Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
Extreme Heat
The temperature is 103 degrees. Yet, we’ve had a mild summer and this is just the fourth or fifth day of triple digits so far.
I use the heat as an excuse.
“I can’t think when it’s this hot.” “My flowers and yard need my attention, not work.” “Didn’t Julie say that her swimming pool was open for business?”
This winter, when it was cold, I had new dialogue – but same type of excuses.
Do you worry that you’re a procrastinator? Or even worse, lazy? I do. I’ve got tons of energy most the time, yet when the weather is extreme one way or another – my inner-hamster takes a nap. It just stops, right in the middle of spinning the treadmill, and lays down. A sure sign I doomed to be a slug.
However, the hamster is back!
In this extreme heat, I realized it wasn’t laziness that prevented me from achievement. It is the pressing voice of my mother saying “go outside and get some fresh air.” I’ve been conditioned, just like my dog snaps to attention when I use the can opener. I am programmed to be outside when my mother wanted the house to herself. Probably to let her own inner-hamster nap.
The solution is a good ol’ romp with the pup in the park. Just two blocks away, we walk on the shady side of the street and arrive at the children’s pool and watch screaming toddlers jump in the water. They splash us and make us feel like being silly. If there was a Slip-and-Slide, we’d get a running start from the end of the block and skid down it with both (or all four) feet in the air! Someone has graciously placed a bowl at the base of the drinking fountain so Bowser can gulp as much as she wants, while I just stick my face right in the middle of the water stream.
Slurp!
Silly and revived, we return home. I pick up my work where I left off and my inner-hamster gets back on the treadmill. Mom – you’d be proud of me!
Emancipation
78% of 18 year-olds in Foster care end up either incarcerated or homeless within two years of “aging out” of the system.
Gulp. Are you looking for a reason our jails are overcrowded?
The outlook for the 30,000 foster children in the United States who ”age out” of the system each year is bleak, according to a study led by University of Washington School of Social Work researcher Mark Courtney.
A young person in a foster home has the deck stacked against them to begin with, and this is the kind of future more than three-quarters of then have to look forward to. Our states, in a desperate move to save their budgets, are cutting even more programs to assist the transition. Halfway homes, college and technical school grants and counseling programs are all threatened over the next few critical years.
The solution? Hands down – the best possible answer is making sure these youth have a stable adult that will lead and advocate for them.
There just aren’t enough social workers and enough hours in the day to assist these kids. An adult - who has a sincere interest in preventing just one kid from repeating the cycle - has the chance of making a difference.
Finding a mentor who provides “that backbone you need” has made all the difference, said Cameron Anderson, 21, of Tampa, Fla., who entered foster care at 15 after he got into trouble with the law, then lived in group homes.
Last fall, Cameron was introduced to his mentor, an investor in Tampa, through a program called Connected by 25. The two now speak daily, Cameron said, discussing “school and life in general, even to the point where he’ll say, ‘Hey, are you using protection?’ ”
Had he had such a relationship earlier, Cameron said, “it would have saved me from a ton of bridges I’ve had to cross.”
A Montana social worker, Matt Anderson, is on a mission to educate the public about the pitfalls of American foster care, especially older children about to age out of the system. Matt is working to complete the documentary “From Place to Place” that follows teenagers who have turned 18 and left foster care.
He says, “the kids I worked with had an endless trail of disrupted relationships and very little contact with their biological families.” Then, he says, ”since aging out, many of these kids have gone on a journey to find their families.” “Unfortunately, the trail of disrupted relationships has continued. Human beings have an undeniable need to be connected and our most natural connection systems are our families. But when kids enter the system they often become very disconnected, which I believe is at the root of their behavioral outbursts, emotional instability, academic struggles, and other issues.”
Mentoring gives foster care teens a listening ear and a friend to guide them through their struggles. Mentoring relationships begun while foster care kids are in their mid-teens can be beneficial as the kids become more independent. Consider these mentoring possibilities:
- Mentor through the internet. VMentor.com allows mentors to form relationships with a foster care teens aged 16-23. This virtual mentoring system matches teens and mentors according to their interests and career aspirations. Each week, mentors communicate with their teens completely through email.
- Mentor through a local organization. Many local foster agencies provide mentorship programs for kids in foster care. These programs are often flexible, and allow mentors to set their own appointments according to their schedule. Simply call your nearest foster care agency to find out what opportunities are available.
- Mentor through a college program. College can be a challenge for foster care teens that don’t have home support. Ask the guidance office of your local college if the school provides a mentoring program for incoming foster care freshmen.
I currently mentor a 13 year-old girl who lives in a foster home with her twin sister. She is amazingly well-adjusted, but can’t understand why she can’t live with her biological mother. I don’t know either, and I don’t really want to know. Instead, I hope I give her a constant relationship in her life that provides stability. I track her progress in sports, school and socially. I never make judgements, but I let her know that each of these things are important to me. It’s not my role to punish or reward her. I am the one person she know will be there without exception. And, she says, that’s enough.
Think about mentoring… The rewards are – like the commercial says – priceless. Both for you, and the youth you mentor.
Accelerate brand loyalty and retail sales with Social Media Marketing
“If you advertise to your audience, it’s one-way communication. Engage your audience through social media and you build a relationship.” – Cinde J. Dolphin, Marketing for Mavericks
In the wine industry, social media is a no/low cost worldwide forum to discuss and recommend viticulture services and wine labels. It’s the equivalent of a casual tasting room discussion — online.
Customers “virtually” visit your business by using Facebook, Twitter and other key sites. After a great experience, the same customers become ambassadors – providing testimonials about product and services that are honest and immediate. In turn, it provides your sales team with positive responses to leverage with new clients — converting them to buying customers. Plus, social media is a research tool, keeping a finger on the pulse of what is being said about you, your brands and your competition.
We Combine Search Engine Optimization, Social Marketing and Public Relations
The best way to reach online audiences is to be so well optimized that they find your site first during initial search results on Google and other search engines. We’ll increase links from your website to and from other sites that will help generate group posts and generate online conversations. A public relations campaign will drive more online media mentions and thereby drive more traffic to your website.
We Provide Web Analytics, Tracking and Reporting
We can measure traffic to your social network, allowing us to gain detailed demographic information about your audience and their online activities. And, we’ll constantly refine the messages and activities for maximum effectiveness. You’ll gain perspective about your customer base, including vital members of the retail channel.
Overview of What You Can Expect
Current Online audit ~ Search Engine Optimization ~ Editorial Calendar ~ Monthly PR Strategy ~ Social Media Daily Updates ~ Sales Staff Education
Contact us @ cinde.dolphin@marketingformavicks.com for more information.
Winning From the Ground Up
I’m working with a coalition in Sacramento, with a vision of building Complete Streets in the metro area. I believe in the organization’s mission for a number of reasons. Here’s one of them.
First – Complete Streets means safe streets for walkers, school children, bikers and even motorists. The actual design of a sidewalk and intersection can either encourage folks to be on the street, or to jump into their vehicle and drive to even the closest destination, maybe four or five blocks away. Those who advocate for Complete Streets, ask that the needs of all who use it be considered in equal portions.
If you’re a parent, you’re well-aware of this, but when I have to drive past a schoolyard during morning or afternoon hours – the bottleneck of vehicles is amazing. Not only does is create really poor air quality for the kids jumping in and out of cars, but it statistically improves the chances of an accident – or even worse, an injured child.
Imagine, if you will, a safe traffic area for students so walking and biking to school is actually preferable. And I mean preferable to the kids, in addition to the parents — by providing intersections that discourage vehicle traffic and encourage foot traffic. Lanes that allow bikes true right-of-way and cars are considered secondary. Kids that arrive from distant home locations where cycling or walking are not an option, can safely disembark from the car a few blocks away, because designers of surrounding walkways provided adequate safety measures for the walking commuter. So, I hope you get my drift…
But the add-on benefit is the additional exercise for your kid. There’s a myriad of electronic devices that can take over a kid’s life. Often the need for fresh air and exercise becomes an afterthought. One of the biggest issues facing school age children is obesity. Walking and cycling to school provides some exercise and encourages social interaction away from gadgets. When bike-riding kids get together, they find the fun in showing off, racing or (dare I sat it) flirting! It encourages more interaction with people and thereby building friendships and social networks.
I’ve just started working with Complete Streets, so I’ve got more to learn. So far, there seems to be some solid reasons to become an advocate. There’s an interesting article from the Brookings Institute: Sacramento’s Transit-Oriented Development Plan. Sacramento can lead the nation in being a walkable, transit-friendly community. But the infrastructure needs to be from the “ground up.” It’s not too late, but we must start now. Please share your thoughts and comments.
Get Sick Early
While running this morning, I started thinking about health care in a personal sense. Ya, I know… boring. Your mom told you more than you ever want to know about keeping your ears clean and scrubbing between your toes. I’m talking about living healthy — walking regularly, being active, eating reasonable foods.
I had dinner with a high school buddy last night – we’ll call him Joe. Joe was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes when he was 12. Docs told him he’d be lucky to see his 30th birthday. We’re both 56.
I’ve survived three bouts of cancer. The first required a “lobectomy” (removing a lung) and the other two required chemo and radiation.
The point is that both “Joe” and I are probably the two of the healthiest people in our graduating class – ironically. We experienced “loss of health” first-hand, while classmates take health for granted. Life-threatening illness causes most people to take stock of their lifestyle and re-program poor behavior. Without a crisis, folks keep bad habits and get lazy about exercise and activity.
Where’s this going? If you want to grow old and keep healthy – get sick at a young age… AND live life fully sooner. Don’t put off starting your own business. Forget your fear of change. Take a leap of faith everyday.
Social media is a free advertising medium. It allows even the smallest business to promote their product. There’s almost no upfront cost and maintenance is easy, and can be fun.
If you’ve thought about “jumping the corporate ship,” now’s the best time. Begin a business that is about what you love. Promote it through social media, and tell people why you love the business so much. Passion is a powerful thing – it makes people excited, motivated and willing to invest.
Great book to read — “Crush It” by Gary Vaynerchuk.
Follow your passion now…
