Street Performers Festival

We have been talking about some pretty serious global issues lately and I thought that I would write about supporting the local community and the artists that entertain us. I sometimes wander to Faneuil Hall during my lunch break and happen to catch various acts of street performances. I am in awe of the talent and showmanship of these performers and find them highly entertaining for my lunch break. It has become quite the tourist attraction, as I always see huge crowds around these street performers.

My personal favorite is the guy who juggles all sorts of interesting objects, including sticks with flames on them. Sometimes these stunts can be dangerous for the performer, such as juggling with flames, but I am glad they take the risk because it makes it more entertaining for me and the other members of the stunned audience.

If you haven't seen a street performer in Fanueil Hall yet, this weekend is your perfect chance! From 11:30- 3:00 pm this Saturday and Sunday a wide variety of acts will be performing in front of the infamous shops around Faneuil Hall. It's free but I would suggest to give a donation to these performers, especially if they make you happy. I promise it will be a wicked good time.

Don't forget to vote daily for the Volunteer Boston Blog as the "Best Hobby Blog"!

Photo courtesy of everstuncensored.org

Myanmar, Burma, and Celebrities

There's a lot of controversy around celebrities and their pet causes. Some people think celebrities (and the media who covers them) should leave political and social commentary out of the spotlight. Others think celebrities should be doing more to promote their charities of choice.

I happen to be in that first camp - if celebrities are taking the time to think outside of themselves and their hairstyles and what kind of sunglasses they should be seen wearing, and they can get the gossip rags to cover more than their hairstyles, sunglasses, and rehab stints, more power to 'em.

The recent natural disasters have wrought havoc on the developing nations of China and Myanmar (also known as Burma). Hopefully the sun-kissed celebs will start rallying behind fundraising causes for both disasters. Even though Myanmar has been less "accepting" of donations (and press, whose coverage often inspires more donations), the situation there is quite grave on both the disaster front and the human rights front.

Luckily for us, though, prior to this disaster, our friends in tinsel town were already promoting awareness about Myanmar's human rights issues. Various celebrities have helped create videos as part of the Burma: It Can't Wait campaign, which is trying to raise 1 million voices in support of Burma in the month of May.

Some videos are funny (heyyyyy Sarah Silverman and Will Ferrell), others are more serious, like the one below by Ellen Page. Stars of all stripes and sorts from Sylvester Stallone to Jennifer Aniston are taking the time and using their stardom to raise awareness of important issues. And no matter your personal opinion on the matter of Burmese human rights, I think you should give the celebs kudos for standing up for something.



What do you stand for?

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Related Posts: Earthquake in China; Global Volunteering; How you can help with a mullet; Tornadoes, Cyclones, and Disaster Relief - Oh My!; Myanmar cyclones and what you can do to help; Champions of a Cause

Photo of the traveling chicken courtesy of Roger_Travels.

Unexpected Volunteering

It was a usual walk home from the T after work on Monday. My iPOD was on shuffle, it was a nice evening, and I was thinking about all the housework I was going to catch up on because I had to work this past weekend.

That's when three children caught my attention, they had a stray dog and were trying to corral it and keep it occupied so that it didn't get hit by any of the cars passing by on the busy road in front of us. I approached the dog, it didn't seem unfriendly, and promptly held on to its collar while petting it. I should mention there were no tags on the collar.

I look down the street and see a police cruiser coming down the street, I flagged him down thinking, "Hey, he can take this dog". So Mr. Police Officer came and looked at the dog and told me where I have to bring the dog (5min drive) . At this spot, someone else would meet me and they would put the dog up overnight in a kennel until the animal control officer will look at it in the morning.

I didn't think this was the best solution. If I lost my dog I would be frantic with worry and would have been thrilled if someone took a more active approach to watching over my dog. So I told the police my phone number and told them if anyone contacted them to have them contact me. Meanwhile I took him to the doggie play group I usually take my dog in hopes that someone would recognize this dog.

Unfortunately no one recognized this dog, so I was forced to bring him back home. I fed him and gave him some water. I corralled the dog in the kitchen because I was unsure if he was potty trained.

Meanwhile, my current dog, Chai, did not know what to do with him. She was not used to having other dogs in the house and she took to playing with this dog more aggressively then this dog likes. For a good hour I tried to keep them apart, but they were both so needy for attention it left me exhausted!

I made the decision then that despite my good intentions I could not watch over this dog until its owner was found. So I was forced to bring the other dog to Somerville Department of Public Works, and there it joined another dog who was currently held captive.

So, if you know of anyone who is missing a small black fur, Lhasa Apso mix of some sort, please contact the Somerville Animal Control at 617-666-3311 .

Needless to say I didn't get to accomplish what I wanted to that night (i.e. cleaning my house), but that's okay because I helped a stray dog - probably someone's dear pet.

You may think you are too busy to take time out of your busy life to help someone out, but then you realize how important it is. If I kept on walking like the other people I saw walk by me when I was holding on to the dog then, yes, I could have done many of errands I wanted to have completed, but then something awful could have happened to the dog and that wouldn't sit right with me. Get on your feet and help those around you - you'll feel better in the end.

Related Posts: The Recycling Dog, Spring Cleaning part deux, Who is Happier?, How to be Happier, and Cleaning out your closet for a good cause.

Don't forget to vote daily for the Volunteer Boston Blog as the "Best Hobby Blog"!

Photo courtesy of dogbreedinfo.com. I didn't actually take a picture of the dog, but it did look similar to this dog with black fur instead of grey.

Boston’s Run to Remember 2008

On Saturday May 24th and Sunday May 25th The Boston Police Department and Boston Police Runner's Club will hold the fourth running of Boston's Run to Remember.

The “Run to Remember” is held in honor of Massachusetts law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. This event is a two day run (one 5 mile road race and one half marathon) in celebration of the fallen officer’s lives as well as a show of respect for their ultimate sacrifice.

The net proceeds benefit Kids At Risk Programs throughout the City of Boston. “Kids At Risk Programs provide safe and nurturing environments encouraging inner city youths to make healthy choices and an alternative to gangs and acts leading to incarceration.” Since 1994, over $500,000 has been raised funding two primary programs for youths:

-Boys and Girls Club Memberships, YMCAs and other after school programs.
-Summer programs and camps for over 600 youths annually.

Other organizations benefiting from the Kids At Risk Program include:

-BGCB Young Leaders Program
-The Boston Youth Fund
-Dorchester YMCA Summer Camp
-Ella J Baker House Science Camp
-Frank A. Day Summer Camp
-Franklin Field Boys and Girls Club
-Kevin Kennedy All Star Baseball Camp
-The Reggie Lewis Athletic Center
-Side Kick Karate Camp
-South Boston Boys and Girls Club
-Young Graffiti Masters”

Join thousands of runners for the fourth annual Run to Remember. This 5-mile road race and half marathon runs through historic downtown Boston will be held in honor of the men and women killed in the line of duty. The event will not only will celebrate their lives, all proceeds from the run will go to benefit Kids at Risk programs in the city. All inquiries into this event can be directed to info@bostonsruntoremember.org

Earthquake in China: Volunteer opportunities

Our posts about the earthquake in China have gotten a lot of traffic over the past week. It seems as though people are genuinely interested in helping the victims of the earthquake in the Sichuan province, whether it's sending money, hosting displaced persons, or going to China to help rebuild.

I have searched high and low, and have yet to find any specific volunteer trips to Chengdu or the surrounding areas, outside of trips undertaken by non-profits that do disaster relief. If you're a regular citizen who is not already a trained member of a group like Doctors without Borders, you may have to either wait for such trips to get organized, organize your own trip, or find other ways to help.

If you are bound and determined to travel to China to help with the rebuilding effort, I would suggest getting in touch with local organizations with ties to China. This includes various weekend Chinese schools, Chinese cultural associations, and Chinese media outlets. Some of the groups I found include:

• Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association
• Chung Wah Academy of New England
• China Tomorrow Education Foundation - Builds schools in rural China to ensure education for all
• Alpha Communities - Works with people and communities to realize potential, initiate change, and create opportunities in rural China and Mongolia

If you're looking to donate funds, the Chinese language TV station KyLinTV is matching all donations made for earthquake relief (click on the English button on the upper right if you can't read Chinese). Cathay Bank in Boston is also collecting donations. Mercy Corps has partnered with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation

Don't forget - there is always the option of doing it yourself. You can make a difference. Just start making the phone calls, doing the research, getting the answers. S/he who is determined will not fail.

The conditions in China are not getting better. Dozens of large dams are threatening to collapse, which would cause floods and even more damage. Please, do your part - help the survivors of this tragedy.

Related Posts: Earthquake in China; Global Volunteering; How you can help with a mullet; Tornadoes, Cyclones, and Disaster Relief - Oh My!; Myanmar cyclones and what you can do to help; Food Crisis - Get on the Seoul Train

Photos courtesy of this Chinese web forum.

Don't forget to vote daily for the Volunteer Boston Blog as the "Best Hobby Blog"!

Public libraries are your friend

Those who know me know that I'm an avid reader. Heck, I started Water for Elephants last night, slept 8 hours, and finished it this morning (it's great story about life with a circus). Because of my voracious appetite for books, I am a loyal patron of my local public library. Heck, I even reviewed the library on Yelp!

What I didn't really think about, though, is what the library offers beyond books.

For example, they have DVDs that you can take out, no charge. They also have books on CD - great for those of us with long commutes. They offer free internet access. Their research librarians have answers to all your questions (no really, they do).

Ok, maybe you knew all that. What I didn't know, however, was that my local library is really more of a community center. They have events of all kinds, from children's reading hours to talks by authors, storytellers, or film screenings. They host public forums about neighborhood happenings (like Harvard's expansion, new parks, or Mayor Menino's breakfast meetings).

My local library is really more than just a place from which to borrow materials. It's a community hub; an integral part to life in Allston-Brighton.

A few of the upcoming events that caught my eye:

Picnic in the Park -- Wednesday, May 28, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Enjoy a picnic barbeque while you share your thoughts with the Harvard landscape architects designing the new Library Park behind the library. Alternatively, attend the Ice Cream Social on Saturday, May 31 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

Book Donations -- Donate your gently used books to the Honan-Allston library for their annual book sales. All proceeds will go to support the library's various programs. Make sure to drop off your books by June 1st.

Have You Screen It? The Future of Food -- Monday, June 2, at 5:30 p.m. A documentary film and discussion. This film offers an investigation into the truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled grocery store shelves for the past decade.

What are you waiting for? Scoot on over to your local library. There may be more there than you thought. In the meantime, make sure you vote for the Volunteer Boston Blog as the Best Hobby Blog. Thanks in advance!

Some of the decorations in the Children's section o f the Honan-Allston library.

Related Posts: Pangea Day; Food Crisis - Get on the Seoul Train; I am Legend, Today

First photo courtesy of Ansy.
Second photo courtesy of KHChao.