Healthy Eating Starts with a Garden

Food shortage has been a growing concern for many Lakeland families as the economic downturn has left families scraping from the bottom of the barrel just to come up with the funds to purchase enough groceries to feed their family. According to the 2010 US Census, 14.9 % of Lakeland families fall below the poverty line.

Jack Kosik, executive director of Noah’s Ark of Central Florida, has recognized a greater concern for developmentally disabled adults. As many supportive services are being cut, community members with disabilities have been left without enough money to live independently, or to purchase healthy and nutritious foods. Noah’s Ark is a home that daily supports the developmentally disabled and assists them by educating them on important issues of guardianship, special needs trusts, and available services. In addition to the weekly array of social and recreational activities that Noah’s Ark hosts, Kosik has plans to begin a community garden.

“One of our primary goals for The Villages at Noah’s Landing is to be sustainable. In order for that to happen, we will need to develop a variety of ways to generate income and to offset operational expenses,” commented Kosik. He explained that a portion of the Community Garden would be developed as a “co-op” whereby Noah’s Ark will sell annual shares of the harvest to members of the community, another portion will go to the individuals working in the garden, and another portion will be donated to local community food banks or feeding programs. “This co-op portion will generate revenue to allow us to replant and expand in the future,” says Kosik.

The community garden involvement will first be offered to the individuals and families of Noah’s Ark and once their interest in participating is determined, if openings still exist, they will open it up to the those within the community.

“Our focus will be on growing vegetables and herbs, however, we have had preliminary discussions with another not-for-profit that sells poinsettia’s at Christmas about purchasing them from Noah’s Ark,” said Kosik. Another potential buyer might be the landscape nursery for the City of Lakeland where Noah’s Ark could grow certain landscape stock for them.

Kosik hopes for the Noah’s Ark Community Garden to be the first step in the realization of the Noah’s Ark Farm. “The Noah’s Ark Community Garden will provide the developmentally disabled adults with the opportunity to discover, support and enhance their contributions to the community through meaningful community engagement opportunities and productive work,” said Kosik. Programs that are planned to revolve around the garden include a produce stand and in the future, an urban farm.

The Noah’s Ark of Central Florida’s Community Garden project will be an urban farm that provides meaningful daytime activities and employment opportunities for developmentally disabled adults in the Greater Lakeland Area.

The Community Garden in well underway as Kosik is taking the appropriate steps to make it happen. “We have applied for start-up funding grants from the Greater Lakeland Community Foundation and the Lakeland Rotary Club.” Kosik says that the funds will most likely be disbursed mid-2012. “Once funding is in place we will start based upon the planting seasons,” said Kosik.

Kosik had the idea for a community garden years ago. “We learned that everyone had different tastes and preferred different foods,” Kosik said. Noah’s Ark tried offering cooking lessons but they didn’t last for long. “We found that they weren’t interested in cooking.”

Because the residents of Noah’s Ark are not interesting in cooking, they often eat unhealthy foods that are not beneficial to a healthy lifestyle. The Community Garden will help to encourage them to make healthy choices.

Eddie Mcleod lives at Noah’s Nest and is excited about the future for the community garden. “I will love to have a garden and it will help us because we spend our money on junk food and we need to be healthy,” he said.

Another resident of Noah’s Nest, De’Shayla Clinton says that she would also like to have a community garden. “It would be fun to learn about a garden and see things grow. Tomato’s, okra, and cucumbers would be good to grow.”

The Villages of Noah’s Landing is the future site for the Noah’s Ark community garden as well as the housing for the Noah’s Ark community. There will be approximately 100 residential units, which will be a blend of one and two-story homes as well as apartments and group homes.

At the back-end of The Villages will be a large recreational area, which will be used for a variety of walking trails and outdoor activities as well as the home for the community garden. Kosik envisions the walking trails to have different plants and flowers labeled. “We want schools to be able to come here and have retreats as well as learn about natural gardening and be able to identify different plants,” Kosik says.
The community garden is going to give The Villages of Noah’s landing the first real initiative to sustainability. “The money will come back in from it and help feed the residence as well as help the co-op,” says Kosik.

As the villages of Noah’s Landing develop with residents and activity the primary focus of the community garden will shift to supplying fresh vegetables (plus chicken and eggs) to the residents.
Some may look at the residents of Noah’s Ark and believe that they have no place and no future, but Kosik has proved that the developmentally disabled have a place and a purpose. The community garden is a way in which they can feel purpose and be able to participate and see the results of their own labor. The greatest part is that it not only benefits themselves, but those in the community as well.

“I have gone from being a dreamer to being a visionary,” Kosik said. “I hated the word dream, because I had a vision.” The vision that Kosik has is becoming a reality… and it is changing people’s life… one by one by one.

Jack Kosik at the entrance of the future site of The Villages of Noah’s Landing

The lake at the back of the property of The Villages of Noah’s Landing. Future water skiing and boating site.

The future site for the community garden.

The Villages of Noah's Landing Ground Plan

Future Bloggers Step On Up!

Image Credit: Robbert van der Steeg

This will be my 3rd year as a consistent blogger so I thought I would end this semester with my top 10 list of things to remember as a blogger:

10. Make sure you make your paragraphs short and sweet, it makes it more appealing to the eye, and more people will be likely to read your posts.

9. Add colors within your post. Pictures and movies are attractive to the eye and will draw readers in.

8. Make sure your tone of voice is attractive to the readers. Make it exciting.

7. Write about things that you are passionate about. Your writing will be better and you will most likely have a more powerful effect on your readers.

6. Comment! Commenting on other people’s blogs will direct them back to your blog. Plus, it is good etiquette in the blogging community to show your appreciation of other people’s posts.

5. Stay up to date on recent news and write about it. Being timely is one of the most important things in journalism

4. Grammar check! Make sure you use spell check and grammar check, and read through your posts more than once before publishing them.

3. Design! Pick a background and design that you love. Make your blog reflect your personality.

2. Pick out a creative name for your blog that will attract people to your blog.

1. Have fun! Take this opportunity to be a blessing to others and be encouraging and uplifting in your words. You could change someones life!

 

Catfish: A documentary

Image Credit: Google Images

I’ve never really been one to enjoy watching documentaries. Although,  when I think about it, the only ones that I have really tried to watch were ones that aired on the history channel, typically with a monotone voice, black and white photos and a boring story. Only recently did I experience a thrilling, upbeat, exciting, and mysterious documentary. Enter the world of Nev Schulman and his Facebook world, which transformed his life. Meet Megan Faccio, the Facebook version of her, at least. This documentary will keep you entertained until the end, anxious to see who the real Megan Faccio. Go on a journey with Nev and his friends and experience the craziest story you’ve heard in a while. Leaving you, very cautious and spectacle of unknown people on Facebook. You will not be disappointed.

Two Suitcases, 25 Dollars, and A Dream

In the year 2006 he packed up his suitcases. His dad handed him $25, and said to go pursue your dreams. He got on a plane in New Delhi, India, traveled across the world and landed in an entirely new culture.

“So I landed in Tampa with 2 suitcases, 25 dollars in my pocket and a dream.” said Godwin Mathew, 25.

Like everyone else, after high school graduation Mathew was looking for different options on where to further his education. He knew he didn’t have the patience for engineering or medicine but he did have a passion for broadcast that he couldn’t ignore.

“I looked to the west from the east, because that’s where all broadcast came from” said Mathew. After applying to schools in Canada, Europe, and the United States, he met a family that encouraged him to come to the US and suggested that he participate in a missions program called Masters Commission (MC).

“I didn’t know what Masters Commission was, but they explained that it would be a great thing for me to get adjusted to the states so I went ahead and applied and interviewed over the phone” said Mathew. Once accepted into MC, he knew where he was going. He wasn’t sure what would come after this season, but he knew he would be in the United States for at least 9 months.

During his time at MC, Mathew had the opportunity to travel the east coast, giving him a taste of the different cultures and people in America.

“I was under the impression that I would see one America” Mathew explained that he was surprised to see a different America than he had ever envisioned, as he traveled to northern New York and over to Midwest Ohio. “I didn’t expect to see different variations of America,” he said.

While Masters Commission was a great learning experience for Mathew, he still had a passion to pursue a career in the industry of broadcast, so he continued to look for Universities, now in the US.

“I began looking at other schools including Clearwater Christian, when my friend invited me to visit Southeastern University,” explained Godwin. He fell in love with the campus and after making certain that they could offer a broadcast degree, began the process of applying.

“I knew that they had what I wanted, but I didn’t have the money. Remember, I came with 2 suitcases and 25 dollars,” Mathew recalls. He was able to get a descent amount of scholarship money his first year and help from a family friend who gave him some financial assistance to get him started.

“In May of 2007 I officially began my degree in broadcast without knowing how I would pay for the next 4 years.”

Mathew began to learn all that he could about broadcast by spending hours in Southeastern Universities Bolin Studio. “It helped me to understand what I needed to know so that I could talk to people about broadcast.” As he learned, he began to have more of a passion for broadcast.

After successfully completing his first internship at a local radio station, he knew that his heart was with television. His junior year of college his degree required him to have an internship so he began applying all across the nation. “Some of my friends told me to start small, start in Florida. To which I said, no, I have the requirements to be a part of a bigger thing, in the national circuit, and I’m going to try.”

Mathew spent six months creating a resume and cover letter that would appeal to a national audience. He said, “I read all kinds of books that had to do with media, and reached out to local media trying to understand how things work and what things I could highlight.”

So finally after six months Mathew had something close to what he wanted and he began applying. “I applied to CNN, ABC, CBS and FOX,” explained Mathew.

3 weeks passed and finally he got a call while he was in class. He missed the call, but while listening to the message, his heart began beating fast as the lady on the recording explained that she was the internship coordinator for the CBS nightly news.

“It was a priceless feeling that someone in Manhattan had taken the time to look at my resume and call me,” Mathew said.

He had a successful interview with CBS and a week passed without Mathew telling anyone anything about it. Then it happened.

“I got a big piece of mail with the CBS logo on it and I knew it meant something good.” Mathew described the moment that he opened the envelope to a piece of paper that said congratulations Godwin Mathew you have been included in our internship program.

Mathew spent three months with CBS in New York City during the summer of 2010 and came back to Southeastern University for his senior year with many stories and experiences. In May of 2011 he successfully graduated with a degree in broadcast and then began applying for jobs, once again, nationwide.

During the summer of 2011 Mathew lived with one of his college buddies while looking for jobs. He was one week away from beginning a job search in New York City when one of his contacts mentioned an opening at the Weather Channel.

“I immediately applied and within 24 hours I got a phone call,” Mathew said. He drove from Florida to Atlanta Georgia for an interview and when he finished they told him that he could join their team as soon as he finished his background check.

“At the end of August I moved to Atlanta Georgia and now I am officially working for the weather channel that is owned by NBC” Mathew said. His role right now is part of broadcast operations and is a job of many responsibilities.

Shoot for the stars, is what Mathew says he has learned through all of his experiences. “Do not compromise and work hard.”

Mathew’s dad gave him the typical ‘work hard’ speech when he was young, but he says it came alive when he landed in the US with 2 suitcases and 25 dollars. “It came alive when I got to New York City. It came alive when I graduated from college. And it finally came alive when I got my job in Atlanta.”

Mathew inspires young people who are anxious about their future to be where you are, but be the best where you are. “Sooner or later, your destiny will come and knock on your door. It’s God’s favor,” Mathew says.

Mathew was just a young man with 2 suitcases and 25 dollars in his pocket, but he had something much more than that. Something that would take him far in life. Something called a dream.

Live Blog of Republican Party Debate

Image Credit: Michael Sauers

On October 18th the Republican candidates gathered in Las Vegas, a city that could go either way, Republican or Democrat, for their debate. Viewers at this debate were able to as questions as well as viewers from home via twitter or Facebook. The candidates each had one minute to answer each question. It was a great debate allowing viewers to get more of an idea about what the candidates stand for. This event was sponsored by the Republican Party. Below is my life blog:

Republican Party Debate

After completing this live blog assignment, I have learned how beneficial using coveritlive can be for a variety of different audiences. I have never used this program before and it was very easy to navigate and a great tool. I love how you can cover an event and have it saved, and then not look at it for a few weeks, but it is still all there. It is very convenient and actually would be very useful for reporters. Five tips that I would offer a blogger while using coveritlive are:
1. Explore the program before your actual event so that you are familiar with how it works
2. Be ready to focus during your event, or it will be hard to keep up with
3. Make sure you can get internet wherever your event actually is, because coveritlive requires you to have internet access.
4. Make sure the short posts that you write while covering your event are useful quotes or posts and not boring
5. Enjoy and be creative! This is an amazing program that can be used for a variety of different things. Be creative with what you can use this for, and have fun with it!

A look into Citizen Journalism

It’s something that has been talked about a lot lately, and many executives are starting to think about implementing it into their organization, if they haven’t already done so, but what is it? And is it going to be something that is actually beneficial to news organizations or is it simply a trend within journalism that will eventually fizzle out?

While many are confused about citizen journalism, there is also a vast amount of enthusiasm about the idea and how it can benefit organizations. Citizen journalism is actually a very complex idea that can be applied in many different ways through different outlets at different organizations. The first step that your organization can take in moving towards incorporating citizen journalism into them is by opening themselves up to public comment. This means that you allow for user comments which will create several different reactions from users. Comments are typically used to argue with something that has been written that they do not agree with, but can also add significant information that the reporter may not have known, making the original story even better.

The question that you have to ask your organization is what content should be open to reader comments? Blogs do typically have reader comments, but as an organization why not get more creative with integrating the outside audience with what you have to say, and get their feedback. For instance, you can add the option for readers to comment on calendar listings as well as exciting news about the company. This will allow the readers to have a voice within the organization, likely making them feel more connected to the organization.

Another way that organizations can integrate citizen journalism into what they are doing is by having a citizen add-on reporter. This typically means doing a little more work and research than simply adding a “user comments” link to your website. Using citizen add-on reporters allows victims or witnesses to the crime or event has a voice in the article. This is not something that you will necessarily want to use for every article, but is appropriate at some times.

These are just a few ways in which citizen journalism is becoming relevant within organizations. Though this is a great way to get outside feedback and sources, it is something that you have to monitor closely and use wisdom on where to draw the line. But beware- allowing an unprecedented amount of citizen journalists can cause confusion and a loss of control within your organization.

Sex Trafficking– It’s happening here it’s happening now

Human trafficking generates about $32 billion annually, making it the second most profitable crime in the world. While Americans sit in their comfortable houses watching the news and hearing about all of the horrible things happening in other countries, it is easy to believe that nothing bad could happen in the United States. Many are unaware of the amount of people affected by sex trafficking right here and right now. Women all over our country are being taken, bought, and sold, with the same perverted intent, sex. But, it is not only women. In fact, over 100,000 US children are forcefully placed in prostitution or pornography each year. As sick men wait in line, menus are passed around giving them the opportunity to choose which woman they would like to indulge in.

            Candace Shoemaker, is a senior at Southeastern University and has a passion for raising awareness about human trafficking. “One statistic states that 200,000-300,000 American children run the risk at being sexually exploited every year, and it breaks my heart that so many Americans do not realize that this occurs here,” said Shoemaker when asked about the most startling statistics on human trafficking.

            Shoemaker encourages Christians to begin finding organizations that are already making a difference in the world of sex trafficking and get involved. “There are so many non-profits that exist,” she says, “such as Love146, Stop Child Trafficking Now, Redeem the Shadows, Scarlet Hope, S.O.A.P and more. They are looking for people who are passionate about the issue to help them fight human trafficking.”

            Love146 states their vision as “the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation. Nothing less.” When asked their mission, the Vice President of Communications, Sarah Hine replied, “Abolition and Restoration! We combat child sex slavery & exploitation with the unexpected and restore survivors with excellence.”

            The neat thing about Love146 is that they work towards the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation through prevention and aftercare solutions while contributing to the abolition movement.

            Another organization that Shoemaker is passionate about is S.O.A.P. “It stands for Saving Our Adolescents from Prostitution and was started by a woman named Theresa Flores.” Shoemaker explained that Flores was a human trafficking victim when she was 15 years old in the United States. S.O.A.P. not only brings awareness to the crime of human trafficking, but it also addresses prevention and rehabilitation of victims as well. “It is truly making a difference in this fight” comments Shoemaker.

            Many are not aware of the amount of human trafficking that goes on right here in the Tampa and Orlando area. Most are surprised to hear that Orlando, Tampa and Miami are the main transit points for human trafficking in the country. Staci Wolford, senior at Southeastern University finds herself speechless as she is told how close this hits to home. “I had no clue,” she said, “that is so devastating to me.”

            Catherine Hill, also a senior at Southeastern University was aware of the problem here in Florida, but still finds it shocking. “I still can’t believe it’s so big in America,” she says, “it’s disgusting and so wrong. I just think of perversion.”

            Many find these statistics startling and disgusting, but wonder what they can do to help. Shoemaker has hosted several events on Southeasterns campus that addressed the issue of sex trafficking. “A little over a year ago, Southeastern was very supportive of the events that I put on that addressed this issue, and were very welcoming towards the club that I started called No More Chains,” said Shoemaker. This year she hopes that Southeastern will be open and supportive of the events planned for the spring. Shoemaker has high hopes for raising awareness on this issue. “I would like to see more students and even faculty become more aware of this issue, and continue to fight for justice as the years go on.”

Beware Online

This movie was highly interesting as I realized that different organizations are doing their own sort of invisible editing of the web. I found myself stunned as I realized that Facebook and websites that are like it are actually able to see what it is that you are often clicking on and then somewhat personalize what they want you to see. He even stated that you can type in the same Google search as the person that is sitting right beside you and two entirely different lists of information and links will appear. This is very altered and presents you as a reader or researcher with skewed information.

Something else that stood out to me is that there really is not standard Google anymore. It is almost scary that there can be such a filter based on the kinds of things that you typically look at in your searches. This can majorly effect people beliefs as well as their voting status. If people simply depend on internet, Facebook and Google as their primary source of research and information, then they are probably going to be seeing a biased point of view. The sad thing is, that they do not realize that this is happening.

However, it is true that Google and Facebook are not the only sites that are doing this sort of filter bubbles within their websites. Yahoo news, one of the most influential news sites on the internet is personalized meaning that every person gets something different, something personalized, which is not really hard, real news. The internet is beginning to give us what it thinks that we want to see, and not necessarily what we need to see. The more that this is happening, the harder it is going to be for people to accept and believe things that were not perfectly tailored for them. The problem with this is that you do not see what gets filtered out and you don’t know what gets in. So it is hard to believe what information that you are getting because there is no way of knowing whether it is the whole truth or the information that everyone else is seeing.
We need the interned to connect us all together and to introduce us to new information and ideas, but it is not going to do that if it leaves us isolated in a world of one.

A Picture is Worth A thousand words… and so are infographics!

This is a post that I modified from 2010.

Infographics are computer-generated artwork that attractively displays simple tables and charts. The graphics can show statistics about just about anything. USA Today had an info-graphic that went along with a “USA snapshot” series. This was a chart that showed why people get stressed when they are traveling for business, but don’t get as stressed when they are traveling for vacation reasons. This was a simple chart that showed that the main reason people get stressed while traveling business is because they are away from their family.

Basically, info-graphics turn data into information by using charts and graphs. These are creative pictures that relay important information to the public in a more simple layout. Info-graphics are visual representations of information, date, or knowledge. These graphics are used where complex information needs to be explained quickly and clearly.

The purpose of info-graphics is to make it more simple for people to understand information that would usually be in text form. By creating a visual that is in itself creative, the reader is able to understand what the information is saying, better than they would if they were to just read the information.

This is especially useful in the media world today. A lot of newspapers include info-graphics to show the weather, maps, and statistical data for different newsworthy events. Info-graphics could be useful for my client to show the statistics of how many fans she has acquired over a certain amount of time. Another thing that would be a useful info-graphic would be the amount of performances that a client has done. This would show the clients dedication to the work that they do and would proof to their customers that they are a successful, diligent, and working company.

The most important thing to remember when you are creating your info-graphic is to ask yourself why you are creating it. Make sure that you have all of the information needed to create it before you even start.

Secondly, you need to ask yourself how you are going to bring all the information together. This takes time to review the statistics and refine them into a way that can be easily communicated.

Once the information is refined, then you need to choose a visual that will be the most effective with the subject that is at hand. Even changing the colors of different pies and charts can make a huge Difference!

Now that you have that figured out, you are ready to create! So put your creative juices to work and create an info-graphic that will inform people from all over the world!

A post from a mothers heart

This week I decided to repost a blog post that my mom, Cheryl Liette wrote while we were in China about a year and a half ago. We travelled to China to adopt my little sister Zoe. It was a very emotional experience as we travelled across the world to take home a little girl that had never experienced love and that we had never met. It was an unbelievable experience. Below is the post that my mom wrote the day that we met Zoe for the very first time:

Gotcha

“From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.  Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.”  Psalm 62:2-3

 We have our sweet little Zoe!  At 10:45 this morning we sat in the lounge of our hotel peering out the window waiting nervously for the long awaited arrival of the nannies with Zoe and the two other children who were going to their families today.  The traffic is very slow here – yesterday we were told the approximately 10 mile drive from the airport would take one hour and it was nearly that long; so we were not sure how long it would be since the nannies were stuck in traffic.   Suddenly Dave and Mikelle saw them walking up to the hotel and there our little daughter was right in front of us! Sasha immediately went to her in her friendly little way and started talking to her and patting her.   I wasn’t sure if she would start crying if I picked her up, but couldn’t stand it after a minute or so and once I held her she did not leave my arms until she had to have her picture taken alone.  Sasha continued to befriend her by feeding her snacks and giving her toys while Mikelle kept the cameras busy and Dave worked on documents.  We sure wish Brady were here to share in this.  Zoe arrived with a Hindu looking dot on her forehead between her eyes and we were told that it was to make the little girls look pretty in celebration of some sort of Chinese Children’s Day. 

It took about two hours to complete today’s paperwork and then we spent the rest of the afternoon in the room.   We continue to call Zoe by her Chinese name of Gui Ying since that is the only name she is used to, but will begin to start using Zoe also over the next couple of weeks.  Gui Ying means pretty flower and female hero.   Her last name Wang is the name that this orphanage gave to all the babies that come to the orphanage in the Chinese calendar year of 2007 (which is partially 2008 as I understand it…)

It is sad to think that our precious child is only one of many who has waited for a family to care for her.   No one knows the numbers.  Each year thousands, perhaps many hundreds of thousands of China’s children lose the love of their family due to the one child policy, the lack of money to care for a sick or special needs child or because of the birth of a girl rather than a boy. Some of those who survive are sent to government run social welfare institutions near the place they were found.  There they live with fifty to many hundreds other homeless children;  95 percent of the healthy ones are girls.   Orphanage workers, often untrained and overwhelmed do their best to provide the children basic care.   It is all they can do.   Fortunately Zoe spent more time with her foster parents than in the orphanage.

Now I sit here typing with Zoe snuggled by my side.   She wouldn’t fall asleep and looks so very sad.  At this point she has been with us for almost 12 hours and has not uttered the first word and except for one little second of a cry when I left the room for a couple minutes, she has not made a single noise.   It is so different bringing an older child into our world who is old enough to be afraid of us and the change in her life and whose language we barely know.   When I bathed her tonight I feel it must have been her first time in a bathtub.   She refused to sit down.   Our guide tells us that in Inner Mongolia the people only take baths 1-2 times a winter so it would be likely that this was her first real bath.

Comparing the birth of Zoe to Brady and Mikelle there are stark contrasts.  With Zoe’s birth there was no grand announcement, balloons or congratulatory slaps on the back; no beautiful bouquets of flowers or excited phone calls.  There were no visitors bringing tiny pink bears and warm wishes.

What somber, heart breaking thoughts when not seen through the backdrop of God’s infinite love and wisdom.  There is no need for tears or regrets that we were not there nor time to despair that we missed her momentous birth and her first years of life.  No, we need not grieve for Christ was there!

The God who sees, witnessed every minute of her beautiful birth.  As she left the warmth of the womb and entered the coldness of the world, the Lord held her close and kept her safe and warm in the hollow of His loving hand.  She was never really abandoned or forsaken because the Lord was there.  She was always loved and protected because God is the almighty, the everlasting creator of ALL things!   And on the day of Zoe’s birth, the heavens rejoiced, the angels danced; and the Lord gazed down lovingly to admire His precious creation. 

Tonight as I lay our baby down to sleep for the first time I thank God for bringing us on this journey and pray for our Lord’s loving touch on this little life he has entrusted to us.

Thank you Mom, for allowing me to share this on my blog!

To read Cheryl’s entire blog of the journey to Zoe go to: Bringing Zoe Home