10 things volunteering can do for others and you!

1. There’s nothing like giving to others. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
2. People do need people. Although some animals need help too.
3. Meet other people you wouldn’t ordinarily ever come in contact with.
4. Share your knowledge about something: for example, art, writing, music…
5. Helping older people is a good thing. Some of them are very isolated, and this is not a good way to live. There are many children who need someone too!
6. Put good karma in the universe. ( I’m not sure there is such a thing, but
who knows?)
7. You would be surprised how many people you help will want to pay it forward and help someone else.
8. Maybe learn a new skill while you’re volunteering.
9. Stretch yourself further than you thought was possible.
10. In the process, you will make some good friends.

What have you gotten out of volunteering? Share your experiences and thoughts.

Cassie Taylor to symbolically finish her Boston Marathon exactly one week from the tragedy!

Boston Marathon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

You have to admire people with a fighting spirit. Cassie Taylor was running her first Boston Marathon for a charitable cause and just appeared on CNN. I was impressed with her

 

To honor the victims of the race, there was a few moments of silence at 2:50 P.M. Taylor wanted to get a group together to finish the race. There is nothing like silence to make a statement. But nothing can really make up for the senseless death’s of 4 people, Martin Richard, Sean Collier, Krystle Campbell, and Lingzi lu.

 

Taylor couldn’t get to the real finish line, but she picked a route parallel to it. The real finish line was being secured and off-limits.

 

Taylor pointed out that so many people who run the Boston Marathon were doing it to raise money for different causes: children’s causes, mental health, Cancer, and other meaningful causes.

 

She doesn’t want to let the bomber and his dead brother to ruin the good feelings and intentions of many of the runners. The runners who weren’t just running for themselves, but for their charities.

 

She managed to get 7 other runners to join her. It was a  symbolic finish.

 

I say, good for them. I  admire their fighting spirit!

 

Spending time with good friends: Another Harmony Project post

Today, I had a fun day with people from the Harmony project. We went over to the “Buckingham Commons” on sixth street. It’s an apartment complex that some of our friends live in.

friends from the Harmony project

One of the women from the choir, Joy Macke, is a makeup artist, and she did makeup for some of the residents from the Unison project. (It’s name has changed, but I don’t have it straight in my mind).   There was another lady who did magical things with hair, and another taking pictures of all of us.

It’s amazing what a little makeup and hair brush ups can do for people. They just glow and look like movie stars.

We all ate pizza, salad, pop and just talked.

Since Harmony Project is about giving to each other, we appropriately sang “Lean on Me” which is going to be in our May 18 and 19 concert. I can’t describe the good feelings that were going on in that room. It only took singing together, and really feeling it.

Tomorrow, we’re going to raise money to try to plant some trees on Livingston Avenue.  Later on, we’re going to paint a mural. There are so many projects going on, I can’t keep track of them.

I am so glad “The Harmony Project came into my life.” It’s amazing what you can get out of connecting with people, singing, and just doing little things to contribute.

I’d feel lost without this wonderful organization.

What happens at a Harmony Project rehearsal? Another Harmony Project post

October 29
Tonight was another night with The Harmony Project It was also a night when storms were blowing a little stronger than usual, but nothing was going to stop me from going to that rehearsal. Good things transpire at Harmony Project Rehearsals.  I wasn’t going to miss out!

The Harmony Project is a volunteer choir that sings and shares.  Sharing is simple. You just do a volunteer project. It doesn’t require a lot of time.  At the end of a “semester,” you get to appear in a show at a great venue  in the downtown Columbus, Ohio, area.  Another bonus of being in this choir is appearing with a first class professional band with great musicians

Members of the choir love doing those shows!   It’s usually a love fest between the choir and the audience. Everyone seems to have a good time.

Tonight’s Rehearsal
I was really feeling down in the dumps when I walked in the door tonight.  I was going to sit in the back of the room. After I walked in, someone I barely knew invited me to sit down next to them.  Right away, I started feeling a little bit better.  The Idea about sitting in the back of the room was gone.  (After the rehearsal starts, we usually introduce ourselves to three people we don’t know. It takes time to know 200 people. ) After I did that, I was feeling even more upbeat.

We all started singing our first song. By the time I was done singing that song, I felt downright happy. Singing is good for the soul. There’s nothing better than singing the same words with over 200 people.

The Pied Piper of the Harmony Project
I guess you could say another one of the reasons the Harmony Project is such a success  is the Musical Director, David Brown. He is energetic and  knows how to make rehearsing fun,  and sometimes inspiring.

Tonight, one highlight was when we sang a Beth Neilson Chapman song we’re going to sing in the December show. It’s all about finding the light. The lights went out, and I thought the high winds had knocked out the power, but it was David trying to get us to concentrate on the meaning of the song.  Not only that, he pulled a member of the choir out front to share a personal experience about what it means to really see the light. She is blind, so she talked about what it means to see with your heart.

A little boy inspires me

Next thing I knew, one of the members of the choir asked, “ Is there an age limit on who can sing in the choir? We’ve got someone giving it all they got.”   I looked up and saw the most adorable little boy sitting  in an area that is above our rehearsal room.   As I watched him, I noticed how enthusiastically he was singing along. I knew he must be a choir member’s child .

Finally, the rehearsal was over. I saw the little boy out in the lobby with his mom and sister.  “How do you know all the words?” I asked.  He broke out in the biggest smile, dimples and all. “We practice the CD  in the car,” he said.  I told him he inspired me, and it was the honest truth.

All of this transpired in an hour and a half. It was worth the trip!

See the Harmony Project perform on December 19 or December 20th at The Southern Theater! Get tickets through CAPA

A few members of The Harmony Project 200 member choir.

Related articles

• Choir & Other Choir (bookmouse.wordpress.com)
• A Return to What I Love (blainecindy.com)
• Back in the Choir (msherice88.wordpress.com)

Favoritism, Talent and Leadership!: Do they go hand-in-hand?

 

leadership (Photo credit: Ed Gaillard)

 
Is showing favoritism a part of being human? Is it inevitable? Do people do that because it’s the natural order of things? Do you need to show favoritism to get things accomplished? Is it fanciful to think there should be more equality?

Maybe the reasons socialism and communism didn’t work is because somebody always has to be on top. That means somebody always has to be at the bottom.

Whenever you belong to a group, the outstanding people always rise to the top. No matter what kind of group it is. It can be in school, work, or for fun.

What was your experience with kids sports?
I remember when my children played amateur sports some coaches would never give some of the kids a chance to play. All they wanted was the win, so they would only allow the talented kids to play.

There were some outstanding coaches who realized every kid should have a chance, so they would give everyone an opportunity to play. Some of the disgruntled parents of the “Stars” would have a fit because they wanted their kids to always be featured.

 

I’m sure the Olympic heroes who will be celebrated this week were all the “stars” that were played. Do you think any of them rose from the bottom?

 

English: The Olympic Flag flying in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, outside the provincial legislature of British Columbia, in recognition of Vancouver’s hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

School leaders
Once when I was teaching school, I allowed some of the students who were never leaders become leaders during a school activity. They were thrilled to be given this opportunity.

Guess what happened?

The natural leaders, who would’ve been assigned in the first place took the leadership positions anyway.

Sometimes, I feel that people who are overlooked should get a chance anyway. Have you ever been in a group where equality really goes on?

Have you ever seen where a shy person given a chance, develops into a leader.

Do you think there is a better way?

What do you think?

 

Related articles

• A skill set called leadership (roelienzwart.wordpress.com)
• Leadership Can’t Be Taught . . . (johnrchildress.com)
• Eight Theories of Leadership (psychology.about.com)
• Leadership training (4cdm.wordpress.com)

 

Creative Giving: Another Harmony Project Post

Here’s another post about the versatile Harmony Project in Columbus, Ohio. It’s the organization that can do and does! We get to sing in a harmonious choir, give performances and make all kinds of new friends. There is commitment involved, but nobody minds. Sing, serve, and share is the motto.

Today was a spa day for the Unison Project, an essential part of the choir.  The people who belong to the Unison Project live in housing, especially sponsored by the Columbus Shelter Board http://www.csb.org.  There are people who have been homeless, but have the courage to take the opportunity to improve their lives. (Not all have been homeless, some have disabilities and other problems that qualify them to live in the facilities.)

Today, a generous spa, the  Ericka Taylor Salon and Spa donated their  services to members of The Unison Project.

They received manicures, facials, hair treatments —color, cuts, blowouts, highlights —and were photographed when it was all over. All the professionals in the spa donated their services. They worked their magic, and brought out the beauty of each person. People left the salon with a glow and a new look.

The pros at the spa did their work with joy. It was inspirational. They were even kind enough to throw in a few manicures to some of the other members of the Harmony Project.

First, we all had a delicious meal “The Little Palace” located on S. Fourth Street.  I would highly recommend that eatery . It was simply delicious.

David Brown, of The Harmony Project planned the whole outing. He did it with great style.

You can still buy tickets for The Harmony Project on July 18, and 19th!  Go to CAPA. It will be a great concert, and you can catch the joy!

It will bounce off the walls of the Southern Theater!

Pictures generously provided by Michelle Herman and Jan Leibovitz Alloy

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Related articles

• We are Family: The Columbus Ohio Group that gives: The Harmony Project (joyat60.wordpress.com)
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We are Family: The Columbus Ohio Group that gives: The Harmony Project

The Harmony Project led by David Brown gave everyone in Columbus, Ohio, a fun day of participating in a flash choir. It was all kinds of families: traditional, non-traditional, and just good friends. The definition of family is changing!

Come to our concert on July 18, and July 19th at the Southern Theater. You can buy tickets at OH CAPA,www.capa.com
We are 200 strong. This show will be fantastic, I guarantee it!

We raise money for projects in Columbus! Instead of talking about what we can’t do, we just do it! This group has been giving me joy since 2010. I can always count on attending either a rehearsal or an event, and coming home with a positive feeling.

Our amazing leader is David Brown. He is the conductor, and you can just see from this video how much positive energy he conveys.

*if you were there, look at the gallery, and then watch the video!

The Harmony Project gives me joy! Stay tuned…

This a wonderful project in Columbus, Ohio. I’ve been involved with it for two years. I get to sing on stages like The Southern Theater, Lincoln Theater, and all over Columbus. The ticket sales raise money for different philanthropic endeavors in the city. It’s great fun, and it definitely brings me joy!

Next, we get to sing with The Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

The person narrating the video is David Brown, the leader of this whole project. It’s been a terrific experience. He is like the Pied Piper!

Watch the video. It’ll tell something about this project. This is a series of videos. This is the first one. Please share!