Global Andy » Lafayette

Why I Like Twitter

Globalandy — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:43:48 +0000

I put on my twitter this afternoon ‘tired from Sharefest’ and put a link to Sharefest website which is our summer of service among 30+ churches in Boulder CO. So immediately the mayor of Lafayette sends me a direct message thanking me for service and says she read this blog. She asked “Any success on the soccer issue? (This was concerning a post I did a few weeks ago about helping enable underprivileged kids to play soccer) and said she liked my ideas. . She also updated her twitter thanking people for service today and directed people to my twitter post with the website for Sharefest.

For those twitter you know that I get a text that she direct messaged me so I immediately direct message her back. I thank you and ask who would be good to contact to make the soccer idea happen. She repsonds and gives me a key name. Of course I am gonna call them and say, “the mayor said I should call you…” Crazy thing is this very morning I was thinking that I should driect message her and send her a link to that very post about the soccer.

Now think about it… How else could I have an audience that quick and easy with the mayor even of a small town? The fact that even when I choose to follow her on twitter, she also chooses to follow me is one thing. That makes sense because I am a citzen ad potential voter. But the fact that she then read my blog and found a 3-week old post is another. Then the fact she sends me a personal message first to say ‘thanks and that she likes my idea’ is a complete thing altogether.

I have heard people scoff twitter but I am sold. And Chris Cameron as my mayor has my vote / support.

Where are the Other Kids?

Globalandy — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:47:00 +0000

Last week while sitting around talking with parents at Luke’s soccer practice, it hit me that I was the poorest parent there. No surprise as we live of a missionary’s salary. But as I heard them talk about all the expenses of children’s sports and I contemplated how Robin & I thought through our budget in order to find money to pay for soccer.

But my thought wasn’t ‘woe is me’. It was was ‘what do all the underprivileged kids in our community do?’ It hit me that they can’t be involved in recreational sports. I don’t even know. Maybe Lafayette cuts families with little or no incomes a break. But then how to they pay for the cleats, socks with the required shin guards, gifts for coaches, etc? How do working single moms get their sons to practices? Where are they?

I got this idea I have been toying with… what if we had a league for under-privileged kids? And what if we got business & the faith communities to donate equipment and coaching? As I have shared this with others, I have come across a few potential roadblocks. Like where can we find fields for these kids? How will we get them to practices and games?

Yesterday I threw my idea out to a good friend who loves sports and cares about the community. Coach Donny had a more brilliant idea. Instead of starting a separate league, why not have each team sponsor a number of unprivileged kids? (Genius!) The parents (or sponsors) chip in to buy equipment and take it own to get the kids to practices. That way they participant with the other kids at the same level. No need for more coaches or soccer fields or refs or whole separate organizations. You level the playing field.

So here’s the dilemma… I have the idea so I can’t let it die. I’d like to go meet with those in power to make this happen – those in agenecies that serve the poor, school officals, city rec officals, those in the faith community. My goal is to say a year from now to have it where every kid in Lafayette Colorado can particapnt in city rec sports just like my kids can – at least soccer and baseball.

If you live in Lafayette and want to help me make this dream happen, feel free to contact me.

RSVP Friday Delivery

Globalandy — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:23:00 +0000

On Fridays (unless I forget or they don’t need me), I help deliver groceries for RSVP. This morning Luke went with me as my helper. He had a choice of going with Robin and his brothers to church to set up for a yard sale for missions. But he said he didn’t feel like doing either. I didn’t push it but when it came time to go I asked again if he wanted to go with me. (If he didn’t I was going to have to cancel.) But he said he wanted to go and I was glad.

It was good having a helper. We only had two deliveries. One was to a lady that I had never met. She was a school teacher in California for 20+ years and came here 3 years ago to visit her sister. She got sick and never left. She was in a wheelchair having lost part of her left leg to diabetics. But she had a joyous smile and I enjoyed chatting with her. If I didn’t have another delivery and Luke didn’t have to go school, I might have stayed all morning and talked with her.

In fact as I am writing, I am remembering that she had called the home repair department with RSVP to see if someone could install a ceiling fan and wasn’t sure if they could come. Maybe I will call her back and see if she got that done. If not today, perhaps I can swing by tomorrow after Luke’s last soccer game.

I did learn some sad news this morning. One of the men we deliver to regularly died. His name was Vern Ewing (pictured here). I haven’t seen his obit in the paper yet but he died Sunday. His family was a long time member of the community and his family homestead is a historic site.

Mr. Ewing was a nice man and I enjoyed getting to know him the half a dozen times I have delivered to he and his wife. (Dick, another deliverer, usually took Mr. Ewing because he considered him a friend.) Mr. Ewing is the 2nd gentleman to whom I have delivered groceries that I know of that has died. Sad to think of these nice people passing away. Makes me think more about taking time to listen to them and be a blessing to them as I deliver.