The Young Women's Leadership Network

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of designing the Young Women’s Leadership Network (Em)Power Breakfast. Even though I’ve helped the YML Network in the past, the individual stories of the aspiring young women never fail to move me.

The YWL Network partners with urban public schools to create single-gender public schools and college bound programs for inner city youth. The YWL Girls’ Schools have given young women opportunities they may not have had without the help of the Network. This year, the students had the privilege of personally interviewing community leaders, one of whom was Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and several business leaders from companies such as RCA/Jive Label Group, Goldman Sachs and The Estee Lauder Companies. They were even lucky enough to meet one of my favorite musical artists, Alicia Keys!

With the fall season in full swing, the YWL Network (Em)Power Breakfast always serves to remind me that children all across the country are back at school and hard at work trying to reach for their dreams. I take great pleasure in supporting the Young Women’s Leadership Network because it allows me to help provide these young students with incredible opportunities. .

For more information about the YML Network please visit their website at www.ywlnetwork.org.

Remember

This Monday is Memorial Day, a commemoration for men and women who have given their lives to protect our country. Show your appreciation to these patrons by wearing red, white, and blue, helping in your community, or by attending a parade.

The National Memorial Day Parade is held annually in Washington, D.C. If you’re in the area, they are always looking for volunteers as well as attendees. Anyone can help the cause by visiting their website http://www.nationalmemorialdayparade.com/.

From One Closet To Another

During her freshman year in high school, Rebecca Kirtman started a charity dress drive in her Florida hometown. She believed “little things can make a difference,” so she gathered and provided 250 prom dresses for girls who couldn’t afford to purchase them. Tragically though, Becca passed away in an automobile accident on August 20, 2003. In remembrance, her friends, family, and community continued the dress drive, now known as Becca’s Closet.

I recently heard about Becca’s closet and I think it’s a great way to help a high school girl attend her prom in style, especially during these uncertain times.
By providing one dress, one accessory, or a few hours of your time, you can make help prom a night to remember. For more information and to find a chapter near you, visit http://www.beccascloset.org/.

Rainy Days

It has been really rainy here in New York City and the dreary weather got me thinking about what people do when the heavens open up. The rainy weather often keeps us cooped up inside with the challenge of finding something to do. I know people who like to stare out the window at the rain falling on the sidewalks and street. Others like to relax with some popcorn and a movie. And some like to play board games with their children or friends. I find it interesting that all of these actions make us focus on relaxation. It’s interesting that rain can have such a calming effect on all of us, so even though I’m sick of the rain we’ve been having all week, maybe it’s not so bad after all.

Happiness

I recently went to see Susan Stroman’s new play and I walked away really impressed by the message it gave to its audience. “Happiness” is a new musical about different New Yorkers who get stuck in a subway car together during the morning commute. To get off the subway car, each traveler must remember their life’s happiest moment. The play celebrates those moments that we often don’t pay that much attention to and shows us that if you can’t find happiness in the small things, you can’t have a future. In order to live life completely, you cannot continually search for happiness but instead have to find it in the present, a sentiment that certainly rings true for all of us.

"Happiness" is playing at the Lincoln Center Theater in NYC through June 7th. Go to www.lct.org/showMain.htm?id=184 for more information.

Beautiful Weather

Even though Spa Week in NYC is long gone, take today to Give Back to yourself. This does not mean take a day to get everything done on your to-do list. No errands or cleaning allowed! Just take this beautiful day to enjoy some down time at home or outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

We all get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the life so much that we forget that we need to take care of ourselves! Enjoy the newspaper, a magazine, or a novel. Do something for yourself you haven’t done before.

With spring in the air, let’s shed our winter coats and take this beautiful weekend to rejuvenate and renew!

Midnight Run

I’ve come across a wonderful organization here in New York that I thought was more than worthy of a mention on my blog. The folks at Midnight Run organize relief runs during the night to give out food, clothing and other vital supplies to the homeless throughout the NYC area. They are a “volunteer organization dedicated to finding common ground between the housed and the homeless.” They run over 900 missions per year and even coordinate with different shelters and facilities to provide showers, haircuts, and medical services to those in need. Their goal is not to provide a solution to homelessness but rather establish a foundation of caring and sharing between the housed and the homeless so that solutions can evolve. With all of the problems that exist in our world, it is refreshing to find an organization that focuses on the relationships of its volunteers and the people they serve as opposed to the quantities of items or money that are raised.

Midnight Run depends on donations for their items as well as volunteers to actually go out on the runs. Please go to www.midnightrun.org to find out how you can help. If you don’t live in the NYC area, Google a midnight run near you – similar organizations are all over the U.S.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Even though it’s snowing in New York, it’s the first day of Spring! And as I did last year, I wanted to write about one of my favorite non-profit organizations, The Fresh Air Fund. They contacted me a little while ago because they are in need of hosts and donations to keep their programs running and wanted to see if I could help.

If you missed last year’s blog, here’s some information on The Fund:
Each year, The Fresh Air Fund provides free vacations in the country to children from low-income communities. Whether the children are able to get out of the city for a two-week trip to the country at a host family’s house, or stay at one of the Funds’ camps, The Fresh Air Fund sets the stage for unforgettable memories and new experiences. Although the children are from New York City, they stay in 13 different states and Canada, so you don’t have to be from New York to volunteer to host a child. And, if you don’t want to host, you can always give a charitable donation to the organization or volunteer at one of its events.

Every year, they give 10,000 children the opportunity to get away for the summer, gain some new experiences, and most of all, have FUN! If you would like to help children have fun this summer, please visit www.freshair.org.

Joyful Heart Foundation

I believe life brings people and circumstances together and a friend recently told me about this fantastic organization that believes in just that.

Most of you know Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, but Mariska takes her character and the issues that are brought up on the show very seriously. In 2004, Hargitay started the Joyful Heart Foundation to help survivors of sexual assault heal their minds, bodies and spirits and reclaim their lives. The mission of this charity is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues.

Joyful Heart focuses on the phrase "stronger together, weaker apart" and their goal "is to let the light, and the life, back in--to banish the darkness and let the healing begin." With the help of crisis centers and safe houses, victims regain their strength both emotionally and physically. Victims become motivated to live their lives as self-determined people and donations and supplies are given to mothers and their children to begin fresh.

While the issue of domestic violence has been in the media recently due to the Rhianna/Chris Brown incident, it is really important to remember that domestic violence happens every day, all over the world, to every kind of person.

When you get a free moment, take a look at the Joyful Heart website: http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/index.html.

"One for One"

A couple of days ago I came across a remarkable shoe company called TOMS. Founded by Blake Mycoskie in May of 2006, TOMS has lived by the motto “one for one.” This means that for every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need.

TOMS began designing their products based off of shoes worn by Argentine peasants. Little did Mycoskie know how popular his shoes would become through word of mouth. Starting at a reasonable $48, TOMS shoes come in a variety of patterns and colors to match anyone’s style.

What I like most about TOMS is that the company was ultimately started to help children in need. TOMS brings about new and different ways to give back. Last year TOMS went to Africa and delivered 50,000 pairs of shoes!

You can purchase your own pair of TOMS and help a child by visiting http://www.tomsshoes.com/.

Give and Give

Last week I loaned a friend some apothecary jars so that she could fill them up with candy for a baby shower. Yesterday, she sent us a great thank you gift—especially for someone with a sweet tooth like mine.

We received a beautiful box of “Good Karmal” caramels, one of the sweets she used to fill the jars. The caramels are fantastic and they come beautifully packaged. What’s more, a portion of each sale is donated to environmental causes, so you are helping the environment as you enjoy a treat.

Each caramel comes wrapped with a vellum ribbon that has different sayings by famous thinkers written on it. One of the chocolate caramels I ate had a quote by Diane Ackerman that read “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.”

Visit http://www.goodkarmal.com/ to learn more or to buy some caramels for yourself or a friend.

Anne Frank

I came across quite an inspirational quote from Anne Frank the other day. She once said that, “No one has ever become poor by giving.” I thought it was a sentiment worth sharing, especially given the economic circumstances we are all finding ourselves in these days.

The point of the “Give Back” section of this blog is to not only concentrate on monetary donations, but on giving in general—whether that helps your spirit, loved ones, the environment, etc. So, take a moment today to reflect on Anne’s quote and think of how you can “give back” to yourself and others without necessarily spending money.

Give Love

I was going through some personal files on Wednesday and I came across one of my mother’s most prized collections. Stuffed in a bag hidden away in an empty photo album was my mother’s collection of Valentines from her days as a school child to her days as a mother and aunt. How perfect that I found them a couple of days before the 14th!

The Valentines really span decades and showcase the craftsmanship and quality of paper goods of these times. They are really amazing and a real joy to look through.

These days, it’s hard to come by such special Valentines, but make sure to let the people in your life know how much you love them. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Fly Right and Donate

Are you like me and have tons of frequent flyer miles that you don’t use? Donate them to a worthwhile cause!

A lot of people don’t know that many charities in the United States accept donated airline miles so that they can conduct their business more easily.

While different airlines have different rules about which charities you can donate miles to and how, it’s usually pretty easy and can be done by making a phone call, sending an e-mail, or filling out a simple online form. For instance, Delta will let you donate miles to the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, Canine Assistants, Habitat for Humanity, and Unicef (as well as many others) by sending a quick e-mail.

While the donations are not usually tax deductible, if your miles are about to expire or you simply have too many, you might as well donate them and support a worthy cause – it costs you nothing!

For more information from major airlines, go to the links below:

Delta - https://www.delta.com/skymiles/use_miles/donate_miles/index.jsp
United - http://www.united.com/page/article/0,,1363,00.html
US Airways - http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/dividendmiles/programdetails/purchasemiles/donatemilesform.aspx
Continental Airlines - http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/onepass/donate/donateMiles.aspx
American Airlines - http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/AAdvantage/partners/charities/milesToKids.jsp

We Are One Concert

Because I missed the initial airing of the “We are One Concert” for the inauguration, I was happy to find it on HBO On Demand last night. While the performances were amazing there were two parts that really struck me.

The first was a reading of JFK’s speech he made to Amherst College about the importance of the arts. The second was the performance of Marion Davies.

If you missed the original airing of the concert, check it out On Demand. It’s definitely not one to miss!

Keeping Your Pet Safe on Cold Winter Days

While it is important for us to bundle up in the winter, it is even more important that we keep our pets safe during the cold winter months. Here are a few suggestions that will help make sure your pet has a healthy and safe winter.

- No matter what the temperature is, windchill can always harm a pet and it is best to keep them indoors as much as possible.

- However, if you have a pet that does spend most of its time outdoors they need much more food and water because keeping warm depletes their energy faster.

- Many pets require a little bit more food to maintain a healthy weight and stay warm. Be sure to keep a close eye on your pets weight, making sure that it maintains healthy and does not go too high or low.

- Older pets are more susceptible to being harmed by the cold. So if you have a senior dog or cat keep a closer eye on their weight and food intake.

- Be careful of the salt and other chemicals that are used to melt snow which can irritate the pads of your pets feet. When they come in from a walk be sure to wash their feet immediately, before they are able to lick their feet and ingest the chemicals.

- Also watch your pets around Anti-freeze it has a sweet taste to pets but is a deadly poison. Be sure to store anti-freeze in a cabinet that is out of reach of children and pets.

How do you protect your pet in the winter? Please leave a comment.

One Man's Trash...

As I am cleaning out my warehouse I have been finding tons of supplies and decor elements (like boxes and boxes of pine cones!) left over from past events. Instead of leaving these things collecting dust in my warehouse we have decided to donate them to a wonderful organization called Materials for the Arts, a program of the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs. Since 1978 this amazing organization has been donating materials to struggling artists and public schools throughout the New York City area. For those of you who know about my charity, ArtFunD, you know that I am extremely passionate about getting art programs back into public schools. Material for the Arts is helping increase the accessibility of art education one paint can at a time!

So, the next time you clean out your closets or garage keep an eye out for things you can donate to Materials for the Arts!

The paint room in the Material for the Arts warehouse

The Material for the Arts Warehouse

Check out their website to find out how you can donate or volunteer!
http://www.mfta.org/

A Look Back at 2008

Now that we are on to 2009, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at all of the amazing things we accomplished here at David Monn, LLC in 2008. With over 100 events it is hard to show pictures of each, so here are a few of the highlights!

Help of Heifer

If you are interested in giving a gift that can effect lives around the globe this New Year you may want to consider Heifer International giving.  Introduced to Heifer by a member of my staff, I’ve become extremely interested in Heifer’s initiatives around the world.

Heifer has created a program where you may provide struggling families with “gift animals” such as sheep, cow, llama, water buffalo, and goat.  By giving the gift of a water buffalo, for example, families are provided with milk for food, help plowing fields, they are able to rent the buffalo to neighbors to earn money, and carry heavy loads to the market.

Another great children’s gift idea that has been provided by the help of Heifer International is a book called Beatrice’s Goat, written by Beatrice Biira.  Heifer International gave the Biira family a goat when Beatrice was young.  Growing up in a small village in Uganda, the Biira’s were able to earn enough money from the goat to give Beatrice the opportunity to come to America to attend college.

What better way to give life to a family than through Heifer International, and while you give a gift you can teach your children about making a difference in someone’s life through Beatrice’s Goat.

Heifer International

www.heifer.org

Beatrice's Goat

Barnes and Noble  - $17.99

New Year for You!

The idea of dedicating yourself to the "perfect" New Year's Resolution always seems quite impossible, because as the New Year begins real life seems to sweep away your dedication to your resolution.  One thing I've realized when entering a New Year, is that you cannot affect your life or anyone else's, for that matter, unless you help yourself first!

So, as we approach the New Year, and begin to ponder over the resolution of this season, please remember to first... do something for yourself!