Stand With Ukraine (Links Updated 3/30)

We all know what has been happening over the last few weeks. It’s horrible, and heartbreaking, and very worrisome. But let’s try to take one day at a time and focus on the matter at hand, which at the moment is refugees fleeing Ukraine. They need immediate help, so I’ve collected a few links to leave here. I’m sure you’ve seen most of this already since I waited so long to post, but I think it’s important to write something about this and provide a list of ways to help. The situation is ongoing for a while, I assume.

https://www.today.com/news/news/5-verified-charities-working-help-ukrainians-invasion-rcna17590

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ways-to-help-ukraine-conflict/

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/25/1082992947/ukraine-support-help

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/09/heres-a-list-of-top-rated-charities-to-help-the-ukraine-relief-effort.html

I can say for sure that Direct Relief has already sent 48 tons of supplies, with 50 more on the way.

https://www.directrelief.org/2022/03/operational-update-48-tons-of-medical-aid-provided-to-ukraine-since-start-of-conflict/

Here’s a list of organizations helping pets.

https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/a39487284/help-pets-ukraine-war/

And World Central Kitchen has been on site feeding refugees at various borders for nearly a month.

https://wck.org/

Thanks always to the helpers, as Mr. Rogers used to say. That includes all who are donating to these good causes, standing up for Ukraine, and spreading the word on how to assist survivors.

Let's do what we can.

Thank you, Dr. Farmer

 

I am heartbroken to see this terrible news.

I have read his biography and followed for many years.

The loss of Dr. Paul Farmer is an immense loss for the world.

Partners In Health will continue to serve, if interested in helping.

(I am not affiliated with either link I shared. Just a supporter.)

Heartland Tornado Relief

The photos, reports, text messages, tweets...they're all devastating. 

Let's do what we can to help.

Organizations local to Kentucky that are helping

https://www.wymt.com/2021/12/11/here-is-how-you-can-help-western-kentucky-tornado-victims/

World Central Kitchen is on the ground providing meals. They do great work worldwide. Remember to designate funds toward heartland tornado relief.

The State of Kentucky has their own fund set up, if you wanted to go that route for some reason. This is not an endorsement. https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/WKYRelief

PLEASE GIVE BLOOD IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE!

As a regular blood donor I am aware of restrictions that prevent so many from donating blood. It is imperative that you consider it if you are able to give. Thanks!

More info:

https://google.com/amp/s/wfpl.org/heres-how-you-can-help-tornado-victims/amp/

Operation BBQ Relief is already there as well. Great organization, and I’ve known a few people who have personally volunteered with them in the past. They have a gofundme set up here.

The usual nationwide disaster non-profits are on board (Red Cross, Salvation Army, Direct Relief, etc.) but I don't have a lot of details to share. By all means, if that is your preference, find them online.

If anyone has additional info on how to help, feel free to send it my way.

Hurricane Ida Relief

Yes, yes, I know. I'm terrible.

Louisiana is going to need assistance for a long time. Here's how you can help:

Cajun Navy Relief - cajunnavy-forms.nogginoca.com/donate.html

All Hands and Hearts - allhandsandhearts.org 

Project HOPE - projecthope.org

World Central Kitchen - wck.org

Direct Relief - directrelief.org

I know how hard it is to move forward after your life and livelihood have been wrecked. My heart goes out to them. I'm too sick and poor to do anything but share info these days, but I do what I can when I can. We did have the storm here as well, but to a very small degree in comparison. My brother and I lost power for about 5 hours, but were otherwise fine.

Thanks for all you do to help those in need.

15 Years Since Katrina, and Laura Relief Info

Every time I leave my apartment, I see evidence of Hurricane Katrina right in front of my face in the form of a rusted metal sign that used to say Sonic Drive-In. Now, it simply says the word “Closed”, and has remained that way for 15 years.

Mom experienced Camille in ‘69 and talked about it the rest of her life. Ask anyone who loses everything overnight, and they will tell you that feeling stays. Despite moving on, Katrina has never truly left me.

And at this moment, there are people in Texas and Louisiana who are wearing that unwanted badge. Let’s help them if we can.

Heaven knows they came to our aid even when others failed to.

I won’t forget. I couldn’t if I tried.

Worldwide disaster relief, including Hurricane Laura:

https://www.directrelief.org/

Free meals in affected areas:

https://wck.org/

https://operationbbqrelief.org/

News reports with many ways to help:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/us/hurricane-laura-how-to-help.html

https://www.wlox.com/2020/08/27/list-louisiana-relief-donation-locations/

Thanks for reading.

T-Shirts to End Systemic Racism

END SYSTEMIC RACISM: https://www.ebay.com/sch/ugottafriend/m.html

I am selling shirts, fulfilled by Printful, Inc., with all profits going to Color of Change.

I've already sold a few. Here's a screenshot of the latest donation.

Thanks for considering.

I will post Hurricane Laura relief updates next.

The Color of Change

I'm sure I don't have to say what this is about. If you're on my social media, you know how I feel about the murder of George Floyd and all other hate crimes. Here is my latest statement, just in case.

I'm so sick of seeing this in my country, and I'm a white southerner. Just try to imagine how people of color feel. It's 2020 and we're in a senseless race war, encouraged by a fascist government. How in the hell did this happen? I still can't fully wrap my brain around it.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream account on Twitter follows me. We've talked a little. They have spent years speaking out against systemic racism in this country, and if they suggest a non-profit, I listen.

They've partnered with Color of Change to help fight racial bias, and I wanted to make that known here. I've started following, and I'm paying attention to what's happening in my area. There is a peaceful protest planned on Sunday, and I hope to feel like attending (in a mask, from a distance).

We live in a society, and it is our duty as citizens to call out and extinguish injustice.

May Daze

The gang's all here.

Admittingly bored of this social distancing thing.

I've been missing soccer, so when my team ran a charity sale, I ordered a shirt. It's the most comfortable shirt I've ever owned, so I'm happy. And they gave a percentage to Feeding America, which makes me even happier. ¡Vamos!

I finally took some supplies out of storage and made coasters. They turned out great! As always, there are more art (and food) photos on Instagram @ ugottafriend.

I haven't felt well at all this month, but I got up one day, attempted to look human, and went to donate blood. Everything went as planned...until I left the facility. I drove five minutes to a taco shop, and passed out while trying to pay. They handled it very well, and after some recovery time in their restaurant with snacks and drinks, I was accompanied to my car and I made it home in one piece. I am so grateful that didn't happen while I was driving, and also grateful I didn't end up in the ER. Thanks especially to a young man named Marcos who assisted me the entire time. He was very patient and kind, and didn't hesitate to help me in spite of social distancing orders. It was upsetting and embarrassing, and dangerous, needless to say. I'll have to stop donating blood, sadly.

I do have more to talk about before the end of the month. I don't feel it's appropriate to cram it all into one entry, so other posts are coming up.

2019-2020 Disaster Relief: Wildfires, Tornadoes, Water, Food, Pandemic

I apologize for dropping the ball on this. I did share a lot on Twitter and a little on Facebook about how to help those affected by disasters over the past year, but didn't do a very good job of bringing that to light on my own blog.

At any rate, there is so much going on. The entire world seems to be overwhelmed by something, whether it's only the pandemic (which is enough, to say the least), or the pandemic plus natural disasters, there is a lot of devastation out there.

I've found an organization that is addressing all of the things, and they have a four-star rating from Charity Navigator: Direct Relief. This should be the go-to, in my opinion, for all disaster-related assistance. We all know there are other orgs, but I have reasons for not wanting to promote them.

Direct Relief is currently my recommendation.

If you want to help specifically with providing clean water around the world, Charity:Water is the place.

If food banks and giving kids enough to eat is a concern, support Feeding America.

I hope this helps. Thanks for caring.

What's Going On: Mid-April

Pardon my plainness, but you know me by now.

I'm not a beauty queen. Never will be.

I had to go to the post office today, thus a mask.

Funny coincidence, I found that mask in the kitchen drawer.

I had received it as a sample in the mail in 2018.

I looked it up, and the company doesn't even exist anymore.

What luck, huh? It's more comfortable than my cloth masks.

I received my order from Sizzlefish.

I am very impressed so far! Yay!

It has been another rough week.

I don't really know what to say.

At least other INFJs understand.

I've been trying to keep myself distracted.

I found Memrise, and it is helping me learn Spanish.

This email made me very happy.

I'm amazed that Charity Water keeps such close track of donations that they can tell me when and how my $$ are being spent. It has a great rating for a reason.

Hurricane Dorian Relief

Credit: Forbes

My friend Kelly over at Live Life Logically has compiled a list of ways to help those affected by Hurricane Dorian. You can find it here. Thanks Kelly!

March update, and a little bit of February too.

Books read:

Complementary Approaches To Pain by NIH and NCCIH (quick summaries of alternative techniques such as acupuncture...not terribly useful in my opinion)

Women In Sports by Rachel Ignotofsky (good)

Women In Science by Rachel Ignotofsky (highly recommend)

The Gingerbread Girl by Stephen King (bad, lazy, not King quality, possibly ghost-written or either written on a day he was really bored)

Love Poems by Pablo Neruda (nice enough, a bit sexual at times, very Song of Solomon)

Books in Progress:

Stillllll working on Anam Cara. It's spiritually heavy, and it's going to take a while to get through. It's pretty, I will say that.

I started Learn French with Paul Noble. I seem to understand it well while I'm listening to it and speaking along, but I don't believe I would understand more than a few words if I visited France, or even the hometown of my 8x Great Grandfather in Quebec (that would be Montreal, yes, he was a founder and trustee). My brain is mush, but I'll continue studying to see if I can improve.

I have Beauty For Ashes by Joyce Myers in my possession, but I haven't made it through a chapter yet. I do intend to read it. If I can find it in eBook or audio form, I'm more likely to do this sooner (vision-impaired). For now, my local coffee shop let me borrow the hard copy.

Someone very kindly sent me three audiobooks on Amazon as a gift today. I will be reading all three as soon as possible, and will elaborate when I do.

Art Stuff:

Credit:
https://twitter.com/twitrartexhibit/status/1105397743634313217

The folks at Twitter Art Exhibit received my postcard (top middle) in Scotland! I was excited to see it among the others. The reception is in May, and I'll give more info when I know it.

I have other projects I want to work on, but I have been too weak and tired to do so. I'll update my art blog with work whenever I'm able to crank it out.

I'm done with the Bob Ross company. I haven't been able to teach since my disability, but I don't like seeing how they're handling business these days. It appears that instructors are being thrown under the bus, so to speak, and a lot of them are quite unhappy with the changes. Rightfully so. Instructors have invested thousands of dollars and an incredible amount of time into doing what they do, and they make the company a lot of money. Good luck to them all. I'm sad to be disabled, but I'm glad I'm not a part of this new drama. No thanks.

I still get questions and comments and get asked for favors sometimes. I no longer teach art, and I do not do commissions. I want people to stop asking or expecting this of me. I feel the need to throw that out there, because I'm not kidding. Find somebody else, preferably someone with consistent motor skills and the ability to follow a schedule. Seriously. I'm done.

Food:

I'm super frustrated with my multiple diets and their associated conditions. I will talk about it all in a separate post.

Misc:

I went to therapy and Internal Medicine. I'll have to make my visit with Dr. B a separate post. It was more eventful than expected. Coming up: the eye doctor who I have not seen in three years (he's great), and nephrology (he's great too).

My birthday is in 10 days, and I have zero plans. I do hope to raise $100 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, though. Feel free to check out my Facebook on how to help, if you're on there. You don't have to be my friend. It's public. :)

I'll ramble on about social media at a later date. I'm weary.

Systemic disease is a beast. It's not even 7 P.M. but I'm curled up in bed. That's become my normal again. Hopefully better days are ahead. Good night.

2018 Project for Awesome

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/project-for-awesome-2018?#/

Some of my favorite people are hosting another annual Project for Awesome!

Organizations who will benefit include Save The Children and Partners In Health.

The funding page (linked under the photo) has launched, and the live stream begins tomorrow.

Goooooooo!

Want to help 100 kids for 19 bucks?

Seeing as my own father barely survived Polio in infancy, this is a pretty significant thing for me personally. I'm really glad I saw it on Twitter.

https://www.market.unicefusa.org/inspired-gifts/polio-vaccines-to-protect-100-children/S359190/

What a small sacrifice to potentially save 100 lives. We can thank Jonas Salk for choosing not to patent the vaccine, making it affordable and accessible. We owe it to him that Poliomyelitis is nearing worldwide eradication today. Let's keep it going.

A couple of links to help folks affected by the California wildfires

I could research for days and not do any better than NYT did on this list. Check it out.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/11/reader-center/california-fires-how-to-help.html

Sean Astin is also raising funds, and giving some of his own. He's a trustworthy source and will make sure money does directly into the hands of people in his region who've been affected. He and his family evacuated, but thankfully did not lose their home.

https://www.gofundme.com/woolsey-fire-support

As I'm sure you're aware, there have been so many losses. This is the largest wildfire disaster in California history. I've lost a great deal in hurricanes, but I can't imagine a fire loss. It is one of my worst nightmares, and it breaks my heart to see what's happening.

Let's help people if we can.

Hurricane and Tsunami Relief 2018

I apologize for the delay in regards to the recent natural disasters. I've had a turbulent time in my head lately. I did some mild prep for Hurricane Michael, but it missed me completely, and I do not take that for granted whatsoever. I'm devastated for the Florida gulf coast and parts of Georgia in their immense loss and suffering. All of the memories of Hurricane Katrina came back, and I'm sad to know that others are now living the nightmare that my neighbors and I once did.

While my site was offline, a tsunami occurred in Indonesia, and Hurricane Florence caused terrible flooding in the Carolinas. All of these folks still need a lot of help. I can tell you first-hand that disaster recovery is a terribly long and stressful process.

I felt like the best thing to do was consult Charity Navigator for a list of organizations aiding the areas in need. Following are the links to those lists:

Hurricane Michael: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=6806

Hurricane Florence: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=6709

Indonesian Tsunami: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=6781

As always, Operation BBQ Relief has deployed to both hurricane-affected areas in the U.S. to cook and serve free hot meals. I've followed them for years, and they are as legitimate as it gets. Strictly volunteer-driven, these folks have served over two million BBQ dinners since their launch in 2011. They often need volunteers and always need monetary donations.

Let's keep everyone in our thoughts.

California Wildfire Disaster - How To Help

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-to-help-the-victims-of-the-california-wildfires

The above information is the best I could find in regards to a list of organizations who are assisting people in this horrendous tragedy. If you want to help, please visit the link above and take your pick.

I can't think of a single thing to add. This is just so sad.

Immigration and Refugee Support

I'm going to share a page from Charity Navigator that offers a list of non-profit organizations who are focused on immigrants and refugees.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=4665

Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows how I feel about these issues, and they know how I feel about what's currently happening to children and families on the border. I'm not going to elaborate here, as you are plenty informed if you are choosing to pay attention. I am supposed to avoid stress for health reasons, but that has been an impossible dream, especially since this country was taken over by racist, sexist, fascist lunatics. If you support them, you're one of them, and the only hope lies in your eventual eradication. If what's happening to innocent children at this moment doesn't matter to you, your soul is dead. Nothing I say here will change the heart of a monster. 

My opinion is that you either believe in equal human rights, or you're a terrible human. And frankly, I'm tired of being surrounded by terrible humans. I will remain aware, and do what is within my control to stop them.

Help For Guatemala and Puerto Rico

Guatemala is currently suffering from an eruption of Volcán de Fuego. Charity Navigator suggests giving to the following organizations who are there providing emergency services:

International Relief Teams https://www.irteams.org/

Global Giving https://www.globalgiving.org/

Catholic Relief https://www.crs.org/

Children's Hunger Fund http://childrenshungerfund.org/

World Vision https://www.worldvision.org/

Save The Children is also on site. Thanks to musician Enrique Iglesias for the heads up on that.


The situation in Puerto Rico continues to be devastating and infuriating. Our government has committed an unforgivable act in insulting and turning its back on our fellow U.S. citizens. These organizations are on the ground trying to help. Please consider:

http://dayglowmusic.org/dayglow-relief/ - They are personally flying in supplies.

https://www.google.org/crisis/puertorico-relief/ - Google is currently matching donations, which are being split between the following:

https://www.hispanicfederationunidos.org/

https://www.mercycorps.org/gallery/puerto-rico/rebuilding-puerto-rico-google


If you can't give, you can always help by spreading the word. Thanks for thinking of others in their time of need.

Noses On! It's Red Nose Day!

Today is Red Nose Day in the USA! Red Nose Day is a charity campaign started by Comic Relief, Inc in hopes of doing some good. I'm not very funny, and I don't have much money, but I can still do my part by wearing my red nose and spreading the word. That's the whole point behind ugottafriend.com, after all. In spite of my circumstances and limitations, I want to be a friend to the world in whatever way I can.

You can help! Red noses are a dollar at Walgreens and other participating locations. They are one size fits all. Trust me. If it fits my gargantuan French nose, it'll fit anybody's. :-P

Without further ado:

Red Nose Day is at http://www.rednoseday.org.

This year, they are supporting the following charities:

Feeding America is the nation's most prominent food bank distribution organization. They have a near-perfect rating on Charity Navigator.

http://www.feedingamerica.org/

Charity:Water is a fantastic organization based in New York who builds water wells all over the world to areas in great need. I have been following and promoting them for years.

https://www.charitywater.org/

Unidos is a human rights organization that focuses on Latino-Americans.

https://www.unidosus.org/

Boys and Girls Clubs of America give young people a safe place to go when they are not in school. They have programs all over the United States.

https://www.bgca.org/

I think everyone has heard of Save The Children. They've been around for decades assisting children in need all over the world.

https://www.savethechildren.org/

Covenant House tackles the hard issues of homelessness and human trafficking without discrimination of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.

https://www.covenanthouse.org/

The Global Fund is committed to saving people's lives around the world by providing access to treatment for three communicable diseases: Malaria, Tuberculosis, and AIDS.

https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/

The Children's Health Fund advocates for children's health care access whenever and wherever it is needed.

https://www.childrenshealthfund.org/

Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance is a global organization which collaborates with other organizations to bring life-saving vaccines to nations in peril.

https://www.gavi.org/

You can find some of these charities rated on Charity Navigator here:

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=6330

I think the good work that these organizations do speaks for itself.

Together, we can help make the world better. Let's do what we can.

XO