Be Thankful and share your thanks

It's that time of year when no matter how rich or poor, we all begin to think about what we have and what we are thankful for. Each of us has something to give and to share. I'm taking this opportunity to repost an article I wrote for Joe Sacramento to remind everyone that there is something you can do today to make our community a little richer!

In this very moment, you can go to Joesacramento.com and chip in for holiday dinners for needy families. If you won't be having Thanksgiving this year because your family has hit hard times, email Joe and you may qualify for our help.

Loaves and Fishes-It doesn't take much to make the life of a homeless person a little brighter this season. Loaves and Fishes has a handy holiday wish list or you can donate online. It doesn't get much easier than that to help out and you don't have to leave your home.

Boys and Girls Club of Sacramento- Serving 6500 youth from ages 6 to 19 from all over Sacramento. They know what they’re doing and they do it well. You can volunteer with kids, teach classes, help with fundraising and auction materials and more.

Stanford Settlement- Right in our own backyard! Stanford Settlement is dangerously close to missing their budget required to stay open. Save a few lattes and help out the kids. They work hard to promote positive relationships for teens, give them a safe place to “hang out” and also provide emergency assistance, senior support and more.

Sacramento Children’s Home- Looking to meet a special child one on one and change the world one life at a time? This is it! Kids at the children’s home are lacking serious adult role models who can show them a way out of the horrid things they’ve seen. If that’s too personal, look at the wish list and buy something or volunteer for a special event.

Project Birthday- A one-time or repeat feel good warm fuzzy here! Throw a birthday party for a homeless child or a whole group! For $400 you can sponsor an entire party for 30 kids or you can donate supplies left from your kid’s last party.

Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services- Not just a food bank, SFBS provides family support, mother-baby classes, parenting classes, computer classes, clothing and supplies and much more. With over 800 volunteers, you know they’ll put you to work and value your committment. Can’t do it?

Hands On Sacramento- So it’s Friday and you have a few hours free tomorrow with no plans. What should you do? Visit this website and see who needs you right now for a few hours! Projects are short or long term and easily searchable by neighborhood, time and skills. If they don’t have something that fits your schedule, try Volunteer Match.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)- What happens when kids are caught in the middle? CASA steps in to find out what’s best for the child. You can be the first adult a child has ever experienced a positive relationship with. CASA provides the training, the materials and the support and you provide the loving heart to help.

Big Brothers Big Sisters- If you have a driver’s license, insured transportation and a big heart, you can be a big brother or big sister! Be the adult to hold an at-risk child accountable and you’ll see the rewards multiply.

The message of personal responsibility

What's wrong with Natomas? What's wrong with Sacramento? This country? What are you doing about it? We've discussed the topic of personal responsibility often on joesacramento.com but it has resurfaced again and I think it's worthy of a post here as well.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Barack Obama. But his message of personal responsibility is party-less and should be one that every single American is listening to right now. Is it weird that I, as a staunch Democrat, am also hugely in favor of personal responsibility? Probably some would think so. But really, from my perspective, government's job is to give a hand up not a hand forever. You've hit rock bottom? Government will give you a little help but it's not forever, it's not guaranteed and you'd better give back.

I see so many neighbors complaining about everything from gas prices to food prices, poor people to awful teenagers. But what are you DOING about it? Back in July I posted about keeping kids in school. It's a simple answer and yet many keep complaining without putting forth one second of energy or effort. Even for your own kids! When did it become the school's responsibility to take your child from 7am to 6pm, feed them, teach them about academics, morals, respect, ethics and social responsibility and then magically deliver them back to you at the end of a 5 day week all done up and perfect?

So you're busy... we're all busy. You will be busier when your 30 year old still lives at home and needs you to bail him/her out of jail. Or when your 25 year old has 3 kids by 3 different fathers and moves back home for help. Or loses job after job because he can't read above a 4th grade level. Isn't it worth it to put in 30 minutes a day now rather than later?

If you don't have kids, you're not off the hook in my book. Are you doing anything to improve your life and your community? If not- here's a list of community organizations who still need help. There are literally hundreds more.

But personal responsibility is more than that. You have to take a few seconds and think about your responsibility to yourself. The question is not do you need a $500K house on $3K a month income. The question should be "Can I afford this house and why do I need it?" Stop and ask yourself if buying your kids all that junk really shows that you love them? Or would everyone in your family be better off if you worked an hour a day less, bought less crap and ate baked potatoes at home one night a week.

So much of our current financial crisis is driven by wants rather than needs. People living well beyond their means. Sorry folks, drowning yourself in debt is not the "American Dream." You actually have to work hard for all those goodies. The 21st century is going to require all of us to take a little responsibility for our actions, our spending, our neighbors and our planet. Get off your duff, stop whining and do something!