Candlelight Vigil for Haiti

Thought I'd pass this on for anyone that's interested...this is sponsored by the TransAfrica Forum and the Hip Hop Caucus.


Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 4:30 pm
Embassy of the Republic of Haiti
2311 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington , D.C. 20008

One week after the catastrophic earthquake, TransAfrica Forum and the Hip Hop Caucus ask that we gather in front of the Haiti Embassy in Washington, D.C., to show our support for the millions of people who have either lost lives, been severely injured or are left in the midst of the rubble in Haiti. To date, more than 50,000 Haitians have died, millions more are without sufficient medical help, food and clean drinking water. Aid assistance is hindered by the destruction of the port, hospitals and roads.

Let us join in a candlelight vigil and unite our hearts with our 'family' in Haiti and resolve that we will stand with them. Haitians need our spiritual support now more than ever. Please bring a candle and invite your friends.

We are gathering at 4:30pm and will hold a moment of silence at 4:53pm the exact time the earthquake leveled Port-au-Prince .

For more info rmation or to become a sponsoring organization contact Joia Nuri jnuri@transafricaforum.org or 202-223-1960 ext 131.

TransAfrica Forum 1629 K Street, NW, Suite 1100 Washington , DC 20006
Phone: 202.223.1960 Fax: 202.223.1966 info@transafricaforum.org

As always, prioritize, set boundaries and live!

Does your company match your donation to Haiti?

What is your company doing for Haiti? Call your HR office and find out if your company has a charitable employee matching fund. Some companies match to the dollar the amount of money that you donate to your favorite charities. That's double the amount of money that you may be able to give to the Haiti cause. There may be a minimum to contribute and a maximum you can donate per year.

Good luck!

Let's Help Haiti

It is not much we can say we've done for the world community unless everyone has been impacted positively in some way.

I wanted to do as much as I could to support the people of Haiti and what they're going through right now. Haiti is in need of any help that the country can get. First and foremost, they will need water, shelter, clothing and food. They will also need donations of blood. There are so many small ways that you can help, so try to be as impactful as you can when giving. This is just the beginning of what we can do to help.

Here are 7 important websites:

1. Wyclef Jean's website where you can go to provide donations. He's been involved in providing for Haiti for some time now.
http://www.yele.org/

2. CNN provides a great break down of which organizations can help based on: basic needs, shelter, medical aid and food:
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/?iref=allsearch

3. Red Cross provides all types of services but mainly can provide needed blood to survivors.
http://www.redcross.org/

4. The White House will provide updates on what America is doing to help.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/13/help-haiti

5. Charity Navigator will evaluate the sites that you are sending money to so you have an idea of how your money is being used.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/

6. Huffingtonpost provides up to date news and blogs on ways you can help.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

7. President's Clinton and Bush have joined together to set up a fund for donations to the Haitian cause.
http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/

Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti.

New Year’s Resolutions in bite size pieces

Resolve to NOT choose New Year’s Resolution that are unattainable this year. In 2010, there are many types of New Year's Resolutions that I have heard of or read about. People have resolved to lose weight, cut down on their spending, eat healthier, reach out to friends more and for some people, getting a new job is more important than anything. These are the resolutions that are recycled every year by so many. For the latter, if you are not satisfied at your job, then “feeling” that this is something you need to resolve this year is a plausible start. However, "feelings" alone should not guide your decisions when making New Year’s resolutions. There are actions that you need to take in order to make your New Year’s Resolutions more attainable and sustainable. Try using an environmental scan to assess your situation first. The environmental scan should be both internal and external. Internal environmental scans should be areas that are controllable by you. External environmental scans are not controllable by you.

For example, an external environment scan may show that the economic situation is bad, many companies are laying off their workers, having hiring freezes, and cutting costs. Also there may not be many job postings for the jobs that you are interested in applying for. But, if you do an internal environmental scan, you can assess how job ready you really are. What are you limitations? What are areas that you have perfected? For example, is your resume up to date? What about your interviewing skills? Do you need to prep with friends or get professional help with it? Do you have an interview suit? What about critical job skills, that certification, or advanced degree that you were thinking about attaining? Getting these things in order is very helpful when trying to find a new job.

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with some friends to have wine, chat and reminisce about 2009. We talked about our New Year’s Resolutions and our hopes for the next decade. We decided to meet at the end of each month to drink wine and to “celebrate” any accomplishments that we make towards these resolutions. Later, I pondered what I had decided to work on for 2010. On a broad sense, my “feeling” is to develop a more holistic/wellness approach focusing on my physical, emotional and spiritual well being. I thought about what my internal and external environmental scans were teaching me. Eventually I decided to take the steps necessary to attain this goal. I broke my broad New Year’s Resolutions into bite size pieces. I decided on an action plan and will move forward from there. Doing this I felt was more realistic for me in order to get to my New Year’s Resolution.

So, for everyone that has decided that in 2010 they are going to lose weight, cut down on their spending, eat healthier, reach out to friends more and get a new job, first focus on how attainable these resolutions are. And if they are too broad to be attainable, try to break them down into bite size pieces so you can have many “celebrations” throughout the year.

Happy New Year

As always, prioritize, set boundaries and live!!!