rickyleepotts.com | a voice of rhythm, reason, & reality

This is a guest blog post written by Katie Pestridge.

A coworker and I got into a discussion about the credibility of Wikipedia. (Ricky) said that he uses the site all the time and has never received wrong information. He truly believes that Wikipedia is a credible source and that you can rely on it for factual information. I believe that Wikipedia is not a creditable source. The main problem I have is that Wikipedia does not seek out experts in the fields they have information about. Instead they let anyone who can use a computer write the entries. I have an issue with just any Sally Smith being able to make changes to the site. I also do not think that the moderators (who are from Wikipedia) are knowledgeable enough to monitor the information on the site.

Wikipedia & Accuracy

An article I found said that the creators of Wikipedia are the first to admit that not every entry is accurate and that it might not be the best source of material for research papers.

They gave a list of things to consider:

• Look for a slant – some articles are fair and balanced but others are very biased. If an article has only one source beware.
• Consider the source – even if an article cites external sources, check out those sources to see whether they are being cited fairly and accurately.
• Look who’s talking – If you research the contributors themselves and find that they are experts in their fields, you can be more confident in the entry.
• Start here, but keep going – Wikipedia should be a starting point for research but not your primary source for research material.

Wikipedia & the U.S. Courts

Another article I read stated that the U.S. court of international trade said that Wikipedia is not a reliable source. In the case between BP and the United States, BP challenged the Customs and Border Protection’s classification of its merchandise, the U.S. court of international trade went into reliability of Wikipedia. BP had frequently referred to Wikipedia to argue that its product was petroleum oil and not a preparation.

The footnote from the court says Wikipedia is a “user-contributed online encyclopedia” compiled of articles placed on “web sites that allow users to directly edit any web page on their own from their home computer.” Wikipedia’s construction is based on the theory that “allowing anyone who surfs along to add or delete content on that page” will result in “a credible, balanced encyclopedia by way of an ad hoc open source, open-editing movement.”

Although the court is aware that some studies have led prominent scholars to promote Wikipedia’s veracity, see Yochani Benkler, The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, and acknowledges that several circuit courts have relied on it in opinions, Countless district courts have held that “Wikipedia is not a reliable source at this level of discourse.” Based on the ability of any user to alter Wikipedia, the court is skeptical of it as a consistently reliable source of information. At this time, therefore, the court does not accept Wikipedia for the purpose of judicial notice.

Wikipedia & College

An article from MSNBC talked with a college professor, which got his view point on Wikipedia. He said he was looking through a stack of final examinations and found several instances of misinformation that were identical from one student to another. All of the students in his class had been steered wrong by the same source, Wikipedia. After this incident the entire department banned students from using Wikipedia as a source in their papers, although they are allowed to consult it for background material. Professors at other schools quickly mimicked this move.

Comments

As controversies have grown, Wikipedia has had to fight to uphold its reputation or, what’s left of it. They have said, “reaching neutrality is occasionally made harder by extreme-viewpoint contributors” and it warns that, “Wikipedia makes no guarantee of validity.” In a general disclaimer it says, “please be advised that nothing found here has necessarily been reviewed by people with the expertise required to provide you with complete, accurate or reliable information.”

What do you think; is Wikipedia a credible source? If so, what do you use it for?

Work cited includes:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4530930.stm

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/is-wikipedia-reliable.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17740041/ns/nightly_news/t/word-wikipedia-trust-verify/

http://www.stefankulk.nl/index.php/436/u-s-court-of-international-trade-wikipedia-is-not-a-reliable-source/

There is something to be said about a movie when the best thing about it is the narration. Even so, Morgan Freeman (why he agreed to do this is a mystery to me) seems to be droning on like a bored history teacher who doesn’t seem to care if we’re listening or not.

This is where Conan The Barbarian begins. Conan is literally born into the battlefield and fighting seems to be all he cares about, except for his father played by Ron Perlman. Perlman is only on screen for a short amount of time but he appears to be bored teaching his son how to become the ultimate warrior. His village, and his father, are destroyed by a deadly warrior by the name of Khalar Zim, who just wants the missing piece of a mask so he can resurrect his late wife and become all powerful.

Fast forward years later and Conan is now an adult, seeking revenge for his father’s death. As Conan, Jason Momoa has the body but his acting is atrocious. All of his dialogue seems forced and the chemistry he has with Tamara, played by Rachel Nichols, is nonexistent. There is one scene they have… it’s just awkward and badly choreographed.

In all reality, the only one who seems to be having any fun while also knowing how terrible the movie is, is Rose McGowan. As Marique, the daughter of Khalar Zim, she is over the top and looks like she belongs in the Star Wars universe.

In conclusion, Conan The Barbarian feels like it should be a cheesy mini-series for the sci-fi channel rather than a two-hour movie. The acting is bad, the dialogue is worse (you look like a harlot) and the editing is choppy. Save your money and if you must see it, wait until it’s on cable.

*This blog post was written by Kyle Brooks.

Do you know what it’s like to be living a perfectly normal, happy life as a young adult in their late 20′s and be diagnosed with cancer and be told that you might die from it? Unfortunately I do. 50/50 is a comedic movie to give those, not so fortunate people a feel of what young adults facing cancer go through. 70,000 young adults (aged 18-39) get diagnosed with cancer each year. We sit in waiting rooms with people two to three times our age facing a death sentence. Adam (Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with a rare cancer in his spine. His best friend (Seth Rogan) helps him try to deal with it by bringing humor to his life and teaching him to use his cancer to his benefit. His mom (Anjelica Huston) wants to take care of her little boy (or so he is in her eyes) but Adam considers more overbearing and annoying than helpful.

This movie brought out a lot of raw emotion in me that I had buried since going through cancer. For one, everyone wants you to stay positive all of the time. The chemo can give you such depressive thoughts and you have to face the fact that you might not survive. I didn’t call it depression, I called it facing reality. I chose to get everything in line in case I didn’t survive. The movie shows Adam’s journey through all the emotions of cancer/chemo and facing a possible death sentence. He goes through the highs of medicinal marijuana to the lows of puking from the chemo.

Focusing on the Details

My only complaints about the movie are small details. For one, why didn’t Adam lose or at least get his eyebrows thinned out while on chemo? Do you ever see cancer patients that are bald from treatment but have bushy eyebrows? No, chemo attacks all the fast growing cells in the body including all hair follicles and nails. Second, this would have been a GREAT opportunity for any of the number of foundations that help young adults facing cancer to be mentioned. I personally, am a fan of i2y.com (aka I’m too young for this aka stupidcancer.com). This is a site started by a man who faced brain cancer as a young adult and couldn’t find any resources dedicated helping young adults with cancer. This site is actually the first place I heard about the movie 50/50 several months ago. Also, livestrong.com is a huge organization and has a section dedicated just to young adults. Lance Armstrong was mentioned in the movie but not his foundation.

I found this movie was entertaining, emotional and endearing. The audience clapped when the movie ended and I will admit I was one of them. With having Seth Rogan in the movie and as producer, of course there is a lot of language and drug references. So it is not for the ultra-conservative. I left feeling good about the movie and it’s stayed on my mind for the past several days as I remember my illness and the feelings that I went through and still go through from battling cancer. I would give it a 5/5!

This was a guest blog post written by Kristie Williams.

Click here to “like” 50/50 on Facebook.

Last year I was invited to attend Spotlight Indy 2010. Basically, Spotlight is a collection of the best performing arts organizations… they come together for one night of heart-stopping, pulse-raising, thought-provoking performances to benefit HIV education and prevention in Indiana. Sounds pretty simple, right?

The night features twenty of these acts, each performing for only a few moments. Imagine the Indianapolis Children’s Choir on stage… for five minutes. After that, Dance Kaleidoscope does a number. But wait, there’s more… Asia La Bouche is going to perform a song. (She did Katy Perry’s hit song Firework this year. She is fantastic.)

The point of the evening is to raise money for the Indiana AIDS Fund. There is a silent auction beforehand, as well as a VIP cocktail hour where guests can nibble on some snacks and enjoy several top shelf wines and vodkas. This year it was outside… not a good idea, as it rained. They did have a tent up, but it was leaking and before the show even started there was water everywhere.

I brought Sheryl with me; this was her first Spotlight. Heck, it’s only my second event. But this year was much better than last year. Last year I had the opportunity to see the following acts perform:

• Actors Theatre of Indiana
• Asia La Bouche of the Ladies of Legends
• Brenda Williams and Pride of Indy
• Dance Kaleidoscope
• Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre
• Indiana Repertory Theatre
• Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
• Indianapolis Children’s Choir
• Indianapolis Opera
• Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
• Kenyetta Dance Company
• Meridian Song Project
• Phoenix Theatre
• Poet Tasha Jones
• (Re)Collective Dance Company

A lot of those same acts were on stage this year… but it was just a much better user experience. Funny thing is, they earned more money this year than they did last year. As a matter of fact, they raised a record amount of money. They even ran a pretty successful text message campaign allowing you to text in a $10 donation. The donation was added directly to your cell phone bill.

So they raised more money… but sold a lot less tickets. Not sure what it is… perhaps the economy? Tickets are actually not that much, and it goes to benefit a great cause. Regardless, they raised a ton of money and had yet another successful year. I had a great time this year. I am really looking forward to next year’s event. I actually had intended to interview a few of the performers. That didn’t happen. I have actually interviewed one lady (not posted to date), but nothing got up before the show.

I am hoping next year to interview all of the performers. The first interview was with Laura Neidig from the Indianapolis Children’s Choir. Her and I actually had a fantastic conversation; interview coming soon.

Over the next few months I will be working with Lisa Sirkin Vielee to schedule and confirm all of these interviews. My goal is to interview at least one person from each act. Over the next year I look forward to meeting these new performers… a different kind of art than I am used to sharing here on rickyleepotts.com. But they are good… they are all good, from singing to dancing to poetry and more. Spotlight Indy is a fantastic event that raises money for a great cause. I hope to see you next year at Spotlight Indy.

Here’s What Sheryl Had to Say

This past Monday night I had the opportunity to see Spotlight Indy for the very first time.  Ricky went last year and told me how great it was, so I was excited that this year I got to see it for myself firsthand.  I also happened to have a friend that was performing in it, in a local jazz ensemble, so of course I was very happy I was able to make it this time.

When Ricky described it to me, he told me that there were about twenty or so acts, but each act only got a few minutes for their performance.  My reply was “so you never get bored!”  It sounded like a great idea, and I was not disappointed.  Spotlight Indy 2011 included a variety of local performing artists from the Indianapolis area, everything from theatre groups to orchestras to dance groups and more.  Asia La Bouche of the Ladies of Legends at Talbott Street even made an appearance.  It was a night to remember, all in the name of raising money for the HIV/AIDS Foundation here in Indy.

Some of my favorite performances were by some of the dance groups, particularly Dance Kaleidoscope.  I also enjoyed the skit from the Phoenix Theatre group and of course, Asia was glamorous as always, although she was almost upstaged by one of her passionate dancers to the tune of Katy Perry’s Firework.  Towards the end of the show, we got to hear from Wayne Zink, one of the title sponsors, who informed everyone that over $430,000 had been raised for the HIV/AIDS Foundation and they were hoping to raise even more via a text campaign that you could participate in right then (and still now!) by texting “know” to 20222 to donate $10.

It was a great night, and knowing who we were benefiting made it even better, as I personally know people touched by HIV and AIDS.  I’m glad I had the opportunity to see all of these wonderful performers and look forward to learning more about them as well as supporting Spotlight Indy again next year in 2012.

*Editor’s note: This is a guest blog post by Johnny Teater, a good friend and a loyal Jeep owner. I gave Johnny this space after hearing about his recent experience at a Sparkling Image Car Wash here on the north side of Indianapolis.

As the owner of a 2008 lifted Jeep Wrangler, loaded with aggressive tires, I sometimes have the itch to do some off-roading. Today was one of those days… sunny, just had a big rain a few days prior, and about forty-eight degrees. The conditions were perfect for the beginning of the season.

After a little expedition of off-road fun, I wanted to make sure that I got all of the mud washed off before I would be stuck on crutches for a few weeks as I have a surgery to deal with. So I headed to the nearest Sparkling Image Car Wash (which happened to be the Castleton location at the corner of 82nd Street and Bash Road). I have used this car wash for years, having gone out of my way to treat myself to a full service at Sparkling Image every time I visit. They offer both exterior express wash (for just $5) or an exterior and interior clean starting at about $15. I’ve always felt like they did an incredibly thorough job at cleaning my various vehicles. I’ve never had anything but an absolutely pleasant experience at this (or any) location, until today.

As I pull up to the lengthy line, I am greeted by a gentleman telling me that they would not be able to service my vehicle as it had too much clumpy mud on it, and that I would have to go spray off my vehicle and return. I asked if he was serious, to which he took a walk around the Jeep and said that I could pull up next to the dumpster and he would spray it off and get me through the wash bay.

After complying and pulling out of line, and waiting about five minutes, I am again greeted by the employee now telling me that the hose won’t reach, and that he would just spray it off before entering the wash bay. So, I return to the line to await my car wash.

After sitting for a few moments, the employee approaches my vehicle yet again, prefacing me with the statement, “Please donʼt hate me, but…” then went on to tell me that the manager has decided that I would need to spray off my vehicle before he would send it through his bay, but would do the service for free because of the trouble. A little frustrated, but willing to accept the offer, I pull out of line and head to a competing car wash facility that offers spray wash bays, and spray off my vehicle to the point that there were no longer large mud clumps or rocks to be afraid of.

After returning to Sparkling Image, I am greeted by the manager (who later identified himself as Robert). I asked him if my vehicle was now satisfactory to be washed. His response was, “Well, it’s better, but it’s still not great.”

I was shocked. Here I am, at a car WASH, being told that my now sprayed off vehicle, is somehow STILL too dirty to be washed in their wash bay? “What do you mean it’s still not great? I did what you asked, and went and sprayed off the vehicle and have now returned. I fail to see the problem.”

“Well, we are a car wash, not a place built to wash off vehicles with so much dirt from being out having fun.” Robert said.

I replied with, “Well, I’m confused. Last I checked the point of bringing my vehicle here was to have it cleaned off. I don’t feel like my Jeep is in anyway too much of a job to be handled here.”

“Regardless, I’ll do it. I don’t really want to, but I will. You do realize though that I was just going to wash it for free, right? If you want the interior cleaned, you’re going to have to pay for that. If you want to do that, I’ll just take $5 off your price.”

“Hold on a minute. You mean to tell me that after having your guy tell me to go to a competitor to spray off my vehicle and return that you would do a service for free, you’re throwing stipulations on it? I don’t agree with that at all. I was not under the impression that you would just be washing it, but providing the service I originally came to have done. If I just wanted a wash, I would have stayed at the other place. I came here because I expected inside and out.”

“Well, like I said, I don’t really wish to wash your vehicle in the first place, so I feel like $5 off is a very fair deal. With the amount of dirt you have, and with how busy we are, I don’t have time, nor is it worth it to me to lose anymore money on this.”

“OK, so you’re going to tell me that all your going to do after sending me away is give me $5 off and a bunch of attitude? That is in no way a great, or fair deal. I can’t believe you’d even think this is acceptable behavior.”

“At this point I’d rather just not do the job at all. There’s an exit over there you’re more than welcome to use. That’s all I have to say.”

After this exchange of words, I asked for the corporate number from the manager and his name, to which he complied with both requests. I immediately called and ended up speaking with Jessica, the area manager’s assistant. After explaining my frustration and the situation, she politely offered to investigate the situation and said she would have a coupon for a free full-service wash in the mail immediately.

Please understand I am not upset with Sparkling Image as a company. They were fantastic in responding to my frustration, and have managed to still keep a frequent customer for life with their speedy and considerate response. My frustration is with Robert; this so called manager of the Castleton location. You better believe that so long as this gentleman is the manager, I will not be returning to that location, and will be doing my best to send everyone I know (and anyone reading this) anywhere else. He is a poor example of what it means to be in management and customer service. He has managed to make me lose any faith I had in the integrity of that location.

As someone in the service industry, when a loyal (or really ANY) customer expresses that sort of dissatisfaction I understand that my number one priority is to make sure they are well taken care of. Robert, if you ever get a chance to read this, you might want to take note: when you’re a manager in a service industry, it’s your job to put the customer first, not your pride. Your choice to save an extra $10 by refusing me service will have cost you much more than that, I promise you.

I have an English degree. Like nearly every other English major I know, I dream of making a living as a freelance writer, creating content and being paid for it. Some of us want to write books, others want to write for non-profits, and some – like me – want to work as a marketing and corporate communications consultant. I learned a lot about writing while in college: key classes included Biography Writing with Dr. Anne Williams and Business & Administrative Writing with Dr. Ken Davis. One thing I didn’t learn, however, was what I needed beyond talent in order to break into the freelance market.

I guest lecture for my friend and mentor, Dr. Williams, and one thing I will be discussing is what writing students can do now to prepare themselves for their future writing careers. This is a synopsis of that lecture.

Write, Write, Write

I really can’t stress that enough. You need to write. My friend Brian Clark at copyblogger.com has a terrific post that list 10 steps to becoming a better writer:

1. Write.
2. Write more.
3. Write even more.
4. Write even more than that.
5. Write when you don’t want to.
6. Write when you do.
7. Write when you have something to say.
8. Write when you don’t.
9. Write every day.
10. Keep writing.

Consequently, he’s write–err–right. You just gotta write. All the time. In college, I learned that I write best when creativity flows. I discovered that creativity flows between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM, usually two nights before the assignment is due and when I’m hopped up on caffeine.

After spending a few years in the professional world, I’ve realized that I can’t always wait for those perfect moments of creativity and inspiration to strike me – I have to write RIGHT NOW! Learning to channel my creative side, even at the drop of a hat, has been a major challenge for me. A great way to do that is to practice writing. Make a point of writing every day, even if it’s only a few hundred words. Write about anything and everything, and challenge yourself to write on different topics. It will expand your base, increase your mental dexterity, and broaden the scope of your voice.

Genre – More Than Just Literature

Sure, we’ve got different words for it, but when you write professionally, you write in different genres because you write for different purposes. When I write marketing materials, I use a different voice than when I’m writing internal training documents. A press release is dramatically different than a grant application. (Potential employers – I’m familiar with all of these different writing styles. Keep that in mind.) Practice writing for different purposes, take classes (if possible) on writing in different genres, and find classes that will teach you how to write for the business world. Think about what types of writing will be required for the type of work you’re interested in, and begin learning how to write for that environment right away. Get as much practice as possible.

Build a Portfolio

This is big. This is bigger than big. This is huge. I can’t stress how important it is that you develop a serious writing portfolio. I’m not talking about three pieces of work that you edited for a class and turned in and got an A; I’m talking about a set of documents that cover a broad range of styles, genres, and purposes and demonstrate that you are capable of writing for any situation that may present itself. How do you get this experience? Work for free.

Look up a non-profit organization that you believe in, contact someone there, and offer free writing and editing services. They’ll be happy to have the help, and you’ll get to use what you create for your portfolio. It’s a win-win situation, and it will get you on the right track. You’ll have references, a writing portfolio, and experience to begin your professional career.

These are just a few tips for the beginning writer – especially someone entering into the freelance world. For more information, visit bltitus.com.

Hurts’ new single Better Than Love is superbly reminiscent of the early Depeche Mode (when Vince Clarke was still writing the songs) that we all love. It’s filled with a sense of aching and longing. A desire to beat the odds and yet cognizant that transcendence from preconceived outcomes can bring each one of us closer to our personal Jesus or Nirvana. They’re stylish, they’re in your face, and they’re captivating. You want to dance, yet you’re totally taken by the music and the lyrics. Now add in the video which feels gloriously cinematic and plucked from the 40′s. You’ll be picked up by this one my friend. I promise you. Take a listen, the video is embedded below.

This blog post was written by Duncan Alney, owner of Firebelly Marketing.

Last weeks PGA Tour Fall Series event was the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The PGA Tour Fall Series is a great chance for players trying to secure a tour card for the upcoming year since many of the worlds best players are not completing as they relax after completion of the FedEx Cup.   This year’s event ran from Thursday, October 21st through Sunday, October 24, 2010 and was hosted at the TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. The TPC Summerlin was designed by Bobby Weed and Fuzzy Zoeller and opened in 1992. For the tournament, the course played as a 7,243 yard par 71.

After four rounds, three players finished tied at twenty-one under par.  The three players were Jonathan Byrd, Martin Laird (defending champion) and Cameron Percy.  As is standard on the PGA Tour’s regular events, the three players headed back onto the course for a sudden death playoff.

After three playoff holes, all carried over with pars, the three gentlemen gathered together to discuss the possibility of postponing the finish due to darkness.  Clearly, the fans wanted to see them keep playing and cheered them on.  Because they were about to play a par three, they agreed that there was enough light to play one more hole.

Jonathan Byrd has the honor and pulls out his six iron for the 204 yard slightly downhill par 3, 17th.  The 17th has water all along the front and left and the pin was located middle left.  He hits his shot. He can see it take off and curving toward the flag but, due to darkness, can’t see it land.  All of a sudden, the crowd starts cheering.  Here’s what he missed.  It landed about ten feet short of the hole, released and rolled into the cup. A hole in one.

How would you like to be Martin and Cameron knowing that you need to hole a 204 yard shot to extend a playoff?  Turns out they both hit their shots in the water and Jonathan Byrd was the winner picking up his 4^th PGA Tour Title and 1^st win for 2010. Because of darkness, Jonathan never got a chance to go down to the green and pick out his ball.   They rushed him over to the 18 green to complete the award ceremony.  Can you imagine? You make a hole in one to win a PGA Tour event and you don’t even get to see it or experience the gratification of pulling it out of the hole. I’m guessing the $774,000.00 1^st place prize money and two-year exemption will ease some of the pain. Jonathan was one of those players sitting very close to the PGA Tour card cut line as he entered the event 117^th on the money list.

This was the first time in PGA Tour history that a sudden death playoff was decided by a hole in one.  There have been some very memorable hole outs for eagle to win PGA Tour events and a hole in one to qualify into a US Open but never a hole in one to win in a playoff.

Congratulations to Jonathan Byrd for his victory at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open and for adding his name to the record books.

This is a guest blog post that was written by John Graham from John Graham Golf.

This is a guest blog post that was written by Shan Parker regarding his experience at the Rally for Equality. The photos are courtesy of Wilson Allen.

I showed up on Monday morning, not knowing what to expect. The rally that I had been asked to help organize, attend and even speak at was happening in about 90 minutes and at 9:30 AM, the City Market plaza was empty. Would anyone show up? Had Topher, Nichole and I wasted countless hours putting together an event that no one would show up to? Did I help distribute 4,000 flyers over the weekend to give my speech to an empty plaza?

As Topher, Nichole, several volunteers and I set up tables and a makeshift dressing room for the entertainment, it began to come together. Some of the sponsors showed up early to make sure everything was perfect. By 10:30, a few supporters had shown up and were waiting for the event to actually start. I’m a very prompt person, so at 11 when there were still only a few people in the plaza (and some vendors were still missing).  Needless to say, I was beginning to worry. It was sometime around 11:15, after DJ Jackola had started his set, that I turned around and it seemed as if the plaza had magically filled with a hundred people. At that moment, I got teary eyed… we had done it. Even if these 100 people were only the ones who showed up, we had made an impact.

The next two hours went smoothly. Lots of cupcakes were given away, several entertainers performed, and a group of about five of us gave short speeches to the crowd. I’ll admit that I had written my speech at midnight the night before. I hadn’t given a speech in public since college and I was nervous about not just telling the story again, but making it personal and heartfelt. The night before, I read through the speech several times and it seemed good, but it wasn’t until I was reading it to a crowd that broke into cheers several times that I found myself barely able to hold it together. My actions and my words were moving these people to stand up and be heard. A quote by Ghandi that I included in my speech sums the events up perfectly.

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.”

We estimate that 300-400 people made their way through the plaza over the two hour event. We plan on continuing it and having a 2nd annual Rally for Equality next fall. The community response has been so positive and the amount of sponsors we were able to get involved in such a short span leads us to feel that with proper planning and more time the sky is the limit for next year.

We can all agree that the desire to contribute to some sort of charitable cause is rooted in our innate need for a sense of purpose.  Making a difference, serving other, etc., is fueled by passion. That passion is an inspirational force deep within us to do good deeds.  Passions and callings are well-understood concepts, but many people have difficulty translating them into tangible and meaningful acts of service.  Furthermore, effectively engaging a cause to make a difference often requires others’ help. So how does one make this process easier? How does someone embrace passion, get others on board, and make the world around them a little better?

Almost nine months ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Haiti to serve and learn about its people.  I had a wonderful experience because my time was split among a variety of things like working with children, repairing things, visiting government buildings, and seeing the countryside.  I returned from Haiti on January 9th just before one of the deadliest natural disasters occurred three days later.  Following the earthquake that claimed 230,000 Haitian lives, I was considered an expert within my community and was frequently consulted on how to best respond to the disaster.

As soon as I learned of the earthquake, I knew immediately that I had gone to Haiti to organize an effective relief effort.  Although I had the passion needed to help them, I didn’t know where to begin.  One of the best things you can do when you are passionate about something but have no idea how to embrace it is to seek expert opinion, which is exactly what I did. I called up my friend Dean Yoder, President of Christian World Outreach, an organization that operates several churches and trade schools in Haiti, and asked him how I could help.  He told me that supplies would be needed to help the people after the immediate response teams had left the country.  With his help I came up with a list of supplies that would be useful and then began to think about how I could get other people on board.

Based on past experience I knew that the only way to get people engaged with a cause was to clearly define the action steps they needed to take, make them simple enough so as not to discourage participation, and motivate them by explaining how their actions will make an impact.  Imagine for a moment if I had gone up to people and said to them, “They need relief supplies stuff down in Haiti, you need to help them out.” I probably wouldn’t have seen much of a response because most people would have no idea what to send or where to send it.  Instead, I chose four general items that wanted to collect; non-perishable food, sleeping bags, medical supplies, and clothing.  Next, I coordinated drop-off locations and times.  Finally, I spoke in front of several different church congregations in the West Lafayette area asking for their participation. I also shared my experiences in Haiti and some photographs I had taken while I was there.  With their help I was able to collect enough supplies to fill a large cargo van. Those supplies were eventually delivered to Port-Au-Prince a few weeks later.

I realize that I was fortunate enough to be working with a cause that was getting unprecedented media coverage, but I still think that one can still effectively make a difference without attention.  In my opinion, the media coverage only expedited the process.  I think there are three steps that make it much easier to effectively engage a cause. First, identify your passion and consult an expert as to how you might act on it.  Second, clearly define a simple action step you need others to take to help you. Third, complete the action step, evaluate it, and make adjustments if necessary.  Remember that you have the power to make a difference.  It may seem difficult at first, but if you approach it methodically, you will probably find it easy to be successful.