Helping Those Who Want to Help Themselves

    We all remember the Biblical parable about teaching a man to fish so he can provide for himself and his family. Two thousand years later, we can do exactly this. My dad taught me how to fish in a pond back home on the farm in West Virginia. Even as a seven-year-old, I noticed that we not only got a couple of day’s worth of yummy trout for our efforts but my papa, a former Marine with many battle scars, seemed to relax after an afternoon at the pond. You can gift a $49 fishing kit in a loved one’s name or set up a recurring monthly donation at Action Against Hunger ( ActionAgainstHunger.org), which feeds over 7 million people each year. Go fish!

We All Have a Story

    My dad loved to tell stories of being in World War II and he did have many dramatic tales of saving lives. He even delivered a Japanese POW’s letter to his parents in Tokyo, a a major act of kindness that involved a great deal of risk. I really wish I had recorded them, but I still carry dad’s stories and share them in his honor. Our elders, in particular, have much to share and life lessons we could all learn from. The Library of Congress is gathering these by sending out volunteers to video record in the Veteran’s History Project (loc.gov.vets). To me, one of the most special aspects of this oral history project is that it not only includes the Greatest Generation, but also features young people coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, whose stories are equally precious. I think we are learning that every generation has true greatness.

Support Diversity in Education

    New York-based Folk Arts Rajasthan (folkartajasthan.org) and India-based Lok Kala Sagar (LKSS)-meaning "local folk arts society"- are nonprofit organizations joined since 2005 by a shared vision of a thriving and just future for the Merasi people and their unique musical culture. The Merasi of northwestern India carry a powerful legacy of 38 generations but they also carry the burden of the still-enduring caste system. To reclaim an identity as storyteller, the Merasi of Jaisalmer have shed the derogatory caste label Manganiyar, meaning beggars. The name Merasi, instead means musicians, and is a symbol of self-determination.

    The FAR-LKSS collaborative approach recognizes that education, preserving this intangible cultural heritage, and achieving social justice for a continually marginalized people are mutually dependent goals.

    In the face of obstinate hierarchical norms, FAR and LKSS are together nurturing a generation of ambitious and capable youth with their programs. Significantly, two FAR scholarship girls, Sitara and Mobeena Khan, participated in a 2014 US-based international science conference, after their project won awards both local and state level in Rajasthan. In February 2015, a troupe of Merasi youth traveled to Mumbai to play in the prestigious Kala Ghoda Arts Festival and exchange cultural activities with students at a variety of schools.

cultural heritage, and achieving social justice for a continually marginalized people are mutually

dependent goals.

In the face of obstinate hierarchical norms, FAR and LKSS are together nurturing a

generation

of ambitious and capable youth with their programs. Significantly, two FAR scholarship girls,

Sitara and Mobeena Khan, participated in a 2014 US

-

based international science conference,

after their project won awards at both local and state leve

l in Rajasthan. In February 2015, a

troupe of Merasi youth traveled to Mumbai to play in the prestigious Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

and exchange cultural activities with students at a variety of schools.