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Anxious To Hear Who Will Be VP,
Sam
“I dislike feeling at home when I’m abroad.”
George Bernard Shaw

“Never forget, justice is what love looks like in public.”

Dr. Cornel West

Cheers,
Sam
“This is the 21st Century Abolitionist Movement.”
Tagline from Call & Response

Cheers,
Sam
“Water is the only drink for a wise man.”
Henry David Thoreau

When I first tried college down in Tucson, I almost joined a fraternity. My uncle Phil had been (and I guess still is) a Kappa Sigma at the University of Minnesota, and promised to share with me all the necessary handshakes and secret phrases to get in the door. I ended up never rushing, but my roommate pledged Delta Chi so I got a chance to live the Greek Live vicariously. How vicariously? In 2001, the chapter was revoked of its UA recognition and put on level five (5) probation by the national office. In 2006, D Chi regained university recognition. The campus newspaper ran a story on the event, interviewing Delta Chi Chapter President, Andrew Dipsia. Drew was my roommate. That’s how vicariously.

Because of that experience, and the many stories Phil has shared with me, I’ve always had a certain image of Greek Life. And, well, turns out that might not be exactly fair…

Last Thursday afternoon, twenty-three (23) young men on bicycles showed up in Downtown Phoenix. Except, they weren’t from Phoenix, and their destination wasn’t Phoenix. These guys, along with a couple of support vans, were traveling from San Fransisco to Washington, D.C. Another group was traveling from Seattle, and yet another was riding from San Fransisco but taking a more northern route. Thirty-two (32) states and over 12,000 miles will be covered, all in the name of raising money and awareness for people with disabilities. And the kicker? Everyone involved is a Pi Kappa Phi, it’s a prerequisite to ride.

Most social fraternal organizations donate both time and money to nonprofit organizations, but Pi Kapps are the only ones to own and operate its own philanthropic organization. Push America are the leaders of tomorrow by serving people with disabilities today. They put on a variety of awareness and fundraising events, but the reason why they were up on my radar screen today was the Journey of Hope. From the website:

The Journey of Hope is a cross-country bicycle trek beginning in San Francisco, CA and Seattle, WA and ending together with all teams in Washington, D.C. The event raises funds and awareness for people with disabilities. Simply put, the Journey of Hope is a ride with a purpose. Make no mistake; this is not a simple ride. The Journey of Hope is about many things. It is about challenging the norm. It is about serving our communities. It is about finding out more about ourselves than we ever imagined. It is about having a dream. It is about a mission. It is about hope.

They made a stop here in Phoenix for a couple of reasons. First, they had ridden almost seventy (70) miles without a break. And second, they stopped by because an ASU student is on the ride. He wasn’t actually here, he’s on a separate leg, but he’s still on the trip.

If you dig what these cats are doing, you can donate to the cause here. Happy Weekend!

Intergenerational conversations have been all the rage lately. You know, trying to create and cross bridges between generations in the workplace. During these conversations, the term “social network” comes up at least fifty (50) times a minute. Ok, so it’s not that much. But roll with me, here. My beef with the term is not its definition, it’s the perceived definition (in some circles, we call this connotation).

For some reason, when people use the term, and hear the term “social network,” they are thinking about things like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. But social networks are so much more, and they happen in so many places. In fact, one could argue that social networks have been around since the dawn of civilization. Or more accurately, social networks are responsible for the dawn of civilization. That’s right. Tom didn’t invent the concept. Social networks happen in your apartment complex, in your church, in your sewing circle, on poker nights, and in professional settings.

And hey, speaking of social networking in professional settings, you should think about coming to one or both of these:

1) The Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Phoenix invites you to an evening with Herb Paine, Executive Director for the Arizona Humanities Council. Herb will be address the growing generational gap in today’s workforce, specifically in the nonprofit sector. The event will take place at United Way’s offices in Phoenix (1515 E Osborn RD, Phoenix, AZ 85014). More information and RSVP here.

2) IGNITE Phoenix, a non-traditional networking group that meets to support smart growth in our city. This month’s meeting will be taking place Tuesday, June 24 from 5:30PM to 7:30PM at Chez Nous (915 Grand AVE, Phoenix, AZ 85007), with Amina Uben (owner of Chez Nous) speaking. More information and RSVP here.

So, this month consider kickin’ it old school with some real life social networks…

Cheers,
Sam
“If Al Gore invented the Internet, I invented spell check.”
Dan Quayle

This marks my one hundredth (100th) post. That’s a lot of rambling. To celebrate, I’m going to throw myself a party. Just kidding. Why would I do that? Someone else is going to do all the work. Or I’m not really going to celebrate it. Haven’t decided yet.

One thing I have decided though, is that I’m going to catch up. My friend Adam says he’s about four (4) days ahead in posts. I’m about eight (8) days behind that. I haven’t even finished up writing about my DC trip, I have a really cool idea brewing about Doctors Without Borders, and then there’s all these current events. One way bloggers catch-up a bit is to do something called a “link dump.” This is where, instead of lengthy post of stuff they came up with themselves, they will just post a conglomeration of links they have stumbled across and are collecting dust on their bookmark bookshelf. Some of you might argue that most of my posts integrate this technique with my gratuitous linking. To you, I say, “::silence::.”

I have some dumping to do. And it’s Wednesday, also known as (aka) “hump day”, so I concocted a clever title.

The Hump Dump

Animated street art by Blu. It’s about a seven (7) minute video, but worth every second. Sent to me by my cousin Matt. Pretty fun stuff.

The big-cactus-bloom-in-the-sky has already won awards. Boston area artist Janet Echelman designed the thirty-eight (38) foot tall sculpture that will be part of the new Downtown Civic Space, which is part of the Downtown Phoenix Campus of Arizona State University. Authorities are already on the lookout for David Ortiz jerseys…

The Phoenix Suns Charity gave over $1 million last year to the community, including a $100,000 grant to Valley of the Sun YMCA to continue a $4.3 million renovation of its Chris-Town facility. Oh yeah, and we have a new coach, too.

Last year, the IRS received over 85,000 applications for new nonprofit organizations. I’m a big fan of minimalizing duplication, so that wasn’t a very exciting number for me. The good news, however, is that the ASU Lodestar Center is partnering with the Lodestar Foundation to offer a $250,000 Collaboration Prize. If you know of any two organization like have like-minded interests and could serve their communities better by joining forces, here is a great opportunity to fund that conversation.

The Morrison Institute will be holding another edition of Forum 411: Engaging Arizona’s Leaders today. The topic is Immigration: From Global to Local to Kids, and is produced in collaboration with Community Outreach & Advocacy for Refugees (COAR). The event is today at 4PM.

I’ve talked about it before, but I am a big fan of the responsible use of technology in the Nonprofit Sector. Things like embracing Web 2.0, using New Media to be more effective message-bearers, and exploring Open Source programs and operating systems to cut down on administrative costs and increase efficiency. Well, check this out. Oxford Archeology has recently switched all of its servers over to Ubuntu, and transitioned into using the Open Office software package. The effect? A 20% decrease in IT costs over the last two years…

Cheers,
Sam
“I am who I am because of who we all are.”
Meaning of the Zulu word, Ubuntu

I had lunch today with Staci of the Children’s Angel Foundation about Phoenix Copper Bikes. I am pretty certain (and hopefully you are, too) that this idea is pretty solid. However, I want to make sure more than the idea is solid before we roll it out for real. So Hugo and I met with Staci today to go over the basic idea and proposal to see where are, where the holes are, and to see where we need to go.

During our conversation, the idea that this is a “timely” concept came up. With gas prices so high, the economy in such a bad place, etc. It had never really occurred to me. My car gets pretty good gas mileage, so I’m not hit that hard by the current jump, and I don’t make enough money to be affected by the economic pressures that are making the news. Peanut butter and jelly are holding pretty steady on the market lately. Plus, I like riding a bike because it makes me feel good, and it provides an easy option for exercise. Not because it saves me some good money. But I guess more people are switching over to being pedal pushers for that exact reason. Like this guy.

I enjoyed every part of my trip last week to Washington, DC. But I was most excited about my time with Bill Toliver and the marketing workshop. I ran across this video today on Katya’s blog and was reminded of that session.

Cheers,
Sam
“Baby Boomers have more to offer than nostalgic stories of milkmen and black & white television, and Millineals have more to offer than tips on texting with one finger and the best way to set up a facebook account.”
Samuel I. Richard

Today is the National Ride Of Silence.

On May 21, 2008, at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors, no registration fees and no t-shirt. The ride, which is held during Bike Safety month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.

This isn’t just a made-up issue. Just last night, a woman was killed in Tucson on her bicycle. Share the road, friends, and start seeing bicycles!

Cheers,
Sam
“We put our lives in the hands of everyone else on the roads every time we enter them, regardless of our mode of transportation.”
David Veatch