Life after 60 – Adventure

Tag: IZEAFest

Azim Jamal & MarDeck at IZEAFest on Power of Giving

by on Nov.11, 2009, under Books, Good Causes, IZEA

While I was at Izeafest I met this very interesting person, Azim Jamal. He was once a corporate employee, but discovered the power of giving. Now he is trying to spread the word around the world. He explains this in the book “the power of giving.” Mr. Jamal and Harvey McKinnon collaborated together together on the book. They completed it and it was published by Penguin Group. I was not the only person interviewed at Izeafest. Other interviews can be found on Viddler and at YouTube with other conference attendees.

The idea of Mr. Jamal’s book is to teach you how giving back enriches everyone and how to create abundance at home, work and in your community. What I enjoyed while reading the book is that it shows the reader how to give back without spending money. There is much more information about the power of giving on the website. Mr. Jamal has his own website for information about him. This is a really interesting book and one to give friend or family. Especially if they are not one to give of themselves!

If even half the people who read the book follow some of the advice within its pages, the world would be richer and a much quieter and safer place.

Mr. Jamal and Mr McKinnon come from Canada. Mr Jamal has been volunteering an average of 20 hours a week for the last 25 years. Mr McKinnon has been a fundraiser or organizations such as UNICEF and Amnesty International. You can find out more about Mr McKinnon at his website.

I can tell you there are many ways to help within your community. You don’t have to go around the world or have a lot of money to help. There are shelters, soup kitchens, volunteer fire departments, libraries, schools, museums, nursing homes and many other places you can help and make a difference. Then there are plenty of service organizations that continually welcome new members. Some of these are the Lion’s Club, Kiwanis and so on.

I have volunteered for years and it has made my life rich and given me peace within when something good happens to another person or family. Through the years I have been involved with my children’s school. I was a room mother and on the Parent Teacher Association. I have been with the Kiwanis. We had several programs to serve the community. Getting up early in the morning to put together Thanksgiving boxes and Christmas baskets is an experience that is rewarding. I have received a lot in life and have always believed I should give back to my community wherever I live. I was on a Board of Adjustment in one city and on the Planning and Zoning Commission in another. These are volunteer positions and can help the community in a variety of ways. I spent years as a rescue diver and firefighter with my local volunteer fire department. While often it was sad seeing other people loose homes or property, it was a wonderful feeling when we were able to save the homes. I even spent several years as a reserve police officer. While working side by side with paid officers, I did it without pay. In Texas a reserve police office has the same training and is identical to the paid officer, except there are no benefits or pay involved. Some people join the armed forces for the same reason, to contribute to society and make the world a better and safer place for everyone.

While I was in law enforcement as a paid officer (I made the switch years ago and am now retired) one of my passions were kids at risk. I had a policy of making myself available 24/7 if the child needed help or to talk. They would call dispatch who would then locate me and I would call the child back. Texas Department of Criminal Justice has an interesting program that many of these kids participated in while I was with the police department. It is called Operation Outreach. While many children ages of 10-17 were ordered by juvenile court to attend, our police department took many children through the program at the request of concerned parents. The kids and I would go toa state prison for the day. They would go through a day similar to one of an inmate and some would come back changed for the better. One of my favorite successes is a girl I had known since she was in diapers. Her family background is one of drinking, fighting and jail. That went back several generations. Her mother wanted to break the cycle and her dughter started to run with gang memebrs in high school. On the day she whent throug the program I asked her mother to let her bring her “colors” with her. I let her bring it to the prison and she spent the day treated like a gang member. It was not pleasant. Ofcourse when she was searched befor entering the prison her “colors” were removed. (I had talked to the sergeant who runs the program before we came about her bringing the bandana) Seemed as thoug the entire prison knew what gang she was trying to run with and treated her accordingly, albiet from a distance. The success came after we left. She got her bandana back and hung it up in her room to remind herself of why she did not want to go this way. She graduated from high school while many in her family did not, got into the medical field, married a paramedic and is living a good life. That makes you feel good when you realize how one day can make such a difference. She stayed in contact through the years so we would know how well she is doing and  yes, I received a few phone calls from her or her mother when they hit rough patches.

I know quite a few Y generation individuals who have told me, “If I don’t get paid for it, then I’m not doing anything.” Of course I’ve heard it from my generation too. It can be quite difficult to put into words the satisfaction that comes from giving. Maybe if a person like this gets a gift of this book their mind can be changed enough to try at least once to give of themselves.

Mr. Jamal’s and Mr. McKinnon’s “power of giving” can be found on Amazon from $10.04 to $4.86 . To learn more about Mr. Jamal on Amazom you can visit his Amazom page.

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IZEAFest IceBar Escapade in Orlando

by on Oct.03, 2009, under IZEA

Icebar Icee Omar

Icebar Icee Omar

 What did you do last night?

Look what IZEAFesters did at the IceBar in Orlando after the great IZEAFest conference. It will only get crazier on Saturday.

Very Tasty and Cool

Very Tasty and Cool

 

IceBar Jolly Rancher

IceBar Jolly Rancher

 

Ice Bar Fire and Ice

Ice Bar Fire and Ice

 

Warm as a Bear in a Rug

Warm as a Bear in a Rug

 

IceBar

IceBar

 

IceBar Throne

IceBar Throne

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IZEAFest here I come. Hope Ted Murphy is wearing pants!

by on Oct.01, 2009, under IZEA

This is a short and quick post about my flight to IZEAFest this morning. Nothing like waking up after almost four hours and heading to DFW airport from Frisco, TX. Meant to leave my sister’s home by 5:30. Hello, only 20 minutes later. Arrived at the airport on time. Then when I arrived at the gate I had a sinking feeling that I did not lock my car. Not much I could do about it at that time, except assume I did lock it up tight. I assume I will discover how safe my car was when I return from IZEAFest.

Getting to the terminal was a breeze. Should have grabbed a picture. Got to AirTrans Airways with no problem. Have a super seat on the aisle. Flight is about half full, but it is loaded with kiddos. I booked for price only to discover this flight is referred to as the “Disney flight.”  I have to admit that the kiddos on this flight are well behaved – at least up to this point in time. I was on a flight from Spokane to Dallas last week with wound up kiddos. I had a seat near the back and all the kiddos were in the back. I was lucky and got to fly with kiddos constantly kicking my seat hard, slamming the window visor down and screaming.

I have a great idea for the airlines. Add a soundproof booth at the back of the plane for everyone with small children to use!!

It was difficult to get any winks during the night witth IZEAFest at SeaWorld on my mind. Then IZEA CEO Ted Murphy tweets he wonders if he should wear pants while he speaks! Hold the phone Sally – it would be easier to pack if pants were left at home. For those who don’t know -the pants are a long story.

If you are going to IZEAFest be sure to follow me on Twitter to win prizes via tweets. I will tweet contest giveaway information with tweets. There are dozens of giveaways ands contests that will be tweeted through Sunday so be sure to check out others like ConnieFoggles, WarrenWhitlock, BenSpark, HeatherinBC, craftyGAgal, susan70070, johnraser and justjulie to name a few.

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