could be exported to other areas of the world; and as I mentioned before, if ideas are already working in other places, maybe those could be imported here.

Now, to get back to your question: “Why?” I’ll take you back to the last paragraph of my last post: the notion of the stone in the water creating ripples. It’s important to make a difference in our “circle of influence” (Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Sure, I’d like to save the world; wouldn’t we all? But, we have to focus on where we can make the biggest impact, and hope that the positive changes we truly influence will generate ripples into the future, and maybe even into the larger global community.

I mean, most poverty-targeting charities are focused on under-developed countries. And, I’m not suggesting (as mentioned before) that there isn’t a need to help the people in those countries, but who’s looking at the issues on our streets, and in our cities? The poverty-targeting charities in Canada and the US usually only garner media attention around the holidays, or around natural disasters (think Katrina).

How is it that we get “guilted” into focusing our charities and efforts on these places miles and oceans away from us when there is poverty in our own city – if not on our own street? How can we then turn around and dare ask why there is crime in our schools; why so many of our youth choose "the wrong path"; and why so many people in our towns are homeless?

So, that’s why I am focusing on Canada and the US: I believe that if we focus on our streets, our neighbourhoods, our families, our communities, our cities, our countries – we can more likely have an immediate impact, a more direct influence, and make a bigger difference in the long run. When those we help choose to “pay it forward” – maybe even like Chris Gardner did – perhaps the greater circle of influence expands into other parts of the world.

So… what does the picture look like in Canada or the US? Well, I suppose you could say it’s like Vegas, to quote the new and improved INXS, “It ain’t pretty, after the show!”

Canada (stats from

www.makepovertyhistory.ca):
• One in six Canadian child is living in poverty;
• Canada’s child poverty rate of 15% is 3x higher than the rate of child poverty in Sweden, Norway or Finland;
• Every month, 770 000 people in Canada use food banks; 40% of those are children!

USA (stats from http://www.heartsandminds.org/articles/childpov.htm):
• One in four American child is living below the official “poverty line” (who knew poverty had a line?);
• 22% of Americans under the age of 18, or 25% under the age of 12, are hungry, or at risk of being hungry;
• Everyday, 2 660 children are born into poverty; 27 die because of it;
• Children and families are the fastest growing group in the homeless population, representing about 40%!

If these stats aren’t enough to convince you that there is a real problem here, you could always Google the issue for yourself and see how many links you could check out!

To be clear, I am not suggesting that the poverty issue is not very real in other parts of the world; I know that it is. But, if we can turn this blog into a movement over time, the goal needs to be to focus at home and bridge the gap between lack of education and poverty. I believe that by keeping our focus on our true circle of influence, by becoming teachers and by modeling the concept of paying it forward, we will positively impact the bigger community, and maybe even the world…

We can be the stone and we can create ripples in the water.