Around Des Moines

Goats and Gates
Mail soliciting money is rarely something that bring happiness, but I got some mail from Heifer International that did. Last week I blogged about charity and its relationship to happiness. Mentioning Heifer International, one of my favorite charities, reminded me that it was time for me to send someone another goat so when I read the letter that said if I contribute to Heifer International’s East Africa Dairy Development Project, Bill and Melinda Gates will match the gift, I was very happy. To me it feels like I am getting my money back from purchases of Microsoft Office! The Gates’s will match whatever you care to give too. Every contribution helps, and when it comes to furthering democratic principles around the globe, I’ll bet that a goat is more effective than a grenade.

A Polar Bear and Pioneer in Ghana
A local boy returned from Africa recently. Patrick Choquette was a multi-sport athlete and fine student at North High School, graduating in 2000. (I could be wrong, but on this link it looks like Patrick is in the bottom photo, first row furthest to the right.) His North High basketball coach Mel Green always spoke highly of him. He went on to Grinnell College, graduated in 2004, and like so many other Grinnell students made a social commitment. Patrick’s choice, like his father’s, was the Peace Corps. His father Kenneth Choquette also of Des Moines went to West Pakistan from 1964 to 1966. Patrick went to Ghana where he taught science… and he taught the science of basketball and built a basketball court as well! You can see it all on Cynthia Fodor’s (KCCI) wonderful video-interview outlining Patrick’s unique contributions in Ghana.

It’s pretty apparent that the world doesn’t end at the city limits. It’s a small world. To see and hear one view of how the world is changing, consider going to the Bucksbaum Lecture at Drake University on Wednesday at 7:30 pm in the Knapp Center. It’s free and open to the public. The speaker is Erik Peterson; the title is Seven Revolutions. Peterson will present a futurist’s view of how the world will look in 2025. The seven areas of revolution will be population, resource management, technology, knowledge, economic integration, conflict, and governance. Grinnell graduate ‘66 and Drake University President David Maxwell was so impressed with Erik Peterson when he visited Drake in a more closed setting two years ago, that he has arranged for Wednesday’s public return at the Knapp Center. Take advantage.

Guest Writer: James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.

Credit:
Photo on flickr by l’insouciant1
Photo on flickr by soldiersmediacenter

Technorati Tags: Iowa, Des Moines, Central Iowa News

Charity makes you happier.

I ran across this summary of an article about charity and happiness last week on BBC News.

The original study appeared in the March 21, 2008 issue of Science, a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. You can read the abstract free on-line or you can read the whole article free at the Des Moines Central Library at 1000 Grand Avenue or the Franklin Avenue Library at 5000 Franklin Avenue.

The author of the article suggests that how we spend our money - especially in charitable ways - may be as important to our happiness as how much we make. (Good thing for me!)

If you itemize deductions, you are reminded at tax time of how you spend your money on others. Thus, that may be a good time to reexamine the question of charity. Reexamination is always healthy for me.

Are you wondering how you share some of what has been provided to you?

First, most Iowans think of their places of spiritual renewal (church, synagogue, mosque, or maybe even something less traditional).

Second, don’t forget the groups that help others around Des Moines like

• Des Moines Area Religious Council
• Catholic Charities
• United Way of Central Iowa
• Children & Families of Iowa
• Young Women’s Resource Center

In the blog and the links, you will find those five and many more than 100 other charitable groups in our community.

Third, remember the places that rely on our support that are fun for the family and make our lives richer

• Blank Park Zoo
• The Great Ape Trust
• The Science Center of Iowa
• State Historical Museum of Iowa
• The Iowa Hall of Pride
• The Des Moines Art Center
• The Des Moines Symphony
• Ballet Des Moines
• Iowa Public Television
• Iowa Public Radio
• Animal Rescue League of Iowa

Fourth, remember you can give goods as well. The Purple Wren always talks about releasing goods to the universe so that someone who needs them (more than she and I do) can treasure them - goods that may once have been a treasure in our lives, goods that still have value but a value that is no longer as urgent for us. Thanks, Purple Wren. (Of course, Mr. Frugal always checks the boxes so that nothing sneaks out the door.) There are many good places to share such items in order to allow others to put them to better use.

• St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
• Goodwill Industries
• DAV
• other thrift stores
• Books can go to Planned Parenthood
• or you can give blood at The Blood Center of Iowa

Getting back to the basic message that giving makes us happy, I know the one contribution that always makes me happiest: Heifer International, a group dedicated in part to providing animals to support the self-sufficiency of children and families around the world. Take a look at their gift catalog.

A former student of mine spent six months in Namibia in southern Africa. On her return she talked about what she ate - goat’s milk, goat cheese, and goat meat - and about how families in the area in which she worked depended on their goats for life itself. That has left me with a very vivid and meaningful picture of what it means for a family somewhere in the world to receive a goat. When I send money to Heifer International for a goat, it does make me happy, and I think healthier too.

I really didn’t need a scientist to tell me all of this. My mother told me. Here are some wonderful single sentence views of charity offered by John D. Rockefeller II, Barbara Bush, Anne Frank, Maya Angelou, Winston Churchill and others.

Find a charity that brings you joy when you contribute.

Guest Writer: James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.

Technorati Tags: Iowa, Des Moines, Central Iowa News, Local Charities

Photo on Technorati by Mr. Kris

The Des Moines Public Schools School Board voted 4-2 at its March 11, 2008, meeting to in favor of a resolution to create a district-wide foundation. This foundation would be a not-for-profit entity that could receive grants and tax-exempt donations for which the district, as a governmental body, does not qualify. The nay votes were cast by Board Vice President Ginny Strong and Board Member Connie Boesen. They wanted the foundation’s scope to be limited to pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. The majority favored including Grades 9 to 12, while placing an emphasis on pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. All of the high schools either have or are developing their own individual foundations.

Superintendent Dr. Nancy Sebring worked with a foundation when she was at a Colorado school district. The feasibility of creating a foundation in the DMPS district was studied by a committee authorized by the board in February 2007. Members of that committee were appointed by each board member and by the superintendent. Support was provided by the National School Foundation Association (NSFA), which is based in Des Moines.

NSFA is a product of the 21st century. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, secured by the efforts of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a website was developed under the oversight of Dr. David Else of the University of Northern Iowa’s College of Education. The purpose of NSFA, the organizations from which it was formed, and the website is to provide information that aids in the start-up and sustainability of K-12 school foundations. The organization is partnered with the Iowa Association of School Boards. Both groups have offices at 6000 Grand Avenue.

The benefits of being able to pursue grants that can be given only to organizations to which the IRS has given 501(c)3 status was the basic reason the study committee recommended a foundation. There were general ideas that such grants and donations that a foundation might receive could help provide classroom supplies, make school facilities more appealing, and contain rising property taxes. However, the specific mission and purpose of the foundation will need to be set by a new committee.

There was opposition to the foundation on the feasibility committee. At the school board meeting and in the main text of the written minority report made by dissenting committee members, the emphasis was placed on how a district-wide foundation could compete with donations to individual high school foundations. This concern was expressed in terms of individual donors, corporate foundations, and local business partnerships. A list of concerns in the written report goes much farther, though. It questions the cost of creating “an all-encompassing foundation,” “oversight of the entity” and that “[t]he governing board will not adequately reflect the needs and desires of all of the schools in the district.” The dissenting members of the committee believe there needs to be “[a] wider, more transparent discussion in Des Moines at large….”

A new committee is being formed to decide how to implement the foundation. Its work should take place between March and August with the first meeting of the new foundation in August or September 2008. Decisions to be made include the name of the foundation, as well as its vision, mission, and purpose statements. A list of issues for the formation committee to address includes developing by-laws and filing articles of incorporation with the state, identifying “potential permanent board members,” establishing a budget, and seeking community support. The foundation will have a memorandum of understanding with the school board and a member of the board will be an ex-officio member of the foundation’s board.

M.R. Field covers the school board meetings for AroundDesMoines.com. 

What does it mean to empower women? What is the definition of success? What are the tools and the resources needed to be successful? For the Women’s Alliance, the answer begins with its vision statement: “All women and girls in Greater Des Moines are economically self-sufficient and do not live in conditions of poverty.”

The Women’s Alliance is a project of the Chrysalis Foundation. The Chrysalis Foundation was founded in 1989 with an endowment from the late Louise Noun. It funds programs that help women and girls in Polk, Story, and Warren counties. The alliance is a project that brings together representatives from non-profit and governmental service agencies, and the occasional for-profit business. My business is part of that partnership.

Women’s Alliance partners met in several meetings over the past two years. Discussions included the definition of self-sufficiency and the particular skills and assistance needed in education, housing, and healthcare to achieve economic empowerment. With that information identified, the Chrysalis Foundation was able to issue requests for proposals so that it could fund projects that would help the Women’s Alliance reach goals set in the meetings. Another meeting, facilitated by Martha McCormick of Next Step Incorporated, was held in February 2008 to discuss the next phase of the alliance.

McCormick used a military theme to guide the meeting. She started by asking participants to identify what role they would serve in an army. Apparently all those novels set during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars that I read in my youth, as well as more recent non-fiction reading, left me being the most knowledgeable about military structure. One person vocalized that it was disconcerting to use war-evoking themes when talking about social services. Nevertheless, the answers revealed that there are several roles in any battle. There was the Corporal O’Reilly who keeps things running, the foot soldier who does the grunt work, the sergeant who attracts and shapes new recruits, the marauding scout who finds and disrupts opposition, the West Point analyst who takes successful strategies and turns them into new training courses, and the chaplain who counsels everyone else.

Another exercise was for participants to identify items that are being fought by women seeking self-sufficiency and for resources each alliance member brings to the war effort. The challenges ranged from internal expectations to physical limitations to external attitudes. The resources ranged from the motivational to the personal and on to specific services. As groups set about to put the lists into some order it became very clear that different interpretations were being assigned to the same items. For example, what is meant by “family values?” Is it the concept that there is a man and woman, married to each other, who have children? Or, is it the concept that each family has its own history and cultural story that can offer strength to an individual struggling to break out of poverty?

Any item in the list of challenges that was created could apply to a person who is not living in poverty. Yet, I thought of writing this post when I saw all the items that participants had thought of during the meeting. That was because I don’t believe most people understand the number and variety of problems encountered by women and girls at the lowest socio-economic levels of our society. Those challenges identified include: fear, prejudice, ignorance, bias, indoctrination, violence, media images, low expectations, need for immediate gratification, shattering of dreams, lack of love/compassion, lack of respect, put downs (e.g., too smart, too easy), poor parenting skills, failed family structure, depression, anxiety, stress, insufficient housing, poor transportation, lack of education, lack of childcare resources, lack of healthcare resources, lack of negotiation, low wages, teen pregnancy, sexually-transmitted diseases, and poor nutrition.

One part of the resources list came about because some participants in the meeting had previously commented that high schools in Des Moines do not have the spirit-building symbols of earlier times. Other resources describe what individuals can offer, what professionals provide, and what a partnership can do. The list includes: mascots, toys, fun, creativity, talking, listening, being inviting, gender-specific services, licensed counselors, money (e.g., sliding-scale payments, program funding), passion, optimism, personal energy, training, education, historical data, years of experience, ear of policymakers, ability to meet with legislators, diversity in programs, rights, clout, social capital, volunteers, male allies, friends, families, and bringing people to the table.

At the end of the process, the consensus was that the Women’s Alliance should continue with a few meetings each year. The majority of participants wanted opportunities to learn about each other’s services and agencies. My goal is to help bring that information to the general public so more people understand what is at stake and how they can help.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. 

AroundDesMoines.com has received requests from readers for more information about holiday goings-on. There are many events on our calendars and Christmas activities are getting mixed in with political showcases and professional development meetings. There is no way I am going to be able to list everything that is happening in the next four weeks, but I will try to capture an array of seasonal celebrations.

Holiday Carols in Concert will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 29th at the Central Presbyterian Church (39th and Grand) by the Southwestern Community College Concert Choir. December 2nd is the first Sunday of Advent. Look for other church-based holiday celebrations in this period leading up to Christmas Day.

In the spirit of the season, please consider donating to the Salvation Army’s 2007 Miracle of the Bell campaign. Money is tight for several households this year, but money raised through the kettle donations helps central Iowa families, your neighbors. Buy your gifts with cash and drop the change in the kettles. You could have a little less weight to carry around as you shop and a whole lot less debt to move around in 2008.

Another fundraising event special to this time of year is Jolly Holiday Lights at Waterworks Park (off of Fleur Drive). Driving through the display costs $9 per car and may be done from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. through January 1st. The money goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Public transit doesn’t pass by the park and it is too cold to walk there, so I cannot speak personally about this event. Several news publications across the country ran an Associated Press travel story on November 18th that mentioned this Des Moines light show.

If you like to shop at the malls, no doubt you will find a Santa, maybe some elves, and other entertainment to entice you to spend your money on photographs, train rides, or in toy stores. I also noticed a sign in one of the local grocery stores that Santa would make an appearance on Saturday, December 1st, so keep your eyes open for these assorted visits from the North Pole.

You can support up to 300 craft folks at the Fairgrounds from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, November 30th and then during the day on Saturday and Sunday, December 1st and 2nd. A smaller venue of such folks can be found on Craft Saturday, December 8th, at Vaudeville Mews on Fourth Street.

Valley Junction has two more Holiday Open Houses on Thursdays (November 29th and December 6th) from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. These offer a mix of local, artistic, and fair trade shopping choices. In years past I have watched lunch-time performances from the skywalk near the Kaleidoscope and expect there will be some this year. In addition, there is another Holiday (Farmers) Market on Saturday, December 15th at Capital Square and Nollen Plaza.

In the evenings, there is the fun of ice skating at Brenton Plaza. Maybe we should start a tradition of a Christmas tree in the parking lot across Robert D. Ray Drive from the rink.

Yes, I did save the big events for last. The Radio City Music Spectacular brings the Rockettes to Des Moines from Thursday, December 6th through December 30th. The Des Moines Ballet performs the Nutcracker at Hoyt Sherman Place on December 7th through the 9th with a special gala and silent auction the evening of Saturday, December 8th.

The Weekend Pick posts on Thursdays may include other seasonal events. In addition, I will try to have another special holiday selection post next week.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.

On July 2 of this year, Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa (PPGI) left the Sherman Hill neighborhood where it had been since 1934. Recently, I spoke with Marketing Generalist Katie Bradshaw about the past, present, and future of PPGI. The history of PPGI and the organizations that proceeded it parallels the story of birth control and reproductive health in the United States. Looking at the PPGI of today and being old enough to have witnessed some of the challenges planned parenthood services faced throughout the 20th Century, I want to write a book about how the women of Iowa helped to build this amazing service organization. That is not the purpose of this blog, however.

PPGI has 16 clinics in Iowa, from Sioux City to Bettendorf. There are 3 clinics in Des Moines, including one for general family practice medical care. The organization provides services to 45,000 people a year. The clinics are usually open on weekdays, but not all clinics provide a full
range of services. This may be due to cost of machines and/or to the
availability of qualified personnel to perform procedures. For example, not
all of the clinics are able to provide a colposcopy test.

Providing contraceptives and an environment in which issues of birth control and sexual activity can be discussed openly and without prejudice continue to be core services of PPGI. There are many other reasons to visit Planned Parenthood, though. Men can get tested for testicular cancer. Both genders can be tested for sexually-transmitted infections and for HIV. Women can receive menopause-related services. Basic medical care is available at the clinic at 200 Army Post Road (515-953-7560).

Women who are pregnant can talk with someone at PPGI about options. The organization is partnered with the Avalon Center for adoption services and still offers abortion care, which represents about 3% of PPGI services provided.

The idea of prevention and wellness in health care, as well as personal responsibility, is a major political theme this year. Planned Parenthood first believed in the concept of prevention and personal control over one’s health decades ago. Today that belief is given substance through PPGI’s Education and Resource Center. Alas, I am pushing my word limit and cannot go into details about this wonderful tool available to the general public.

PPGI has about 160 people on staff, including medical professionals and
administrators. There are also many volunteers and financial contributors.
The PPGI book sale is always a big event and raises money to help with
education. On July 19, at 11:30 a.m., Helen Thomas will be speaking at a
fundraiser. (Disclosure: I contribute to Planned Parenthood and have
contributed copies of Leading Voices: Iowa to the PPGI book sale.)

If you need the services, don’t hesitate to call PPGI. If you have the time
and/or money to share, don’t hesitate to call PPGI.

Guest Author: M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.

Twenty-some years ago, artist/teacher Peter Feldstein followed through on a notion to photograph each resident in his new-found home of Oxford, Iowa. Two decades later the townspeople came before Feldstein’s camera once again, this time telling their stories to University of Iowa collegue Stephen G. Bloom. The result - a photo-and-text exhibition entitled “The Oxford Project: Who We Are” - is a candid look into the effects on time on a community.

Sixteen sets of Feldstein’s photographs and Bloom’s texts are now on display at the Des Moines Art Center (through April 29), as part of the Oxford project, which has been profiled in the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine and on ABC World News Tonight. The attention comes as a welcome surprise considering the project’s humble beginnings.

During the summer of 1984, University of Iowa professor Peter Feldstein hoped to convince Oxford’s entire population of 673 into sitting for a free portraits. Feldstein had been inspired by Arkansas artist Mike Meyer (also known as Mike Disfarmer), famous for snapshots of his neighbors taken in the 1940s.

Homemade signs and word-of-mouth publicity slowly brought the townspeople in. By summer’s end, Feldstein had photographed 670 Oxford residents, each dressed in come-as-you-are fashion with no posing or photographer-supplied props. The collected photos were kept on display for a time, then filed away, almost forgotten. Until recent years.

In 2005, Feldstein asked U of I colleague and writer Stephen G. Bloom to join him in revisiting the Oxford project. Bloom’s job was to capture the story of each resident returning for a photo.

Once again word spread in the small town of Oxford and over 100 participants returned for a second portrait. Many shared poignant personal stories from the intervening 21 years, causing Bloom to postulate, “Two decades is a long time. Or is it? People change. Or do they? Peter’s time-lapse photographs pose those questions, and they remind us of who we dreamed we would become and who we turned out to be.”
Guest Author: Brenda Friedrich

technorati tags: Home Turf Media, Iowa, Des Moines Art Center, Peter Feldstein, The Oxford Project, Stephen G. Bloom, Oxford Iowa

Winter blues? Here’s something different! The 801 Grand Power Climb is a 630-foot ascent to the top of the Principal Building, the tallest building in Iowa. Take the challenge to race up 41 flights of stairs to the summit. Starting at 8 am, climbers will take off in 15-second intervals. Participants can run, walk, or both. First-timers can opt to climb 18 floors.

The climb is a benefit for Cures, Clean Air and Smoke-free Kids of the American Lung Association. Registration is $40, plus a minimum of $60 in donations. T-shirt, photo and refreshments included. Deadline to register is Feb. 17. Call 515.309.9507 for details and registration.

technorati tags: Home Turf Media, Des Moines, Iowa, 801 Grand Power Climb, American Lung Association