Jamaica say you will...mentor!

Delegation from Jamaica visits YMC to learn about our unique approach!

The International Visitors Council of Los Angeles International Visitor Leadership Program of professional and cultural exchanges contacted us about a select group of educators from Jamaica who wanted to visit to learn about our approach to mentoring and youth transformation.

When we asked why they chose Youth Mentoring Connection, they replied that people at the State Dept. told them about our most innovative approach.  They were impressed with our soulful processes and results: graduation rates, success reducing gang involvement, mentor support and mentor testimonials about how the experience changed their life as well as their mentee. 

So that makes two groups from China, one from Peru, several from around the US and now Jamaica that have studied our methodology!

Today, Los Angeles; Tomorrow, The World!

When China and Peru want to do mentoring where do they turn for help?  Youth Mentoring Connection of course!

When Alberto, Teach for America teacher from Peru visited California this month he was looking for the most effective approach to mentoring that he could replicate in his country.  His search led him to Tony LoRe and Youth Mentoring Connection.  Reminds us of another Feb visit, when we hosted a delegation of 35 high ranking dignitaries from Macau, China.  When asked why they chose Youth Mentoring Connection (YMC), they replied that their research pointed to YMC as being the most innovative approach.  They were impressed with our graduation rates, success reducing gang involvement, mentor support and mentor testimonials about how the experience changed their life as well as their mentee. Tony, George Shohet (YMC Board Chair) and selected mentors Michael & Dani Carter and mentees Sergio, Imelda and Giovanni spent a day training the entire Chinese delegation in our mentoring process.

Watch for Youth Mentoring Connection's model to spread throughout the U.S. and the world!

Welcome 2012

As the wheel of life turns and the light returns, we don’t know what is in store for us in this new year.  So, the best that I can do is to be grateful for the gift of today, as each day is a chance for a new beginning. 

love & gratitude,

Tony

Founder/CEO, Youth Mentoring Connection

Thanksgiving Gratitude and Prayer for Healing

I give thanks for moments of peace, love and respect; for the ability to imagine a just and loving world; for the beauty of all the expressions of love and gratitude that are abundant on this day.
As we offer each other nourishment of body and spirit, let us also offer deep gratitude for the original generosity of the natives of this land; prayers for healing of deep historical wounds that are too often revisited upon the less privileged and hope that we will learn to live together in harmony.  

I raise my glass to family and friends, to my YMC family and all who share this path of healing and to my beautiful partner Susan.

Peace and blessings,

Tony

CEO/Founder

Youth Mentoring Connection



The Half Boy's Lament

Each October we bring about 50 young men and 50 young women up to the Big Bear Mountains for an Initiation Event patterned after indigenous Rites of Passage.  It is always a soulful healing experience and lives are changed forever.  As amazing as the work on the mountain is there's always a little trepidation coming home.  How do we hold onto these gifts that we discovered?  How do we allow the medicine to keep working once we are back to the dangers of our everyday lives?  This poem speaks to the chance that we can:

Went up to “Big Bear” to let myself heal
And search for answers at the medicine wheel
Crossing the footbridge, I enter and bow
Got caught slippin by spirit
       “You in my neighborhood now."

Finding myself in a fight for my soul
Four directions: my allies, to help half become whole

     Seared by fire, healed by flame
     Drowned by water, new life to claim
     Dragged across earth, cured in the pain
     Whipped by the wind, which whispers my name

Back at home among friends and hosts
Old habits summon like restless ghosts
Anger and heartbreak so hard to tame
But the river invites me
      And river knows my name

Mountain air smells of pine, the city can have a stench
The smallest offense makes my fists start to clench
To lash out at others and shift the blame
But the wind whispers new truths
      And air knows my name

When my heart goes dark and only rain is falling
When my forehead is heavy and depression comes calling
I could answer with the pipe, or the bottle I claim
But I’ve been held by the earth
      And earth knows my name

When enemies insult or friends betray
And rage burns inside and I’m called by old ways
There’s medicine now to deal with the shame
I’ve been baptized by fire
      And fire knows my name

I have seen the crow fly with the dove
Can no longer strike out at ones that I love
I called for healing and healing came
I was bitch slapped by spirit
      And spirit knows my name

When petty excuses pull me off track
I can look to the mountain to pull myself back
The trees bear witness to what I became
Fear still surrounds me
      But mountain knows my name

The half boy’s lament “there’s no medicine here”
Then he jumped in the river as he held back a tear
Neither he nor I will ever be the same
To this old vagabond he said… “I love you”
      And the boy knows my name

I am an earth father, inviting you to come home.
I’ll build us a fire so your purpose is known
Let water bring peace to all that you do
The wind will bring magic

     I know your name too

peace and blessings,

Tony
Tony LoRe
CEO & Founder, Youth Mentoring Connection

YMC Mentor honored at our nation's capitol !

On Friday, June 17, our 71 year old mentor Tim Wingard was one of 26 “exceptional older adult volunteers” to be recognized by MetLife Foundation and n4a 2011 Older Volunteers Enrich America Awards. (Over 160 agencies throughout the nation nominated their older adult volunteers for dedication and hard work.)

His mentee Giovani Douresseau attended the awards ceremony with Tim in Washington, DC. He told me today that out of all the stories told of the 26 awardees, Tim and Gio’s was the only one that received a standing ovation. Tim told Kimberlee that other than the birth of his daughters this was the most amazing experience of his life. Gio (a scholar athlete now) admitted that he had a hard time keeping up with the old guy while they explored our nation’s capital together.

Mentee Becomes the Mentor

In an ironic twist of fate, Tim recently had brain surgery. Since Tim is still recovering, Gio had to take a large amount of the responsibility of guiding them through their trip itinerary. My friends, this work is blessed.

This is the write up from the event program:

"Tim Wingard 70, has been a volunteer at Youth Mentoring Connection (YMC) for seven years. YMC awakens at-risk youth to their power, unique gifts and purpose by matching them with caring adult mentors. Tim, who still surfs, volunteers his time for the surf program and brought his mentee, Giovanni (Gio) surfing every weekend. At 13, Gio weighed 285 pounds and was struggling in most areas of his life in South Central L.A. Tim taught Gio how to eat healthfully, to surf and to be a proud, responsible man. As a result of Tim’s mentoring Gio lost 120 pounds. Gio is now president of his high school’s debate team, an honor student, surfer and basketball player who has been accepted to several universities. Tim and Gio remain extremely close five years after first meeting.
YMC has a vision of community where young people are truly seen and not just watched…"

Finally, thanks to all who support our ability to hold the space for these kinds of miracles.

peace and blessings,

Tony

Tony LoRe
CEO & Founder, Youth Mentoring Connection

Cheaper than therapy

Long before hip hop and rap slams originated in Chicago in the 70s and Eminem famously disgorged the contents of his stomach on screen (woops there goes gravity) people were using spoken word and poetry to give voice to the things that moved their souls and angered their social consciousness. 

In fact, the Japanese have the form beat by some 500 years with Haiku slams.  Haiku is an efficient form of poetry having three lines of five, seven and five syllables, originally invoking nature.  But modern folks have expanded the form to include all kinds of expression usually related to the nature of our experiences in this world.  There is even Gangsta Haiku and Funny Haiku. 

So, we decided to write impromptu Haiku at our mentoring session Friday at Shout Factory and see what kind of expression would emerge.  Our mentors and young people never cease to impress and amaze with the soulful wisdom that they express in the moment. We turned it into a slam, with judging based on content and delivery.  It escalated into a two team Haiku smack down with people standing in groups and calling out the other side.  Here are the two winning poems along with a mentor's expression that I feel relates to the therapeutic process of mentoring in general:

The world turns around me

My breath is taken away

I am now awake

Mario (mentee)

My life is a stage

I guess I have to dance it

Dancer hits the beat

Tony (mentee)

Writing this haiku

All the years of therapy

This was much cheaper

Dana (mentor)

with much appreciation,

 

Tony

 

Tony LoRe

CEO/Founder, Youth Mentoring Connection

The chain reaction of evil must be broken

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. The chain reaction of evil must be broken or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

peace and blessings,
Tony

Tony LoRe
CEO/Founder
Youth Mentoring Connection / Urban Oasis

You Know that cousin you loaned money to, who is now robbing your house?

His initials are B of A !

Just received a notice from Bank of America that they will raise my interest rate to 30% if I fall behind on my payments. I won’t (I pay my card off monthly), but it leaves me wondering about the poor souls who have lost their jobs because of Bank of America and other financial institution’s fraud upon our nation, destroying our economy, or the families of our young people who were given credit cards at already predatory rates. We the taxpayers gave BofA almost 200 billion dollars to bail them out, and this is how they thank us. We were told that if we didn’t bail them out the entire economy would collapse, but that if we did they would loosen up credit restrictions and get the economy flowing again, thus creating jobs and relieving the housing crises. It didn’t happen. Instead, credit was tightened and they have increased penalties on the very people that saved them when those people get in trouble. Let’s recount:

1. They ruin our economy and we bail them out

2. We lose our jobs because they ruined our economy

3. We can’t keep up our payments, because we lost our jobs because they ruined our economy

4. They raise our interest rates to make it even worse for us, because we can’t keep up our payments, because we lost our jobs because they ruined our economy

Someone has to pay for the huge bonuses given to those whose practices ruined our economy. B of A paid out $96 billion in bonuses and compensation, including $9 million to CEO Brian Moynihan in 2010.  Bank of America received $199 billion in taxpayer bailouts and other assistance, stuck us with the bill and then paid no taxes from 2008 to 2010, receiving instead a $16 billion refund, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Why do they do this? Because they can.
 
respectfully with a bit of anger,
 
Tony

"With My Victim in the Room"

Too much clothing for a warm day, hiding tattoos that mark his claim to a few blocks in South Central Los Angeles. Fresh out of juvenile hall for activities dictated by his gang, the young man who appears older than his years, has been sitting sullenly but attentively in the corner of the room at our annual retreat in the Big Bear Mountains. He is watching, listening for a sign that acceptance into a healthy community that has eluded him all his life might finally be forthcoming.

I recite the Half Boy Story that I learned from Michael Meade.  Something in that telling stands him up and his own story must be revealed. He is shaking and his voice quivers.

“You tell that story and you tell my life” he says.

He recounts the beatings at an angry father’s hands. He peals back the sleeves of his coat to reveal the green of inked tattoos mingled with the black scars of cigarette burns from a father’s sadism. He recounts how he sought refuge in the streets only to find more violence and confusion.

“I became a monster” he proclaims.

He pleads with the other boys in the room not to follow his ways, not to get caught up in gang-banging.

“You think you are going to get protection from your homies, but what you get is a target on your back.”

Finally he says: “I never thought I would find this kind of place. I never thought I would find men that would welcome me and show me love and acceptance like this…and I never thought I would be telling my story with one of my victims in the same room.”

He can’t get himself to make eye contact. So, the young man, identified as the victim, stands up and walks across the room. They embrace. The tears flow. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

We stopped a gang that day.  Help us keep this experience alive for youth who need us.  Donate to our annual campaign.  Click here. Even a little helps alot.

sincerely,

Tony
Tony LoRe, CEO/Founder

Lack of sleep coupled with physical exertion breaks down the defenses

This Spring we have been privileged to participate in Stoked Mentoring’s snowboarding trips. These wonderful experiences got us reminiscing about our first ever trip to the snow with YMC youth. It was a weekend affair with seven teenage boys and the same number of girls. When we arrived we discovered that (contrary to our requests) our accommodations had them staying in two rooms of the same cabin, separated by only a living room in between. Guess where staff decided to sleep at night?

This was the first time to the snow for almost every one of our 14 young people. So, you can imagine that they were a little keyed up. I remember going into the boys’ room three times to settle them down to get some sleep. Finally, on the fourth trip to their shared room at about 2am I decided to try a different tactic. I walked into the room without saying a word, shut off the light and sat silently on the floor in the middle of the room flanked by 4 sets of bunk beds hosting 7 young men. The boys became immediately silent. After a few moments some anxious giggling showed up, followed by “shhhh, Tony’s right here.” An attempt at a whispered joke, which engendered a whispered command “hey, respect!”

After awhile they were all settled down. Even though few were yet asleep, my boy Jose Luis decided that my little mission had been accomplished and says “you can go now Tony”.

The following day was glorious. Spring conditions. Fresh snow had fallen at night while we were engaged in our cabin capers. Sun shining down on excited youngsters who show no signs of operating on only 3 hours of sleep. They learn well and have fun.

That evening’s fireside conversation would be deep and evocative. Lack of sleep coupled with physical exertion breaks down the defenses, rendering our young people more open to sharing things they otherwise might hold back. Wounds are shared and cared for. Flashes of insight share the space with expressions of support and vows to change. After the meeting weary adults slip off to get some much needed shut eye, while stalwart youth hang out by the fire, not wanting to give up the collegiality found in this special evening.

This time when they finally get to their room sleep comes quickly.

In peace,

Tony

  

In A Dark Time Look to the Poet

I have been finding it more difficult to blog lately as the events of the world lay heavy on my soul; the inequities I see all around; the absurd and expanding wealth of a few contrasted by the extreme hunger and pain of so many, perpetuated by too many lies and too much fear.

...and I don't want to fill these pages with simple lamentations about the conditions of the world when there is also beauty and hope to be found.

Some medicine arrived this morning: my good friend Alan Cohen sent this poem by the Nigerian poet Ben Okri. It reminds me how much the poetic voice can carry one through hard times and make sense of the often unbearable. Poets remind us that our souls are stronger than our circumstances and that when we are not sure where to turn, we can always turn to our imagination...and to the poet to wake up the imagination in us.

It also reminds us that our wounds are the fertile ground in which we may plant the seeds of our highest destiny.

An African Elegy
We are the miracles that God made
To taste the bitter fruit of Time.
We are precious.

And one day our suffering
Will turn into the wonders of the earth.
There are things that burn me now
Which turn golden when I am happy.
Do you see the mystery of our pain?
That we bear poverty
And are able to sing and dream sweet things
And that we never curse the air when it is warm
Or the fruit when it tastes so good
Or the lights that bounce gently on the waters?
We bless things even in our pain.
We bless them in silence.
That is why our music is so sweet.
It makes the air remember.
There are secret miracles at work
That only Time will bring forth.
I too have heard the dead singing.
And they tell me that
This life is good
They tell me to live it gently
With fire, and always with hope.
There is wonder here
And there is surprise
In everything the unseen moves.
The ocean is full of songs.
The sky is not an enemy.
Destiny is our friend.
- Ben Okri

Thanks Alan for spreading the gift of poetry.

Humbly,

Tony

PS Thanks also to Heather and Ruby for the poems that you sent to me and all of our mentors and my fellows in this work. There is nourishment all around.

Urban Oasis Film Academy Screening - Expressive & Evocative Youth Voices

 “Will you see me as a vital, creative human being deserving of a place in this society, or a teenager from the hood to be ostracized or feared?”
On Saturday we premiered eight short films of young people from our Urban Oasis Film Academy.  The room was packed and the youth did a fantastic job of creating expressive evocative short pieces.  They received a standing ovation from all in attendance.  

Their works were largely autobiographical and unfinished, leaving the viewer with a bittersweet sense of unease and hope at the same time.  It was as if they were saying: 
“I am a work in progress.  
The script of my life is being written every day. The conditions within which I find myself need not define me, but I’m still struggling to determine which way to turn.”  

When we recognize them and validate their creative expression we are giving them a message that if they turn toward light there will be support.  At YMC we also recognize that when they fall into the darkness of their wounds, we must be there as well.  That’s how you help youth.  By “seeing” their gifts and caring for their wounds.  In the movies when they want to depict a battle-hardened warrior they give him a visible wound as testament that something has been endured and overcome and this person will never be the same again.  On Saturday our young people displayed gifts by giving us a brief peak (sometimes just a hint) of their wounds.  I see those films as the scars that give testimony to their present and future greatness.

The Urban Oasis Film Academy

respectfully submitted,
Tony LoRe
Founder/CEO, Youth Mentoring Connection/Urban Oasis


PS Thanks to HBO, the California Consumer Protection Foundation and our program partner Street Poets for helping to make this all possible!

The Rhymes of a Discriminated Student - Wake Up America!

I always have a lot to say about how our culture leaves youth behind and how our education system is inherently discriminatory.  However, I have never put it quite so eloquently as our young man Elmer Reyes.  Here he offers his firsthand account as a student in South Central Los Angeles.  Listen to his mix of gratitude, recognition and intelligent anger as he cries out to all of us to become heroic teachers, mentors and a more just society.

The Rhymes of a Discriminated Student

There is a huge epidemic in the United States.

The achievement gap shows the devastating rates.

The statistics are staggering, it has to change.

The system is corrupted, it’s not the same.

The poor minority students think it’s a game.

African American and Latino students don’t find it strange.
But all the schools in urban cities compare a cage.
Keeping students confined like if they’re insane.
That’s what gets most of them enraged.
And leads to high school dropouts that didn’t graduate.
If only teachers knew how to motivate.
Instead of teachers who discriminate.
To give students a chance and communicate.
There would be more students to educate.

As the white, middle class, majority students succeed.
Urban city students roam the streets.
Not caring about a high school diploma or a college degree.
Causing the achievement gap to increase.
What type of solution does it take to make the gap decrease.
The one that has teachers actually teach.
To show students something they’ve never seen.
To make their dreams a reality.
And they can be what they want to be.
If only teachers had this ability.
Then the achievement gap would be filled with tranquility.
And have both majority and minority students in universities.

Urban city schools have so many problems.
People have to find away how to solve them.
Like one of my teachers that was involved in
After school programs where students would taunt him.
But slowly gained their respect and then brought them
Books that he would give and then taught them
How to get good grades in school projects.
He motivated and pushed them to accomplish.
A high school diploma that he promised.

My teacher had the skill to communicate
With minds that were hard to educate.
This is a solution that can make change.
If only there were more teachers that were the same
The achievement gap would have never been made.
I’m sure this solution will even out the rates.
That have been made and claimed
Throughout the United States.
Imagine all of the graduations.
Caused by teachers that had communication.
That stayed after school with dedication.
And gave urban city students inspiration.
And let them see that success comes from education.
That knowledge is power there should be no hesitation.
All the teachers need the communication.
To give urban city students motivation.
 Elmer Reyes

Thanks Elmer for sharing your voice with us and reminding us of our responsibility toward the education of all youth.

Tony

Elmer and his Mentor Jeff at Warner Bros.



Tony LoRe

CEO/Founder, Youth Mentoring Connection / Urban Oasis

Would you give your life for love?

Rome, under the rule of the Emperor Claudius II was constantly engaged in war to expand the Roman Empire. Many of the young men that were to be soldiers became reluctant to leave wives and children to go off to war. So, Claudius outlawed marriage and decreed that all engagements be broken off immediately.

Roman Emperors were regarded as Gods. So, when Claudius learned that a certain priest of Rome, answering to a higher calling, disobeyed the edict and continued to perform secret wedding ceremonies he became furious. The priest was dragged from the temple, imprisoned and put on trial. A triumvirate of judges found him guilty and the priest was sentenced to be beaten, stoned and beheaded.

While in prison, the priest received a visitor - the blind daughter of one of the judges who convicted him. He is said to have cured her blindness and the priest fell in love with the judge’s daughter. While awaiting his execution the priest penned a note to the young woman expressing his love. It was signed:

“From your Valentine”

The execution of St. Valentine was carried out on February 14.

What would you die for?

celebrate love,

Tony

CEO/Founder

Youth Mentoring Connection/Urban Oasis

You Can’t Make This #*%t Up!

It was my deep honor to be invited to participate in a Sweat Lodge Ceremony Friday evening with a group of respected men and elders looking to initiate a new vision for the collective work of guiding youth and nudging culture.

When you do these things you never know what magic doorways might open for one to receive guidance. So much can happen when you surrender yourself to the medicine of sacred healing space, experienced together with our instant community of men, within the timeless womb of Mother Earth, in harmony with the ancestors.

So, trying to be open to whatever message comes through I crawled into the lodge in the traditional manner offering prayers to “all my relations” and sat in the dark.  As always I prayed for those who could not be with us. One whose spirit I always invite into all ritual ceremonies is our boy Jose who is languishing in a prison in Oklahoma.


What I didn’t expect is how powerfully he would show up.


Just after I invoked his spirit, I began to feel a pain in my side - in the region of my gall bladder.  I identified it as a “phantom” pain, since my gall bladder had been removed a few years back after a serious gall stone attack.  The pain was identical to that which I felt when my gall bladder used to act up.  As the ceremony progressed the pain became so bad that I almost passed out. With my head in a dizzy spin, I held back my feelings of shame to ask the leaders if I could take some water so that I wouldn’t have to leave the lodge before the ceremony completed.  The support of these men was heartwarming. No judgment, just acceptance. 

Then it came back to me. This happened before, it just wasn’t me.  On our first Mentee Initiation Retreat seven years ago I was awakened at 3am by one of our mentors to tell me that Jose was experiencing severe pain in his side. I got my friend Orland, a gifted healer. As we made our way over to Jose’s cabin Orland spoke of “phantoms” working on Jose. Our young man was in such severe pain that he winced just trying to bend his knee, let alone sit up to talk with us. In one of the most remarkable things I have ever witnessed Orland conducted a healing that seemed to elevate the temperature of the room several degrees and culminated with him spraying water from his mouth. What conscious, subconscious, psychoactive or otherworldly forces that were called upon I can’t say.  But within a few minutes Jose was sitting up and the pain was gone.

So, back to the sweat lodge. After the water was passed I felt some relief and shortly thereafter the pain had completely subsided.  I’m still processing the lesson being offered, but one of the things that came to me was how much grief and rage we are working to help our young people deal with now. (This is always heaviest just after the holidays.)  We end up helping them carry it because the weight that young people carry in this world today is almost unbearable without mentors. After the sweat, I shared my experience with Orland and he reminded me that the gall bladder is connected to anger and grief.

Really, you can’t make this #*%t up.

Tony LoRe, CEO / Founder,
Youth Mentoring Connection/Urban Oasis

PS Thanks Chris for making the invitation.

When you don't feel like you're doing enough...

It is the daily efforts, one by one, of caring people that turn into movements that end up changing the world. The recent events in Egypt didn't spring up over night even though it seems that way. There have been many voices connecting one by one to other voices, adding their messages to the collective consciousness until a tipping point is achieved.

So it is with the work we do. We are creating a movement toward a more conscously compassionate society that understands our responsibilities towards all youth, but especially those in less fortunate circumstances.

So, in another of the unending magical serendipities that we witness between mentors and mentees I receive this story from Ros, our mentor at Warner Bros. (who was featured in last Wednesday's blog as well). It serves as a reminder to all of us when we feel that our individual efforts are not enough.

"Zena told me one day about how she and her friends found a stranded starfish on the beach and saved it by throwing it back into the ocean. She was really pleased with herself and made a big deal of telling me about it. At Christmas I was telling my mum about the difference in Zena and what she wrote for me at Christmas about how I make such a big difference in her life. My mum then produced a card she had recently bought about making a difference and said I had to read it... I couldn’t believe what it was about (you’ll see!) so I...mounted it to make a card for Zena’s birthday. She was blown away by it and the coincidence."  This is what it said:

One day, as a wise man was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

"Sometimes we feel like we are not doing enough. I think we can never do enough but I think this card shows that if you just help one person and that’s all you ever do, then at least it’s enough for that one person. Just look at how many people you’ve helped to make that difference!"

humbly,
Tony
CEO/Founder, Youth Mentoring Connection

Make a difference.  Change Two Lives!  Become a mentor!

Generosity: How the kangaroo got her pouch

In an old Aboriginal story the life of a blind wombat is saved by a mother kangaroo, but the kangaroo almost loses her joey (child) while helping him. In gratitude, wombat (who is God in disguise) offers kangaroo a way to keep her joey close by—a pouch on her belly to carry him in. The kangaroo accepts and asks that the same gift be given to the other marsupials. “The one with a generous heart wishes to include others when good fortune comes her way.”

One of the blessings of this work is that we get to see so many different ways that generosity becomes manifest in this world. We constantly see those who have very little helping those who have even less. The families that take in homeless friends and relatives into already overcrowded homes. Quinceañeras, weddings and funerals become events where entire communities come together and share what little they have. In fact, most studies show that the working poor are the most generous people in America giving away about 4.5 percent of their income on average. This compares to about 2.5 percent among the middle class, and 3 percent among high-income families.

However, the story tells that the generous heart wants to share its good fortune. That’s the other side of what we see: Those who have attained much and their hearts seek to share from what they have. We have several of those folks on the Board of Directors of Youth Mentoring Connection, and many others who help support our work.

One such generous heart belongs to my sister Linda. She has been by my side since day one, generously giving of her time and her influence, as well as her pocketbook so that thousands of youth can have hope for a better life. She has become equally generous with family and friends. Over the years I have seen Linda carefully cultivating her generosity so that it is more than simple giving.

Generosity is not just something you do. It is a sacred practice that can be honed into an art form. The ultimate manifestation of the art of giving is in its impact upon the receiver, not just from the standpoint of the immediate benefit or reduction of suffering, but in the way it affects the spirit and the esteem of the receiver. If the receiver feels more whole and stronger as a result of the gift, then the giver has practiced the art in a life-affirming way.

Generosity
To the true artist
the world is her canvas
Her craft lives inside,
inspiration renewed with every breath
Generosity is art
She an artist
Like any good artist
constantly perfecting the gift
Working with nuance
Expanding creativity
Knowing that it is not the weight of the gift
but the artistry displayed

The transfer of love

The sharing of passion

Grace in giving

liberates the receiver

The gift is a word

a prayer

connection to the lonely

comfort to the afflicted

serenity to the fearful

Let tears cleanse the gift

Joy lifts the beneficiary

Generosity is the currency of love

Happy Birthday Linda

Linda LoRe, Tony LoRe, Debrah Constance

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools - MLK

A young woman is planning the funeral of her fiancé, instead of their marriage. A nine year old girl wanted to be inspired, but now her life has expired. A federal judge will now face his final judgment. These things blamed on what has been called a “senseless” act of violence by a crazed gunman at a supermarket in Arizona. I submit that it was not a senseless act but the inevitable reflection of a culture of hate speech and real violence.  Responsible sense will tell you that hate only engenders more hate. When you attempt to use fear-based rhetoric to gin up the populace you will succeed…and there is always someone unstable enough to embody all the collective vitriol and translate it into absurd and often deadly action. Don’t let it be lost that this is how the great American whose life we honor today lost that life at the hands of an assassin. In his own words:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
1/15/29 - 4/4/68

 "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. The chain reaction of evil must be broken or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On this day, as our nation pauses to celebrate the legacy of Reverend King, let us pledge to adopt a more civil tongue, one modeled after his rhetoric which was designed to inspire us to our higher selves instead of motivating through our fears. In the face of ugly discrimination, the debasement of a people and hate spewed at him from every corner, Dr. King spoke of love and brotherhood, of hope and dreams.

Christina Green
 9/11/01 - 1/8/11

Now, in the wake of the tragedy in Tucson the question is being asked: can we come together and change the direction of our discourse in this country?  The cynic in me is doubtful, but the human in me can hope.  Thus, today as the nation celebrates the date of birth of one of it’s icons, let us not forget how Dr. King met his end.  Moreover, let us remember how he inspired with his rhetorical gift and pledge to work to increase the light, increase the love and increase compassion.  At the very least, let us begin to speak with more honesty, integrity and civility, lest we move one step closer to perishing together as fools.



Humbly,

Tony

Tony LoRe, CEO & Founder

Youth Mentoring Connection/Urban Oasis