so my mom told me the other day that she was sick of checking my blog and not having anything new to read.
i dont know that i have anything too interesting to say today, but gee, i didnt even know anyone was reading my blog!
aaaaaanyways...so why has it been such a long time since i blogged? and what the hell have i been doing?
well i can say one thing, i havent been doing much in the way of "giving back". unless you count the fact that i have been working 50-60 hours a week at a nonprofit working with kids every single day.
i count that.
also, i finished another semester of school AND...drumroll please............I MADE THE DEAN'S LIST!!!
i think it is pretty amazing that 2 years ago i almost failed out of school and this semester i got a 3.53 GPA. should have been higher, but we wont get into that....damn you professor kalika.
besides running our summer day camp program at work i have also been running our sports program still, and we finally opened our new gym which is SUPER exciting and opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for what we can do with our sports program. i cant wait!
well i guess that is all for now, ive got to go get ready. i finally got a few days off of work and today i am headed to cooler ground. this heat is killer and even if i can only get out of it for a few hours i will DEFINITELY take it.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Retarded...Really??
UPDATED: visit http://r-word.org/ for more information on this topic.
i must admit...i am one who has, and still do at time (accidentally), used the word retarded in a negative light.
growing up i did not have anyone who was physically or mentally disabled in my family, and i did not see how much this can hurt a person, and honestly, i never really thought about it.
even into my teen years, i didnt think twice about using the word.
until i met jadi.
thats horrible that i spent 18 years of my life in the dark about such situations.
sure i knew they existed...but did i care? nope.
how selfish was i?
over the past few years i have come to know jadi and the rest of her family (and ya know...her sister laura...hahaha) and it has really changed me.
like i mentioned, i do still used the word sometimes, but each time i do, i realize and it kills me that i just said it.
this blog: http://listeningthruthenoise.blogspot.com/2010/03/normal-to-who.html and this blog: http://theredneckmommy.com/2010/03/05/why-you-shouldnt-use-the-r-word/ are both great eye openers to the affects of the r-word, and they really give an inside look to the way that word affects families of a mentally or physically disabled individual.
using this word is just as bad as faggot or nigger or cracker or bitch or any other derogatory term we can use.
how would you feel if people went around calling their non working/stupid/slow/broken whatever a derogatory name about you?
i must admit...i am one who has, and still do at time (accidentally), used the word retarded in a negative light.
growing up i did not have anyone who was physically or mentally disabled in my family, and i did not see how much this can hurt a person, and honestly, i never really thought about it.
even into my teen years, i didnt think twice about using the word.
until i met jadi.
thats horrible that i spent 18 years of my life in the dark about such situations.
sure i knew they existed...but did i care? nope.
how selfish was i?
over the past few years i have come to know jadi and the rest of her family (and ya know...her sister laura...hahaha) and it has really changed me.
like i mentioned, i do still used the word sometimes, but each time i do, i realize and it kills me that i just said it.
this blog: http://listeningthruthenoise.blogspot.com/2010/03/normal-to-who.html and this blog: http://theredneckmommy.com/2010/03/05/why-you-shouldnt-use-the-r-word/ are both great eye openers to the affects of the r-word, and they really give an inside look to the way that word affects families of a mentally or physically disabled individual.
using this word is just as bad as faggot or nigger or cracker or bitch or any other derogatory term we can use.
how would you feel if people went around calling their non working/stupid/slow/broken whatever a derogatory name about you?
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Ok, now I'm excited
For the first semester in all the time I have been in college, I am actually excited for my classes!
They really seem to be lining up with the changes in my life I wrote about wanting to make and they are very applicable to my work life.
In my last post, I wrote about my entrepreneurship project that I have to do, and now I have another project that I am even more excited about.
Going into my Responsible Management class I had no idea what to expect. I figured it would be another boring class about ethics and how to make money without breaking the law. How surprised was I when I found out the class is mostly about working in/with Nonprofits???
The majority of this class revolves around a Service Learning project that we have to do in which we work with a Nonprofit in the community on a service project for at least 25 hours throughout the semester.
Perfect! I have been wanting to do some work with a Nonprofit besides the Y, I just have never been able to find the time to do it. Well, this comes with a grade, so now I have to find the time.
I plan to docment whatever we do on here, so follow along on the journey if you want to. Our group is choosing the organization we will work with this week. I have compiled a list of a few that I want to work with and we will see where we go from there.
Very much looking forward to this semester, even though it will be a lot of work.
They really seem to be lining up with the changes in my life I wrote about wanting to make and they are very applicable to my work life.
In my last post, I wrote about my entrepreneurship project that I have to do, and now I have another project that I am even more excited about.
Going into my Responsible Management class I had no idea what to expect. I figured it would be another boring class about ethics and how to make money without breaking the law. How surprised was I when I found out the class is mostly about working in/with Nonprofits???
The majority of this class revolves around a Service Learning project that we have to do in which we work with a Nonprofit in the community on a service project for at least 25 hours throughout the semester.
Perfect! I have been wanting to do some work with a Nonprofit besides the Y, I just have never been able to find the time to do it. Well, this comes with a grade, so now I have to find the time.
I plan to docment whatever we do on here, so follow along on the journey if you want to. Our group is choosing the organization we will work with this week. I have compiled a list of a few that I want to work with and we will see where we go from there.
Very much looking forward to this semester, even though it will be a lot of work.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Entrepreneurship project
This semester I am in a class called Intro to Entrepreneurship. As one of my big projects throughout the semester I have to come up with an idea to write a venture proposal for. Well, I was inspired by my roommate Laura and the many, many blogs I follow and I think I am going to write a venture proposal for clothing for kiddos with special medical needs. Anything ranging from monitors to g-tubes to being in hospital beds with many wires and tubes. So many of these parents have had problems finding cute clothing to put their child in that works with the tubes and wires and, although I am not a parent, I can understand how disheartening this might be. So this semester I will be doing some research on what types of clothes or clothing items might be best for these children. If you have any experience with this, I would really appreciate your input. You can either comment on here or email me at emgawne@gmail.com. Thanks in advance for your help!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Going into 2011
I have gone into 2011 with a new attitude. One that I hope to keep past Monday. We will see how that goes…
I want to make a difference. I want to be able to help people. Now I know I can, and do, do this through the YMCA every day. However, I want something different. I have been looking into a few different young professional groups and I want to join the Ronald McDonald House Charities Tomorrow’s Leaders when I graduate in December. (You can read about them here) I have had them in mind for a while, but I want to wait until I graduate so that I am able to devote the time to it that I should. I am looking into volunteering with other organizations as well. I don’t want to try to jump in at the top, I want to start small and grow from there.
So again, if you have any suggestions, any ideas as to what organizations I could work with, anything, please feel free to share it with me. I would greatly appreciate it!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Why I Want to Give
Why did I start this blog?
Why do I want to give back?
How do I want to give back?
These are all questions I hope to answer along the way. I started this as a way to document my journey. As a way to connect with those that might need the help. As a way to encourage others to do the same.
I have led a very blessed life.
That’s not to say I grew up rich, or that I have a lot of money now. To me, money does not equal blessed. I grew up in a home where I felt loved. I never felt like I went without, although I know at times we did. My parents somehow managed to put my brother, my sister, and I all in private Christian school for our education from preschool through high school on one income. (I'm still not sure how they managed that.) I grew up knowing God. I grew up healthy.
Because of the generosity of others, I was able to experience many things in my childhood that I am sure I would not have been able to experience otherwise. People donated money in the form of scholarships for me to be able to get the education I did. They YMCA gave my parents financial assistance so they were able to put me in many programs during my childhood. People at my church gave to me in ways I can never repay. I could go on forever, but I don’t want to bore you to death.
I look around me and I feel a tugging at my heart. A need to give to others. God blessed me in many ways, but one I am most thankful for is that I was blessed with a healthy body. I want to fight for others who can’t fight for themselves.
I work in nonprofit for the YMCA and I really feel God has placed it on my heart to stay in the nonprofit world, whether in the YMCA or elsewhere, but I feel he is calling me to do more.
I am not sure yet what this is going to look like, or how it is going to play out, but I want to do something.
So what do I do? Where do I go from here?
I am not sure. It will be an interesting journey to walk through.
I want to help fight for those with CHD and for their families. I want to help those, and the families of those affected by special needs, medical or otherwise. I have a special place in my heart for foster children and those in the system. There are many things I would love to do.
What do I need from you?
I need your suggestions. I need your expertise. I need to know where you see a need. I need your encouragement. I will probably need your help.
Why do I want to give back?
How do I want to give back?
These are all questions I hope to answer along the way. I started this as a way to document my journey. As a way to connect with those that might need the help. As a way to encourage others to do the same.
I have led a very blessed life.
That’s not to say I grew up rich, or that I have a lot of money now. To me, money does not equal blessed. I grew up in a home where I felt loved. I never felt like I went without, although I know at times we did. My parents somehow managed to put my brother, my sister, and I all in private Christian school for our education from preschool through high school on one income. (I'm still not sure how they managed that.) I grew up knowing God. I grew up healthy.
Because of the generosity of others, I was able to experience many things in my childhood that I am sure I would not have been able to experience otherwise. People donated money in the form of scholarships for me to be able to get the education I did. They YMCA gave my parents financial assistance so they were able to put me in many programs during my childhood. People at my church gave to me in ways I can never repay. I could go on forever, but I don’t want to bore you to death.
I look around me and I feel a tugging at my heart. A need to give to others. God blessed me in many ways, but one I am most thankful for is that I was blessed with a healthy body. I want to fight for others who can’t fight for themselves.
I work in nonprofit for the YMCA and I really feel God has placed it on my heart to stay in the nonprofit world, whether in the YMCA or elsewhere, but I feel he is calling me to do more.
I am not sure yet what this is going to look like, or how it is going to play out, but I want to do something.
So what do I do? Where do I go from here?
I am not sure. It will be an interesting journey to walk through.
I want to help fight for those with CHD and for their families. I want to help those, and the families of those affected by special needs, medical or otherwise. I have a special place in my heart for foster children and those in the system. There are many things I would love to do.
What do I need from you?
I need your suggestions. I need your expertise. I need to know where you see a need. I need your encouragement. I will probably need your help.
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