Donations

As part of our clinical experience, we have gotten involved in collecting supplies for one of the homeless shelters in DC, http://www.nstreetvillage.org/. Lee-Ellen just mailed our donations and other collected items out to the shelter: we collected 120# of supplies for the homeless (that's us with just SOME of the items we collected)! Part of me is amazed at how much a few people can accomplish. But the other part of me has to admit, I did get a little frustrated while we were trying to collect items. I like to think that most people and businesses want to help those in need, but I know I hit several road blocks while trying to contact various businesses for donations. And perhaps part of the reason is that it's not a local shelter, or perhaps it's because there's a lot of need out there right now and a company could never support every good cause that comes along. But it makes you wonder how some of these shelters and programs are able to keep running, considering that they depend so heavily on donations. And it makes you wonder what the effects of our recent economic recession will be upon these shelters/programs; the economy is worse, so businesses aren't in as good of a position to make donations, but at the same time it's because of the troubled economy that these shelters/programs need donations more now than ever.

So on that note, a little Dave Matthews for you with "Funny the Way it is". I posted the lyrics below in care you're curious. I thought the line "Somebody's going hungry and someone else is eating out" was particularly applicable to our upcoming trip. Lee-Ellen had mentioned how we'll see there's a fancy hotel across the street from The Steinbruck Center where we're staying. I don't know if it's really interesting or just really sad how closely these two ends of the spectrum can co-exist while so many still tend to turn a blind eye.
-Angelique



Lying in the park on a beautiful day,
Sunshine in the grass, and the children play.
Siren's passing, fire engine red,
Someone's house is burning down on a day like this?

The evening comes and we're hanging out,
On the front step, and a car rolls by with the windows rolled down,
And that war song is playing, "why can't we be friends?"
Someone iss screaming and crying in the apartment upstairs

Funny the way it is, if you think about it
Somebody's going hungry and someone else is eating out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
Somebody's heart is broken and it becomes your favorite song

The way your mouth feels in your lovers kiss
Like a pretty bird on a breeze or water to a fish
A bomb blast brings a building crashing to the floor
You can hear the laughter, while the children play "war"

Funny the way it is, if you think about it
One kid walks 10 miles to school, another's dropping out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
On a soldier's last breath his baby's being born

Standing on a bridge, watch the water passing under me
It must've been much harder when there was no bridge, just water
Now the world is small. Remember how it used to be,
With mountains and oceans and winters and rivers and stars?

Watch the sky, the jet planes, so far out of my reach
Is there someone up there looking down on me?
Boy chase a bird, so close but every time
He'll never catch her, but he can't stop trying

Funny the way it is, if you think about it
One kid walks 10 miles to school, another's dropping out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
On a soldier's last breath his baby's being born
Funny the way it is, nor right or wrong
Somebody's broken heart becomes your favorite song
Funny the way it is, if you think about it
A kid walks 10 miles to school, another's dropping out.

Standing on a bridge, watch the water passing under me
It must've been much harder when there was no bridge, just water
Now the world is small. Remember how it used to be,
With mountains and oceans and winters and rivers and stars?