March 27th, 2009
By Mark
For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to give $20 each week to a homeless person and minimally ask their name and where they are from.
This week, I sat down with Ron from Ft. Worth, Texas. Ron has now received $20 from me three times this year. He seems to recognize me, but does not remember specifics about me. (more…)
March 06th, 2009
By Mark
For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to give $20 each week to a homeless person and minimally ask their name and where they are from.
Today’s story starts about seven years ago when I was in a training class for Vistage Chairs. A Vistage Chair’s job is to increase the effectiveness and enhance the lives of CEOs. It is a fascinating job and requires many skills one of which is vulnerability. (more…)
February 25th, 2009
By Mark
For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to give $20 each week to a homeless person and minimally ask their name and where they are from.
Today I met Debra from Eureka, California. Debra is also Sheila whom I gave money to a few weeks back. Interesting that she changed her name when talking to me, but still was from the same hometown. (more…)
February 15th, 2009
By Mark
In the parking lot of Starbucks, I met up with Mike from Leesville Louisiana. I have given money to Mike before, but this was the first time I paid close attention to who he was and what he said to me. Mike is about 50 and very weathered like most of the homeless. He has a full grey beard, wears a baseball cap and has typically dirty clothes. He has his shopping cart with all sorts of essentials for street survival. (more…)
February 11th, 2009
By Mark
For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to give $20 each week to a homeless person and minimally ask their name and where they are from.
I have had both positive and negative feedback on my project. The following is a bit of the negative. (more…)
January 14th, 2009
By Mark
I did not give $20 out last week. It never seemed like the right time. I don’t want to give to the folks who beg at street corners. They don’t seem to be homeless. Some seem like professional beggars. Not that precludes me from giving them money, but that is not my current focus. The regular homeless folks in La Jolla seem to be moved out. I don’t know if the police moved them out or if the cold weather makes them find a different place to live. (more…)
January 03rd, 2009
By Mark
I have a friend Ivy Gordon who is a fellow Vistage Chair. She described to me a new practice her group was doing for 2009. It’s called “random acts of kindness”. Each month every member would give the hosting member $10. Ivy has about 16 members in her group, so the total would be in the $140 range assuming an occasional absent member. The hosting member has an assignment to find a person (or several) that could use a cash gift with the understanding that one day they will “pay it forward”. The only rule is that they can’t give it to a charity unless they can give it directly to a person they have met who needs it. The next meeting the host will tell the stories of the people he/she gifted and why. I liked the concept. (more…)