Be the Cause

Houston Continues…

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Abhinav from Houston helped organize a meeting of volunteers in Houston over the last weekend.  The meeting was designed to give the volunteers an opportunity to interact as well as to discuss ways of improving their weekly Food for Life program.  I wasn’t at the meeting but I was really inspired just by the fact that they met so I’ve posted their meeting minutes here:

Hey All,

I think it would be an understatement to say that we had a great meeting on friday evening. It was so much beyond what I could have ever imagined and must say we truly had the most wonderful time together. So let me start with a big thanks to everyone who was part of the experience. We had a so many great suggestions and so much enthusiasm, I think we have to come to a point where we acknowledge how this program has impacted our lives and what it truly means to be a part of it. There is really no need for me to stress on the fact that we must manifest in ourselves that what we need to change in the world, and I can confidently say, we are all way past that and kudos to everyone who has been a part of FFL and be the cause!
Very quickly I would make an effort to summarize the meeting:
Venue : Audra’s Apartment
Date & TIme :  April 30th, 7 PM
The Highest priority is to increase our involvement in the Kids meal project. We need to go on the sandwich distribution rides on monday with the hope of better understanding the program. THe key learning would involve, buliding relationships with the kids and their parents, understand their needs and perspective on FFL, look into ways of creating a stornger message with a larger impact through this expereince. This can include pictures, testimonials, videos etc. Kym, along with Abhinav, Saurabh and Mr. Parikh would make dedicated efforts in the coming weeks to build on this. The target for a basic campaign which would include few distribution rides is 2 months from the date of the meeting.
Following are the assigned responsibilities for the various tasks to aid the program
Abhinav & Rosie – Volunteer Contacts and awareness building
Audra & Kym – Fund Raising & Supplies
Houston Food Bank and Temple Contacts – Saurabh
Art & Creative Support – Jameeka
Again, keeping it informal, this is just aimed at channeling our efforts and everyone involved is always more than welcome to help the program in whatever way they please :)
Here is the list of actions for the meeting
  • Create sign in sheet for the volunteers – Abhinav (05/07)
  • Followup with temple treasurer for FFL funds – Abhinav (05/21)
  • Create an account with vounteer houston – Abhinav (05/21)
  • High Priority – Call up Ruth, invite her for a talk at FFL – Abhinav (05/21)
  • Mail banner information to Mr Dinesh – Abhinav (05/21)
  • Look into creating online volunteer calendar – Abhinav (05/09)
  • Check with creating an acoount with Sam’s Club – Abhinav (05/31)
  • Post weekly invites on the Facebook calendar and encourage volunteers to Join FFL on facebook – Jameeka
  • Make a design for the FFL banner – Jameeka (06/10)
  • Make a design for FFL T shirts – Jameeka (06/20)
  • Bag sangwiches out in the temple vernadah from 5 to 7 to increase awareness – Saurabh, Abhinav & Mr. Dinesh (05/09)Raise on an average $100 per week by start of July

Again, the dates are just to add a priority and there is no penalty on missing them :D. I think I have pretty much everything we discussed in there, If I have missed out something or if anyone else has another cool suggestion to add to the list, please let us know. Lastly, if you havent already done so, please register with be the cause on http://www.bethecause.org/home.php.  Its a greatway to stayin tune with our Be the cause family!.

The next meeting is planned for 07/10

Phew! took me an hour to compose this one, if you have indeed read the whoke thing, thank you for the rather brave effort, but here is a little consolation for those of you who did get to the end:

http://picasaweb.google.com/abhinav2005/FFLVolunteerMeet?authkey=Gv1sRgCJiU2Nrlhe7HXw&feat=directlink

Lastly, a special thanks to Audra for being a wonderful host twice in a row now!!
Warm Wishes
Abhinav
Attendees:
Audra Noske
The Grey Family
Peter Grey
Rosemarie Grey
Elham
Saurabh
Kym Harris
Dinesh Parikh
Sangeeta Parikh
Abhinav
Other FFL Volunteers:
Damodar Das
Maushmi
Carla
Nazbano
Nick Hostos

Earthquake Car Kit + FREE Earthquake Preparedness Class

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In light of the recent earthquakes, below are some helpful tips prepared by Sonali Fiske.  Thank you Sonali!

How many of us have an earthquake emergency kit in our car let alone in our home? Assuming that you have the later, PLEASE consider assembling one for your car. We commute a lot & while we’re surrounded by resources/supplies within our home, if we’re lucky enough to be there should an earthquake strike, we don’t always know what to do if in our car. I don’t know, but I feel as if the year 2010 is giving us plenty of guidance.

Here’s a checklist of items you should have in a car earthquake kit. This is based solely on my own research & it’s not endorsed by FEMA or any other disaster agency, so it’s not a comprehensive list. Make sure supplies are adequate for you + one person. Think self-sufficiency!

These items need to be compact & kept in a nylon backpack, so that it’s ready to go if you’re forced to travel on foot. (Also, you can purchase various ready-made kits online for about $45-100). Make sure you periodically check your kit for expiration dates, etc.

    • Energy food bars (or dried fruit, nuts, crackers) – preferably with 2400 calories or more to keep you fueled for an extended period of time
    • Light sticks – Usually has 12-hours of life or a shake light (which charges when you shake it). Don’t bother with the battery-operated flashlights.
    • Emergency potable water pouches/boxes – not the plastic bottles, they only have a 6-month shelf-life. The U.S. Coast Guard approved boxes/pouches have a 5-year shelf-life & safer to keep in your cars.
    • Running shoes – especially for those of us that are prone to wear high heels & if you’re forced to travel on foot.
    • Whistle. Helpful if you need rescue. Each firefighter has one.
    • Dust mask. Reduces risk of inhaling toxins & dust
    • Multipurpose knife. Swiss Army type knife is best.
    • Antibacterial Wipes. To ward off germs
    • First Aid kit: (Place all these in a Ziploc bag) band aids, pain med, antibiotic ointment, sterile gauze, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, vinyl gloves, (and for the girls, tampons).
    • Contact info: VERY IMPORTANT – on a 3×5 card, have loved ones phone numbers/addresses). If the cell towers are down, you may not have access to your phone. And how many of us have numbers memorized. Not me
    • Water Purification Tablets. To purify unsanitary water. One tablet purifies one liter of water
    • Emergency Blanket – The Myler ones retain 90% of body heat
    • Travel-sized toilet paper/Tissues.
  1. Cash. At least $50 in cash, with a couple of dollars in loose change. Most banks/ATM’s may be out of service.
  2. Radio. Your car radio is your primary source for emergency broadcast information. Make sure it’s always in working order.
  3. Map. Have a map of you local area, in the event GPS systems are unavailable.

Also, for those of you in the OC, check out the following class. For those of you outside of OC, please check with your local Red Cross chapter to see if they’re offering these classes in your area:

Red Cross to Offer Free Earthquake Preparedness Class

SANTA ANA, Calif.

– Southern California woke up to a relatively minor earthquake this morning, but what if it were larger? What if it were the closer to the magnitude of those that struck Haiti or Chile?

The American Red Cross is offering a free disaster and earthquake preparedness class on March 30 at 6:30 p.m. at its Orange County headquarters, located at 600 Park Center Drive in Santa Ana.

Attendees will learn about different types of disasters that can impact our community and how to take basic steps to prepare for each.

“Preparedness is at the core of our mission,” said Monica Ruzich, a Red Cross preparedness specialist. “This presentation will help all of us know what to do when a disaster occurs.”

To sign up for the free presentation, please contact Monica at

mruzich@oc-redcross.org

or (714) 481-5329.

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