The Good Hotel in San Francisco emphasizes how you can contribute to the community you visit. They hosted a party for volunteers from Project Open Hand, 826 Valencia, and onebrick.org among others.
Yea Good!
Archive for Uncategorized
The wait is over…almost
I interviewed at the California Academy of Science today. The program is rather intense but they allow you to develop your own programs. Since I have a background in Biology and Sexuality the volunteer coordinator thought I might be able to develop a cool program on mating. However my training doesn’t start until Janurary.
After the interview a spent a few hours in the mueseum itself. It’s really amazing. Here are some photos of my favorite rain forest exhibit. I totally want to go to Borneo now.
Cereal Killer
Cereal killer apron with red fruit loop ‘blood’ spatter. Not sure it will survive travel to 826.
One 6 more days…No on Prop 4
I can’t believe it’s only 6 days until the election. Today, I volunteered with Planned Parenthood at a Health Fair at College of San Mateo. We gave out condoms, dental dams, lube, and chapstick. We also spoke to a lot of students about No on Prop 4. I can’t believe there are only 6 days left until the election!
Most of the students are between 18 and 22 so they can easily put themselves in the shoes of person under 18 and what she might go through should Prop 4 pass. It was really great to hear their enthuasism. In honor of them, I’m posting a few You Tube videos that No on 4 supporters made. They are spoofs of the Mac/PC ads. Funny and informative.
Mac/PC ads – No on Prop 4
Mac/PC ads – No on Prop 8 – also very funny!
What if the negative ads were aimed at you?
Popular press outlets like the New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle are writing a lot about negative campaign ads aimed at candidates. Writers and pundits from both side of the aisle lament negative campaign ads claiming that they hurt American citizens by flaming party divisions. However, I have yet to see an article focused on the way negative messages about gay marriage hurt gays and lesbians citizens. Unlike negatives campaigns ads aimed at one particular person, negative campaign ads and messaging that disparage gay marriage often also vilify an entire groups of American citizens, namely gay and lesbian individuals. One Prop 8 ad in California suggests that gay marriage and by extension same-sex love threatens families and churches.
I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to turn on a television and see an ad claiming that your desire is destroying institutions that have stood for generations through war and political upheaval.
Working at the NSRC this week, I had the priviledge to work on a press release that publicizes a recent research study linking marriage amendments and attendant negative messaging to psychological distress among gay, lesbian, and bisexual citizens. I hope that the story gets picked up, but more importantly I hope that gay, lesbian, and bisexual citizens are treated as citizens and provided the same opportunities as heterosexual citizens to marry.
The funny thing about hair
Not having to worry about my hair is a trivial but great perk of volunteering. If anything volunteering actually encourages bad hair. I wear a hair net at Project Open Hand; a baseball cap when working with One Brick.
Blowing drying my hair for a fundraiser Thursday Night at the NSRC felt odd, especially since I spent that morning with women suffering from breast cancer.
Fixing hair your hair, while often annoying, has always felt like an almost universally feminine activity. When I first started volunteering at the grocery center sponsored by The Avon Foundation I assumed I would be in a room full of women undergoing chemotherapy. I expected that many of them would have no hair as a result.
Surprisingly I saw few women without hair at the grocery center the first two weeks I volunteered there. Thursday, I helped a client how was much younger than the typical clientele. I figured she might be the daughter of a client helping her with errands. She had silk long dark hair that came to her shoulders. I did not think any thing of the fact that she was wearing a baseball cap.
When I returned with her groceries, I started to lay them out on the counter so she could double check what I brought. For a moment she took off her cap. She was missing all of her hair at the crown of her head. She was indeed the client, even though she was only a few years older than me. It reminded me that despite clients easy going exterior, they are all ill and coping with things I can even imagine. I thought of her as a stood blowing drying my hair. Instead of being frustrated at how long it takes to blow dry my thick hair, I was thankful.
Me in a hair net!
Later that night, going to a fundraiser.
An apology and a promise to do better…
This morning, I’m feeling very disappointed in myself. Just as I was getting a small but devoted following for One Year Volunteer, I slacked off posting. It’s been two weeks since I last posted. Last week I was visiting family in North Carolina and Virginia, and I missed Blog Action Day.
I’m back in San Francisco now, and I’m determined to be more disciplined about posting. I’m sorry for slacking off. Look for regular, more exciting posts starting today. Since we are in such an important political and economic moment, I’m going to incorporate comments on the current events alongside of my personal observations at volunteer activities.
In a few minutes I’m off to Project Open Hand to help with the grocery center. Tonight I’m going to a fundraising event for the NSRC. Hopefully I’ll be able to meet Dr. Ruth!
Door to door
I finally think I found my calling for the No on Prop 4 campaign yesterday. I spent the afternoon with a PPGG intern doing a merchant walk, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to business owners about the proposition and placing signs in business windows for the campaign.
We divided our time in two neighborhoods The Richmond and The Mission. I was much more successful in The Richmond, but I think that was because the signs were HUGE and businesses in The Richmond had much larger store fronts and window displays. Most of my signs went in women-friendly businesses like hair salons and nail salons, but bookstores and dry cleaners were also really amenable too.
I was really surprised which businesses didn’t take a sign. I was turned down by a tattoo parlor, a home brew supply store, and a skate shop. The other volunteer I was working with was turned down by a head shop. The folks that worked in the tattoo parlor, home brew supply store, and skate shop all talked a really progressive game to me before turning me down. One owner railed on Sarah Palin for about 15 minutes before telling me no to the sign.
I guess I’m starting to met some of the people who complain about the status quo without actually doing anything. Hopefully, they’ll at least get out and vote.
Despite the set backs in a few places, I do feel like we made a lot of progress. The best moment was when I was in a dry cleaners shop and the owner told me that he didn’t put up signs. He was an older Asian man, and I must admit that I didn’t think he would be a supporter of No on Prop 4. I asked him if I could tell him about the proposition anyway. Once I told him about the proposition, he actually asked for a sign to put in his window. That was pretty amazing. I’m totally in awe of the business owners that did let me put signs up.
I’m looking forward to next Wendesday when I can hit up a few more neighborhoods!
Merchant walk
It’s Wednesday , and I’m back with PPGG and the No on Prop 4 campaign. Today I’m doing a merchant walk. So far local merchants have been great and I have fun good stories to write up tonight!
From 80 to 18…
Hi folks! I’m back from my brief trip to NYC to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday. I guess it is fitting that I’ve spent the morning at the NSRC working on a fact sheet and press release for a senior sexual bill of rights. Researching seniors sexuality has been really eye opening as it reveals how important sexuality is to general health. Not only are seniors having more sex than they did thirty years ago, but they having sex for more years with 25% of people 75-85 being sexually active! Physicians also recognize the importance of sex as you age. Did you know that sex can boost your immunity?
While sex may be good for you, sexual dysfunction may also clue you into general health problems like cardiovascular disease or endocrine disorders. If you are having an issue, it is important to bring it up with your healthcare provider so they can vet whether or not it is a symptom of something else.
Outside of health benefits there are risks unique to senior populations. LGBT seniors are an invisible population. Many older adults don’t think to use condoms during sex because they are not worried about pregnancy. As a result STIs are spreading through elderly populations (especially at nursing homes). Seniors with dementia often want to be sexually active but their families fear they are incabable of consent.
All of this knowledge of senior sexuality makes me wonder if there is a volunteer opportunity in all of this. Maybe I can volunteer as a sex educator at a senior center!
Later this evening, I’m going to 826 Valencia for a volunteer training for tutors that want to help students with their college applications. I finished What is the What and will post my reaction to it tomorrow.
