I believe that we are constantly challenged with Life Lessons and that our choices will determine the depth and significance we experience in our life. It's not the length of the life, it's how you live it! I believe in helping others. Let me hear from you if you have the same value.

I took it a step further and formed the Community In Action Collaborative to give to others, pay it forward, create a Big Give, or however you want to phrase it. We are looking at many different issues. We try to think creatively about issues to come up with more innovative solutions. One of our projects is to help women who have little or no money to become financially self-sustaining through teaching them skills in "Creative Women Workshops." If you are a creative person, enjoy teaching and helping others, please contact us for more info about how you can be the instrument of significant change in women's and families' lives. We can e-mail you a 'needs list' for some supplies the women can use to practice with making basic jewelry, polymer clay gift items, sew and non-sew crafting and more in the free full-day creative workshops we are coordinating for women in groups of 20-50 or more on Saturdays. Many of the items on the 'needs list' could be surplus or recycled craft items you or your friends may already have at home. We can help you coordinate something similar in your community, too. Let's join together to improve people's lives and the communities in which we live! Contact Dena at 954-920-5020 or e-mail her at DBCoach@mindspring.com. Thanks, we appreciate whatever help you can give.

A Second Project is to help at risk teens in a Boys and Girls Club of West Lake (in Broward County, FL) program to gain knowledge and skills to achieve their dreams of becoming fashion designers. We need people to provide sewing, pattern making, basic design education in person, digital videos, on VHS tapes, and in written instructions that you will allow us to duplicate (with your contact info included) so that others may benefit as well. If you know a fashion designer or model who would be willing to volunteer to make a personal appearance, or appear on a video offering tips for the student, that would be awesome. Ask them to get in touch with us for more details. We also need supplies of sewing machines (good used ones are fine); sewing supplies; assorted fabrics; zippers, buttons, laces and other embellishments; body forms; steam irons or steamers, etc.

A Third Project is one that will be ongoing for a while. We are asking people to brainstorm with us to find a solution for affordable housing. We need architects, contractors, construction companies, realtors, banks, mortgage brokers, land owners, businesses and corporations who want to join together to make significant changes in communities and lifestyles so that fewer people will be homeless and more will have the opportunity for affordable housing. Too many cities have large 3-5 bedroom housing communities already developed having difficulty selling. Let's stop & rethink it! It has to be about more than just big profits, greed, old-fashioned building concepts. We have to address the needs of today's and tomorrow's consumers and begin to think "out of the box."

REAL Change needs to happen. We all have to work together for better solutions to this and other important issues. If not NOW, then WHEN?

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world -- indeed it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead