Rita's Not-So-Daily Word
December 13, 2009 -- My UK Interview With Bernie Ritchie
I had the pleasure of being interview by UK brand expert and SME business strategist Bernie Ritchie. Out meeting is testament to the power of social media marketing. We met through LinkedIn when I posted the book trailer for Painting The Invisible Man on one of LinkedIn's writing groups. Bernie contacted me about the book trailer, and we struck up an online acquaintance. I became interested in reading her blog, posted some comments; Bernie was fascinated by my novel and how I use social media to get the word out about it. I was thrilled when she asked to do an online interview, which was published on her web site, Management Sushi. Bernie also created a rather humorous, tongue-in-cheek video version of the interview.
December 10, 2009 -- Making A Difference...
In 2004 after Hurricane Charlie swept through Florida, seven-year-old Zach Bonner went door to door with his little red wagon to collect water, tarps, and other supplies. He collected 27 pick-up truckloads of supplies for those in need. Moved by the generosity of others, Zach founded the Little Red Wagon Foundation in 2005 to help underprivileged children.
In 2006 and 2007, Zach threw holiday parties for kids living in hurricane FEMA trailers and filled 2,000 backpacks with food, toiletries, candy, and toys for homeless children. Inspired by a documentary about Mildred Norman, the “Peace Pilgrim,” who walked 25,000 miles during the last 28 years of her life to spread her anti-war message, Zach decided to raise awareness by walking from his house to the White House. The 1,225-mile journey would be completed in three segments.
In 2007, Zach walked from his home in Tampa to Florida’s capitol building in Tallahassee. He raised $25,000 in 23 days. In 2008, he walked from Tallahassee to Atlanta to raise $17,000 for a Habitat for Humanity home. “Although I did not raise as much money, I think I raised a lot more awareness to the plight of homeless youth in our country,” Zach commented.
According to Ellen Bassuk, president of The National Center on Family Homelessness, approximately “1.5 million children are homeless in the USA at some point each year.” And it’s getting worse due to the “depth of the economic recession and the staggering numbers of housing foreclosures nationally.”
In 2009 Zach completed the last segment, a 668-mile trek from Atlanta to Washington. D.C. Upon his arrival in Washington, Zach met with Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss and spoke with several other U.S. Senators on Capitol Hill. While in D.C., Zach slept at the Sasha Bruce emergency shelter.
“He is a very unusual young man,” said Deborah Shore, executive director of Sasha Bruce Youthwork in Washington, D.C., which provides services for runaway and homeless teenagers, including a shelter.
Written for KidsTerrain.com. Reprinted with permission.