Pass Along Self-Esteem

    Donate “once in a lifetime” clothing such as old bridesmaid dresses or even your wedding dresses. Many people cannot afford formalwear for special events and if we are done wearing them, why keep them? Keep your own memories alive through pictures, and pass the dress or suit along to make someone feel happy and special for their big moment. 

    Author and all-around-good-person Lara Starr offered this tip: “I’m a huge fan of Image for Success and the work they do in San Rafael, California. Image for Success provides men and women who are transitioning to work with two-week professional and casual wardrobes so they can embark on their new lives feeling like a million bucks! Clothes and how we present ourselves can have a huge impact on our self esteem. Giving these folks the time, attention, and resources to look and feel their best means the world. And the thrift shop Image for Success runs is one of my favorite places to shop. The staff and volunteers always make shopping fun! Their tidy shop with well-chosen, quality items is a great place to score designer finds on the cheap!” Visit the website at imageforsuccess.org.

Have a Mission and Live By It

    Tucker Hiatt, one of the Bay Area's most beloved teachers, has been running Wonderfest- a nonprofit science education program- with his own donated funds since 1997 (Wonderfest.org). The mission is based on the insight, inspired by Voltaire, that "societies will continue to make mistakes as long as they continue to misunderstand how the world works. When people comprehend nature and each other, through science, they make smarter decisions about virtually everything: personal and social relationships (psychology), our environment (biology and chemistry), and technology (physics)." Wonderful promotes the scientific outlook so that mistakes- even atrocities- are gradually relegated to history. Since retiring from teaching, Tucker has devoted himself full time to bringing science to the public in non-school settings. Whenever I'm at an event with him, I meet former students of who who have become physicists, engineers, professors- and still talk about how influential he was to them. Now his mission is to expose those of us who didn't get to have him as a teacher (my words, not his!) to that same sense of inspiration.

    Some cool things Tucker and his organization have accomplished:

    

    *Wonderfest has presented hundreds of free (or nearly free) science events for the general public- young and old.

    *Wonderfest ran a high school team science competition that gave students $70,000 in prizes and scholarships.

    *Wonderfest has rewarded local, public-spirited scientists with $45,000 with its Sagan Prize.