Not too many years ago, the characterizing quality of the Jabulani Village in Zimbabwe would have been it’s thriving community of gifted artisans known for their wood carvings of some of the country’s most breathtaking creatures.  These carvings, made from a single piece of local Mucwa hardwood and some standing as tall as 15 feet, are carved using the most simple tools, but each is intricately detailed and finished into a prized piece of art.  Not long ago, these artists would have been the face of the Village – but now, the economic crisis with it’s 234 million% inflation rate, a nation being plagued by rampant AIDS, Malaria, malnutrition, untreated illnesses and infections has made these remarkable carvings take a back seat to the simple idea of survival.

This small village of around 500 lives in the bush of Zimbabwe with no electricity or running water.  With each member usually taking in at most one meal a day, and disease ravaging the country, the future of the village looked rather bleak until a small group of Orange County women took it upon themselves to make a difference.  The Ndebele Art Project began with plan to start a pre-school and community water project.  With these initiatives in place, the last three years have focused on an expanding list of goals including a medical clinic, installing a windmill and six water tanks for clean water, emergency provision of food, distribution of clothing and shoes, nutrition and first aid supplies, and now focusing on the cultivation and maintenence of a garden to both sustain the villagers nutritional needs but also provide surplus produce for local sale.  Though the funding for these projects come from private donations, another huge source for their efforts is the now annual Hope and Possibility benefit – with this years event taking place this weekend.

The Ndebele Art Project is a non-profit organization located right here in Orange County.  This organization began with the hopes of restoring the community to it’s former state of prosperity. I had the opportunity to speak to one of NAP’s volunteers, Mire Molnar, about her experience working with the project.  Mire first joined the board in 2008 and produced the first Hope and Possibility event on the rooftop of The Camp in Costa Mesa. Since then, her passion for the villagers has increased thremendously and driven her to continue working for their greater good even from a continent away.

“Traveling to [Zimbabwe] and meeting the village was life changing.  The people I met and the family we stayed with was so happy and full of grace it made me feel so ashamed of how much I take for granted.”, says Mire.  Indeed, with a culture like Orange County, it is difficult to imagine what it would be like to live without the easy access we have to the finer luxuries our society has to offer.  Even in the midst of terrible hardship and an unsure tomorrow, these courageous people seem to possess what we all are looking for – freedom.  “They live in the moment and cherished each other in such a tangible way.”

When Mire returned from her trip, she discovered that NAP didn’t feel like a charity – it felt like a trade situation.  “They were offering our spirits a place to be free and heal and we were offering them all the skills we have within the realm of organization and project completion.”   And the trade continues on.  With this small village shining as a beacon of hope and freedom of spirit, NAP continues to fuel the flame by continuing their funding efforts.  And now, they offer the chance to get involved to you.

On July 19th, NAP will hold it’s Annual Hope and Possibilities event at Memphis in Santa Ana.  A portion of the profits, as well as a silent auction, poker tournament, and opportunities for pledges will go towards upcoming and ongoing projects in the Jabulani Village.  Dinner and silent auction will be held from 5-9pm, with the poker tournament and dj party running from 7-1am.  Reservations can be made by calling 714-564-1064.  You can also benefit NAP by shopping through their online mall at http://shop.napafrica.org/shop

“There are so many places in the world that need extra attention, extra love and extra healing,” Mire adds.  “Find the people that you have a connection to and live your life WITH them. Include them into your thoughts your budget your projects.”

Photos by Todd Puchalski.

There are many benefits to riding a bike.  During the work week, those fortunate enough to live within a reasonable cycling range enjoy the diminished stress of traffic, the decrease in upkeep costs for a commuter vehicle, and the added benefit of being that much more in shape than the average nine-to-fiver.  Imagine… instead of a morning filled with blaring horns, stop and go foot work on the gas and brake (lets face it… more on the latter), and the alternate shifting of the eyes from the clock to the car in front of you – some people enjoy a morning gliding down the streets with only the occasional traffic light to get in their way, while the morning sun graces their skin and the fresh air brushes past them as they peddle their way to a better day.

On the weekends, bike riding can be a tremendously enjoyable way to be active in the great outdoors, whether conquering a challenging trail or enjoying quality time with the family.  No matter what your location in Orange County, there is an open invitation from a trail near you.  Just think: at a moderate 13mph pace, a twenty-something can burn on average 250 calories per half hour of bike riding…or 550 burned while at a 20mph race pace.

Or you can race for the sake of donating $10,000 to charity.

This January, the Dana Point Community Cycling Foundation (DPCCF) donated a check totaling this amount to the Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley, the funding of which came from the Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling run during 2008.  Now in its third year, and with a soaring reputation, the organization is set to do it again.

According to their press release, “This premier event attracts cyclists and fans from across the country to the picturesque harbor community of Dana Point.  The Grand Prix, a criterium style race, also hosts a public race and five youth events, adding a family atmosphere to the exciting professional appeal.”  The challenging course is a tight, L-Shaped course which cyclists young and… not quite so young, will race through on Sunday, April 26, 2009.  The sport of Cycling is an ever increasingly popular sport, with self-proclaimed enthusiasts in the tens of millions (60 million in the states alone) and a near even split of male-to-female ratio.

In addition to contributions to the Boys and Girls Club, the Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling will raise donations to be given to the 5th Marine Regiment at Camp Pendleton.  So, what can you do to help?

In events like these, there is always the chance for involvement.  The organization can put together customized sponsorship packages which can address the goals of the individual or company interested in donating to the cause.  As well as personal donations, the event calls for volunteers as well.  What a great way to spend a weekend with the family – volunteer to spend a day in the gorgeous Dana Point Harbor, assist in a high-class sporting event, and do something good to benefit the Boys and Girls Club and the Marines of Camp Pendleton.

For more information on volunteering, visit the website at: www.danapointgrandprix.com

I cannot tell you when or where my affection for Habitat for Humanity started.  I think back and try to recall exactly what it was that sparked my interest in an organization I knew very little about, other than that they had something to do with building homes, and all I can come up with is a vague knowledge that they existed somewhere and were probably pretty cool.  If you had asked me a few years ago what they did, I would have assumed, like many do, that they built homes to give away to the poor and downtrodden, or the homeless and those broken by hardship.  It wasn’t until the summer of 2007 that my relationship with the organization began… and now, over a year and a half later, what I’ve come to know and love about Habitat is so very different than what my assumptions first presumed.

I was given the opportunity to work with Habitat through my church during a string of short-term summer missions trips they placed under the umbrella of an effort called the Go! Campaign.  There were hundreds of opportunities to get involved with, but Habitat for Humanity is the one that tugged at my interest and inspired me to fork over a small chunk of change and 4/5 of my work week to take part in the trip.  I spent four days on a job site in Fullerton learning the basics of framing (building and raising the walls of the home), flooring, and the fine art of trench digging.  When they asked for a group of people who didn’t mind getting sweaty and dirty, I’m honestly not sure what possessed me to volunteer myself for the endeavor, but either way my hand raised and I soon was in an ever deepening trench getting a fresh film of dirt to cover every available exposed pore of my then-pale skin.  By the lunch break, I was filthy and physically tried, but not the least bit tired.

That was the interesting part of my experience, and a theme which proved to be a rule during my numerous stints on the construction site – I was never tired.  There is such an energy to be felt amongst a group of people who are doing something which has nothing to do with themselves.  In reality, we all could have been doing any number of things other than spending a day exposed to the elements and doing manual labor – and not getting paid for it!  I enjoyed the physical exertion and the instant gratification derived from being able to see an immediate product for my efforts.  It is an awesome feeling to look at the wall of a future home and know that it wasn’t there just a few minutes ago – that YOU did that.  Also, knowing full well that it is only a skeleton that many other hands will take part in fleshing out to its final product, but that it is a skeleton that YOU began, and that will eventually lead to a home for a family to enjoy for a lifetime.

The families in question all become Habitat Families via the same means – they have to apply for it.  There is an application process, income requirements, and an allocated amount of “Sweat Equity” (hours physically spent working on the job site of either their own home or on that of another family) that the family must provide to qualify to buy a Habitat Home.  That’s right!  Buy!  Each of the homes come with a zero interest loan and are sold at cost, rather than at market value, but they require purchase rather than are given gratis.  Currently, there are several projects underway in Orange County, but there is one especially close to my heart.

The current project in San Juan Capistrano is a collection of 13 sets of paired homes, and one single family home all set aside for wounded Veterans or surviving families of those killed in action.  I don’t think the organization could have picked a more perfect place in time to set aside homes for those who have chosen to place their lives on the line for our country.  I paid a visit to the site this past Saturday and was touched to read the stories of some of the families already selected to inhabit the homes we were working on.  Having someone of great meaning in my life who is a Marine, and having had plenty of friends over the years in all branches of the Military, it was great to see these Marines and Soldiers taken care of in such a basic, yet previously overlooked way.  Four of the homes on the site are near completion with a proposed dedication date of May 16th.  After that, the rest of the homes will follow and within a few years, many many lives will be changed by the prospect of owning their own home.  An exciting piece of information I picked up that day was that the Orange County Affiliate’s effort assisting Veterans has sparked a movement within Habitat, and more Affiliates across the country are looking into similar projects for our Vets.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization funded by private donations and run through the forces of volunteers – maybe some of them just like you.  On any given day, there may be volunteers who have been there for years and have earned the status of either Green Team, Crew Leader, or Geezer Gang, or they could be stepping onto a construction site for the very first time having never swung a hammer.  Whichever the case, all over the age of 16 are welcome, and more information can be found at www.habitatoc.org.

Have you ever loved someone who was ill? Perhaps just a head cold or the flu?  Perhaps a serious injury or illness which required more patience and devotion on your part?  If so, think back on that experience and what it demanded of you as well as your commitment to that person.  If not, consider how you would care for someone you loved if they were ill and imagine what the situation would require of you.

There are very few things in life more gratifying than loving someone and watching them recover from some challenge, health related or otherwise.  We exist for the sake of one another, which is something dear old Marcus Aurelius once said, and it’s a dictum I oft remind myself of lest I forget what I am here to do and how I can be of greater service to the world around me.

Now for a moment consider that the loved one who is ill is not in fact human, no, not even your beloved golden retriever Spanky or your favorite pet hamster Twinkle.  No, dear readers, the ill one is, shock of all shocks (!)…the world around you!  The land you walk on, the trees surviving and not thriving all around you (and I don’t mean The Irvine Co. roadside onslaught of “perfectly manicured” trees), the areas of decimated forests and habitat which are home to many unique and interesting native species (mostly native…), and waterways including estuaries and wetlands in your very own OC backyard.

Yes, folks that’s right, the world that you call home, the lovely natural areas of Orange County (there actually were trees here, I promise!) are in danger.  They are in fact gravely ill, and guess who’s playing Doc?  You!  Now, now, I understand you have no medical degree.  You have no “skills”, no familiarity with the necessary tools, no understanding of the real issues behind the devastation and disease which plagues the natural world in this county, but guess what?  You do have one thing.  Inside your body, there’s something beating there and it’s called a heart (thank you Depeche).  Regardless of your familiarity with the issues, you have a heart, a brain, two hands, two feet, and you also have (again, brace yourself) spare time!

Now before you throw your arms in the air in utter disbelief and objection, consider this: nobody’s asking you to perform open heart surgery here.  All this sick loved one needs is a bit of your time, just a bit, combined with the other bits of spare time of the millions of other OC residents which adds up to quite a lot of time.  The least each resident could do, after borrowing off the labor pains of this sick loved one in parking lots, freeways, toll roads, houses, shopping malls (squared) and numerous other establishments that require razing copious amounts of trees, is offer a few spare moments, loving hands, even the most capable of hands.

We all come equipped with what it takes to make changes.  We DO have time.  We DO have the ability to devote a few hours of our time each month to assisting this sick loved one.  We DO have to make a decision however and prove to ourselves that our devotion to this loved one, this great earth that we call home, this little bit of land which we raise our families on, make love on, enjoy the fruits of our labors on, take in all benefits and resources upon, is worth our time and our energy.

Consider this: what kind of man/woman would you be to shun the giver of such numerous and bountiful gifts including your food, your clothing, your home, your car, your every material obsession (the very screen you are reading now was made possible through the use of at least a few minerals, metals, plants, and resources)?  Think about it.

Now let’s face it.  We live in a world full of distraction and we never feel like we have the time or the necessary connections to make changes happen.  The truth is, you have the time and you now have the necessary connections to show Orange County natural wildlands some much needed love.  Why? Because I am here to hook you up, to show you the way, and in doing so, I hope to inspire the softest and most malleable parts of your being into growing more in love with the world around you.  Orange County is full of beauty, innovation, and a unique and lovely natural world manages to prevail despite a continually rising human population.  Yet it is by your hands, being a member of this large population, that the hours you put in, multiplied by every person you share this with, will amount to a greater world for this great part of California, for years to come.