Grandparents for Social Action

11/15/2019

GIVING TUES. ON DEC. 3. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU AND WHAT YOUR FAMILY WILL DO ON THAT DAY.

Giving Tuesday is a global Day of giving fueled by the power of collaboration. Is celebrated and the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, a world wide one day giving a event kicks off the charitable season.
You can make a donation to your favorite charity. You can clean up a room in your house and give the items you find to a shelter or to your congregation. You can be sure to call your grand child and ask if you could go out and donate some gifts to the poor or find something wonderful to do for your family for your community or for the world. Look up "giving Tuesday” on the Internet and find some other ideas that will help you to start off the giving season.
Let me know what you decide to do.

06/24/2019

Column from Bubba Sharon


Gabe, 5th Grader from St. Louis
Here is Gabe's response when asked what advice he had on how grandparents can teach their grandchildren on how to be Philanthropists and Social Action Activists:


Soon, the time will come for our parents and grandparents to "pass the torch" to the next generation of social action leaders in America, and we better be prepared. I'm talking about kids. When we arrive at the time when those who are now children become our nation's leaders, we must be sure that they have been prepared to get involved in social justice and politics. And getting kids prepared is very easy. When you attend a rally or a meeting of local leaders, take your grandchild along. When you go to a protest or go out to vote at your polling place, or in a caucus, take your grandchild along. If you are knocking on doors for a candidate or issue, it is just as simple as letting them come with you. If your grandchildren come for dinner or a visit, talk to them about different issues they can relate to. They will be much more interested than you think. If we don't do this now, the next generation will be empty of something that we so sorely need: social justice and those who are willing to step up and bring it upon us. The next decades will be very exciting ones in politics, and we will need leaders on both sides to make sure that the right things are happening. But this won't happen unless you do a very, very simple thing: just bring your grandchild along when you vote or campaign. Talk to them about issues. And soon, we will be sure that when the time comes, the next generation is willing and able to accept the torch with open arms and continue the work that everyone in the generations before us have started.

05/24/2019

Sign up for newsletter. It comes once a month and has volunteer ideas, book suggestions, a column written by bubba sharon. This is an example of the May Bubba Sharon article.

LEAVING A LEGACY::
Barry Kahan, a dear friend died from ALS this week. He was amazing during his illness. There were so many simple, but profound messages he gave to all during his illness and during his whole lifetime. I share only one. One day, I walked into his house, and said, “So, how are you today?” He answered, “Today, I am living. When I am dying, I will let you know, but today, I am living.” (He was in a wheel chair, with little mobility, but he was happy for the day, for each day.)

He left an amazing legacy for his family, his friends, his children and grandchildren, and I pray that it will sustain them now, at this very sad time, and continue to be an inspiration to them for the rest of their lives. I share this with you, all my readers, because it reminds all of us that every day, every conversation, we are leaving a legacy to our families, to our grandchildren.

What is the message you want to leave? Will they remember how you listened attentively to their questions and their conversations? Will they remember, when you easily forgave them when they were not their very best? Will they remember when you gave them the wisdom of your advice, but also allowed them to choose their own path? Will they remember the stories you tell them about your family and about yourself and your challenges. And I believe they will remember when you sat and laughed with them, and sometimes cried with them. And they will remember notes you wrote to them when they were away at school. More than just remembering, they will probably help to leave the message that you knew was so important to the next generation. So I pray that we all remember that every day we are here is a possibility of a treasure.

One last story— One mom wrote little notes on post it notes and periodically put them on their child’s mirror in the washroom. They said things like, “have a good day” or “I hope your test goes well”, or "remember to do a kind thing today.” Unbeknownst to her, her son saved all the notes, and when she was very sick, he put all of them together in a binder, and shared with her that it helped him to grow to be a kind, thoughtful man. He then made copies of his binder of notes and gave a copy to all the people who came to his mom’s funeral. Good luck to all of us, as we endeavor to make a difference in the lives of our children and grandchildren.

05/23/2019

Good things sometimes can happen. Lets be open to possibilities of friendships in the most unlikely places.

In this heartwarming Pixar short, an unlikely friendship forms when a stray cat encounters an abused Pit Bull. Together, the pair discovers that trust and companionship can mend even the most painful of wounds. Click play to watch their journey unfold!

03/28/2019

Bubba Sharon’s column,

Purim is a Jewish holiday that comes in the spring. It reminds us of the importance of women in our lives. Perhaps it is a time to thank the women in our lives- parents-children-neighbors- friends. Perhaps it is time to study famous women. Perhaps it is time to write stories of the women in our family that left a legacy to us, or to write our own story as a legacy to the next generation. — that we are to give gifts to the poor— that we are to exchange gifts with friends and neighbors, and to have fun with friends.
See https://rac.org/holiday-guides-purim to see the many traditions that take place on this holiday.

My own mother was one of the people I always remember at this time of year. She taught her family how to live and she taught them how to die. What a blessing she was, and still is, every single day. She died of cancer, slowly and gave me messages every day that I still carry with me - 38 years after her death.

Each day, she said, “I am so lucky".

One day, she said, "I have a wonderful husband and fabulous children.” How lucky is that?!!! Another day, she said, “You know, because I am dying young, I will never have to go to a friend’s funeral.”Still another day, she looked out her hospital window at the pouring rain, and said, “This is one of the most beautiful days that God ever made".
and one other day, she said, “You know, I dont mind dying, the hard part is watching you watch me die. You have the hard job, the job of losing someone you love. Just know how much you are loved!!"

And for the rest of the months she was in the hospital, she always shared another blessing, and another, and another. I pray that on this month of Purim, you will tell stories about the women in your life that you loved, and give small gifts to those who are still alive.

Purim is the Jewish holiday celebrated in Adar to celebrate the triumph of the Jews over their oppressors, as told in the book of Esther. The holiday is named after the word "pur," meaning "lot" or "lottery," which refers to the lot that the Jews' enemy Haman threw to determine the day of their dest...

02/01/2019

Column from Bubba Sharon


(This column is adapted from my dear friend, Alissa, the founder of AZspire, an organization that inspires and nourishes creativity)

At the start of the new year, many of us had lists of resolutions that we put together so we can start out fresh for 2019. Many lists look something like this:

✔️Work out ✔️Practice mindfulness ✔️Eat healthy ✔️Reduce Screen Time (still working on detoxing from my iPhone and iPad)

It is a list of things we are going to do to be healthy and wiser from the year prior.

This year I decided to set an intention, come up with a mantra or better yet I am putting out into the world my Wish for 2019....

Read More Here:

Amisha came from a very poor family and they lived in a mud house, but she was happy, since she lived next to a forest.  She loved playing in the forest every day and she loved all the trees and animals.

12/19/2018

Column from Bubba Sharon

I just read this article from the blog: Jewish Sacred Aging. Look it up. There are always wonderful bits of wisdom.This months guest writer was Sandra Taradash. I excerpt just one short paragraph from her story. Try it— your family will always appreciate it.

"I am a believer in our personal stories and their value and how they can add a new/fresh/inspiring viewpoint to those whose minds are open to life’s experiences. Tell your stories, the good ones and the bad ones. Share your thoughts in the moment and from “back then” so the listener hears the changes in your mindset and values that evolved, grew and matured. And those diverse elements are OK. Let those know you have developed with new and broader thoughts and ideas and that making mistakes are steps in the ladder we all climb to get to new heights. Expressing our regrets, mistakes and blessings show we are human.

Suggestions for sharing: Talk to your children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, friends. Gather a group who want to chronicle their experiences…. Write a journal to leave as a legacy, sit at your computer and jot it all down, print it and put it in a folder (or send it to your family) so it can be read…."

Read more here: http://p0.vresp.com/lHXOPC

12/17/2018

Please join us on Jan. 9 at Am Shalom 840 Vernon, in Glencoe to hear about this issue. Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.

The government announced in June it would open a temporary shelter for up to 360 migrant children in Tornillo, an isolated corner of the Texas desert. Less than six months later, the facility has continued to expand into a detention camp, now holding 3,00 [...]

11/08/2018

Column from Bubba Sharon

As part of GSA, I have told people people to start a philanthropy fund for their grandchildren. I tell them that I put $100 a year into the bank. My grandchildren can come to me anytime during the year and ask for money. They need to tell me what they want to do with it and why they chose that fund. I ask if they are contributing any matching funds of their own, if they are asking any family members to match it and then I make the distribution, and write in a journal what they did with the money. Sometimes I take a picture of the service to the organization that they take on, and put it in their journal, or I take a picture of the letter they write to the organization telling them why they are a recipient of their philanthropy monies.

We occasionally have a club meeting of my five grandchildren together. They can each share what they are doing and then they make decisions for the future. THAT IS THE IDEAL THAT I SET UP FOR ME AND FOR THEM AND IN MY MIND. But it doesn't always work. Sometimes I am too busy. Sometimes the children are too busy to even think about their fund. But it is in the back of our minds and we finally come back to it, because the goal is to KEEP TRYING!!

I recently met Suzanne, a woman who heard me speak about the philanthropy fund. She thought it was a great idea. She gave her grandchildren some money. She explained to them the idea that philanthropy is giving money, service and "voice" to a project. They did a great project together. And when I saw her, she said to me, "I am a failure. I haven't spoken about it again." I told her that there are lots of things I want to do in my vision of being a wonderful grandmother and teacher of philanthropy, but sometimes, I just get too busy. I suggested that when she thinks about it, then she might do something then. I suggested rather than feeling bad for what she did not do, she feel good for whatever she did do!!

As a matter of fact, I am going to write to my grandchildren now, and let them know there are only two and one half months left to spend this year's philanthropy money, and what do they want to do? Thank you Suzanne for reminding me that this is a process, and we just need to "keep trying.

11/01/2018

A GREAT BOOK IF YOU HAVE YET READ IT, AND READ IT TO YOUR GRANDCHILDREN TOO. BY ROBERT FULGUM
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Robert Fulghum engages with musings on life, death, love, pain, joy, sorrow, and the best chicken-fried steak in the continental United States. The little seed in the Styrofoam cup offers a reminder about our own mortality and the delicate nature of life . . . a spider who catches (and loses) a full-grown woman in its web one fine morning teaches us about surviving catastrophe . . . the love story of Jean-Francois Pilatre and his hot-air balloon reminds us to be brave and unafraid to “fly” . . . life lessons hidden in the laundry pile . . . magical qualities found in a box of crayons . . . AND SO MUCH MORE. LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE IT.

10/05/2018

Martin Luther King wrote: Life's most persistent and urgent question is -- "What are you doing for others."
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