Mencare® is a section at Menstuff® which deals with the
fact that men, in fact, do care - about a lot of things! We are
collecting ways that men make a difference. Don't be bashfull. Share
your mission here as a man. Let us know so that others might find
strength and/or ideas on something they can do. And, there are
other ways to make a
difference.
I Had Been Taught to
Hate
A Thank-You Note
Volunteer Opportunities Around the
U.S.
Listing of Non-Profit
Men's Organizations that Care
I Had Been Taught to Hate
Yes, I made a difference. Not today but yesterday, when my children
were growing up. I taught them it is okay to love, to express love.
To love their parents, their brothers, their children. To give a hug,
To receive a hug. To speak an I love you, to others, to themselves.
I've taught them to care, to get involved, to change the hypocrosy of
our society. To be uniform in their treatment and feeling of and
toward another. And if this is the only difference I make, it will be
enough to change the trajectory of their lives and those around them.
It has changed mine. I learned to hate, to mistrust, to be wary and
not to love. Denford L. Owens sayontei@yahoo.com
(Denford L. Owens)
A Thank You Note
Did I make a difference? Attached is a "thank you note" from a young
man who was influenced by my writing. I took the time to meet with
him and talk about the craft of writing and being published. I
thought I would share it with you. Poettrino@email.msn.com
(Trinidad Sánchez, Jr.)
May 9, 2000
Dear Trinidad
There are so many things I have to thank you for. The dinner, the
readings, the discussions, the book, your poems, the e-mails, the
encouragement. I could go on and on, and I have only known you for a
few days! I really have to be thankful for you making me realize why
I was writing, or why I write. A friend asked me how our meetings
went and I told him that you told me there are three things to poetry
the poet, the poem, and the audience. I had a poem. I never realized
I was a poet, but I realized I was a poet after I saw there was an
audience. You said that audience could be one or 100, but one of
those people is me. I said it that morning that I would scoop the
poems from my heart and lock them up on paper. I wasn’t doing
myself any good. I said I wrote for myself, to help me deal with the
issues I have, but I would leave them there for no one to see, no one
to read, no one to hear, especially myself. That is why I cry. You
encourage me to unlock my poems, seek an audience. It doesn’t
matter if things go in the gutter or if I never get published or
famous, what if I am reading and I inspire the next great Latino
poet. What if I get the next Pablo Neruda, Gary Soto, Trinidad
Sanchez Jr, to seek his audience? Isn’t that what this is all
about? Well, I have been rambling, but I would like to thank you for
helping me. I can never begin to let you know how much it means. I
will start though with two words:
Thank you,Carlos Alvarado
Volunteer Opportunities Around the
U.S.
Not only the Federal Government, but many corporations have reduced
their charitable contributions in recent years. This means reduced
services and in many cases, the elimination of some services. Many
men's services, like this one, are run out of our homes. We foot the
bill because of our commitment to men, communities, families,
relationships, etc. To keep going, and in many cases, just to
survive, volunteers are needed. If you have a few minutes, hours,
days, one-time or over a longer period of time, there is a place that
can use you. You might start by checking out our "Resource" index,
looking under the category that looks most aligned with where you
have been helped in the past, or where you would like to help now.
Second, is VolunteerMatch, a national non-profit system that has
listings for volunteers all over the country. You pick what suits you
best. Below, you can search for opportunities that you can do from
home, on the computer, etc., like the opportunities we have. Or, if
you can travel, it will give you opportunities within a mile of your
zip code, 6 miles, 20 miles, etc. What have you done
lately? It's never too late to start!
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Every calling is great when greatly pursued. - Oliver Wendell Holmes,
Jr.
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web.
As a nonprofit organization, a purchase of books
through Menstuff helps continue our work to end men's isolation. So,
wherever you find a book you would like to purchase, click on the
words "Buy this book". Or when you want to see other books on
the issue that we might not be aware of, click on the
"amazon.com" box at the end of that issue.
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