First Andrews. Under a cloudless sky in Boulder, Colo., on May 10, she began by finding common ground with the graduates at America’s premiere party school, claiming to have welcomed the dawn with them the night before. Then she declared kinship with the University of Colorado mascot — asserting that her own gender-bending role in the 1982 musical Victor/Victoria gave her insights into the female bison celebrated as “Ralphie.”

The heart of Andrews’ talk, though, was a much-better-than-average summation of the usual graduation day concerns: overcoming fear of the new and unknown, discovering the value of lifelong learning and turning adversity into opportunity. She also talked endearingly about the advantages of a rich life that includes the arts, in all their complexity and variety.

But the strongest section of her speech was the description of growing up — nailing the moment when self-awareness, self-satisfaction, self-self-self melted away, and she began to realize that life was about other people.  “Don’t just engage in random acts of kindness,” she pleaded. “Engage in planned acts of kindness.”

See also: Don’t Give Your College Graduate a Free Ride

Getting past your ego is also the subject of a short film making the rounds on the web, based on a commencement speech given by writer David Foster Wallace (his Infinite Jest is considered by many one of the best novels of the mid-20th century) at Ohio’s Kenyon College in 2005. Wallace committed suicide in 2008.

The nine-minute film, This Is Water, produced by a company called The Glossary, mixes music with excerpts from Wallace’s address, while live action scenes play out on screen.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You don’t need to know much about the prodigiously talented Wallace, or his difficult masterpiece, to appreciate the video. It’s inspiring and mind-altering in a way that the talk itself might not have been, with the graphics and personalities of the actors adding a human element to the text.

Wallace’s words are also clearly the product of a great writer, as well as someone who never found a comfortable way to be in the world.

If you’ve said, even once today, “Who are all these people in my way?,” then you owe it to yourself to watch this video, whether or not you can remember your own college graduation, or, like Julie Andrews, never even finished high school.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also of Interest

• AARP Recognizes the Power of Volunteerism During National Volunteer Week
• Astronaut Abby — Inspiring Others to Dream Big
• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more

In 2007, a Washington University research study confirmed what volunteers have been consistently saying all along.  AARP Experience Corps volunteers become more active and energetic as they participate in the program. From the study: “At the end of the academic year, about two-thirds of the low-activity group was classified as high-activity, as they became more active in [non-Experience Corps] activities. “

Experience Corps members become more active through their work engaging children in reading. This is the gift that they give; they spend anywhere between four to fifteen hours per week reading to children in underperforming schools.

Members often say that the increased levels of social interaction and activity, coupled with the gift of giving back, create a wonderful opportunity in Experience Corps.

Volunteers are assigned to one school and stay in that school for the entire academic year.

Other Key Program Benefits

Of course, students benefit as well. They receive the reading skills that are necessary in order to become better learners.  How do we know?  Here’s some data from the 2011-2012’s teachers’ surveys: “Approximately two thirds of below grade-level students made substantial progress towards grade level proficiency in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. “

With Experience Corps, volunteers learn to sustain high-levels of activity, and previously struggling students make significant progress in both reading to learn and learning to read. Teachers are given a supplement to their weekly lesson plans while simultaneously observing better behavior in their students. Everybody wins.

Maybe the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says it best:

Experience Corps matches a critical need with a vital resource…  Struggling inner-city children need help with their studies and more adult attention. Older citizens have time on their hands and skills to share. Put the two together and you have a powerful combination that works wonders for all involved. – The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Children need you and you have so much to give. To learn more about AARP Experience Corps, or to sign up as a volunteer, visit us at http://www.aarp.org/experience-corps/.  For other volunteer opportunities in your community visit www.createthegood.org.

Hypothetical question:

Greg Gano and Sarah Sellman from AmericanBearFilm.com, along with myself undertook that exact experiment in the beautiful city of Scranton, PA. The idea was to pass out “random snacks of kindness” while promoting a simple message — “be kind”.

Of course, Greg and Sarah were no strangers to this type of experiment as they had already been doing this type of exercise across the United States starting back in July of 2010. Their cross country adventure had them relying on strangers for a place to crash every night while travelling for two months to all the towns named “Bear” in America.

They simply wanted to see how kind strangers would be to other strangers in need.

Needless to say, their experiment was a success, but even more so, the lessons gained from the experience continued to motivate them years after they adventure.

So, on a bright Saturday morning, with cupcakes in hand, the three of us took to the streets, testing the hypothetical question.

I’m not going to lie…It took a little while for us to find some takers. But once we did, it didn’t take long to pass out pan after pan of delicious cupcakes.

So what did I take away from volunteering my time to be kind to strangers?

1. It doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day.

While walking around downtown Scranton, we had the chance to interact with a variety of people — some were waiting for the bus, others were heading to the local festival, one gentleman was waiting for his sister to take him back to jail — all of them remarked about how happy they were that we were there. A couple of guys were replacing a sewer line remarked that we were saints, one shop owner thought we were angels, and two friends under the eaves made a remark that we brightened their day and gave them hope about future generations. This all happened just by showing kindness to a handful of strangers.

2. A smile goes a long way.

Thinking about this experience makes me wonder if I should have worn a black trench coat with an evil looking bunny mask to see if what I was wearing would have affected the results of our experiment. The obvious answer is, YES! There is no doubt in my mind that when Greg, Sarah, and myself smiled and were warm and friendly to strangers, they were much more willing to enjoy a cupcake.

3. Strangers aren’t usually dangerous.

Yes, I know what we were all taught back in grade school, but is that safety lesson meant to spill over into adulthood? It’s my belief that we tend to be wary of ordinary, everyday people because we were taught that strangers want to harm us. This simply isn’t true, and the “random snacks of kindness” campaign seemed to shine a light on this.

4. Volunteering isn’t always for a specific cause.

Sometimes I get caught up thinking I have to help out with an established group in order to be an effective volunteer. But that isn’t always the case. If you think a certain value or virtue is important, think of something creative to do that will promote a bigger theme (like kindness, honesty, entrepreneurship, etc.).

How about you? What are the big themes in life that you give your time to? What do you do in order to promote those virtues? I’d love to hear from you in comments below.

Also, if you’d like to find others who volunteer for big themes in your corner of the world, try Create The Good’s volunteer opportunity search engine. It’s a great way to connect to groups and individuals already serving in your community.

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A little background: Good teaching requires a high level of engagement between teacher and student.  And one of the best ways to build such rapport is through questioning.  Active questioning helps ensure—nothing completely ensures!—that the students are paying attention and “taking in” the curriculum content.

So when the moment comes and the questions begin—no matter what the topic—the gasps begin.  Collectively, the gasps make quite a noise.  Short, quick intakes of breath, tinged with fervent desire, accompanied by small grunts and gurgles and vigorous shaking of raised hands—these all convey an eagerness to contribute.

The hands are always raised with supreme confidence.  If you were visiting the class for the first time you’d be assured that every one of those kids has “the” answer or “an” answer that the teacher is seeking.  But here’s where emotion overwhelms the child.

My decidedly unscientific estimate is that 1 out of every 3 kids that she calls on doesn’t have anything to say!  Nada!  She calls on them and they say nothing.  They heard the question, saw that as a signal to contribute, but they forgot to take the time and consider what their response was going to be when called on.

See also: A Handy Trick for Learning to Read

My teacher regularly reminds all the students that they need to put a thought “in their head” before they raise their hand, but the gasps continue– day after day, month after month.  Of course, not all students are unprepared when called upon.  Many have been paying keen attention and can move the classroom conversation along.  However, even these children emit “the gasp” when the question gets posed.

These are simply kids that have a common need: To be accepted into the classroom community.  And often, that emotion puts them in the awkward position of “gasping” at the opportunity to contribute–mindlessly flailing their hand to answer a question that they have given absolutely no thought to.

Every time I hear the “gasp” I am both amused and humbled.   To me, it is incredibly sweet and a wonderful proof point of how our characters take shape.  We all want to be accepted, and the “gasp” is a daily reminder of that fact.

You can learn more about how to get involved on the Experience Corps website.

Robert Hodder is blogging about his first year as a volunteer with AARP Experience Corps, helping kids in a Washington, D.C. elementary school with their reading skills. AARP Experience Corps will be expanding into its 20th city, Chicago, in the 2013-14 school year and is in the process of recruiting volunteers. You can also follow Robert and his experiences on Twitter. For information on how to volunteer, please contact Patrice Gerideau at pgerideau@aarp.org.

Also of Interest

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Photo by Robert Hodder 

I felt like cheering.

The rain, with its accompanying low temperatures and high humidity, meant that a fire that had burned through almost 30,000 acres of brush and timber in the mountains 40 miles west of the city had been beaten.

Courtesy Henna Bee Flickr Photostream

We had come through another of Southern California’s major calamities, and once more we had seen the strength and spirit of the people—civilians as well as first-responders—face up to its awesome wind-driven flames and billows of smoke because, well, we care a lot about each other.

And last week proved it again.

While almost 2,000 fire personnel battled the blaze, neighbors pitched in to help each other, displaying the same kind of tenacity and courage manifested by Bostonians when bombs exploded in their city nearly a month ago. We are one.

I watched on TV, heard on the radio, and read in newspapers about acts of heroism and humanity in the L.A fire by those who climbed on rooftops with garden hoses to help save someone else’s house while they were away on vacation.

Calming and rescuing domestic animals—horses as well as dogs and cats—became a major activity in the disaster, as it always is in pet-loving L.A. Elderly neighbors were tended by driving them out of the fire zones when evacuation was ordered if they had no wheels to get away. Homes outside the fire area were opened to those who had fled the flames.

Though still an active journalist, at 83, I don’t cover fires anymore. But in the 40 years we have lived in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, I have seen at least a dozen fires roar through the chaparral and I have been witness to neighbors helping neighbors bear the long nights of flame.

Why risk our own lives to do so? Because we share a moral destiny with other humans. Compassion stirs the mutual goodness in us. Never was this better said than at a wild fire I covered years ago.

Driving home after a long day on the job, I saw a middle-aged couple across the freeway standing alongside their parked car watching flames as high as heaven lick at the dark clouds. The woman was crying. I stopped to see if I could help and asked if they had lost their home to the flames. The man said, “No.”  I asked, “Then why is she crying?

He replied, “She’s just crying for everyone.”

I guess that in major disasters, we all do. It’s who we are.

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My Experience Corps kids are currently engaged in “author studies.”  What you and I — if you’re a Gen Xer, boomer or older — used to call storytime!  To date, we’ve read a number of great children’s authors and illustrators: Ed Young, Eric Carle, Rachel Isadora, Mo Willems, Dr. Seuss, Ezra Jack Keats, Shel Silverstein and Laura Numeroff.

My teacher even spends time teaching the kids about individual authors and illustrators, going so far as to create posters that describe their style and preferences.   For instance, Rachel Isadora generally writes about music and movement, renders most of her images in black and white, and often riffs on classic fairy tales.  To the left is the poster that’s up in the classroom. 

After reading a particular story, my teacher pulls out three or four sheets of blank paper and gets the kids to “retell” the story.  She calls on them, one by one, and they offer a detail that they remember from the story.  She asks them on which blank page the detail should go; she asks for class agreement and then she writes or draws it in on the appropriate page.

As the kids go through this exercise, they come to realize that they are literally telling the story by piecing together actions/details in the appropriate order.  It is precisely these actions and details that give the story its flesh, and they understand that it was the author and illustrator who chose the words and drawings to build the story they have just been retelling.

The kids really love their storytelling time.  I know I did.  But I don’t remember being quizzed on details of the story and where they fit in the narrative arc!

So when I watch the classroom dynamic play out and these “retellings” go on, I wonder how the kids lives will turn out, and what roles they will play in their communities.  But one thing I am sure of: their ability to read at grade level will help them immeasurably on their personal journeys.

You can learn more about how to get involved on the Experience Corps website.

Robert Hodder is blogging about his first year as a volunteer with AARP Experience Corps, helping kids in a Washington, D.C. elementary school with their reading skills. AARP Experience Corps will be expanding into its 20th city, Chicago, in the 2013-14 school year and is in the process of recruiting volunteers. You can also follow Robert and his experiences on Twitter. For information on how to volunteer, please contact Patrice Gerideau at pgerideau@aarp.org.

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• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

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AARP Experience Corps tutors help Baltimore elementary students improve their reading skills.

With National Volunteer Week upon us, it’s a great time to recognize the significant contributions that volunteers make to society.  At AARP, we see the power of the volunteer firsthand – we work with millions of volunteers and engaged citizens who suit up every day to help people 50+ turn dreams into real possibilities, to strengthen communities and to fight for issues that matter to families.

For over 55 years, AARP has been tapping the brains of people who are willing to share their time and talents to improve the lives of people 50+ and their families.  Our volunteers help people save money on their taxes through the AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide program.  They save lives through AARP Driver Safety, the nation’s largest volunteer-run driver safety program.  They make their voices heard in Washington, DC and in state capitols across the country on issues like Medicare, Social Security, and home energy costs.  And they work closely with our AARP teams in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands to protect people from scams and fraud and make communities better for people of all ages.  From our all-volunteer Board of Directors to our volunteer State Presidents to our advocacy activists, volunteers are at the heart of AARP and our social mission.

Related: Creative Ways to Thanks Those Who Serve — National Volunteer Week

And there are so many people who give back to the community in their own way, which has a tremendous impact – the Corporation for National & Community Service estimates that the economic value of volunteer contributions was $171 billion in 2011.  In fact, nearly three quarters of AARP’s 37 million members volunteer and provide their unpaid time, experience and skills to causes they believe in.  That is why we launched Create the Good, to help people find volunteer opportunities close to home.

The work that AARP does on behalf of people 50+ and their families simply could not be done without the powerful fuel and energy of our volunteers.  I hope you will join me today and every day in noticing the many ways our neighbors, family and friends give of themselves to make life just a bit better for all.  This week, we honor these folks and the work they do to make our world a better place.

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It’s amazing how one meeting, one interaction, one event can change our lives. This has been the case for me as I have ventured out to make my dream of becoming the first astronaut to Mars a reality. I may only be 15-years-old, but I have made connections that have already changed my life.  What I have learned is that people have so much power to help shape the destiny of others, simply by offering a helping hand. My own experiences have led me to setup an outreach program to inspire kids and adults everywhere to dream big. My inspiration to setup a program to inspire others came from my mentor, Italian Astronaut Luca Parmitano, here is what he has taught me:

Lesson 1: Listen and Connect

I met Luca by chance in the Orlando Airport, after the last launch of Endeavour was scrubbed. Luca was really interested in my goal to be the first astronaut to Mars and spent over an hour talking with me. This meeting ended with him giving me his email address and telling to email him anytime with questions. My mom nudged me and jokingly said, “Look Abby, you’ve got your very own astronaut!” and Luca turned around and said, “I would be honored to be your astronaut.” Hence a mentorship began.

When you meet someone who is passionate and whom you can inspire with your own successes, take time to listen to them. It’s amazing what a few minutes can do to boost someone else and encourage them. Not everyone can be your mentor or mentee, but showing interest in others and their pursuits is incredibly valuable. Inspiring others should be something we all strive to do daily.

Lesson 2: Dreams and Passions

The best advice that Luca has given was to do what I love and not try to fit some pre-conceived idea of what NASA is looking for in an astronaut. This has guided me in the courses I choose in school, and the path by which I will accomplish my dream of being an astronaut. Regardless of where my path leads me I know I will be happy because I am following a course of study that is interesting to me.

Inspiring kids and adults to follow their dreams and passions is a cornerstone of my #SoyuzAdventure Outreach Campaign. From Luca I have learned that average people do extraordinary things everyday and it’s important to inspire people to reach for the stars whatever their version of stars may be.

Lesson 3: Share Your Experiences and Inspire Others

Besides being passionate about space and science, Luca and I have a joint passion of inspiring kids to dream big.  It is through Luca’s own generosity of being my mentor that I have aspired to ignite passion for more kids in a bigger way than simply to blog about my experiences.

I knew, when I was invited by Luca to attend his Russian Soyuz launch on May 28, 2013, that sharing the experience was something I was compelled to do. Just as Luca had inspired me, it was now my job to do the same for as many other kids as possible. So I launched my #SoyuzAdventure Outreach Campaign with six months of classroom visits, web chats, writing and speaking that is designed to reach kids around the world and ignite passion about space, STEM and dreaming!

I hope to be able to share these lessons that Luca has taught me with many others. The smallest of gestures, a mere conversation, or something more, can change a life forever. Making connections to follow your dreams, and then using your passions to inspire others is an amazing thing. A mentor often asks for nothing in return, except an unspoken agreement that when the time comes, you will do your best to help someone else in the future. Imagine if every professional found one teenager or young adult to mentor and gave them the same gift that Luca has given to me. The results would be phenomenal! Who will you help today?

When not in the classroom or on the gymnastics mat, Abby can be found attending rocket launches around the world, visiting classrooms to share her experiences, speaking with world-renowned astronauts and scientists and penning articles for space-related magazines and websites. You can learn more about Astronaut Abby here. 

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NVW often translates into neighborhood work projects, usually involving a combination of paint brushes, garbage bags and brightly colored themed T-shirts. It’s a great time to get things done that may have piled up over the winter — and when everyone gets together to help out, it energizes the organizations who put on the event.

All good things! (Maybe this week could be celebrated twice a year?)

Of course, this week is wonderful for another reason. It gives organizations and communities an opportunity to thank those who continually give of themselves throughout the year.

Here’s a handful of creative ways (big and small) to recognize the volunteers in your life:

• Dinner and a show: A community garden group in the Philadelphia area have all the volunteers, workers and plot-holders gather together for a annual potluck to showcase their favorite recipes using the crops they grew. The dinner is followed by a short slideshow of the season, annual report and recognition of each volunteer.

• Swag, swag, and more swag: T-shirts, hats, temporary tattoos, lip balm, stickers, etc. are often a tangible way to say thanks. Even though most organizations don’t necessarily want volunteers to volunteer for the swag, it’s still a good idea to occasionally give a small branded item out as way to say thanks and create a sense of belonging within the group.

• Community news: Television, radio, newspapers and blogs are always looking for good news. Invite a reporter (or create your own story) to highlight the volunteers in your group and the impact they make in the world.

• Essential lists: Send a postcard out that has a picture of the volunteer serving along with a short note on why they are essential to the organization/cause. Guaranteed to be put up on his/her refrigerator to remind them of why the help out.

• Yummies: Cookies just might be the universal symbol for ‘thanks’ … kidding … but they are close. It’s amazing how much people associate food with feelings; so let your volunteers know how you feel about their service with one of your fellow helpers’ favorite treat.

• Partner perks: Las Vegas might do this better than anywhere else in the country. As the self-proclaimed “Entertainment Capital of the World,” Vegas companies give away free vouchers for shows, events and food for people who partner with community organizations. Ask a local business to honor volunteers this week with a sweet deal.

Of course, don’t forget to add a heartfelt verbal ‘thank you’ to whatever you choose to do. Often, those two words are all that is needed to properly express appreciation for every hour of service and sacrifice given throughout the year.

How about you? What’s the best way you’ve ever been thanked for volunteering? (I’d love your comments.)

More info can be found about National Volunteer week here. Also, if you’re not already committed to doing a project this week, check out Create The Good’s newly redesigned (and super easy to use) website to find a volunteer project near you.

Photo by: nateOne, Flickr

Also of Interest

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Or at least that’s how I look at it. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing better than the dance floor at a wedding. Old and young, experienced and not (mostly not), everyone comes together to celebrate. Six year olds hear their first Sinatra; 86 year olds hear their first Rihanna, for better or for worse.

I say better.

Dancing together, smiling together.

A few weeks ago, our DOROT Young Professionals group got a jump on wedding season with our first-ever dance lesson with Ballet Hispanico, a nonprofit that celebrates Latino culture through dance. We’ve put on a lot of successful intergenerational events — like our dinner parties — but this one brought everyone to their feet.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and we managed to gather quite a crowd: 20 older adults, 19 young professionals (in our 20s and early 30s), two Ballet Hispanico dancers, and one very charismatic instructor named AnaMaria, the director of Ballet Hispanico’s School of Dance.

The program started with an introduction to the music of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, with two duets by the dancers. Minus the music and AnaMaria’s voice, DOROT’s auditorium was completely silent. We were blown away, and ready to try it ourselves.

Arthur and I bust a move. Photo courtesy of Shira Cohen.

AnaMaria invited us to form a circle for three dance lessons: salsa, merengue, and bachata. We started off solo, getting a feel for the steps, and then we worked our way into pairs. For a while, Arthur (yes, of course I brought him!) watched from his wheelchair, but that didn’t last long. He loves to dance almost as much as he loves to go to the theater. I moved him closer to the circle, and helped him stand for the choruses.

As AnaMaria led us through the combinations, the energy in the room soared. We were trying and learning and laughing, together. Most of us were beginners, which took some pressure off, but really, we had checked our self-consciousness at the door. The older adults, especially, came out ready to move. We wound up following their lead.

It was a special day, and everyone in the room felt it. Val and Natasha, a married couple who had attended DOROT Young Professionals events in the past, pulled a few of us aside.

“This is wonderful.”

“Dancing with you makes us feel reenergized. It makes us feel young.”

I responded with something to the effect of, “Likewise.” It’s true. The spirit, the enthusiasm, the excitement — that doesn’t happen every day for our age group either. There was something about being together and letting go, leaving the outside world (our to-do lists, our deadlines, our wheelchairs) for a while, and just saying, “Let’s dance.”

Get Your Brain in Shape! Think faster, focus better. Brain Fitness. It’s free to start.

We don’t have a date on the calendar for our next afternoon with Ballet Hispanico — yet! — but here are some things we learned for future dance-related volunteer events:

• Remember the H20:  A few songs in, we realized we didn’t have a water station ready. We scrambled to pour cups. Dance is a real workout for all ages! Hence, hydration is key.
• Switch partners:  The lesson was a great time to mix and mingle with new people. The older adults particularly enjoyed the opportunity to dance with the Ballet Hispanico dancers. (That’s Val with their leading lady in the photo up top.)
• Turn up the tunes:  Music has all kinds of health benefits, triggering memories and emotions and reasons to move your body. We could have had a soundtrack playing lightly from the time our guests arrived.
• Give a take-away:  We handed out roses not only to the professional dance crew, but also to the older adults, as a way to say thanks. It was also meant as a reminder of our time spent together. They seemed to appreciate the gesture.

By the end, a few stars had emerged among us. Carol, who arrived late and stationed herself in the back of the room, called out over the crowd, asking AnaMaria if she could take a turn with one of their choreographers. This happened:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Shortly after, Jaime, who is originally from Argentina, requested a tango with AnaMaria. No music? He offered up his iPod. This happened:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Yep, quite a day indeed. I think we all left feeling a little lighter on our feet — and a lot warmer in our hearts.

Do you have family members or friends who love to dance? How do you help them keep moving? 

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