Birthday brings luck, life, and little creatures!

I’m the kind of person who LOVES her birthday. I plan for it weeks in advance, and usually like to celebrate with at least a full week of hanging out with friends and my Mum, getting together for a bite or drink or walk and talk. This year, my birthday seemed to last all month long — and just a couple of nights ago, two of the loveliest women I know in Sarasota took me out for dinner at Gateway to India where we had a nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long gabfest while munching on naan and devouring our delicious dinners.

And despite my pleas for no gifts, (more…)

A Selby gentleman, lady, and scholar

Last week, I had the pleasure and the honor of participating in the William G. (the gentleman) and Marie (the lady) Selby Foundation annual Selby Scholar Symposium, held at Michael’s on East.

The Symposium is an annual event that connects “mentors” from the community with “scholar” students from the local school systems who are attending college in Florida and beyond. The Foundation helps these students with scholarships — which is tremendously important, but also connects them with people from their own community who work or volunteer in fields that relate to what the student is studying.

My Selby Scholar was a lovely — beautiful, in fact — very bright, poised young woman named Alexis who graduated from Riverview High School, and is studying Journalism and Political Science at UCF.

This is the second year I’ve been asked to participate in the program and I love it — it’s so rewarding to sit with a young student and listen to his or her hopes and dreams and then give them ideas, advice, pointers, and my special “don’t make the same mistakes I did” mini-lecture. Alexis was very gracious when I chattered on and on — I told her as a freelance writer I don’t get away from my ball and chain at-home computer too often so when I do — I talk … a lot!

There was a tremendous crowd at the event — I was seated with BIZ941 Editor Susan Burns, Mayor Kelly Kirschner and City Manager Richard Bartolotta (luckily, this was a few days before Kirschner gave Bartolotta a poor grade in the City Commissioners’ annual review session).

Organized by Selby Foundation President Dr. Sarah H. Pappas (along with an incredible support team who helped her pull the large event off without a hitch — and amazingly, given the big crowd, mid-day schedule, and people coming from all over the area — started and ended on time!) the event also raised several thousand dollars and collected a sizable donation of food goods for All Faiths Food Bank.

Other familiar faces included Williams Parker Attorney Dan Bailey, Chef Derek Barnes, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Prez Diane McFarlin, Architect Guy Peterson, CAP “Brandtrepreneur” Sam Stern, Janice Zarro, Exec Director of The Women’s Resource Center, and Ringling Pres Larry Thompson. And that’s just a smattering of the many, many talented folks from the community who signed on to mentor the young people who — who knows? — might wind up in their mentors’ shoes some day. Literally there was everyone from medical examiners to school principals to pharmacy owners, to artists, professors, bankers, construction industry bigwigs, and nurses.

Keynote speaker was Beverly Alter who gave us fascinating insights into the differences between generations of workers in the current workforce — a 22 year-old working with a 63-year old is going to have dramatically different expectations, desires, and context for interaction and vice versa. Was especially helpful for me because one of my biggest clients has a workforce of over 350 people — some who think email is an archaic communication tool, some who think Twitter is for nitwits. Since I help that company communicate internally — it was a lot of food for thought.

Overall, the Symposium was an incredibly productive event that wasn’t just “feel-good” — it was “do-good” on so many levels — for the scholar students themselves, the hungry in our community, and for the mentors who got to spend a little part of their year helping others begin their young, ambitious climb up the ladder of whatever kind of success matters to them most.

And none of it would have been possible without the original gentleman and lady (the Selbys) whose generosity way back when is still fueling dreams and realities in the millennium.

Reality Readers Help Provide 1,135 Meals for the Hungry!

Thank you all so much — to everyone who contributed to this year’s MC “Reality Readers” fundraising drive to help All Faiths Food Bank continue to fight hunger in our community and provide meals for people in need.

During November, Reality Readers donated $715 for this year’s drive — which means they provided the equivalent of 1,135 meals for hungry men, women, and children in our community.

All Faiths sent a note of thanks to me today for organizing the drive, but it’s you all who made the results happen — so the thanks go to you!

I know everyone is inundated with requests to help out this or that charitable or community cause — and I really appreciate the contributions you were able to make to my little drive, which is small in comparison to the big charities and big efforts that go on all over our community — small, but still very important — because every bit helps!

And because I really do believe that each and every act of kindness, no matter how small or big, goes out into the world and makes way for more acts of kindness.

Great way to start December.

Turkey Day tidbits add up

I hope everyone’s out (or in) enjoying the long holiday weekend! I feel very blessed to have a roof over my head (it’s raining out) and just finished eating a simple snack of a yummy delicious apple and a piece of wheat bread, and gave my cats an afternoon tidbit of turkey. I know I’m one of the lucky ones.

Right now in our community, there are so many who have no one to turn to in tough times. They don’t have a parent they can call and say, “Can I come home for dinner?” or a friend they can ask for $20 to tide them over ‘til payday. And many of those struggling the hardest have children or aging parents who are dependent upon them for the simplest, but most soul-nourishing, necessity of having enough food on the table. (more…)

What if … we take a moment to help fight hunger in our community?

I ran my “What If” blog on January 22nd of this year … but it seems appropriate for this current week too; so I’ve excerpted it below. Thank you to all who donated so far to the All Faiths Food Bank “Reality Readers” fundraising drive! If you’re interested in donating money through the MC Reality Readers fundraising campaign to help feed the hungry this holiday season — click here for details.
————————————————-

What if …right this moment … or at least the minute you get done reading this blog … (more…)

Heal Hunger for the Holidays — update

Let’s Heal Hunger for the Holidays!

Since 2006, readers of my “reality” columns, op/ed essays in papers, and of my blog, have been kindly and generously donating to the annual “MC Reality Readers” fundraising drive to benefit All Faiths Food Bank, raising $10,600 so far to help feed the hungry men, women, and children of our community who struggle to put food on the table and make ends meet.

This year, more than ever, is the year of greatest need … and of great opportunity for those of us who are able to dig deep and help out those who need a hand.

It’s a nice circle of grace to know that because my hometown newspaper has recently helped me by hiring me as a weekly freelance contributor … I, in turn, can do something more significant than in years past to help others. Every year, I’ve always contributed any writing fees I received from print publications during the month of November — wasn’t always a lot, but this year, I’m grateful to be able to donate more than ever before because of my new Sarasota Herald-Tribune/Ticket column.

Times are extraordinarily tight for so many of us – for our friends, family, neighbors, people we see on the streets or at bus stations, or in line at the supermarket or bank – people we might not know personally, but who are part of who we are as a community… that’s why I’m writing again about the All Faiths “Reality Reader” drive.

All Faiths has already begun receiving donations from Reality Readers — if you’d like to help heal hunger for the holidays – here’s how you can get involved:

A donation of any amount, even $5, will help; $12 will provide enough food to supply a holiday meal to a family of five; $100 will provide 159 meals; and $500 will supply 794 meals. On your donation, if you’d like to participate specifically in my annual drive, simply write “MC Reality Reader” on your check or in the “Special Instructions” box online.

All Faiths Food Bank — make a donation online at All Faiths
Or send a check snail mail to: 8171 Blaikie Court
Sarasota, Florida 34240-8321
941-379-6333
Just be sure to put the words “MC Reality Reader” on your check or enter it in the “special instructions” box online, if you want to specifically participate in this “reality” drive (All Faiths will be giving me a final tally on “reality” donations in early December, and this helps them track the donations.)

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog – no need to respond unless you want to; just know that I appreciate your time in reading, and of course, if you do choose/are able to make a donation in any amount – know that your generosity is truly appreciated.

Update to Cat Depot Saves Pennsylvania Kitties story

One of the greatest things about doing this blog is when I hear about people helping each other because of connections they make or hear about here on this site. We’ve had people donating to All Faiths Food Bank — to the tune of thousands of dollars. We’ve had readers in other states giving me advice and following up on Tony the Tiger. We’ve had local doctors trying to help me get a stray kitty cat into a good home. And now, one of my readers read a blog last week, and took action about the Pennsylvania cats rescued by Sarasota’s Cat Depot story I posted and look, now I’ve received a really super nice blog comment below from the folks at Cat Depot to round the story out. (more…)

Sarasota Sky Pilots Do It in the Air

When someone says they’re going to play golf, it conjures up images of lugging expensive clubs around, riding in a cart, and hitting a little white ball toward a hole in the ground on a neatly manicured green, doesn’t it?

But for many Sarasotans – men and women of all ages – “playing golf” means playing “disc golf”. And disc golf means showing up with little more than the shirt on your back, carrying a lightweight flying disc (e.g., a Frisbee®), walking an 18-hole “natural-landscape” course, then, using nothing more than a well-muscled arm, throwing that disc over hole lengths of up to 500+ feet and sinking it into a metal disc basket (called a “pole hole”) (more…)

What if? …

… right this moment … or at least the minute you get done reading this blog …

What if we all got up exactly this moment and (more…)

MC Reality Readers Make a Real Difference this Thanksgiving!

“Wow!” That was the headline from the email I received from All Faiths Food Bank earlier today letting me know that as of about noon today, MC Reality readers — here at this blog, at the Pelican Press, and at Creative Loafing — dug deep into their already economy-affected wallets and pockets and still found room to send donations to the food bank to help those in need.

Amount raised? A fabulous $1,611.23!!!! Add that amount to the drives since 2007, and that means Reality Readers have donated an incredibly generous total of $10,484!

Want to know how many Thanksgiving dinners that amount could supply to families of four or five — including turkey and all the yummy trimmings? — 134!! One hundred and thirty-four!

Want to know how many individual meals that amount can buy for the hungry in our community now as a result of your generosity? — If I’m doing my math right — it’s a staggering 2,557 meals!

(All Faith’s website says 159 individual meals can be provided with just $100, so I extrapolated from that; someone correct me if my math is wrong — hey, I’m a writer, not a math genius!.)

They haven’t had time to get the names to me for the drawing, but believe me, as soon as they do — I’ll report the drawing results right here at MC Reality online!

I don’t know how to thank you all — each and every one of you — for pitching in for the third year in a row to this little drive of mine. A couple of people have said to me “Oh, wow, you did a great job with the drive this year!” But I know it wasn’t me — it was all of you … making a difference.

Thank you.