Why I'm bitter (and appreciate him noticing).

I am dismayed by the response to recent statements made by Barack Obama. Barack said some people in America are bitter. In my experience, he's right. Among other issues, many of us have watched communities flounder and children languish in poverty. These things don't seem right but we've felt powerless to change them. (photo credit)

The politicians who scare me are the ones who want to pretend everything is fine. Denying people's righteous anger is frivolous and dangerous. It offends me and leads me to believe that they are the ones out of touch.

I decided to write about a couple of issues that have made me bitter. In addition, I am hopeful. I am hopeful because we have a dynamic presidential candidate who is willing to acknowledge people's feelings of frustration and stand alongside them to come up with plans for a better world.

Rural America
I'm not from Pennsylvania but I grew up in rural America; Columbus, Kansas specifically. Long before my family arrived, the once-thriving coal mining community had dried up and died. When I lived there, starting in kindergarten, our town of 3500 was the county seat. We were the poorest county in Kansas. (photo credit)

Still, I remember a quaint town square surrounding the county court house where my dad would go for city council meetings. My family shopped at the local, family-owned grocery store (Charlie's IGA). My mom visited Charlie and his employees nearly every day. My dad was friends with the man who owned the bank. The daughter of the man who owned the hardware store taught me how to swim. I went to school with the children of the people who owned the local clothing store and florist shop.

My brother and I were invited into the kitchen where we could make our own pizza at Turner’s Dairy Bell. When we were sick, after doctor's appointments, my mom would take us to Evan’s Drug Store where we could have a root beer float at the soda fountain while our prescriptions were filled.

At some point; however, we also started driving to the shopping mall in Joplin, Missouri. It seems we went almost every weekend. Eventually, Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and other national chains moved into my town and over time, most of the other businesses closed down. We weren't farmers but many from the community were and I know now that they were likely struggling.

When I was 17, my family moved to Newton, Iowa, a manufacturing town of 15,000 people whose livelihood centered on the fact that it was the home of the Maytag Corporation. As a high schooler, Maytag wasn't important to me. I appreciate that they gave me one of the full-ride scholarships they generously offered to kids from the community every year. When I was there, Maytag was known as a good place to work. Sam's grandfather worked there, as did three of his four brothers and some of their wives. Without college educations, they were able to support their families, buy homes and afford vacations to the lake with their boat or RV. (photo credit)

I don't know all of the specifics but I don't think Maytag operates there much anymore. They found cheaper labor and operating costs elsewhere. I can't imagine what has happened to all of the families left behind or all of the businesses that survived by providing goods and services to those families.

Once, I took a job representing farmers nation-wide. During my two years in that job, I spoke with individuals who were desperate, filled with panic (or bitterness) because they couldn't make a profit. They couldn't afford health insurance and didn't know how they were going to send their children to college. Many of them said that the work I was doing wasn't helping, that the big corporate farms, companies like Smithfield, had made staying in business impossible for them.

I hadn't known what to do about the things I'd witnessed. While driving along near-empty country roads, between one state association and the next, I wondered what would happen to the people in rural America. It seemed to be becoming more and more a barren wasteland.

In his book, Audacity of Hope, Barack talks about the struggle and plight of people from all walks of life. He has noticed. He is paying attention and better yet, he is offering solutions that could benefit us collectively.

Children
Currently, I work as an advocate for children who are dependents of the court.

Many of the professionals who have dedicated their lives to working on behalf of these children are well-meaning and have the best intentions but they don't have the resources to adequately meet these children's needs. (photo credit)

The efforts of social workers, attorneys, commissioners, judges and teachers are spread too thin. Their case loads are too large. Funding for therapy for children who've experienced profound trauma, abuse and neglect has been cut. Other services such as transportation, visitation supervision and education aren't being adequately funded either. Group homes are closing. Meanwhile, we are spending over $340 million dollars per day on a war.

How can such a wealthy society allow children to languish in poverty?

I appreciate Barack Obama for paying attention and recognizing our pain (and bitterness). We are angry and he understands the reasons why. Denying the wrong that has been done and pretending everything is fine isn't going to fix anything.

We need a leader who is brave enough to see the problems, offer real solutions and give us hope. Barack Obama cares and is in touch with the American people. He will be an amazing president.

Yes We Can to justice and equality. Yes We Can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes We Can heal this nation. Yes We Can repair this world.

Nothing is standing in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change. We want change. I want change. There has never been anything false about hope. We will remember that there is something happening in America. We are one people. We are one nation.

Yes We Can.

"When you get to the top of the mountain, remember me."

While all the buzz, this morning, is about Barack Obama selecting Joe Biden to be his running mate, (Cam thinks this is a solid choice and since he's the one who first told me about Barack, that's enough for now.) what I want to talk about is a group I just joined called Rural Americans for Barack Obama.

Obama is reaching out to Rural America. I appreciate him coming up with a plan to bring hope to those of us from there. I'd rather be hopeful than bitter.

In Dave Stewart's, "This is My American Prayer," Forest Whitaker, Cyndi Lauper, Macy Gray and others sing "When you get to the top of the mountain, remember me."

If you want to show those in Rural America you remember them, join Rural Americans for Obama.

Unite Again

Because I believe that we can accomplish more when we work together to help one another, I'm supporting Barack Obama. (photo credit)

I've never been involved in a political campaign before but I believe this man wants to do right things and make a worthwhile difference.

On Saturday at noon, I'm meeting a handful of other people at a woman's house in Mill Valley where we will share food, conversation and help build momentum for Barack. (photo credit)

They are asking us to reach out and make direct contact with voters in the states with early elections. That sounds like we'll be making phone calls but I don't know for sure.

At one point in my career transition, I made phone calls for a plastics manufacturer. I figured if I can call people about plastics, I can call people about hope. (photo credit)

I'd be honored if you wanted to join me. Or, click on this link to find a house party near you.

To read things I have written about why I support Barack, click here or here or here.

Click on the next link to read a statement Barack made today in remembrance of September 11th asking us to come together again so hope may triumph over fear. (photo credit)

Thanks for your consideration.

Fortunate Mistake

This week, I have been inspired by Will.i.am's "Yes We Can" video (which was inspired by a speech given by Barack Obama). We sang parts of it, when we needed encouragement, during our 14 mile hike yesterday.

On Friday night, I set about trying to identify all of the performers. I wanted to know more about them and to support them as a way of thanking them for supporting Barack.

Cam found this MTV article that listed several of the performers.

Next, I searched for images of them and was able to identify some of the artists who had given my favorite performances from the video but I couldn't identify everyone.





Finally, I searched itunes by the performer's names.

I sampled and bought music by John Legend, Esthero, Kate Walsh, Common, Harold Perrineau (Michael from Lost), Nick Cannon, Nicole Scherzinger, Scarlett Johansson and Ed Kowalczyk from Live.

So far, of these purchases, the music I have enjoyed most is by Kate Walsh. Today, I tried to find out more about her and realized there is more than one Kate Walsh. One is an actress from Grey's Anatomy, who supports Obama and was supposed to be in this video.

Kate Walsh, the folk musician, lives in the United Kingdom. I don't know how she feels about U.S. politics.

I do know I am happy I found her music.

To paraphrase a line from Your Song, "It is so pretty, to me."

What inspires you?

A couple of days ago, I made a small donation to Barack Obama's presidential campaign. (photo credit) They sent me an inspiring email with a testimonial from a woman who donated $10.
They said that while money was important, what they care about was that supporters give what we can afford to give and submit personal stories about why we gave, to inspire others. (photo credit)

I figured if they genuinely appreciated her $10, I could afford to donate what I make in one hour. See below for what I wrote about why I was inspired to donate and visit his site to read notes from other donors this week.

After 10 years of working in advertising, I left that field in search of more meaningful work. For the past two years, I have worked in the public school system while pursuing a master's degree in counseling/social work. I read Barack's first book and admire the work he did to enact change in Chicago. (photo credit)

I am a pacifist and believe that fighting doesn't solve anything. When I read that we are spending $11 million dollars per hour on war and that people are dying every day, I think it is such a waste. Imagine if that money and those lives could have been invested in positive change.

It is time for change. I was inspired by Joann's story. Like her, I don't feel like I have much to give or that the little bit I can spare would mean much. But I do believe that if everyone who wants change gave to this campaign, together we could make a difference. (photo credit)

As a substitute teacher, I earn just $14 an hour (before taxes). Today, I can give that much. Thanks for inspiring me and for doing good things.

Click here if you are inspired to support Barack's campaign to reclaim the American dream.

DC in Detail

On June 8th, I posted a rough recap of our first day in DC (that Saturday, June 7th). I promised to repost an edited version with photos. Here goes.

We woke up and bolted out of here at 7:45 am, rushing to the Metro to try to get tickets that would allow us to go to the top of the Washington Monument, later that day.

They they start giving them away at 8:30am so we thought we had left in plenty of time but we actually got the last set of three together. I called my folks to say, "Hi" but wasn't up for talking much. It was still before 6am in California. I was hot the weather was muggy and I hadn't had breakfast or any caffeine. We got the last 3 tickets for the last slot of the day which was what we wanted as we had tickets for other activities at noon and 7pm.

Next, we walked to the Jefferson National Memorial. It was beautiful and impressive. I had never seen it up close. I liked reading the words to the Declaration of Independence from inside the monument.

A kid from Wisconsin asked Sam where he was from. When he said, San Francisco, they asked, "You've been on the Golden Gate Bridge?" When he answered, "Yes," he was congratulated. Another kid from the group said, "We should take a picture w/this kid." They did. Outside, a small high school (or middle school) band was playing the Star Spangled Banner and other patriotic songs. It brought back memories of traveling and performing with the band when I was in school junior high and high school.

We walked past where the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, where they print the paper money. (Which we learned isn't actually made of paper but fiber-like cotton, according to our tour guide that night.)

Outside the Holocaust Museum, I admired Ronald Regan's words that were engraved on one of the walls. Since we still had some time before our tour of the Holocaust Museum, we had some breakfast, including a knish. It was nice to cool-off, relax and refuel. The ladies made a delicious iced vanilla coffee drink for me. The caffeine and air conditioning helped.

We decided to go check out the WWII Memorial. That morning, my mom mentioned that it was one of the newer memorials and none of us had seen it before. There wasn't much shade so our walk there was hot. I was moved by Bronze panels, which told stories of people's experience's during WWI, on the walkway to and from the fountain.

From there, we saw the White House in the distance, as we walked around the Washington Monument, instead of cutting through the center of the park, to stay in the shade of the trees on the periphery.








I wish we'd have been there a couple of weeks before, to witness the Forgotten Children Exhibit. For one work week, CASA staff, volunteers and supporters placed 850 life-size displays of foster children at the Washington Monument, each day. These displays represented the 850 children who enter the foster care system on a daily basis. By the end of the week, 4,250 displays stood in front of the monument, representing the 4,250 children who entered foster care during the workweek. (photo credit)

Near our admission time, we returned to the Holocaust Museum. The first exhibit we toured was in the basement. It featured the Nazi Olympics held in Berlin in 1936.

Before entering The Holocaust's permanent exhibit, each of us selected the ID card bearing information about a person who was Jewish and their experience, during the Holocaust. Two of the three people, whose ID card we selected, died. From what I understand, seems to be representative of what happened to the millions of people were wrongly persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and murdered during that time.

Walking through the exhibit that day, seemed to be the first in-depth telling of the history of the Holocaust that Sam had experienced. I was proud of his seriousness and willingness to watch, listen and learn. I learned much too.

Walking through Daniel's Story, a Child's Story of the Holocaust, helped person-
alize the infor-
mation and bring the experience to life for us. It was a lot to absorb but incredibly important. Awhile ago, as a family, we started reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. I would like to finish it soon. I just saw that they are making it into a movie that will be released on November 7th.

We thought about eating on the grounds of the Washington Monument but it really felt like we were in a sauna outside so we opted for another hour of air conditioning and ended up having lunch in the cafe of the Museum of Natural History. I was happy to be able to have an egg plant sandwich and a salad (even if they were just OK). Sam shared his fries and Cam and I split a chocolate bar.

Our next stop was the Washington Monument. Before arriving in DC, I'd been saying that I'd wanted to go to the top of it my whole life. Standing at the base of it that morning, I remembered that I had been to the top of it when I was here with my 6th grade class. What I'd remembered before this visit was that I hadn't been able to go to the top the last time I was here, when Sam was three. This time, we had tickets.

Thankfully, the bench for people with tickets for the 4:30pm tour was in the shadow of the monument. Sam and I reminisced about how we liked to go to the top of the Arch when we lived in St. Louis. We also talked about how we had gone to the top of the John Hancock Building and the Sears Tower in Chicago. I just remembered that I also called him from the top of the Empire State Building, when I was in NYC for work, when he was five. The view from the top of the Washington monument is impressive on each of the four sides.

Once we were back on the ground, we took a walk along a park, past the White House, to the National Archives building. We talked about how this was the place where Nicholas Cage stole the Declaration of Independence in that National Treasure movie. We stood in line to get inside the building then stood in line to get to see the documents. It was memorable to be that close to the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.

Afterwards, we walked towards the Capitol, along another park and arrived at Union Station. In a bit, we'd catch a trolley that would take us on a night tour of the monuments. In the meantime, we enjoyed some well-deserved Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Of course, the child opted for a fruit smoothie. My Chunky Monkey (banana ice cream w/walnuts and chocolate chunks) in a waffle cone was quite enjoyable.

Jazzy Jan was our driver and tour guide on the trolley. She was infor-
mative, humorous and fun. She kept us moving but made sure we had just enough time at each stop.

The first stop was at the Franklin Delanor Roosevelt Memorial. I hadn't been to the FDR memorial before. His quotes about social responsibility are inspiring to me. (photo credit)

(As I was writing this post, I received a text message from Barack Obama asking me to make a donation to the American Red Cross. I did. You can too.)

The sunset was lovely.

Our next stop was near the Lincoln Memorial. We walked over the the Vietnam National Memorial first.

Explaining to Sam that each name, which took up such a tiny bit of space, represented a life made the magnitude of the wall's size significant.


I told him about how I'd been there with my family when I was about his age.

Here is the photo, I mentioned previously, of my brother standing next to my dad at the wall.

I remember my dad being moved when he found the names of men he knew on the wall.


After the Vietnam War Memorial, we walked up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to go meet Abe. He is impressive.

We read the Gettysburg Address and then sat on the steps of the monument, looking out on the Reflecting Pool, the WWII Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Capitol in the distance.

There was a storm brewing in the area and we enjoyed seeing streaks of lightning in the distance. Sometimes, the lightning would light up the clouds.

Before returning to the trolley, we walked through the Korean War Memorial. The faces of the men looking out at us were captivating. (photo credit)

Our final stop on the trolley was the Iwo Jima Memorial. We learned that the statue, of the men raising a flag on the top of the island's highest point, is the largest bronze sculpture in the world. (photo credit)

We learned other interesting pieces of information, as it started to rain and we rode the trolley back to Union Station. From there, we took the Metro back to the stop closest to our hotel and went back to the room to rest and relax.

After a shower, I watched a video of Hilary Clinton calling on her supporters to help elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States. It was a day full of patriotic experiences.

Cam's 91-year-old grandmother, Lurene and his dad's sister, his Aunt Mary Lu, came into DC, from Maryland, to spend the day with Cameron and Sam. They went to the Native American Museum for lunch. I'm glad I was able to to see them for a few minutes before I headed off to my conference. It sounded like they had a great day.

Cam's does an effective job of summing up the rest of the trip with this list.

We were all learning, each day. Maybe another day, I will write a separate blog post about how I got to go to Capitol Hill and meet with representatives from Congress, including Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi's cheif of staff, asking them to do more for our kids. Their interest and concern was moving.

Shadows & Hope

The day after Christmas, we were treated to sweet potato pancakes for breakfast. There had been some discussion about what we should do on this day. The day before, Camille invited us to visit her family's farm if we had time. She said they had horses, cats, dogs, etc. It sounded like a fun way to spend the day. She was off on the 26th and I was interested in taking her up on her offer. But we had already plans to tour Shadows on the Teche, one of the local plantations. I wanted to spend time together but had negative feelings associated with plantations. In my mind, they are synonymous with oppression and slavery. I would have been more interested in learning about the plight of the slaves who survived on the plantation than the family who benefited from their labor. In a movie we watched about the family, we learned that after the Civil War, many of the people who had been enslaved by them, stayed on to work for them. That sounds like a good thing but I imagine they were not paid a livable wage, were not offered adequate education and still faced intense discrimination. Maybe in the week after we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr., I can begin to read to Sam from one of the books that made an impact on me. In A Better Day Coming, Adam Fairclough educates the "general reader" about "the history of race relations since the American Civil War." Much of the information in his book was never presented to me in my educational career. I learned that there was slavery, then the Civil War, then the Civil Rights Movement and finally today. But that period of time after the Civil War where people who are Black, who had been treated like property, were still horribly oppressed was skimmed over. Even today, so many people do not have their basic needs met. Last week, I spoke with my friend, Cass, from Chicago. She has recently received her Master's degree from the Jane Addams College of Social Work and been hired to administer a grant intended to help people who cannot pay their utility bills. She talked about how our society doesn't work for everyone. We talked about Barbara Ehrenreich's book Nickel and Dimed. Barbara was, "Inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that a job -- any job -- could be the ticket to a better life. But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on six to seven dollars an hour?" ""Millions of Americans suffer daily trying to make ends meet. Barbara Ehrenreich's book forces people to acknowledge the average worker's struggle..." --Lynn Woolsey, member of congress It he end of the book, Ehrenreich states that we shouldn't just feel bad about the plight of the working class but that we should feel ashamed. I think she used the work despicable about the way we still allow so many people to struggle against adverse conditions on a daily basis. Regardless of my feelings about the ethics of the society of the time or the family who lived and operated the plantation, it is part of our history. I appreciate having the opportunity to take the tour and learn. It was a beautiful day. The grounds were lovely. It was nice to have time with Jim and Liz. And run around outside. In my quest to find work that will allow me to make a difference, I have been working some low-paying jobs myself lately. The difference is that I don't have to. I am grateful to have been one of the lucky ones. But what would my life have been like if I had been born into different circumstances? I can hear an old boss say, "Here you go again with you idealistic, socialistic..." I don't have the answers but do have a desire to find solutions that work for everyone. This week, when Barack Obama announced his historic bid for the presidency, Cam and I started reading his book, The Audacity of Hope, together. In the prologue, Obama acknowledges, "I can't help but view the American experience through the lens of a Black man of mixed heritage, forever mindful of how generations of people who looked like me were subjugated and stigmatized, and the subtle and not so subtle ways that race and class continue to shape our lives." I am thankful for the glimpse of our past I was given and hopeful that as a nation we can be kinder and more compassionate to one another in the future.

Tonight's the Night the World Begins Again

Walking up Michigan Avenue, after ice skating with friends at Millennium Park in Chicago, on New Year's Eve, reveling in the lovely snow I hadn't seen in 2 years, surrounded by lights, memories and splendor was surreal. (photo credit)

I'd just taken a picture of the giant Christmas tree in front of the John Hancock building when a man stopped me. He asked if he could ask me a question then asked me not to be afraid. I assured him I wasn't and that he could. Instead of asking a question, he asked me to look at his hands and showed me that he was born without thumbs. He said, "It is hard being homeless." then asked me to help.

Back when I was a single mom in St. Louis, I had to make a rule that I would not to give money to people on the street. I realized I was taking money away from my young child and that I needed it to survive. Despite this long-held rule, I was reaching in my pockets. They were empty.

I knew I had money in my bag but what could the money I had there really do to help this man? I wondered, should I give him some change? Some ones? A $20? That seemed simultaneously excessive and insignificant. Then there was that voice saying I shouldn't open my bag up to a stranger on the street.

I said something lame about how I couldn't help everyone. I said I'd just have to wish him luck. He hung his head. I patted him on the shoulder and walked away. Changed. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him and feeling like I should have done something differently.

I see so much need in the world. I'm happy to be working to make a positive difference and am about to start my work as a CASA volunteer not just a case supervisor. There are so many kids who need.

I have been discouraged by injustice in Africa and the most recent uprising in Kenya.

But tonight, I am hopeful. Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucuses. I know he doesn't have all of the answers but I believe he wants to work towards making things better for everyone.

After writing about my feelings of hopefulness, I was lying awake with a Goo Goo Dolls song running through my head. It's called, Better Days and I wanted to share it with you.

I heard it on New Year's morning, while sitting in Einstein's bagels, taking refuge from the drastically colder temperatures outside and thinking about the man I'd met the night before.

I related to the sentiment, "I wish everyone was loved tonight."

Listen to it if you can.

Here are all the lyrics:

And you ask me what I want this year.
And I'll try to make this kind and clear.
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days.

'Cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings.
And designer love and empty things.
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days.

So take these words.
And sing out loud.
'Cause everyone is forgiven now.
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

I need someplace simple where we could live.
And something only you can give.
And that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive.

And the one poor child who saved this world.
And there's 10 million more who probably could.
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them.

So take these words.
And sing out loud.
'Cause everyone is forgiven now.
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

I wish everyone was loved tonight.
That some might stop this endless fight.
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days.

So take these words.
And sing out loud.
'Cause everyone is forgiven now.
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again.

Yes We Can.

"There has never been anything false about hope." Barack Obama


Hope.
Vote.
Yes We Can.

I think you might have made a difference.

Barack Obama's campaign asked supporters to bring in new voters and encourage voters who have gotten fed up to get involved again.

I made 25 calls to unaffiliated voters in Pennsylvania. It took less than an hour and was relatively painless.

Sam kept me company and afterwards said, "I think you might have made a difference." I guess that's something.

What I want for Mother's Day.

I woke up this morning at 4am feeling rested enough to face the day. Seeing an opportunity to steal an hour or two for myself, I decided to get out of bed and get online. I thought I'd post photos of our recent trip to Yosemite or read up on the latest election news.

Instead, another link caught my eye. It said, 10 million children worldwide die from lack of health care. I read the article and learned:

Use of existing, low-cost tools and knowledge could save more than 6 million of the 9.7 million children who die yearly from easily preventable or curable causes, the report said.

They include antibiotics that cost less than $0.30 to treat pneumonia, the top killer of children under 5, and oral rehydration therapy — a simple solution of salt, sugar and potassium — for diarrhea, the second top killer.

I was compelled to visit the website for Save the Children, the organization that was the source of this news and information, to learn more.



There, I learned about their response to the deadly cyclone in Myanmar.

Their article said the death toll could reach 10,000.

This morning, I read other reports that say the death toll soars above 22,000.

(photo credit)



This news and information is truly mind-blowing.

I felt powerless and ignorant at the thought that I couldn't even find Myanmar on a map.

I now know it is near Bangladesh, where in mid-November 3,000 people died from what was called the worst cyclone in a decade.

Save the Children is helping there too. (photo credit)

I read about five of their other current emergency responses and started to feel discouraged.

I wanted to go back to bed or just turn off the computer. I can maybe give a little but lately, I've been giving to Barack Obama's campaign with the hope of getting a president who seems genuinely committed to facing real atrocities. (photo credit)

When I explained to someone recently that the shirt I was wearing was part of the Product (Red) Campaign, they responded that they prefer for their money to stay in the United States.

This mindset is difficult for me when I know children are dying elsewhere but we have plenty of need here too. (photo credit)

Just yesterday, I read that kids who are dependent's of the city of San Francisco, may have to leave Edgewood, one of the best (and only) treatment facilities we have for troubled youth in our city, by June 30th, if funds aren't found. One of the kids on my caseload was moved there just after the first of the year, just before his 13th birthday. He's doing well now. Thriving. What will happen to him?

I don't pretend to have the answers but do want to keep bringing the issues to light in conversation. Thinking about these things reminds me of a quote I read on my cousin Ariel's boyfriend's MySpace page last night. (photo credit)

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems. - Gandhi (I just asked Jac to be my friend.)

So what are we capable of doing?

Most of us are capable of buying a present for our mom.

This Mother's Day, give a gift that inspires hope.

Honor your mom by sending her a beautiful rose plant or a bracelet that was handmade by Navajo Native Americans and support Save the Children's mission to help children in need in the United States and around the world. Or forget the stuff and make a gift donation.

If you really can't afford to donate any money (I've been in that boat too.), find a way to volunteer. Save the Children. Edgewood. United Way. American Red Cross. Peace Corps. CASA.

Thanks for thinking about your ability to create change. Yes we can.