WHEN WE THINK OF WELLNESS, we most often think of physical wellness. At Speakwell, we believe there are other kinds of wellness such as financial wellness and community or global wellness. To that end we are including a financial section in each issue along with some very worthwhile causes under the heading of "Global Wellness" that we invite you to consider. Take a look at each one and decide if there is something you could throw your support behind.
« The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually. » :: Greg Anderson
A Christmas Story
by Nancy W. Gavin
IT'S JUST A SMALL, WHITE ENVELOPE stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it—overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma—the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.
Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.”
Mike loved kids—all kids—and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.
His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition—one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a cheque to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.
Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.
The story first appeared in Woman's Day magazine in 1982. My mom had sent the story in as a contest entry in which she subsequently won first place. Unfortunately, she passed away from cancer two years after the story was published. Our family still keeps the tradition started by her and my father and we have passed it on to our children. Feel free to use the story. It gives me and my sisters great joy to know that it lives on and has hopefully inspired others to reach out in a way that truly honors the spirit of Christmas.—Kevin Gavin
ONLY ONE CLICK A DAY on a button at the Hunger Site » and you will freely have given someone in need a cup of food each time.
The Hunger Site was founded to focus the power of the Internet on a specific humanitarian need: the eradication of world hunger. Since its launch in June 1999 [this is its 9th Anniversary!], the site has established itself as a leader in online activism, helping to feed the world's hungry. On average, over 220,000 individuals from around the world visit the site each day to click the yellow "Click Here to Give—it's FREE" button. To date, more than 300 million visitors have given more than 573 million cups of staple food.
OVER THE LAST DECADE the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation has given out $4 million to dozens of charitable organizations, focusing its efforts on the kind of kids who remind Favre of Ronnie Hebert. One recent beneficiary was the Miracle League of Green Bay, founded by Paul Liegeois, to which Favre donated $100,000 to help build a baseball facility with a specialized wheelchair-friendly artificial surface. In addition to the field, Favre's money went toward a high-end public-address system and the retrofitting of the playground equipment to make it more accessible to those with disabilities. "These kids always had to sit and watch before," says Bruce Willems, whose 16-year-old daughter, Kyla, is a regular in the Miracle League. "Now they get to play, and you can't believe what it is does for their self-esteem."
In fact, some of the kids have developed big league attitude. Eleven-year-old Jacob Van Den Berg "won't go to bat until his name is announced on the P.A. system," says his father, Jeff. "The fact that Brett Favre helped build this place, that's a big deal to him."
Kids like Kyla and Jacob are kindred spirits with the children of Kiln's Gaits to Success, which provides therapeutic horseback riding for the disabled. With a stable of horses and 10 lush acres, it is not an inexpensive operation, and Carolyn Rhodes, the program's director, says simply, "Without Brett, we would not exist."
Nationally, the concept has taken off so well, that as of October 2007, 180 Miracle League programs are underway throughout the U.S., with 100 of them either having completed a special field or have one in progress.
Fred Rogers said, "We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem'. Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes."
So to Brett Favre, Paul Liegeois and all of the thousands of people involved with Miracle Leagues across the U.S. – well done!! You understand what it means to live well by helping others to do the same.
LOVELAND — Call it a Venti Caffe Latte of love. At the Starbucks drive-thru in Loveland, more and more people are pulling up to the pick-up window to find they owe nothing. They're then told the person ahead of them paid their bill.
"It kind of almost took my breath away for a minute," said Lindell Green, a Loveland resident. "It was just such a wonderful surprise."
Green then paid for the person behind him.
"This is paying it backwards," he chirped.
Starbucks employee Julia Domascieno says — for reasons she can't explain — this random act of kindness is becoming less and less random.
"I've seen it go through 15 cars," she said.
Of course, this idea of paying it backwards wasn't born at this coffee shop and it's not limited to its drive-thru.
Another coffee joint in Loveland, The Black Cup, is also reporting an uptick in the number of people taking care of the stranger waiting in back of them.
This kind gesture is also being found in checkout lines at various places across Colorado.
On Sunday, Ault's Ann Bradley approached the cashier at the Wal-Mart in Greeley to discover the man in front of her had put $20 toward her bill.
Lindell Green thinks he may have an explanation for the growing generosity.
"With the way our economic world is kind of in the pits right now, I think something like this shows just how many good people are out there," he said.
EVERYONE LOVES THE IDEA of getting a shiny new car; the new car smell, shiny tires, and the hi-tech sound system. But is it better to own that car, or lease it?
The decision to own or lease a car comes down to two issues. First, how long are you likely going to have the car before replacing it? Second, are you able to expense it through the nature of your work?
Basically, if you are going to keep the car for five or more years before replacing it, then owning your car is likely the best option. This is especially true if you are not able to deduct a portion of the expense.
On the other hand, if you are going to replace it in two or three years, and you are able to deduct a portion of the expense, then leasing might be the best alternative for you.
Calculating the Costs
There are many variables to add up when weighing the pros and cons of leasing versus buying.
Here are some factors to consider:
whether you are leasing or buying, what is the proposed interest rate?
if you are leasing, what are the terms, conditions and buyout privileges?
what will the residual value of your car be after the lease ends?
how much will your car be worth in three years if you want to sell it?
how will you be financing your purchase — for example, will you use your home equity line of credit?
have you factored in any hidden costs and considered the tax consequences?
Advantages of Leasing
a lower monthly payment than you would have on a loan for the same car
you are taxed on just the monthly payment rather than on the full price of the vehicle
your vehicle is under warranty for all or nearly all of the ownership period
your money is not tied up in a depreciating asset
your vehicle is always fairly new
Advantages of Buying (or Financing)
the carrying cost is lower than if you keep the vehicle on lease for a long period of time
unrestricted kilometres
more freedom in terms of servicing and modifications to the vehicle
you build up equity in the vehicle that you would not with a lease
your taxes are lower on a loan than if you purchased the vehicle at the end of the lease
In the end, it comes down to how often you plan on replacing your car, whether or not you can deduct a portion of the expense, and what interest rate you can get. It is important to work out the numbers carefully before you make your decision. Don't be afraid to ask a qualified financial advisor. You may also find it useful to try an online calculator.
David Mason is a financial advisor in Victoria, BC. He is a Chartered Life Underwriter, Certified Financial Planner and Registered Health Underwriter. He can be contacted at david@donnellyadvisors.com ».
AQUESTION I HAVE BEEN ASKED often over the past 8 years during my involvement with the Extreme Kindness Crew.
Since 2001, I have happily traveled across the whole of North America, from giving out hugs on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City to building schools in Mexico. Our goal was to commit as many acts of kindness as possible and we hoped to inspire people of all ages to form their own Kindness Crews as well.
To us Extreme Kindness has always meant putting your passion into action. Finding what you love to do in life and pairing it with something that will make the world a better place. When I used this formula I discovered a sustainable method of giving back.
Many people unfortunately believe that giving is somehow a sacrifice. However, from our experience, volunteering and kindness actually improves a person's health and well being. While the project has always been a grassroots and informal movement, we have been happy to see people across the world practicing Extreme Kindness. Research shows these acts of kindness are beneficial to both those who give and receive an act of kindness.
In The Healing Power of Doing Good, author Allan Luks cites a survey of more than 3,000 volunteers working at 20 organizations. They reported feeling a "helper's high" after performing kind acts, a feeling of euphoria and tranquillity that wiped away stress. Mr. Luks wrote, "Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders both serious and minor, psychological and physical."
Another study of 2,700 men in Tecumseh, Mich., cited in Dave Toycen's book The Power of Generosity, suggests regular acts of kindness help extend your life span. The men who did not volunteer regularly had death rates 2½ times higher than those who did.
Tal Ben-Shahar.is part of this ever-growing body of these researchers, scientists and professionals, who are moving away from asking the question of what makes us sick and replacing this with what make a person happy? The movement is grounded in the new research of positive psychology which is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. One topic he addresses in his book, Happier, is how cultivating feelings of being kind can help a person feel better.
So my answer today for our initial question is:
"The Kindness Crew is made up of people all over the world who practice the philosophy of Extreme Kindness. That is being happy and healthy in kindness and connected to the people and world around them. The Kindness Crew is the person standing next to you on the bus and is just a hug away."
Each member of the Kindness Crew is part of this informal group for different reasons. I personally began this journey to feel good, have fun, honor the memory of my mother and make a small difference. Now I realize that my health and happiness are directly connected to the level of kindness I give each day.
I hope you decide to join the Crew and bring adventure, health and more happiness into your life. Write to us anytime and share your stories at www.extremekindness.com.
And here is an Extreme Kindness blog by one of the KCrew:
Brad Stokes
Co-Founder Extreme Kindness Crew
Co-Author of the books: COOL TO BE KIND & CALL TO ARMS
Originally in an effort to counteract grief and fear in the wake of 9/11, Val Litwin, Chris Bratseth, Erik Hanson and Brad Stokes — four mid 20-year old Canadian "goodlums" — embarked upon a three-month non-profit marathon known as The Extreme Kindness Tour. From audiences at Fortune 500 Companies to entire metropolitan centers, the Crew has inspired and mobilized tens of thousands to commit acts of community service.
With an impressive track record in creating and amplifying Corporate Social Responsibility programs, the Crew has been featured on CNN Headline News, Good Morning America, Canada AM, CBC Newsworld and England's BBC Radio and profiled in hundreds of leading publications such as The Globe and Mail, Macleans and the National Post. Today they continue to inspire countries, classes and corporations to raise funds and volunteers for charities and to embrace social responsibility
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Kids like Kyla and Jacob are kindred spirits with the children of 
Starbucks employee Julia Domascieno says — for reasons she can't explain — this random act of kindness is becoming less and less random.
