Follow Friday: MissRepresentation

Happy Friday, friends! It’s been a busy few weeks here with a huge nursing exam, fall break, some fun work with Team True Beauty, planning a trip, working with DoSomething.org, and the start of clinicals, so I apologize for being WAY behind on my Follow Fridays. But to make up for it, this weeks Follow Friday is going to MissRepresentation.

“The film Miss Representation exposes how American youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. It’s time to break that cycle of mistruths. In response we created MissRepresentation.org, a call-to-action campaign that seeks to empower women and girls to challenge limiting labels in order to realize their potential. We are uniting individuals around a common, meaningful goal to spark millions of small actions that ultimately lead to a cross-generational movement to eradicate gender stereotypes and create lasting cultural and sociological change.”

I’d seen previews for the MissRepresentation documentary and heard a lot of positive feedback online, so I decided to tune in and see what it was all about. This film started out with a startling fact that between magazines, television, radio, music, and internet, “teenagers are exposed to, on average, 10 hours and 45 minutes of media each day.” In case you were wondering, that’s almost 46% of a persons day, including sleep. Another eye opening fact stated that “American women spend more money on beauty products than on education.” I don’t know if it was these startling facts or the milkshake I had just inhaled (or even a combination of both), but my stomach began to churn when I heard these sad and incredibly shocking statistics. All in all, I can’t do the documentary justice, so I highly recommend you see it for yourself.

There are other ways you can support and get involved with MissRepresentation and here’s how:
1. Visit the official website.
2. Become a representative through the virtual volunteer program.
3. Download some sample talking points to discuss with family and friends.
4. Watch the film.
5. Pledge to use your voice to spread the message of Miss Representation and challenge the media’s limiting portrayal of women and girls.
6. You can also follow MissRep on Twitter and on Facebook!
So check it out! It really is eye opening and interesting!

See how easy it is for "reality" to become so skewed by the media? Because of this, women are measuring themselves against an impossible standard. It's time to stand up and take action. Do we want the next generation of girls to grow up comparing themselves to impossible media images?

Follow Friday: Friends of Firefighters

Happy Follow Friday, everyone! With the upcoming 10 year anniversary of the September 11^th terrorist attacks coming up, I wanted to dedicate this Follow Friday to an organization called Friends of Firefighters.
On that terrible September day 10 years ago, 343 firefighters lost their lives trying to save others, 98 FDNY vehicles were destroyed, and since January 2002, 300 firefighters have had to take medical leave for respiratory issues. A few days after the horrific attacks, Friends of Firefighters was created. Local community members joined together to make meals for families of the lost and surviving firemen. During an extreme time of need, Friends of Firefighters addressed the physical and mental needs of the NYC firefighters and their families. Now, 10 years later, the organization provides long-term support through confidential counseling, wellness services, and other assistance.
These brave people helped so many others on such a scary and terrible day in our nations history. Today they are still feeling the effects. Financial donations and volunteer work are really the only ways that this amazing organization can provide care. Every little bit counts.
-$35 can buy 1 hour of counseling for firefighters and families
-$40 can buy 1 hour of massage therapy for firefighters and families
-$100 can provide food for the monthly On the Arm Breakfast for firefighters, volunteers, and family members.

Here are some ways you can help:
1. Donate online! It’s very simple and quick.
2. Text to donate! Through Connect2Give you can donate on the go by texting FIRE to 52000 to donate $10. Reply YES to the text message you receive in response in order to finalize the donation. Charges will appear on your next cell phone bill.
3. Mail a donation! You can mail checks or money orders, payable to Friends of Firefighters, Inc. to:
                    Friends of Firefighters, Inc.
                   199 Van Brunt Street
                  Brooklyn, NY 11231
4. Buy something from the Friends of Firefighters store!
5. Visit the Official Website!

It really is an absolutely amazing organization and I am so thankful that the brave firefighters of that day are being taken care of. After all, they took care of so many people and saved so many lives. Let's do what we can to help them out!

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Follow Friday: The Heart Walk

Happy Friday, yall! This weeks Follow Friday is gonna be a little selfish as I promote the American Heart Walk! I will be walking in the heart walk in 2 weeks on September 17th here in Charlotte, NC.

Here is a little bit of back story about my personal connection to the Heart Walk. 

In March of 2009, I experienced a few episodes of passing out, general shortness of breath, and other various symptoms. After visiting a few doctors, the cardiologist finally found that I have an ASD, or atrial septal defect. We figured that now that we knew what was wrong, we would be able to control the symptoms. Unfortunately, in February 2010 I visited the Emergency Room 6 times in a single month. I was having more frequent and more intense episodes of passing out. At this point I was unable to go to school and took a medical leave of absense for the semester. It wasn't until May of that year that I was diagnosed with POTS, or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, which is a form of dysautonomia. Pretty much my heart and my brain don't communicate to each other very well which causes my blood pressure to drop and my heart rate to speed up.

So in 2 weeks I will be participating in the Heart Walk to raise money for the American Heart Association. Walking 3 miles might be a challenge for me, as my body tries to rebel with any form of physical activity. But still I am excited to be joining other people, including my roommate, to walk for the AHA. My goal was to raise $300 by the day of the walk and so far I have gotten $110. I don't usually like asking friends and family for money, but I know that this is a worthy cause. If there is any way you could financially contribute, I would be so appreciative. If you can't donate at this time, that's okay too! Even just spreading the word could be a great help. You never know who will be willing to donate. And remember, every dollar counts. Seriously.

I am so thankful for you guys and I can't wait to update yall on how the walk goes!

Here is a link to my donation page: http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=456696&lis=1&kntae456696=01F9411F3411449FA85C51DA4E4C5B73&supId=332972661

                                                          THANKS FOR VISITING!

Follow Friday: The Sparkle Effect

Happy Friday, yall! This week has been crazy and busy with packing and preparing to move tomorrow, and since I will be without internet access for a few days, I decided to do my Follow Friday on Thursday!

This weeks Follow Friday is “The Sparkle Effect”. Back in 2008, two high school students from Iowa decided to use their popularity and status as cheerleaders for good. The girls formed their own squad that included children with disabilities. The team would come to be known as the “Spartan Sparkles” and includes 12 girls with disabilities, such as autism and Down Syndrome. The amazing thing is that the Sparkles team is completely youth-led! The team cheers with the varsity cheerleaders during games and get to be a part of a high school sports program. After a few years, other cheerleaders in other parts of the country began to take notice and decided to start a Sparkles team at their own school. As of now, the Sparkle Effect has generated 33 squads all over the country, and even in South Africa! How absolutely amazing is that? Two young girls had a vision and they did something about it.

This cause really hits close to home with me. In high school for my senior project we each had to choose a topic, write a research paper, and produce a physical product. My topic was Down Syndrome (which was chosen because of my experiences with my aunt with Down Syndrome) and inclusion in schools and I chose to put together an inclusion carnival for my physical product. I rented out space at our local YMCA and planned a night of snacks, games, and prizes, and invited children with and without disabilities. The object was to get both children with and without special needs to have a night of fun where they could interact and hang out with one another. We all ended up having a great time and it was so cool to be a part of the inclusion process.

So how can YOU help the Sparkle Effect? Here are some ways:
-Start a team at your school! (Or encourage someone you know to start a team)!
-Visit the official Sparkle Effect website!
-http://twitter.com/#!/SparkleEffect on Twitter!
-Move towards inclusion. Understand that we are all humans, with desires, wants, and needs. Be kind.
-Spread the word to end the word. The R word.
-Check out my post “Label Jars Not People”.

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Have a great weekend! And get out there and DO SOMETHING :)

Follow Friday: Team True Beauty

Okay fellow East Coasters, I know it’s technically Saturday, but I haven’t gotten around to my Follow Friday until now! So for my West Coasters, Happy Follow Friday. And for my East Coasters, Happy Follow Saturday!

There are so many amazing organizations that I feel really passionate about, so it’s really never hard to pick one for my Follow Friday. But this weeks is special. This weeks Follow Friday goes to Team True Beauty. So here’s a little background and a little bit about Team True Beauty.
Back at the beginning of 2011, there was a man on Twitter who was promoting so called ‘managed anorexia’ and basically telling people that thin was the only way to be. I saw this and was personally shocked and saddened by this. I immediately knew something had to be done. Luckily so did some other young ladies. Five AMAZING ladies, Megan, Kristen, Brittany, Morgan, and Meriam, all started a campaign on Twitter called Team True Beauty. The girls created the campaign to spread the word that beauty is more than just what is on the outside, and that true beauty comes from the heart! The girls are also trying to raise awareness about the dangers of eating disorders.
Almost exactly 7 months later, Team True Beauty has close to 6,000 Twitter followers, over 400 ‘likes’ on Facebook and have done an absolutely tremendous job of spreading awareness and providing support. The cause is so amazing and so uplifting it has caught the attention of celebrities such as Jena Sims, Amanda Schull, Dallas Lovato, Eliza Dushku, Josie Loren, Sarah Paxton, and many many more. Two huge celebrity supporters of this movement have been Daphne Zuniga and Shantel VanSanten. These 2 ladies have been kind enough to share their own personal stories and experiences, and they are SO powerful.

You can read more of these ladies stories, plus find out more information by:
-visiting the official Team True Beauty website
-following them on Twitter, @TeamTrueBeauty
-‘liking’ them on Facebook.
-Joining them on Crowdrise (if you haven’t heard of Crowdrise, you should really check it out)
-checking out Ms. Daphne Zuniga's personal website
-JOINING in the conversation!

These girls are amazing and friendly and the message that they are trying to send is so so so important. Eating disorders and over all poor body image are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. What are we teaching the younger generation? We have the power to make a difference. These 5 girls certainly did. Now how can you help make the change?
　

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Follow Friday: Love146

Happy Follow Friday, yall! This Friday, I decided to spotlight an amazing organization called Love 146. Love 146 is an organization that works to end child sex slavery and exploitation.


Modern day slavery still exists in the form of human trafficking. This sad crime is occurring at a startling rate. In fact, 2 children are sold every 60 seconds. UNICEF actually estimates that 1.2 million children are trafficked annually. Often times these children are used as sexual objects and raped against their will. This enormous trauma can lead to HIV or other illnesses, psychological and emotional trauma, loss of educational opportunities, loss of family and community, increased vulnerability to further abuse, and a range of other negative things! The part that sickens me the most is that often times menus are provided at the brothels with pictures of the children, what acts they will perform, and the cost. These children are treated no better than a piece of meat. People should not be sold. Luckily, Love146 is doing research, and providing preventative and after care for victims of human trafficking.


There are SO many different things you can do to help out Love146. Here is just a list of a few different ways:
           -Spread the word. Tell people about Love146.
           -Become a partner. Contribute financially.

           -Get educated on the issue. And share with others!
           -Check out what the lovely Bethany Galeotti has to say about the cause!
           -Purchase this adorable and super comfy shirt designed by Joy, with proceeds going to Love146!

And make sure to visit the official Love146 website to find out more information, read about how they got their name, view videos, and find out more ways YOU can help! “Because every little thing deserves to be loved.”

Follow Friday: The World Food Programme

It’s Friday! Yahoo! This week has stretched on for what seems like forever. It has been hotter than Hades outside. For the past few days it has been literally too hot to go in the pool, and if you stay outside for more than 2 minutes, you turn a nice shade of red. Today the heat index was a scorching 112, but luckily it’s supposed to cool off tonight, and only be 111 tomorrow! Ha. But really, all sarcasm aside, I have been wanting to do a new feature every Friday on my blog called “Follow Friday”. Each Friday I will pick a charity, cause, or organization to write about in hopes of informing people and getting the word out there! So to go with this weeks theme of ‘ridiculously hot’, I thought I would do my Follow Friday on The World Food Programme.
Currently in Somalia is in a severe state of famine. They are actually seeing the worst drought and famine they have had in 40 years! According to UNICEF, this drought is “the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world”. As the search for food and water continues, people are walking up to 30 days just to find relief. Those who are lucky/strong enough to survive the journey, end up making it to refugee camps only to find that they are also out of food and water. A camp in north Kenya that usually houses 90,000 people is now attempting to serve about 382,000 malnourished individuals. With little to no resources and a rapidly decreasing amount of hope, about 1 in 5,000 people are dying of starvation and malnutrition each day. Because of this alarmingly high number, agencies such as UNICEF, the Red Cross, and The World Food Programme are running out of supplies quickly. It is estimated that around $300 million is needed to help this horrible famine within the next two months to prevent it from spreading to other countries.
Now, I know that I was complaining earlier about how horribly hot it has been here. But at least I have food and water and air conditioning. These people aren’t asking for bathing suits, candy bars, or other frivolous things. They are asking for the necessities of life. They NEED food, water, and hope. And they need it quickly. YOU can help in the following ways:
-In the USA: Donate $10 to efforts in the Horn of Africa by texting the word AID to this number: 27722
-In Canada: Donate $5 to efforts in the Horn of Africa by texting the word RELIEF to this number: 45678
-In the UK: Donate £3 to efforts in the Horn of Africa by texting the word AID to this number: 70303

For more information of how you can help you can check out this website. Please. Even if you cannot give a lot, considering giving what you can. Every little bit helps.

*Also, I have had a lot of people asking me if they can buy one of my sketches. If anyone is interested having a sketch and would like to donate to this cause, that would be absolutely amazing! Feel free to leave me a comment in the comment section with an e-mail address or other contact information.

"Nobody can do everything. But everybody can do something."