Last night, my wife Linda, was an honoree at the BlueWaveNJ Annual Ball, this year's theme being "Working for the Common Good." BlueWaveNJ is a progressive grass roots organization working to effect positive change in such critical areas as health care, the economy, marriage equality, the environment, education, electoral reform and sensible gun control. It is almost entirely run by volunteers, one of whom is Linda. Here are her remarks:
In Jan 2005, BlueWave rescued me from the empty nest blues and gave me some hope after the demoralizing Kerry defeat, and a second Bush term. This wonderful organization helped me find my voice and express my concerns on a local, state and national level. I was somewhat reticent when I first joined, but became more vocal and confident with the support and guidance of more seasoned BlueWave members. I started by getting educated on issues, and became involved with the Election Reform working group, and later, the Climate Change group. I canvassed door to door and did phone banking for state and national campaigns, neither of which I had previously done. I'm proud to have been appointed as Secretary of the BWNJ Board and Steering Committee, and have also helped run the Silent Auctions at the Blue Wave Balls. I have felt empowered by participating in political demonstrations and by lobbying our Senators and Congressman on a variety of issues. I have learned after 6 years of involvement in BWNJ that the best antidote to despair about our country is to get involved on a grass roots level. Blue Wave has been a family affair. My son Zach has been honored for his work as a volunteer at the BlueWave community center, and my husband, Rob, has videotaped events, and is helping out with the Silent Auction tonight. My niece, Katie Halper, has emceed our ball several times and performed with her Laughing Liberally group for a fund raising event. Katie was also responsible for getting Nate Silver as an honorary guest at our ball two years ago, and Chris Hayes as speaker for our upcoming membership meeting in June. BWNJ is a wonderful community of which I am gratified to be a member. It wouldn't exist without the efforts of our tireless leader Marcia Marley, and the participation of many bluewavers past and present. You know who you are. Thank you for this honor.
July 28, 2011
I’m in a small, impoverished village in Haiti, just over the border of the Dominican Republic. The heat is sweltering, and there’s no electricity or running water. Dozens of pregnant women, many of whom are in their teens and already mothers, are attending a free pre-natal health clinic staffed by volunteer doctors from the U.S., found via Facebook and Twitter. The women are advised to get regular checkups, though this is problematic as they are so isolated. The doctors perform a routine examination, and if they suspect any serious conditions they are referred to a hospital in the Dominican Republic, where they will be treated for free. One frequent condition is fistula, a serious medical complication that sometimes occurs in pregnancy, particularly in younger girls.
One of the young mothers at the makeshift clinic
This is part of a month long sustainable development project set up by Ana Roca Castro and her LATISM (Latinos in Social Media) organization. Ana, with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy, is shuttling us (myself, a video producer and a cameraman) from one location to another, so we can document the project. Back across the Dominican border in Monte Cristi, another isolated, but beautiful village on the northwest coast, we visit a “cyber room”, set up with dozens of computers donated through Latism. Here, local “trainers” help educate artisans, and hotel owners, to use social media to connect with potential customers and organizations. The trainers will stay behind after LATISM departs, thus fulfilling the promise of sustainability, and ”using social media for social good.” We were able to meet the local artisans, mostly all women, who were visibly excited about taking pictures of their beautiful handmade pieces, and enthusiastic about sharing them on line. Many of the crafts will be sold at the upcoming blogging event, BlogHer.
Local artisans with their wares
Finally, the last aspect of the program is a summer camp, attended by the children of both the LATISM volunteers and cyber room participants, where they get to work on their English, Kung Fu skills and to generally have fun. It’s amazing how a relatively small, but extremely focused organization like LATISM can achieve so much in so little time. What they will leave behind are practical skills, knowledge, the promise of economic sustainability, and most importantly, increased self-worth and hope for a population too often ignored.
Ana Roca Castro and "gringo"
People from all over the world visit these beautiful gardens that have Irises dating from the 1500's!
For those of you clamoring to hear my band, El Kabong again (I know, the sound is deafening), here is a cut from our latest album! Actually, it's from compilation disk from an organization of which are a part, Parents Who Rock. That means parents who participate in some adult-erated version of playing in a rock band, and it has nothing to do with rocking chairs. Parents Who Rock is a non-profit which helps fund really worthwhile community projects such as the All-Children's Playground, Mountainside Hospital Breast Cancer Education Center and the Montclair Rape Crisis Center, all in Montclair, NJ
12 Church St. Montclair, NJ
Marc Walsh, Tony, Greg Spinelli (owner) and me.
I'm lucky enough to be involved in a music jam that takes place every Thursday (or so) at the Church St. Cafe in Montclair, NJ. The owner, Greg, keeps it pretty loose and a wide variety of people play there. You'll hear anything from Joni Mitchell, to the Band, to the Dead, to blues and other eclectic music. Here's something I did, playing bass, with singer/guitarist Carrie Cantor a couple of weeks ago.
This is my personal blog. I live in Montclair, NJ with my wife and 2 dogs.
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