THIS Is the Bee’s Knees

A very generous donor just emailed to let us know what’s up: ‘Around December I decided I wanted to do a personal SmallCanBeBig campaign of my own. I’ve committed (read as: set aside money and made a list) of close friends, near and far, who I will send the ‘Bee Big’ poster to each month for 2013. Just to see what happens. I have not told anyone this and don’t intend to tell my friends who are on my list either.’ We love it. And if you mysteriously get a beautiful bee poster in the mail this year, perhaps it’s because someone thinks you’re awesome! 

 

Must-see: Brooklyn Castle tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country. The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives as well as on the chessboard, and is as much about the sting of their losses as it is about the anticipation of their victories.


Guest post! Wonder Women of Boston

Wonder Women of Boston is a host of events that serve as an opportunity for women of all ages and backgrounds to meet each other, learn about each other’s work, and make new, valuable connections. Most events have a suggested donation of $5-$10 benefiting our Community Partners. As an individual and a small business owner I am continually thinking about how my product and my vendor choices have a lasting impact on the earth and my own community. I believe it is possible for companies to be both profitable and accountable to social good. One of the primary ways I, as a small business owner, spread the word about smart consumption is by highlighting the work of people and organizations that share my values and improve our community. Wonder Women of Boston is not different and has focused on charitable giving as a compliment to networking and professional development. 

We feel that as you develop in your life and career you should help others do the same. We are able to raise a small amount of money at each event. Although $5 as an individual does not seem like a lot, collectively event attendees generate around $500,  which make an important contribution to the work done by our Community Partners. We are delighted to partner with SmallCanBeBig and know that the money we raise helps with the immediate need of a Boston family.

As founder of the Wonder Women of Boston network, Jeanne Dasaro helps women leaders, artists, and professionals of diverse backgrounds connect with and support each other. She is a Boston-based storyteller, activist, and event coordinator.

People who give money to charity end up wealthier than those who don’t give to charity. After doing complex number crunching to control for different variables, a researcher concluded that charitable giving isn’t just correlated with higher income; it actually causes higher income. Some explanations for this surprising effect include the brain stimulation caused by charitable activity and also the fact that those who are seen behaving charitably are likely to be elevated to leadership positions.
Excerpted from The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, one of our new favorite thought leaders on this sort of thing for obvious reasons.
Due to the new emergency shelter regulations, children are being denied shelter when they have no safe place to sleep at night. Children and their families are sleeping in cars, showing up at hospital emergency rooms and sleeping in places unfit for human habitation, after being denied access to shelter. This is unacceptable. Massachusetts can and must do better.
REMINDER:  Hearing on Family Shelter regulations on Thursday, October 25, 2012 – 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM via Homes for Families blog
M is a single mother of 5 children who became homeless and has temporary housing. She has very much wanted to enroll in the COMPASS Community College Collaborative employment program but could not get after-school care for her son who needs an aide - and the school system would not provide this service. With SCBB funding an aide was hired, allowing M to attend the CCCC, her son to be in a top quality early childhood program with appropriate services - AND the aide hired to care for M’s son is also a CCCC graduate, who herself has an autistic son, and who is now working in her desired field, early childhood education.
Jodi Hill, Executive Director at COMPASS for Kids and COMPASS Community College Collaborative