5 Way to Counter Animal Homelessness:

5 Way to Counter Animal Homelessness:

1. Support your local animal shelter. Not only will you inspire limitless loyalty from your rescue pet, you will enjoy your time with a remarkable animal. There's a place for dogs with distinguished breeding, but I promise a lovable mutt form the "pound" will fill your heart. Often, mixed breed dogs have better personalities and fewer health issues because they are not inbred.


2. Spay or nueter. Self explanitory.


3. Tag and microchip your pet. The last thing you, or anyone else wants, is for Fido to end up on the streets. If more people tagged their dogs, more could be returned.


4. Volunteer, fundraise, or donate to your animal shelter. They need your help!


5. Educate others about pet homelessness and pet responsibility. Together we can make a big difference!

A Dog Called Sky

So I have a story.

I have a dog named Sky. I'm not sure if his favorite food is chicken fat or bananas.

He's a pretty funny dude. He eats carrot peals like its his job.

Whenever I'm with Sky I can't help but laugh. He has this giant goofy face that always looks a little concerned, happy, and confused at the same time.

He loves people. And that's it. Completely. Totally. And unrelenting. And that's Sky.

The Weight of the World

After giving my speech, I took my place in the audience at a youth rally. The next keynote speaker rose and began his speech by saying that ours was the first generation in the history of mankind that had the ability to end global poverty. For a moment I had such a high, such a great feeling of purpose, dedication, and hope that I could hardly keep from running laps around the rally. What he said next sobered me up pretty quickly. "What a grave responsibility." He looked at the group with heavy eyes and no smile. He continued on to talk about our ipods and laptops and excessive spending. He went on to say that we were squandering our opportunity to save the world. I felt my shoulders slump back into their resolute, determined position. The way he said it made it sound daunting. Alleviating poverty would not be a success if achieved. It would be a failure if we did not achieve it. I found myself feeling slightly discouraged. After the speech I took a few moments just to think for myself. I sat there for a long time and finally something occurred to me. If we had the ability to eradicate poverty, it was because we had already achieved other things. We had learned effective farming methods, ways of getting water to rural regions, and improved health. We had the resources to educate children and the knowledge to cure diseases. The reason my generation, our generation, has so much potential is because for centuries humankind has been building on one anothers accomplishments. Because of what past generations have accomplished, our generation is in the position were we literally (arguably) can eradicate poverty. That's empowering. But, no matter the outcome of our work, we all have a responsibility to honor our impoverished neighbors. BUT the fact that we would honor this responsibility is, in fact, a gift. SO no matter what is accomplished or not accomplished, the generation can build on the accomplishments of our own. Hopefully we can eradicate poverty, but nothing could possibly diminish such an accomplishment. We all have a responsibility to one another, but everything we do is a gift.

A World Away

Our American and Ugandan volunteers may feel a world apart, but both are essential for NETwork's sucess. Pictured are some of our chapters in the US and Uganda. (Thanks Google for the map)

Sharing in a Simple Project

"Last wish from a little 12 year old boy dying of terminal cancer. He lives in Neola, Iowa. His last wish is to receive one million cards in the mail. I think we can make his wish come true if enough people pass the word. It is not too much to ask for a 12 year old boy. One million cards. Let your fellow employees know and your churches and school children. We need to take the time to do this for this little boy.

Let's make his last wish come true.

His name and addressas published in the Ottumwa Courier newspaper is:

Max Low.

c/o Greg and Bambi Low.

P.O. Box 111

Neola, Iowa 51559"

This was sent to me via e-mail. I am sharing it with you now.

Being a teenager is hard. College, tuition- these are impending time bombs ticking from the time you meet your guidance counselor freshman year. Of course college is always the goal, the dream, the target in the sky. Of course from the very beginning everyone says, "I'm so ready to get out on my own, so ready to find my own way." We beg for Independence. If its denied, sometimes we take it anyway. We argue, we defy, we oppose, sometimes for no other reason than to show ourselves and those around us that we are capable of doing these things.

But we try. So hard. Everyday. We crave people telling us we're doing it, making it, being our best self. We try so hard and sometimes this trying is exhausting, overwhelming, confusing.

People say these are the best times of our life and sometimes we believe them- when we're with our friends on something that feels like an adventure. When we laugh so hard that nothing else seems to matter and when we wake up to find we were smiling the entire time we were asleep.

But usually we hope this isn't true. Because we 15, 16, 17. Because we hope to live to be 85, 86, 87. Because we don't want the best times of our life to be over before our life is even 1/4 gone.

And somehow I think we all understand, realize that the best times in our life, they're always before us. Because the best day of our life should be the one we are living at that moment. Because each day truly is a wonder, each night an escape and each new day more wonderful than the last.

An Ocean Away

Bridging the gap from your school to Uganda, can be simple by working through NETwork Against Malaria. Its phenomenal to see how far away your efforts travel in the fight against poverty and malaria.

This picture shows the distance between a fifth grade class from South Eastern Illinois who raised funds for bednets and the Ugandan children who received these nets a continent away.

Go the distance!

St. Patty's Day: Parades vs. Protests

Parades are someplace you bring the kids. Candy flies from float. Beads get tossed into crowds. There's popcorn vendors, loud crowds, unpleasant Johnnys, marching bands, goofy clowns, floats, and the list goes on and on.

Protests. They usually aren't someplace you bring the fam. Sure they can be quiet, respectful. They can be enjoyable and fun. But they're not really about celebration.

Parades= fun.
Protests= causes.

I am not saying we need to get out there and protest the way protests are viewed, but I do think we should find some middle ground. I am not really talking about political issue protests but on cause related protests. We need to find some middle ground, grow in our understanding, and realize there are many important ways to use our time- making our voices heard included.

Off the Shelf

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is a great read for a young change maker. After Jean Valjean gets out of prison, one man's kindness is enough to turn his life into one of selflessness. Through kindness, love, and devotion he becomes a new man.

Jean Valjean is pursued by the ghosts of his past and one man who is determined to send him back to prison. Could Jean Valjean's compassion be so powerful that it could influence the very people determined to bring him down?

Another Ugandan Prover

You can't dig with a spade handle, but it helps the spade to dig.

For Them

It is more than a project. Service benefits real people.

For them take action.

My l...o...n...g Day

Today was a long day. This morning feels like a year ago and its only four o'clock.

Usually when I say this it's an extraordinarily exciting day: I started at five thirty and my head didn't hit my pillow until midnight. Sometimes I travelled, hit up an event, hung out with friends, and accomplished something major all on the same day.

Today was a long day.

Sometimes I mean it was an emotionally trying day. I felt drained. I was excited, demoralized, disappointed, and relieved. Sometimes it means this.

Today was a long day.

And I really don't know why. It was a good day- not an overwhelmingly exciting day. It was a consistant day- no remarkable dissapointments or excitements. It was just a long day.

Looking back on this long day I can't help but smile. It didn't look like an important day but it was a good day. I got to school early and helped plan an upcoming event. We went to service. I got back a test I thought was difficult (and did okay) and took a test that really was difficult (and hoped I did okay). I ate lunch with great friends, learned a couple of new things, came home and worked on NETwork stuff and sat down trying to think of something to blog about.

So yeah- today was a long day. It wasn't exceptionally exciting or exceptionally emotionally trying, but it WAS exceptional- because I had fun and learned and suceeded and struggled and accomplished and laughed and just loved being me today.

And the funny thing: its only four o'clock.

Shout out to some awesome volunteers!

Thanks so much Rachel, Donyelle, and Nate!

DYC Weekend

NETwork Against Malaria supporters are prepping for this weekend with beads, baskets and a couple bottles of caffine. We're headed off to the Dioceasan Youth Conference to share our wares and our story with teenagers from across southern Illiois. Our goal: Walk away with a few bucks, a few more pieces of jewelry, and a bunch more volunteers. Cross your fingers and we may even get a chapter out of the weekend.

So this weekend is about youth empowerement and NETwork-ing. It's about meeting people and inspiring people and causing them to take action. It's about showing people the faces of Ugandan children and challenging them not to look away, not to ignore, not to forgot. It's about helping people realize that although we're an ocean away there is so much we can do for those smiling children.