Blog
Bullies Come In All Sizes
BUL•LY [bool-ee] noun, 1. a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people. If you yourself have been the victim of bullying or experienced the heartbreak of watching a young person you love suffer through the experience, you know what all the fuss in the news is about. Bullying is leading some incredibly young people to lose hope and commit suicide, which is just tragic. Bullying comes in all shapes and sizes and has no age limit. Grownups bully too, as do governments and political powers. The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida has made it its mission that we never forget the...
Read MoreHitting Close To Home
If you’ve been watching the local news lately, you’ve seen the violence perpetrated on women by ex-husbands or boyfriends, two recently ending in murder. One of the cases affected my family personally as she was on staff at the hospital where my brother works. He was deeply saddened, saying she was such a sweet lady. The fact that her abuser, her estranged husband, used her cell phone as a manipulation tactic to get her to that Miami Subs, was even more poignant. She was on call and didn’t want to get in trouble for not answering the phone if work called… From what I know of the story, she did call 911. Several times. There was a history of domestic violence...
Read MoreMonth 1 Accomplished
I was reminded of the fact that 85% of success is just showing up. Well, show up we did. Art4Giving’s website garnered well over 300 unique visitors in its first month. Not bad, considering we have no advertising budget! Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word, either verbally or via social media. I’d say the first month was a success. We sold three paintings and three posters and raised over $200 for Andy McKinney to put towards his medical bills. We’ve added contacts to our mailing list and more and more people are learning the name “Art4Giving”. That’s what it’s all about! The first month was an experiment of sorts,...
Read MoreAugust’s Art Opening Event
Thanks to everyone who came out for Art4Giving’s very first Art Opening Event on August 12th. It was also Michelle Magnusson’s first time exhibiting her art, so she was really excited. On hand was also Frank Def, who is the poet who hired Michelle to create the 30 works of art that were featured in his first published book of poetry, “Here We Reach The Beginning.” Frank read some of his poetry and sold signed copies of his books. Andy McKinney was also there and sang several of his original songs. Andy is August’s featured beneficiary; we are helping to raise funds to go to his recent medical bills. Thanks again to everyone who came and a...
Read MoreA Smorgasbord of Cultural Entertainment & Art
I had the pleasure of attending the Red Chair Affair this weekend for the first time. What a great deal for only $22! It was like a buffet of culture, art and entertainment. Perfect for short-attention-span people to be able to see a sample of what so many different organizations have to offer our community. I’m a huge fan of dance, so it was wonderful to see the various dance troupes perform. The music and beauty in Voci Dance’s number just took me away… Although I’m not a fan of opera, I really enjoyed the Florida Opera Theatre bit where they really poked fun at themselves. It was so cool to see the Orlando Aerial Arts perform, suspended from...
Read MoreWill The Real Heroes Please Stand Up
We could all complain about the world we live in… but why? Sure, money is tight, many are unemployed, cars break down, and people will disappoint you in so many ways. The real question is: what are you doing to create a positive effect in your circle of influence? We don’t all have to create sweeping change in our entire country like Martin Luther King, Jr., or Mahatma Gandhi, but we can reach out to anyone we come across in our everyday life. I love that story about the kid throwing starfish back into the sea. He found a bunch of starfish on the beach and was throwing them back in the water so they wouldn’t die. An adult came along to tell him how useless his...
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