MLK Day: Around the nation & around the block

It’s the start of a new year and many of us have pledged to give back more in 2011.  The upcoming Martin Luther King Day of Service is our first chance to get out there and honor this pledge. Seems especially fitting during this time of healing for our country.

MLK Day is one of the most widespread efforts all year that we, as a nation come together in the spirit of compassion and love, to play that "small role in making the lives of others better," just as President Obama charged to all of us at the memorial yesterday in Tucson. 

Here are some ideas to make it easy to participate.

Around the Nation: America's Sunday Supper: This Sunday, January 16th at 6pm, HandsOn Network is offering a unique opportunity to be a part of an interactive online discussion being held in Washington DC. Here is your chance to discuss our communities' and our nation's biggest issues with today’s top service leaders from all backgrounds. The Sunday Supper will be filmed and aired live in front of a studio audience out of DC. To register your virtual attendance, visit www.HandsOnNetwork.org  You can also use this site to find projects in your community!

*****

Around Atlanta: On Monday, January 17th, the Annual National Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday March and Rally will take place around the nation, with the largest celebration taking place in Atlanta. The annual March starts at 1pm at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Auburn Ave and heads down Auburn ending around the King National Historic Site.  A rally is then held around the stage until 4pm. For more information, head over to http://www.mlkmarchaaar.org.

HandsOn Atlanta hosts its Annual King Summit at the Ferst Center for the Performing Arts at Georgia Tech. Kicking-off the summit will be a rally featuring music, dance and a conversation with Senator Jason Carter, Andrea Young, and Brooke Jackson Edmonds.  Participants are then encouraged to take the afternoon and sign up for a service project. This event is free and starts at 10am.   For more information, visit HandsOn Atlanta

*****

Around the block: For those looking to do your own project in any community.

Sure, you can create your own project.  You can clean up a park or playground, build that community garden you’ve had on your list, even just taking the day to clean out your closet and donate your clothes, donate food or volunteer at a local food bank.  Creating a service project for yourself or a small group of friends is equally impactful.

However, here are a few important things to keep in mind:

• As businesses, some non-profits aren’t open or aren't fully staffed on this day because it is a national holiday, so call ahead.
• Most volunteer projects require an application and training, so if you don’t have an existing relationship as a volunteer with a charity, you may run into some obstacles on Monday. 
• But don’t let this stop you from using this day as a day to begin serving your community.  Take this opportunity to find a place to volunteer and submit your application to begin the process. Make the commitment that can be carried out all year. 

You aren't done yet. Here are some ways to share your story. Don't be shy, be proud! The collaboration of stories is something that makes this day extra special for all Americans.

Post your story on HandsOn Network or the Martin Luther King Day of Service website.

You can also visit MyImpact.org which is a great tool that helps you track, measure, and share your volunteerism on this day and throughout the year. You can use your phone to log your hours and share your impact.

Get rewarded for your service, by visiting Do Good Get Rewards – this is a site that allows volunteers to earn points for the hours donated to help and redeem them for rewards including hotel rooms, all-inclusive resorts, dining certificates, health club memberships, spa certificates and more.

A Hug for the Holidays

Yesterday was the annual Thanksgiving Holiday H.U.G.S (Hope. Understanding. Guidance. Support) program at Kate's Club.  It is one of my favorite days of the year; a day where the families of Kate's Club come together to give thanks, enjoy a big pot luck lunch, and connect with each other for support.  It is a true celebration, while also a time for an extra boost during the holidays.

Support during the holidays you ask? Absolutely.  Let's admit it, we could all use a little extra support during the holidays.  For the families at Kate's Club, these weeks can bring on a more intense time for coping with loss.  This is a time when the absence of their loved one is most obvious and thus bringing out more emotions surrounding their grief. But Kate's Club helps them.  And for others, support exists too.

The one thing I did more than anything yesterday was give hugs. A simple gesture but one that can be so impactful and so rewarding. It may be the easiest gift you give these holidays, and I strongly recommend giving LOTS of them away.  Afterall you can not give a hug away without getting one back!

HUGS and more HUGS to all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Meet Jan: Best Friend to Furry Friends Forever

I am so excited to share this story. It is a blog everyone facing adversity MUST read. One day you are a young vivacious woman pursuing your dream career and the next you are near death and told everything about your life as you love it must change.  What would you do? 

This is a very special interview with Jan Fowler and her journey back to the top after having to redesign her life, and how she is doing it through Living by Giving. 

Kate:  Hi Jan! Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your Living by Giving story with us. 

Jan:  Thanks Kate. I'm excited for this opportunity to share my life story and my giving story.  I consider myself one of the luckiest survivors ever put on this planet. I have been in Atlanta for over ten years and was blessed with an amazing hairstyling career at a great Atlanta salon. Two years ago, I developed a severe food allergy to citrus. My allergy attacks were hard but when it began affecting my career, my life got thrown for a crazy loop. Come to find out there are citrus based chemicals in everything. Including the majority of hair products. Eventually, after trying many different alternatives, I became allergic to hair color. I passed out in the middle of doing highlights, was rushed to the ER, stabbed with an EPI pen and was told that my job was going to kill me.

I was at a very low point in my life. I loved doing hair, it was all I knew and everything I was, but I had to stop. I  fell into a very sad place, but always found joy when I was with my dogs. I began helping neighbors out with their dogs and cats when they were away. Then one day it hit me…..Pets and the Sity. I started small and was still struggling with the loss of my career. I didn’t know what I was doing, what my plan was or where this would take me, but it felt good and being with the animals made me happier then I could have ever imagined. I worked hard, hit the streets, tried to spread the word and a year later, I have been full time, I have 5 staff members, tons of amazing clients and more purpose then I have ever had in my life. Pets and the Sity came to me and I was lucky enough to have faith and believe that I could make lemonade out of lemons….allergy or not!

Kate:  Wow! You had to package up your passion for hair, put it aside, because it literally would have killed you. But you picked yourself up and started this fantastic company. Tell us some of the services you offer at Pet and the Sity?

Jan:  Pets and the Sityoffers a variety of in home pet care services. Our goal is to make sure when the pet parent is away, the pet is safe, comfortable and happy in their own home. Whether it is a long day at work or a week long vacation, we are here to care for all of your pets needs. Dog walks, cat visits, play time, feedings, grooming, training, overnights and most importantly…LOVE! We believe pets were put on this planet to enrich our lives. Our mission at Pets and the Sity is to enrich the lives of your pets!

Kate:  And with all this, the coolest thing is you've also become a spokesperson for a non-profit organization called Safe Haven 4 Pets. Tell us about that.

Jan:  I came across Safe Haven 4 Pets doing a search for places that needed pet sitter volunteers. Once I saw the website and did some research I was immediately drawn to this organization. What they are doing is incredibly close to my heart and I feel very strongly about their vision. They help pets and pet parents stay together and remain safe during times of hardships. Whether it is a medical issue or deployment, whatever the case may be, Safe Haven comes in and helps people out with their animal so owners can keep pets and not have to let go of them when they are struggling. I was in that situation when my allergy began. I had a few months when I was dealing with third degree burns on both of my hands because I came into contact with lime juice. I couldn’t feed myself let alone take care of my dogs. I knew that the smart thing would have been to have my pugs go to someone’s house, but they were my sunshine and I needed them with me.

Once I was healed and began Pets and the Sity, I knew this was the outlet for me to give back to next. Some people don’t have the support system that I do. Some people just moved here and don’t have family or friends to step up to the plate. So I figured this was my next step in giving. Giving back to people who need help with their animal but can’t lose them.  

Kate:  Love it! I love how you found something close to the vest to start Living by Giving.  Why is Giving so important to you in your life?  And what advice would you give to someone looking for a special cause to connect to and start Living by Giving.

Jan:  I think GIVING is the most important thing we as individuals can do. Giving back to the community and too each other is what I believe we were put on this planet to do. We all need help. Whether it is something major or very small….we all will need help at some point in our lives. By giving your help, when you need it, not only will it be easier to accept, it will also unite people and give you support to go through whatever it is you are experiencing.  I feel blessed every single day that I wake up. Blessed to have my pugs next to me, blessed to have my family and friends, blessed to have the sun to shine in and air to breathe. I like to give back as much as I have received and for 31 years I have received the gift of this amazing, fun, trying yet beautiful life I live. So for me giving just seems appropriate and feels really good. I think when you find something that you love, giving is easy. And everyone has that one thing they connect too. When I was a hair stylist I cut hair at women’s and homeless shelters. I became certified in Pilates and went to a teen center to teach Pilates to the girls. Now with Pets and the Sity, I have a plethora of animal organizations who need help and awareness. When you have a talent, a passion…even a hobby, sharing it with someone in need is just fun. So, whatever you like to do, giving that fun and love back to someone just makes things come full circle and that is why we are here!

Kate:  One of my favorite questions to ask is, ‘What is your Giving Dream?’ If money, time, and resources are no obstacle, what’s your dream for making the world a better place?

Jan:  WOW….There are so many people, creatures and resources that need help. I would love this world to be filled with zero frowns, zero hatred and zero worry, but I will stick to my animal giving dream on this one. I think there is nothing more special then the animal human connection. I have experienced the lowest of the low and know for sure that my furry friends helped me out of it. I would want to give that to everyone. Everyone who is sad, sick, worried, scared, lost or just lonely. There is a homeless animal out there who can help that person survive and that person can give that animal the only thing it really craves….devotion. My giving dream would be connecting these amazing animals with us so everyone could feel the truest form of loyalty. We as human can give them a home, food, water and safety and they could give us all we really need which is comfort and more importantly love. 

Thanks Jan!! Good luck with Pets and the Sity and your Giving Dream.

You can support Jan and Safe Haven 4 pets coming up next week.  Pets and the Sity is hosting a pet-friendly pub crawl in Buckhead on Wednesday, the 27th.  Furry friends can tag along as the group crawls through East Andrews, Genki and ends at Pool Hall. There is a Halloween theme so costumes are encouraged for all pets and pet parents involved! There will be drink specials and light appetizers at each venue and we are asking for a $5.00 donation with 100% of the proceeds going to Safe Haven 4 Pets.  For more information visit: Pets and the Sity

Teens: Listen Up!

When Kate’s Club started in 2003, I chose to offer the program only to youth 10 and up.  There were several purposeful reasons for this decision; it’s more often that programs like these start with the younger kids and “grow-up” with them.  But I felt differently.  Most importantly was that when I suffered the greatest loss of my life to date, the death of my mom, I was just 12 years old.  I knew what it felt like to face adversity during those adolescent years, and more so face the stigma of being different amongst my peers. I also knew that a powerful remedy for teens facing grief and adversity was to bring them together with other teens who shared in this experience, so they could help each other.

This past week has brought a great bit of sadness to me and our country because we have seen an increase in media stories about teens committing suicide. These stories have covered various reasons for such tragic action by teens, however one red string threads through them all: these teens were  all targeted and bullied because they fell into the cultural paradigm of our youth that being different somehow means being “less than."  

So I'm writing this blog for ALL teens: listen up...Any life experience which makes us different, really makes us all the same, because life is about the journey of experiences: good and BAD.

I recently read that suicide is the third leading cause of death amongst teenagers, according to the CDC.  This is astonishing to me and extremely sad.  To see how much joy has come into my life following my teen years as a direct result from what I struggled with during that time, I just can't imagine not having waited to experience this life of mine.  I just want to shout at the top of buildings: “You are not alone. You can get through this. It gets better. You have so much life to live.”  But I can’t do that.  

What I can do is offer a remedy to teens out there who are facing adversity, be it for your size and appearance, or a particular interest or experience, be it your gender, sexuality, or ethnicity.  I am going to tell you what I did, and what ultimately helped me connect to hope and happiness in spite of losing my mom, and being different all those years in high school. 

GO VOLUNTEER. GIVE BACK. REACH OUT AND HELP SOMEONE ELSE.

Here is the thing: You all are a generation who identifies more with profiles than with people and well this is starting to hurt you all socially, mentally and emotionally.  See, there are things about human interaction that can’t be replaced by Facebook or YouTube, even though they certainly make it more convenient to be social.  Such things as empathy, compassion, and altruism will never be experienced by “liking” a page or “sharing” a video.  And these traits are vital to building up courage and integrity, as well as tolerance and acceptance of others.  I worry about you all because you misinterpret social media as a means to socialization, and it just doesn’t translate 100%.

Look, I know adolescence is a time we wish we could just bury our bad days and unique ways, and Facebook and texting definitely allows us to do that, but you will never connect to those who are similar to you in your struggles, and appreciate those who have different ones...and this connection is crucial.

Trust me, in founding Kate's Club, I know just how much helping others will help you find a purpose and acceptance within yourself and amongst others that will diminish any effort towards making you feel “less than.”

And to the bullies out there, I ask you this question: Why spend energy on bringing someone down? Honestly, that is such a victim approach to feeling better about yourself, a short-term fix for whatever struggle you are dealing with in your own life.  The survivor in you should reach out and spend that energy on building someone up.  You may just build yourself up too. 

I see it so often with you guys and gals.  If you are given the opportunity to help, you step up and you are better for it.  We just need more of it going around. It's time for you to start Living by Giving.

Check out these sites for some ideas and inspiration:

DoSomething.org

VolunteerMatch.com

If you need some help finding a project, send me an email: kate@kateatwood.com

My Mug Shot

I do still get nervous in anticipation of how a media interview will turn out in its printed flesh. I can be pretty "wordy" and righteously honest; it sometimes is not very strategic in the ways of public relations. But my latest one with Scoutmob for their weekly "Local Mug" series was just so fun...to do and to share.  Here it is, as it was published this past Thursday.  If only more of those blogs that post mug shots could be as positive...just sayin'.

Meet Kate Atwood, Community Creator

Kate Atwood is one of those people you meet and then instantly feel like you're friends with her. But unlike your average friend (not to say your friends are average, just sayin'), Kate spends her life's mission helping the lives of others. She started Kate's Club to help the youth of Atlanta grieve the loss of a family member, just as she did as a child. And now, she's taking that need to do good and to create something positive and is spreading the word for all types of noble causes. Needless to say, we're moved by all that Kate does for Atlanta, so we wanted to see what she was up to these days with Kate's Club and the rest of her un-average activities:

SCOUT: Tell those of us who don’t know about Kate’s Club what the organization is all about?
KATE: Kate’s Club is an Atlanta-based non-profit organization that empowers children and teens facing life after the death of a parent or sibling. We are all about peer-to-peer support to help kids and their families move through the grieving process in a healthy way… and we give our kids space to have fun too. Which is so important, because after all, they're still kids. All of our services are provided at no cost to the families.

SCOUT: And what inspired you to create this awesome world for these kids?
KATE: When I was 12 years old, my mother Audrey passed away from breast cancer. I remember being 12 and not knowing anyone else who had lost a mother… except for Cinderella and Snow White. They weren’t really going to be able to help me. Kate’s Club, at its core, is the idea that these kids are not alone and together, we can help them move forward healthy and strong in our grief, but more importantly in our life.

SCOUT: That's some pretty powerful stuff. What’s been the highlight moment of your work with Kate’s Club?
KATE: There have been some pretty amazing highlights along the way. But I will never forget the first meeting I had with a family joining Kate’s Club. Or that first van ride taking all the kids to Fernbank Museum back in 2003. When we first started out, we had no Clubhouse facility, no big financier backing anything, we were just a group of passionate volunteers that wanted to make a difference. We have come so amazingly far in seven years, but even in those early days, I remember having that feeling and inspiration that this was going to be something big for Atlanta. And that is what it is becoming.

SCOUT: Besides changing lives, what's your favorite thing about your job?
KATE: Well, a lot of people may not know that I actually have a job outside of Kate’s Club now. I don’t run the day-to-day of the organization anymore. While it still remains an important part of my life, I am now evolving professionally to do new things. I’m a creator and a visionary, so it’s hard to hold me in one spot. Right now, I am definitely in a creative zone with inspiration all around me.

One thing runs true to all my jobs I’ve had: I’m all about connecting with people and creating community.

SCOUT: Well now you've got us extra curious. What exactly is it that you are doing now?
KATE: I am really excited about my new initiative 'Living by Giving' which uses communications and media to help connect individuals to causes, and inspires happiness by helping others. I’m out there speaking to a lot of groups and organizations about giving back, sharing stories on my blog: KateAtwood.com, contributing articles to various publications. I recently had my first Living by Giving segment on The Today Show. I’m doing a lot to build this platform and am absolutely loving it. I believe it will be the next big lifestyle component for people to discover – much like health and fitness or personal finance. If all of us realized how much happiness can come into our lives when we set out to help someone else, I have no doubt that all of us would be doing it. I’m here to get everyone started.

I am also a part of a new marketing agency called Bcauz Marketing. We are a cause marketing agency working with non-profits and for-profit companies to boost brand awareness through cause partnerships and marketing strategies. Our client list is growing fast, which is exciting and a great sign of the evolving social responsibility culture in our business community. As I said, it's hard to keep me in one place.

SCOUT: I'd say so. So, when you do have a chance to unwind, where in Atlanta do you go to get away from work?
KATE: I usually have to get out of Atlanta to truly get away from my work. But when I do need some social inspiration in the city, you’ll find me at Piedmont Park or walking around various neighborhoods in Atlanta. We have some of the most charming neighborhoods and I just like touring them on walks with my dog. As for food and drinks, I am not one that can ever keep up with the newest hot spots, so I kinda just go where the company is good.

SCOUT: Fair enough. Tell us one thing people don’t know about you:
KATE: That my first job was in sports marketing, working with a sponsor of NASCAR. However, when I interviewed for that first job in sports at the age of 22, I was asked: “What is your dream job?” Most smart candidates would give an answer that actually existed in the sports industry. I boldly stated that I wanted to be like Oprah for my generation and have a TV show. I still got the job, thankfully. And 10 years later, I still carry the dream. My former boss and I still laugh about this. Not the dream, but the interview.

SCOUT: Okay so besides NASCAR and Oprah and changing the lives of others, what would you be doing if you had to choose a different profession?
KATE: Radio talk show host. Hands down. I love doing radio. It would be talk radio or a morning show.

SCOUT: So give us your "curious finds" in Atlanta. As in, those under-the-radar charities and events in Atlanta that inspire you to do even more good:
KATE: One of the gifts of starting Kate’s Club here in Atlanta is that I have grown to know and love the extended non-profit community here. I love Atlanta for its generosity in service and creative charity events. Some of my favorites (aside from Kate’s Club, of course) that often go under the radar include:
Isipho, which is a non-profit started by a mentee of mine, 16 year old Miranda Lynch, and is doing good around the world.
One Love Generation – which is one I was recently introduced to, doing amazing things for Atlanta’s at-risk youth.
PADV: Partnership Against Domestic Violence which is taking on a hard mission, but making amazing strides.
And Songs for Kids FoundationI never miss their 500 Songs for Kids at Smith’s Olde Bar each spring. So much fun.

These are all grassroots organizations delivering amazing amounts of goodness to our world.

SCOUT: Awesome. Now we have a great, feel-good checklist of things we totally want to get involved in. Now say you have friends in town visiting for the weekend. What’s on the agenda?
KATE: The list would include, not in any particular order: Murphy’sfor brunch, a visit by the Kate’s Club Clubhouse in Midtown, shopping in the Virginia Highlands including a stop by Urban Cottage, JCT Kitchen or Top FLRfor dinner. If I can swing tickets to a sporting event, I’ll do that too. We also have great hiking around here, I love to explore, even OTP.

SCOUT: Well, Miss Kate. You're one busy girl. But before we let you go, let our Mobsters to know what's next up on your radar:
KATE: I have some fun projects in the works, too early to tell how the chips will all fall. But I’m motivated big time right now. Let’s just say that if, by this time next year, I’m a little closer that that BIG dream job I spoke of earlier, then I’ll fully endorse these little vision boards for the rest of my life.