Ashley Cecil

I cannot get enough of the enthusiasm, encouraging spirit, and goodwill demonstrated by the people involved with Habitat for Humanity! Whether someone is on the giving or receiving end, there is an undeniable sense of compassion, pride, and appreciation. It’s an accomplishment that is not consistently found in other organizations. Many charitable organizations, by the nature of the issue they address, often work with clients who make it challenging for staff and volunteers to maintain their philanthropic vitality. Child advocacy groups, for example, frequently work with neglectful parents who honestly wish that you would go jump off a bridge and mind your own business. To make matters worse, most of these organizations have a terrible time recruiting and/or retaining volunteers. Conversely, Habitat for Humanity attracts a type of person in need who views the aid they receive as a miracle. They want to show their gratitude by being involved and are supported by volunteers who happily contribute a dumbfounding amount of time.

It is hard to stand for a policy or program that tries to assist a group of people who abuse or neglect the very system that selflessly works to help them (thank goodness there are those who see past the childhood baggage, poor influences, and addiction and move forward in spite of it). So, for those heavily involved in the nonprofit world, witnessing the success, efficiency, momentum, and realization of a problem solved is like the caffeine that keeps us going.

Again today, I met the soon-to-be-owner of the house I was taking pictures of. Carolyn was her name. She laughed when I asked her about the 400 hours of sweat equity she has had to put into the construction of her home. “I don’t know much. I think I sometimes get in the way.” Even if Carolyn is no master carpenter, the 2 house leaders, Donna and Chuck (sketched above), seemed happy to have her help.

Another happy Habitat day on Finzer Street.

I cannot get enough of the enthusiasm, encouraging spirit, and goodwill demonstrated by the people involved with Habitat for Humanity! Whether someone is on the giving or receiving end, there...

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, available for sale at Expressions of You Coffee Shop.
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This week I will be hanging around a few construction sites, places I typically avoid at all cost. It’s a different story when Habitat for Humanity is in charge. Although the start of my coverage of various Habitat projects was planned to start this Wednesday, I decided to get involved early by attending a house dedication on Saturday. This boy, who I later learned also lives in a Habitat house in the neighborhood, watched the ceremony from the sidewalk. He soon made his way inside along with the other guests to view the new home and greet his new neighbors.

Not often will you find as diverse a group as I saw at this dedication ceremony. A few of those in attendance were Muslim and Christian religious leaders (blessing of the home, check), a girls high school soccer team (landscaping, check), a group of African friends and family (gourmet lunch, check), a very handy, retired, white, female philanthropist (project team leader, check), and small army of devoted volunteers (completed Habitat for Humanity house, check).

The home owner gave an absolutely heart warming speech of gratitude standing above the crowd from his new front porch. He told us about his arrival to the US. Then, we learned that he is now working nights at UPS, earning a degree in sociolology, being a father to 2 sons, and until this day, had been putting in a total of 400 hours into the construction of his own home. He shook every hand and invited passersby on the street to join us for lunch.

There’s something about the double-handed handshake that exudes sincerity. You know the one, when someone shakes with one hand and cups the back of yours with the other. “I thank you very much,” was repeated by the homeowner with each shake like a broken record, but spoken each time as if it were the first.

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, available for sale at Expressions of You Coffee Shop. See all paintings available for sale. This week I will be hanging around a few...

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $220
SOLD
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8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $220 SOLD See all paintings available for sale. The thousands of homeless New Yorkers must find Thanksgiving a confronting holiday. I suppose the saying,...

10″ x 10″ oil on wood panel, $200 ($50 donated to the Blackacre Foundation).
SOLD
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“Green rolling hills and lush forests” – a description you would not find out of the ordinary when used to describe Kentucky. The majority of residents living in the state’s city centers, however, face a different landscape. “Urbanite” is being used in the bluegrass vernacular more and more as skyrises and contemporary condos sprinkle the cityscapes.

Amidst this growth, nonprofits such as the Blackacre Foundation are ensuring that the wellbeing and history of a piece of Kentucky’s pristine countryside, hugging Louisville’s boundaries, is preserved. The foundation places emphasis on environmental education and the heritage of its 271 acres. School kids are nearly as common as squirrels and robins since field trips are the focal point of its educational efforts.

The foundation was rewarded in ticket sales from a classy bourbon tasting at an appropriate venue, Bourbons Bistro. A bourbon expert/historian led a group of approximately 70 guests through a sampling of 6 high end bourbons, followed by a four course, bourbon based meal. Needless to say, the chic bistro was full of happy campers filled with warm spirits (both the emotional and liquid type).

10″ x 10″ oil on wood panel, $200 ($50 donated to the Blackacre Foundation). SOLD See all paintings available for sale. “Green rolling hills and lush forests” – a description...

6″ x 8″ watercolor $60 ($10 donated to Kosair Charities)
SOLD
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Can you go wrong when a baseball stadium hosts a multicultural holiday extravaganza where parents can shop for holiday decorations while volunteers keep frosting out of their youngster’s hair in the midst building gingerbread houses? The owner of these pigtails would tell you, “No way.”

The holiday season, in all of its glitz and glory, had exploded into full force at the Festival of Trees and Lights, benefiting the neonatal unit of the Kosair Children’s Hospital. Who wouldn’t have a smile on their face when you’re a little person who can freely self administer sugar to the blood stream or a big person who can buy a handcrafted wreath for the front door?

Without a doubt, the event benefited a worthy cause. Kosair Children’s Hospital, with 87 beds, has a 96.3% survival rate of some of the most medically fragile infants. This illustration should give you a solid idea of their clientele. Hard to imagine, isn’t it?

Tags: neonatal, holiday season, painting

6″ x 8″ watercolor $60 ($10 donated to Kosair Charities) SOLD See all paintings available for sale. Can you go wrong when a baseball stadium hosts a multicultural holiday extravaganza...

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $200
SOLD
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I tend to volunteer for organizations that deal with people in crisis mode. In contrast, yesterday I snapped pictures of volunteers with possibly the most relaxing and fun job of all time; pet entertainer. The title is actually “dog walker”, but essentially it consists of walking (or being walked, depending on size), playing with, petting, and in general, giving some much needed love to a full house of “homeless” four-legged residents.

The Kentucky Humane Society runs a tight ship that far exceeds its means. I was incredibly impressed by learning the private non-profit finds homes for 5,000 animals each year, all of whom are spayed/neutered, tested for diseases and parasites, immunized, evaluated and approved by an animal behaviorist, and implanted with a microchip. Somehow, all of this is possible for an average adoption rate of $135.

As I was chasing rambunctious kittens with a camera, uselessly attempting to make them pose, I watched a couple pick out a new addition to their family. The cat seemed to bond with the woman as if she had just come to pick up the lifelong companion after vacation. Here’s another success story that tempts me to take one home myself (don’t worry boyfriend of mine, I can see the look of fear on your face already).

Think Christmas guys; nothing gets you more brownie points than a puppy or kitten under a tree!
Tecnorati tags: humane society, pets, pet adoption

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $200 SOLD See all paintings available for sale. I tend to volunteer for organizations that deal with people in crisis mode. In contrast, yesterday...

8″ x 11″ oil on board, $200 ($50 donated to CRIS).

See all paintings available for sale.

Here is the final piece from this past weekend’s furniture delivering adventure (see the pervious post for more). Although our time spent was intended to specifically serve the Somali refugee clients of CRIS, we had enough furniture to spread the love to this American family of 5 living in the same apartment complex. It’s amazing how one church congregation’s junk can make a tremendous difference in the lives of 3 families, 125 miles away.

The mother’s boyfriend of the family above was in the process of moving out and taking most of the furniture with him. The family was incredibly grateful for the couch and chairs we were able to spare. The 11 church youth group members, 2 CRIS employees, and I received hugs, smiles, and on going words thanks from the families we helped. Manual labor and used furniture was the least we could offer these families coping with burdens ranging from poverty to being forced to leave a home and familiar culture.

If you’re interested in getting involved, here other national refugee resettlement organizations that would love your help.

• Find a Catholic Charities near you as many offer refugee resettlement services.
• Church World Service
• Lutheran Immigration and Resettlement Services
• Hebrew Immigration Aid Society

Technorait tags: refugees, immigration, Somalia

8″ x 11″ oil on board, $200 ($50 donated to CRIS). See all paintings available for sale. Here is the final piece from this past weekend’s furniture delivering adventure (see...

I was waiting for the rain soaking us to the bone to change to snow as our group of 11 Akron Ohio church youth group members and 2 CRIS (community refugee and immigration services) employees fumbled our way up several flights of stairs with 2 truck loads of donated furniture. Thank goodness Somalians keep the heat cranked up while adjusting to the frigid November temperatures in Columbus, Ohio.

My Saturday entailed attending an informative meeting about the refugee resettlement process, delivering furniture to 2 Somali families (as well as a third American family in need of our surplus), and finishing up with a hearty meal at a Somali restaurant. Although certainly needed and welcomed, our day’s work hardly seemed to put a dent in the broader problem. Columbus is a new home to thousands of Africans who fled their native country left uninhabitable by civil war. Columbus has the second largest Somali population in the nation (about 45,000). Many arrive in the US speaking little English, often with several children, and unprepared to acclimate to the American culture. It’s a far from perfect system they are given to work with, but nonetheless, deep appreciation was was felt for our efforts to contribute a small bit of help and support. And no matter what momentous struggles are ahead of you, having a bed to sleep in verses the floor still seems make all the difference. For more personal stories and info check out this blog.

Tomorrow I will be working on a painting from this weekend’s activities so I will leave further details for that post. But I’ll leave you with this last sketch which was one of the highlights of my day. As we repeatedly walked past the home of the boy on the right (PJ), we stirred enough curiosity to get him, his 2 brothers, single mother, and aunt outside to watch. We ended up giving them several pieces of much needed furniture that honestly was more than the 2 Somali families needed. The 2 youngest boys were completely enamored with the us and especially the boy on the left (Michael), who was one of the youth group members from Akron. I snapped a picture of both them as PJ, without missing a beat, affectionately took Michael’s hand and vigorously tried to warm it between his own after Michael had complained that his hands were cold and freezing from carrying boxes and furniture outside in the elements. I couldn’t feel my fingers, feet, or the end of my nose, but the warm fuzzies were at least keeping my spirit dry and out of the cold.

Technorait tags: refugees, immigration, Somalia

I was waiting for the rain soaking us to the bone to change to snow as our group of 11 Akron Ohio church youth group members and 2 CRIS (community...

6″ x 8″ watercolor, $60 ($10 donated to the Wolakota Foundation).

See all paintings available for sale.

Downtown and surrounded by office buildings; not a setting where you would expect to see a Chief Cherokee Indian fully outfitted in authentic clothing. Today was an exception. This week marks the Center for Interfaith Relation’s 11th annual Festival of Faiths. One of the many events scheduled for the festival was the tree planting ceremony I attended this morning, summarized in the Festival of Faith’s program as, “Many of the sacred mounds of the Cherokee in the area that is now Louisville were destroyed during building construction. Several of these sites are downtown. Chief Arvol Looking Horse and the local Cherokee and Iroquois communities will lead the tree planting in honor of Native People.”

Chief Arvol Looking Horse is quite the recognized leader as founder of the Wolakota Foundation, which has established spiritually grounded “programs for sustaining traditional teachings of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Nation as well as researching and demonstrating practices for sustainable, ecologically-balanced living.”

An eclectic mix of participants (Buddhists monks to businessmen) gathered in a circle to watch the ceremony, which closed by the circle folding in on itself as one person initiate a chain by turning to the left and shaking the hand of each person down the line. A great way to start any morning.

6″ x 8″ watercolor, $60 ($10 donated to the Wolakota Foundation). See all paintings available for sale. Downtown and surrounded by office buildings; not a setting where you would expect...

Whatever your social justice concern, you would have found educated voices speaking about it at the “Engaging Our World” conference. Paul Loeb, who researches and writes about citizen responsibility and empowerment, was a key guest speaker. Other participants included many faculty members at the University of Louisville, representatives from various nonprofits, and religious/spiritual leaders.

To squeeze in as much as possible, I brought along a friend to divvy up the workshops. Between the two of us, we heard panelists field questions on environmental issues (panelists sketched above), watched an Oxfam video presentation, learned about the cleft palate corrective surgeries that Dr. Mark Chariker performs (glad my friend was assigned to that one),

listened to representatives from “Women in Transition” explain how they help women rise above poverty (speaker and conference attendee sketched above), attended a lecture on Humanity and Sustainability, and created models of “ideal communities” with ACTIVE Living that best enable active lifestyles that fight obesity.

The conference planning committee didn’t just stop at booking knowledgeable speakers and organizing wonderful workshops. Everything was covered, down to the biodegradable, sugarcane fiber cutlery used at lunch. My friend took her knife back to Columbus to test the claim that it would decompose in her compost pile.

I left the conference feeling a mix of shock at the reality and severity of numerous looming issues while also inspired by the enthusiasm generated by the participants. Although possibly skewed since I am devoting an increasing amount of time to these issues, it still seems that many of these topics are gaining momentum and beginning to move mountains.

Technorati tags: Oxfam, Engaging Our World, social justice, Paul Loeb, University of Louisville

Whatever your social justice concern, you would have found educated voices speaking about it at the “Engaging Our World” conference. Paul Loeb, who researches and writes about citizen responsibility and...

8″ x 11″ oil on canvas, $200 ($50 donated to Hotel California, transitional living facility).

See all paintings available for sale.

Somewhere in between rock bottom and self-sufficient, recovering alcoholics have a place to get their bearings at “Hotel California.” The small transitional living facility can assist up to fourteen men who have pushed their friends and family away with their addiction, crashed, burned, then made a turn, gone through detox, attended AA meetings, completed extensive rehab programs and are now flirting with attainment of a full recovery. You might call them “advanced recovering alcoholics.” Shortly after leaving a traditional live-in, 12 step program many find themselves very susceptible to falling prey to their demons. The learning curve seems harsh. For those that know the ropes and are determined to win the fight, a place like Hotel California is an ideal place to take a breath, take comfort in a professional support system, and take advantage of social services such as job placement.

Although requirements of the residents to stay at the facility are less rigid than traditional half-way houses, these men still must participate in classes, complete homework, check in with counselors, volunteer for the organization, and abide by a curfew. I took the picture above of a board in the common area where meetings are held. Clearly the counselors encourage the residents to focus on developing characteristics that were checked at the bar door.

Hotel California, which opened its doors in June of 2005, nearly always has a warm body in each bed. The facility was mellow and calm the rainy morning I was there. Appartently many were at work. I did sit and talk with three gentlemen who laughed at their awkward behavior as they tried to “forget about the camera.” We chatted about what other facilities they had lived in and how this one compared. Their situations were across the board, but all seemed very content to be where they were. I hope they find encouragement in that they are in a community that is closer to freedom from their addiction.

Technorati tags: portrait, 12-step, addiction, alcoholism, recovery, half-way house, AA

8″ x 11″ oil on canvas, $200 ($50 donated to Hotel California, transitional living facility). See all paintings available for sale. Somewhere in between rock bottom and self-sufficient, recovering alcoholics...

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $150 ($50 donated to Just Creations).

See all paintings available for sale.

The mechanics of a nonprofit retailer, Just Creations, were spelled out for me by an artisan who visited the store this past weekend to share with her arts and crafts loving audience how her products get from developing countries to your living room. Retailers such as Just Creations “purchase exclusively from Fair Trade Organizations such as Ten Thousand Villages, A Greater Gift and Equal Exchange. These groups work directly with artisans and farmers to ensure that Fair Trade principles are practiced.“

With the enthusiasm of a child beaming at show-and-tell, the artisan walked us through various explanations such as batiking. Like a premature Santa, she had beautiful desirables in tow that made distant places such as Ghana seem a little more “real.”

It’s wonderful to know that pots (like the ones above) will end up stuffed with flowers on someones table or in a gift bag awaiting “oh my gosh, I love it!” Not just any pots, but ones that were possibly sculpted by someone like Kartick Pall, of Paul Para, Bangladesh who, thanks to his fair trade vendor tells us, “there is no end to my hopes.”

Technorati tags: fair trade, fairtrade, batiking.

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $150 ($50 donated to Just Creations). See all paintings available for sale. The mechanics of a nonprofit retailer, Just Creations, were spelled out for...