At the same time, Seattle was responding to a “community challenge” from the City of Louisville, Kentucky…. read more here.

My entire life has been committed to learning and understanding the giving and receiving of compassion. My first memory of an event involving this spiritual path goes way back to the sixth grade when our class visited a student art show presented by a school situated in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I grew up.

I felt the pain and resilience of the students, many of whom were my age, and I instinctively reached out to a number of them, talking and laughing with them, sharing in their joy at the display of their talents. Little did I know then that my calling in life as a therapist was to stand in the gap with all who have been in my resonance; the gap between the chaotic experiences of life and the joy of discovering our true nature. Nothing I could have articulated then, but something I intuitively knew.

As I’ve grown through my dharma path the most important realization opened up to me is that compassion is a two-way stream. As I offer this delicious fruit of love I likewise receive it and as I receive it I can’t help but give my compassion in return. It’s really as natural and instinctive as breathing. I believe love and compassion are not just verbs and nouns but more essentially are the descriptors of my being. In other words by my very nature I am love and compassion. It’s only when I stand in my own way that this does not take place.

Mary and her mother were with the principal, who introduced Mary saying, “Mrs. Jones will be your reading teacher.” “I don’t read,” came the reply. “Mrs. Jones will teach you.” “I don’t read,” she repeated.

To break the impasse Mrs. Jones invited Mary to a corner of the room. Mary really meant she not only did not read but couldn’t. Mrs. Jones had a book which contained only stick figures to illustrate the story. After several pages a single word appeared on the page. Soon Mary was leaning on Mrs. Jones shoulder. Was she asleep? Reading and turning several more pages Mrs. Jones stopped and said, “It’s your turn, Mary.” She certainly did not ask her to READ the short sentence, but Mary did — she read the sentence faultlessly.

“Mary, do you know what you just did?” She had read. She can read after all; she had just discovered that. She grabbed Mrs. Jones around the neck in utter amazement. This was March and Mary had not been in school all year, and perhaps never for long enough at a time to receive help. She and her mother, a prostitute, moved often.

Mary, bright and world wise, was placed in the third grade; she was nine. Within a few months she was holding her own in the class. Her mother quit her profession and became an aide in the school. Their lives had been changed forever.

Note: Marilyn Pulliam is a volunteer with Companis, an agency that fills staffing gaps of nonprofit organizations with professional volunteer and community workers.

If you let a community tell its own stories, what do you hear?

During Seattle’s Compassion Games, independent filmmakers brought us stories of a neighborhood coming together around a community garden, a community formed around an all-night diner, and a community of dancers that became family for a Seattle newcomer.

These and about a dozen other films were shown during an event called, “A Story Runs Through It, ” which was hosted by Seattle International Film Festival during Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindest.

Scott Macklin, event organizer and filmmaker,  said the easy availability of technology has returned the power of story-telling to the community.

“I can make a life-changing, world-altering film with just this,” he said, holding up a smart phone.

“But the fundamental key then is still story. As a filmmaker, how do we suspend our own story so we can listen to and enter into (another’s story),  and in that… create the possibility of cross cultural understanding (that becomes) a way to  nurture, build and create significant change and social justice?”

Video produced by What’s Good 206,  Seattle’s source for youth driven media and information.

The Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club needs you.

Dedicated school chef Patrice Freeman shops the sales to feed her hungry troupe, but she has a dream, to feed her boys and girls with fresh fruit and vegetables from a bountiful school garden. She has the space, and she’s looking for donations of soil and the materials to create eight to 10 large planters for the garden and fill them with rich planting soil for the 2013 spring and summer.

The club is budget challenged. On the day of our visit, we dropped off a ream of copy paper because the club had run out. But it serves a great need. And now it needs our help.

Strong academics are a byproduct of a good school.

That’s the model for Puget Sound Community School, which operates on the premise that students learn best when they are supported in their passions. And yes, they do take classes like pre-calculus and physics.

Teaching compassion and kindness are an essential part of that education, says founder Andy Smallman, who founded the school 19 years ago with his wife Melinda Shaw.

Hear students and teachers talk about this amazing school.

Hosted by John Ecklof
What’s Good 206 is Seattle’s youth media source.

As I head to the home of J. I feel a sense of urgency today is the day.  Today is the day I have waited for, for some time.  I have waited for the moment she is ready to head to re-hab.  I am very aware of the choices I have made to allow her to continue to care for her children while she chooses  to use drugs and alcohol to escape the realities of her difficult life.

As the social worker I live in the ever present tension of what is right for her kids and what she wants….  She on her own has finally said, “Yes I will go.”

I am grateful, for I am aware, that soon I would not have had the choice to place the children in protective custody and that would have been a new level of pain for all involved.  In this case, mom is making that very difficult decision,  and I have assisted in placing the two younger children with a family they are very familiar with and a family that mom trusts. She will start with detox and there she can have none of her children with her.  The older son was supposed to be at the grandmother’s home.  I am here to pick up J. and take her to what is hopefully going to be the beginning of new.

As I enter the home, the first thing I am aware of is the older son, R., sitting on the steps. He is 14 years old and cannot stay in the home alone.  In my head I start thinking of my options.  I say, “You will have to come with us.  I am taking your mom to the hospital.”

In reality I am buying time to figure out next steps.  I cannot leave him in the house alone.  He says quite loudly, “NO.”  I pass him on the stairs as I go to find him mom who is calling to me.  And then he states, “You do not  give a shit about me.” I stop and ask, “Why would you say that?”  He says “Because I am a black male.”  My heart breaks and my brain says, “Oh no, you didn’t….. I know this is a truth grounded in him for his whole life ….and it is a challenge to me — Will you be like every white social worker or person in the system and pass him by? Oh what to do?”

The next actions were not planned. They did not fit the “social work hand book,” nor would I brag of such an action in the next staff meeting, for it might be viewedas a very  bad idea.  I went to the pay phone passing several men doing drug business.  If I leave R. at the house he will be in this business soon I think…..he may already be.

I call my office hoping to connect with my supervisor who can give me some “good ideas” of the next thing to do. She is not there.  I cannot take mom to rehab and leave R. in the house. I then remember that due to R. not going to school there is a bench warrant for his arrest. I call the police. Again was not thinking this was the best action but I was just working toward the goal of getting him to leave the house.  The police come. R. comes with me to the van. He has calmed down, he has stopped yelling at me. He is terrified and rightly so.  A woman and a man get out of the van. Two police officers, looking like those  you have seen on TV,  tell him that they have the van, so they can arrest him if it comes to that.

The man grabs R. and starts to throw him up against the van.  I lost it again, not my finest moment, but no one was going to hurt R., that was not why I called the police.  I forgot for a moment that not all who are in power want the best for R., and he does represent men who have been portrayed as scary and dangerous. I grab the police offer by the shirt and say. “Do not hurt him. I called you but I am the one to deal with him.” He lets go of R. and turns to listen to me. I explained what I was needing and he  talked to me and the woman went and checked if the warrant was in the system.  It was not….I said thanks for your time and help they left and R. got in my car so I could take him mom to detox.

Lying in his bed, he listened to the sounds of life.  He could smell the pot roast cooking in the kitchen and hear his housemates moving through the halls.  A movie was playing on his VCR and he was comfortable.  He had not envisioned his life this way.  He loved the beach and the sunshine.  He loved his work and his many friends knew him as a passionate foodie.  Assisted by his pain medications, he often dreamed of those days.  In a way it was a gift because he could live in whichever memory he chose – and he chose the best ones every time.

Chris Hawkins was pretty sure he would not live much longer – although over the years he had entertained this possibility countless times and still – here he was.  Thinking of ‘life’ he sometimes counted off the living that he could no longer accomplish.  First of all, he was blind – so he could no longer watch his beloved movies or see the smiles on his friends’ faces.  His frame was skeletal and he could no longer walk.  His kidneys were shutting down so his ‘big day out’ was going to the clinic for dialysis.  All of his physical and social needs were supported by the staff and volunteers at Rosehedge – his home for 14 years.

Compassion.  That was the word Chris used to describe the lifeblood that kept him going – countless acts of compassion and love.  The house cook stopped by his room regularly to chat and find out what he felt like eating.  They had long foodie talks and had become real pals.  CareTeam volunteers sat with him, sharing movies and conversation.  One older gentleman became his best friend.  With the help of a wheelchair, they would roam the neighborhood.  He would feel the fresh air on his face and listen to the kids as they raced home after school.  The nursing staff loved Chris – in fact, everyone loved him because he was so ready with a smile and encouraging word even when the days were hard to live through.

One evening, he fell asleep listening to a movie.  The nurse came in to see him and realized that he was in crisis.  That night Chris left his body in the local emergency room and was suddenly free of pain and restriction.  Those he left behind mourned.

Chris’ memorial service was held on a sunny afternoon at the church across the street from his home.  His family came from California and Portland; his friends came just as far. His father, who was in the hospital at the time, attended the service via Skype. One of his former house nurses came from Bellingham.  There were house staff, volunteers and housemates – all gathered to honor him, remember his life and support each other in their grief.  His 8-year-old nephew played the violin.  Memories were shared and the healing began.

And as Chris watched this gathering of people who had touched his life, he recognized that he was right all along.  His world was COMPASSION.

 Alanna Gunne is a  Companis Worker placed with Rosehedge/Multifaith Works,  which serves those living HIV/AIDS by providing housing, compassionate health care and supportive services that enhance the quality of their lives.

 Submitted by Kizzie Funkhouser

We are fellow volunteers that serve those in need,

Farmers of hope, we’re planting the seeds -

Weeding out obstacles when lives’ pathways are blocked.

Standing together, our diverse strands, woven to stalks

Of goodwill and compassion we nurture,

Strong – rooted in belief that every life matters

That dignity and respect have no boundaries or status.

We are young, we are old, yet we are the same

Our vision not of the chore, we see the faces, know names,

Know the look of appreciation and the sighs of relief,

Volunteers motivate, because we believe -

That making a difference is within our reach.

We are driven in faith that we can improve,

The quality of one’s life, it touches us too.

We are volunteers, we just are, we just do.

The man in the store without help, he can’t read the labels

But can cook up a meal befit the KINGS table,

There’s a woman independent but can no longer drive

Her eyes, they light up when you simply arrive.

Volunteers are a blessing, they just are, they just do.

Here are a few of our stories that represent the essence of volunteerism.

We extend our thanks to all volunteers whose compassion always gets the gold.

Let the games begin.

Gifts of Compassion from Volunteer Chore Services volunteers

Three stories

Living alone at age 90 is a challenge. With a limited income and her nearest family in Vancouver, she counts on VCS volunteers to help keep the home in shape, take her grocery shopping and to medical appointments. One volunteer visits weekly to vacuum, mop, fold laundry and change bed linens.

At 84, she is partially sighted and living with arthritis. She confided her fear that her yard would be “what sends me to a nursing home, because they say I can’t take care of it.” VCS volunteers totaled 100 hours that summer clearing her yard of weeds, blackberries, and debris, so that she is able to walk into her garden again.

 Living with stage 4 cancer and fighting through chemo treatments leaves him with very little energy. With the rainy season nearing, he knew the gutters needed cleaning but could no longer safely climb a ladder. VCS volunteers cleaned the gutters, swept off the roof and repaired some damaged spouts. He said they did a fabulous job and was so appreciative, not just for the work completed, but for the kind spirit in which it was offered.

 Volunteer Chore Services volunteers provided an average of 3,972 hours of assistance each month throughout King County last year, helping with housework, laundry, shopping, transportation, minor home repair and yard work.

There was a man named Joe Earl. He was born in 1911 in a small town near the Mississippi River. His father died of an unspecified illness when he was a toddler. His mother, Mollie Bodi, remarried and  had two daughters, Ida Mae and Delores. Mollie’s second husband died in an accident in a Missouri mine. She married a third time to a man whose last name was Dockins and had four more daughters. In approximately 1925, she died while giving birth to a baby boy. After her death, Mr. Dockins took the eight children from Missouri to California where he had relatives. When he reached California he took the eight children to various family member of his, parceled them out and disappeared.

Lee Campbell lives in Lake Forest Park and is an active community volunteer as a Companis Worker with Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance and University Baptist Childrens’ Center.

But you wouldn’t know it from the activity in the Scavenger Hunt.

New players sign up on SuperBetter everyday and this week included some spectacular Quests.

Quest #14: Check out Yes! magazine; find and post a link to a story that inspires you personally.

Quest #15: Learn about the Fare Start Program. Take someone out for a wonderful meal at one of Fare Start’s excellent restaurants or contribute in some other way.

Quest #16: What’s your favorite thing about Seattle? Why are you grateful for it? Tell us about it on Facebook or tweet us: @compassiongames (hashtag: #SotK12)

 Quest #17: Where’s Reggie? The Compassion Games would like to give him the Compassionate Leadership award but we need your help finding him.

Your challenge is to, first, watch this video.

Then as you move about your community, see if you can find Reggie. If you find him, be sure to let us know and tell him we’d like to honor him. If you have any other compassionate interactions during your search, be sure to tell us about them on our Facebook page or on Twitter.

Quest #18: Visit the Duwamish Long House. Find out about the first people to live in “Seattle” and what they are up to today. (M-S, 10am-5pm.)

Quest #19: Read or view some of the Stories of Compassion. Do you have a story of compassion to share, either from the Games or from before? Consider submitting your story and adding your voice to this chorus of compassion. And no matter what, tell at least 3 people about the story that spoke to you the most.

You can see the other weeks’ quests here, here, and here.

***

Oh, and one last thing. We build compassionate community by sharing. Tell us about your adventures— what you saw, discovered, thought, felt, or did—by commenting on this blog, posting to the Facebook event page, or on Twitter.

Even better: tell your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbor on the street or on the bus. Let’s help each other continue to get SuperBetter.

Thanks for playing!

Why should you care about gun violence?

“It has no race, no creed, no age barriers. If it hasn’t affected you yet, it will if it continues.”

Stark words from one man interviewed in this array of community voices recorded at an anti-gun violence rally at Seattle’s Martin Luther King Memorial Park.

“It needs to be talked about among your family and friends,” says a police officer.

“We have to work to get the community out to say we’ve had enough of the gun violence and to mentor young men and older men and women on how to go through the healing process of having a son been a perpetrator and wrap our arms around them and say there’s healing,” says a pastor.

Listen closely. What you are hearing are solutions.

What’s Good 206 is Seattle’s source for youth driven media and information.

Build more compassionate schools by combining students of different ages in the classroom, and fully integrating schools, says a 17-year-old high school senior who has written a book advocating overhaul of the educational system.

In this video produced by What’s Good 206, Nikhil Goyal also advises educators to start treating students respectfully and invite them into the conversation about their education.

Directed by
AUSTIN WILLIAMS
Hosted by
STARLA SAMPACO
Edited by
ALYSSA PIRAINO

It was a chance encounter with a homeless man that that led University of Washington student Daniel Nguyen to start Operation Compassion last year.
It began when an apparently homeless man, a regular Daniel had seen for weeks, boarded his bus and asked him for spare change.
Like many of us, Daniel’s first response was, “I don’t have any.”
But it didn’t end there, and what Daniel Nguyen found out about Reggie, the man on the bus, blew away his preconceived notions of community and launched him on a life-changing crusade.
Warning: this story might do the same for you.

The spotlight is on Daniel Nguyen, a UW sophomore who started operation compassion.
Hosted by Kumar Nessenbaum
Directed by Austin Williams
Edited by Austin Williams & Alyssa Piraino
Camera operator: Austin Williams & Alyssa Piraino

For more information on What’s Good 206, see the website www.whatsgood206.org
Daniel’s blog can be found here.

Some years ago, we were invited to offer a workshop on meditation and medicine for the faculty of University of Washington Medical School. Nearly 70 physicians attended and stayed for the whole five-hour workshop.

We were so touched by their sincerity and wish to learn more about profoundly practical methods drawn from the contemplative sciences that we began to host a monthly “Meditation and Medicine Circle” for physicians, nurses, and other health caring professionals who were interested in learning methods that would ease their stress, deepen their wisdom, expand their compassion, and offer useful skills to teach to their patients to help with their healing journeys.

On a recent weekend, we attended a one-day retreat with members of the group – which has now been meeting regularly for nearly 10 years. The group is self-organizing now, and so many of the members are providing inspiration, direction, and loving support to this learning community as a whole.

It’s inspiring to see how naturally this has emerged, how deeply nourishing and supportive a force this is in the lives and work of those involved, and to envision how many tens of thousands of people in our larger community have been touched by the wisdom and compassion of those who have engaged in this exploration.

Dr. Joel & Michelle Levey are founders of Wisdom at Work and The International Center for Corporate Culture and Organizational Health at InnerWork Technologies, Inc.,

Terry was not a complainer. He slept outside, did odd jobs for several Fremont businesses and was always willing to help with anything.

He came into ROAR, a day center for homeless men, almost daily, for a sack lunch. He would ask if he could do anything for us. He kept his hair short, getting it shaved off when he could… so much easier to keep clean, always a problem on the streets, this business of keeping clean. When I realized that I could cut hair for our clients I brought in my clippers and scissors and told the guys they had to shampoo their hair and then I’d give them a free haircut. Terry, amongst others, would make appointments for the day after they’d managed to find a shower… maybe at the Urban Rest Stop. They had to coordinate this with the days and hours that we were open.

Amber Joy gives Terry a haircut.

I’d known Terry for about three years and he would occasionally disappear for a few weeks and then pop back in. Finally, he told me he had a heroin addiction. He’d go in for treatment, get released back to the sidewalk and manage to stay clean for a few days, a few weeks…

He showed up one summer day saying he’d just been released from Harborview Hospital and he had to change his bandage twice a day… could I help him?

“Sure,”  I say. “Have a seat.”

“We better do it outside” says Terry.

“I’ll be right out,” I tell him and I get someone to cover my desk for me. When I came out Terry had his back pack open, with the gauze, 4″ X 8″ non-stick bandages and bottle of sterile water, to flush the wound, at the ready and was trying to wriggle out of his jacket. I assist him. Then I see that his left arm is wrapped from just above his elbow to just over the top of his shoulder. I run in for scissors to snip the tape and then start unwrapping the gauze from his arm. When I remove the non-stick bandage there is a 3 X 6 inch skinless wound area that looks like fresh ground round…pink and dimply, more gouged out in some area than others. The result of an abscess. “I think I better go in and get gloves, Terry,”

Ever so calmly and carefully I pour the sterile water over his flinching arm, both of us gritting our teeth as I lay the non-stick patch and start wrapping the gauze, round and round up over the top of his shoulder and taping it, top and bottom, to keep it in place. “Now, back into your jacket… you’ve got to keep this protected Terry.”

A Fremont bartender was going to do the evening change and cleansing and I would come in when ROAR was closed, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m.to meet him in the parking lot for the morning shift.

It was a three-handed job, holding the patch, handling the gauze, taping. I was stunned that a person could be released from a hospital in this condition, but Terry, ever optimistic, says “If I can keep it clean and it heals up they will do a skin graph from my thigh.” As I remember he thought, if all went well, it would be in about three weeks.

After about a week Terry quit coming by. There was no way to contact him and then the shelter closed down for lack of funds. I don’t know what happened to this sweet, quiet, 30-something year old man. I try not to think about it, and when I do it throws me onto my knees.

Amber Joy is with  Companis, an agency that fills staffing gaps of nonprofit agencies with professional volunteer and community workers.

Why not check out the lists of Scavenger Hunt Quests (here, here, and this post), grab someone—your best friend, your significant other, your kids, or a person you’ve simply been wanting to know better—and head out into some classic Northwest weather to discover hidden compassionate “gold” scattered throughout Seattle?

Each day, more users sign up to play the Scavenger Hunt using SuperBetter where they set a personal goal and receive regular quests from their ally, the Compassion Games. The hunt is on and this week we had some awesome Quests:

Quest #10: Go on one of Seattle’s public art walking tours. Report back about your favorite thing seen on the walk (art or otherwise).

Quest #11 Visit Neighborhood Houses’s High Point Center and see their state-of-the-art “green” building and learn about their services. Also, consider taking a guided tour of the center or the surrounding neighborhood. (Open M-F, 9-5).

Quest #12: One of our partners is the Next Fifty. Where would you like Seattle to be in the next fifty years? What improvements or strides in compassion will we have made? Post your ideas to the Facebook event page or tweet them to @CompassionGames.

Quest #13: Visit one of Seattle’s community gardens. Show your Northwest chops and get outside regardless of a little “rain.” Give yourself bonus points if you visit one of the Seattle Market Gardens, providing food to low income neighborhoods in south and southwest Seattle. If anyone is working at the garden, say hi to him or her, and consider asking about the work being done there—both what he or she is doing in particular and in the garden in general.

Oh, and one last thing. We build compassionate community by sharing. Tell us about your adventures— what you saw, discovered, thought, felt, or did—by commenting on this blog, posting to the Facebook event page, or on Twitter.

Even better: tell your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbor on the street or on the bus. Let’s help each other continue to get SuperBetter.

We’ve also got more excellent adventures planned for this week so stay tuned and, if you haven’t, sign up to play the Scavenger Hunt using SuperBetter.

SuperBetter instructions:

1. Create a SuperBetter account and go through all the setup steps.
2. Once you’ve setup your SuperBetter account and Epic Win, click on “Allies” on the left hand side of the screen and send an email to superbetter@compassiongames.org asking us to be your Ally.
3. When we send you Quests, you need to “accept” them in your SuperBetter account to have them show up as your Quests and enable you to complete them.

Whenever you’ve completed a Scavenger Hunt Quest, please click that you did it on SuperBetter. We’d also love to hear what you’re up to so it would be awesome if you post about your adventures on your Activity Wall and/or on the Facebook event page’s Wall. Thanks for playing!

Many people are studying compassion in order to introduce it into schools and other places. Some say it should be taught. Others have won awards for their programs that teach about compassion. Cities are touted as being the most compassionate. I guess this might be similar to the idea that “a corporation is a person”. Are we really ready to get serious about compassion? Even just saying the word may evoke a spark of “something” for you or me. I know that when I say or see the word it is as if I know it “compassion” intuitively.

My first impression about compassion was during my childhood when my pet hamster died. It was a sad time for me. But my friends and I decided to give the hamster a funeral. It was as if everyone came together to share my grief and help me get through that period of pain. I don’t recall that anyone laughed at the idea. I just remember that ceremony was just what I needed at the time.

I believe it is in us to be compassionate. We have an innate ability for compassion. I think it is linked to the same sense that tells us right from wrong. It is a felt sense of awareness about what is needed in a particular situation such as when a family member or pet dies. We have the instinctive response to feel sad for the person who lost a loved one (empathy) and the desire to perform some action that will help the other person feel better.

Compassion is part of our nature. It might be buried deep under some other emotion such as anger or fear making it difficult to fully express your compassion. If compassion is built into our human nature what does it take to nurture this quality? Can our innate compassion be further developed at all stages of our life? I think this is possible. I have read about great results from the practices of yoga and meditation to help many people open their hearts and allow their nature of compassion to grow. Once your heart opens you may begin to feel somewhat vulnerable to the ebb and flow of life. But it is our ability to connect with our own internal struggle for self-compassion that is the gateway towards directing our compassion towards others.

Instead of giving ourselves over to the struggles (obstacles) of life and feelings of defeat or hopelessness our practice of yoga and meditation guide us gradually to see the struggles of life with clearer vision and bring forth from within the strength and wisdom to overcome our obstacles. In learning the art of yoga and meditation we find the intuitive wisdom that reveals compassion as one of the many qualities built into our human nature. We also find the needed nurturing for opening our hearts.

And one effort to open hearts worldwide there is the Charter for Compassion and Seattle’s Compassionate City Proclamation. Check it out.

Dee is a local author and local instructor

She writes a blog at http://thekanjinyogacenter.blogspot.com/

Some painted walls, others cleaned a preschool inside and out. Others pulled yard cleanup duty. All told, there were more than 12,000 of them — people who came out on Sept. 21, United Way of King County’s biggest ever Day of Caring and the launch of the Compassion Games.

• Total volunteers: 12,122
• Total companies represented: 138
• Total projects completed: 448
• Total hours of labor: 59,737
• Total value of work: $1.3 million

This is the story of how Raider’s needs were met by the actions of  Circle Drive, a compassionate neighborhood in Lake Forest Park, as told in the emails that circulated via our Resource Line:

Please help find this missing dog!

Lost about 4:30 PM Saturday.  He’s a 3-year-old male chocolate lab who answers to the name “Raider” or “Ray-Ray.”

He has no collar or ID.

A week later: Armand:

Please put out to the neighborhood:

Raider (chocolate lab)’s been coming here for food once or twice a day. My objective has been to get him closer to the back gate, and then lure him in and close it behind him.  (I’ve rigged a cord to do this…)

In order to make this happen, I’m writing to request that if any other neighbors are putting out food for him, please stop.  He knows that there is food here, and I’m hoping if I’m the only one feeding, that I’ll be able to catch him.

Sunday afternoon I bundled up and sat outside by the garden room for 2 hours waiting for Raider to come…

He came up finally, and started eating, but when I pulled the cord to close the gate, he bolted, knocked over 2 big pots, broke a huge glass ball, and got out!

He did come back an hour later and ate…

I’m hoping against hope that I will be able to corner him, but at this point I have to admit he’s so skittish and clever that this may come to no good end.

However, I am going to keep trying…

Ten days later: Doug:

Raider is staying pretty close to the “circle”, is on the move nearly continuously, and has been in and out of our yard many times over the past several days.

The next day: Phillapa:

Hi, I am writing from London and just wanted to say how proud we are to be neighbors of all that are showing such kindness to this dog!

We just got here from Venice, where we had a wonderful week of vacation.  We saw many beautiful dogs in Venice, who seem very happy to ride in all kinds of boats and trot along the alleyways, with no parks or very little grass in sight.  We are also happy to report that the European airports we have been through this past couple of weeks are using lots of lovely Labs and German Shepherds as “sniffer” dogs to smell every passenger as they go through the airport.  So much less intrusive that a full pat-down, and such a wise use of these intelligent and talented animals!

Best to all — see you next week!

Three days later:  Armand:

The saga of Raider continues.

Animal Control was called on Thursday. They are assisting us with the capture.  Their assessment is that Raider is NOT a dangerous dog, just lost and stressed.

We had a home arranged for Raider, but this has now fallen apart.

I am working on another solution, but have also learned that Animal Control and Paws only have limited day time hours… so as you can see, trapping him would not mean an immediate delivery which is also problematic.

Again, I ask you all to allow me to work with Raider to continue to try to build trust with him.  He clearly wants a home, but is not sure why he can’t find his people.

I want this resolved as much as anyone, but the reality is that this is not as easy as it seems… and I’d like to avoid any trauma to the dog as well.  Were I to trap him on Saturday night, I wouldn’t be able to get him to PAWS until Monday… so you see the problem.  Raider is not necessarily interested in working with Paws or Animal Controls’ time frame.

Later that day:  Anne:

I am so grateful to Armand for his diligent persistence in helping Raider.
It does seem to me that the dog has been clear that he is not aggressive, rather he is searching for safety and a place/people that feels “right”.

Next day: Armand:

Subject: Raider! A victory!

Credit goes to Marisa and Scott, who were finally able to lure Raider into an enclosure!  Through the use of stealth and modern technology, they were able to win his trust and get him trapped!

Once trapped, he settled right down, has accepted petting, more food, and is being really sweet.

This saga is now finally resolved.

My thanks go to everyone who has worked to assist in the catching of this beautiful dog.

Next day: Doug:

Scott built the enclosure used to entrap Raider.

Marisa used her magic with animals (and horse training experience) to induce Raider’s trust.  She fed him snacks while walking around talking to him, but with little eye contact.  She was also communicating with Scott, who was on his cell phone, speaking / guiding through Marisa’s ear piece. They led him around the yard many times, and on several occasions, and finally into the enclosure.

There, Raider was fed and watered, gently persuaded to come closer and to allow touching, was given a collar and leash, and was taken for short walks in the enclosure – then back out into the yard – then into the house.

Armand came over with more food and treats.  He and Walt have invested a lot of caring in this process.  So has Bea, who also came over to see Raider up close.  The whole neighborhood has shown Raider compassion and caring in general.

We have just introduced Raider to our dog and our cat.  That went OK, but it will take time for them to become “friends.”

We are now having conversations on keeping Raider as a new family member vs taking him to PAWS.

Raider is very smart and very sweet.

At this writing, they’re living happily ever after:

Raider’s name is now Bear as befits a happy chocolate lab who has found his “people.” His former owners have visited and given their blessing. The family’s resident dog, Biscuit, loves her new housemate. The family cat keeps her distance.

This week we had some great Scavenger Hunt Quests.

Quest #6: Find a quote relating to compassion, community, or the Puget Sound area and share it on your activity wall, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Quest #7: Explore the Heart Map and select an organization that sparks your interest. Go to their website and learn more about what they do and what they might need. Consider whether you have anything to offer them. Tell at least 3 people about what you learned to share the good work being done in our city.

Quest #8: Visit the Northwest African American museum. The museum is free on the first and second Thursday of each month—an awesome opportunity!

Quest #9 (beginning today, October 5): Donate either food or time to a food bank. Food is life: not only does it nurture our bodies but it also feeds our souls, represents our cultures, and builds our communities. As we head into October, our thoughts often turn to the warmth, fun, and love of upcoming holidays and parties. At the same time, the season of harvest and festivities should also remind of us of the cooling temperatures and turn our thoughts to those struggling to feed themselves and their families. The Compassion Games is happy to partner with Asian Counseling and Referral Services with volunteer opportunities at their food back and volunteering or participation in their annual benefit gala (going on tomorrow, Saturday, October 5). Even better, make friends by getting a volunteer group together via the Facebook Scavenger Hunt event page.

For more info on volunteering at the food bank, click here.

For more info on the benefit gala, click here.

For info on other local food banks, click here.

***

It’s not too late to play! For a list of previous Quests check out our first blog post on the Scavenger Hunt. Complete as many Quests as you can, in whatever order and whenever you’d like. Enlist friends. Tell us about your adventures on the Facebook Scavenger Hunt Event page.

And sign up to play using SuperBetter.

SuperBetter instructions:

1. Create a SuperBetter account and go through all the setup steps.
2. Once you’ve setup your SuperBetter account and Epic Win, click on “Allies” on the left hand side of the screen and send an email to superbetter@compassiongames.org asking us to be your Ally.
3. When we send you Quests, you need to “accept” them in your SuperBetter account to have them show up as your Quests and enable you to complete them.

Whenever you’ve completed a Scavenger Hunt Quest, please click that you did it on SuperBetter. We’d also love to hear what you’re up to so it would be awesome if you post about your adventures on your Activity Wall and/or on the Facebook event page’s Wall. Thanks for playing!

We were touched when a couple of our friends/students offered to come over and help us trim a tree with vines that was hanging dangerously over our neighbors’ power lines.  

They brought over their ladders and saws, we shared some chocolate and music with them and after a few hours had managed to trim the tree and remove the danger of our neighbors’ electricity being cut during an wind or ice storm.   I was very grateful and relieved!  While we were working on the project, I talked with a neighbor who I hadn’t seen for a while and who I had wondered about, with some concern if she was okay.

As it turned out, she had been seriously ill and was just regaining her strength and returning to work.  She commented that she’d love to trim one of her trees – which was much more to a scale that I could handle with the tools and ladder that I have, so I offered to help her to prune her tree, for which she was delighted and most grateful.

What a natural cascade of kindness and compassion flowing from one heart-life to another as needs arise that we have the power to help with.  May we all be blessed to receive and offer such kindness, helpfulness, and compassion to others and pay it forward.  

(Note – there’s a great video that captures the spirit of this this – posted at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU&feature=youtu.be )

Our society is fascinated by entertainers, sports heroes and lawbreakers. Glance at the “most read” list on most any online news site and you’ll find it overwhelmingly populated with articles that are variations on those themes. This isn’t a new trend. But what does it say about the stories we value, or to what we give our precious attention?

“People become the stories they hear and the stories they tell,” writes author and activist Elie Wiesel. We agree.  Since most children don’t grow up to be entertainers or sports heroes, we’re telegraphing to them a dangerous message: fame – and even infamy – is what matters. No wonder, then, as we continue to click on reports of celebrity or crime, money-strapped news organizations continue to feed us an endless supply of those stories. In short, it seems, we get what we “click,” upholding the axiom that whatever we give our attention gets bigger.

In this election year we’re also frequently reminded about our political and social divides. Yes, there are important issues and real divisions, but that’s an old story, and it’s demoralizing. Rather than spurring us to action, our continual political stalemates deflate us into non-action, isolation, and cynicism.

As current and former media professionals, with many years of experience in online, broadcast and print journalism, a group of us have come together in a belief that our community can do better. We see everyday ‘celebrities’ all around us, people whose stories, if told, can bridge divided communities, generate ideas to improve our collective lives, and inspire others to meaningful action.  Such stories can make a difference for a neighbor, a neighborhood, a city or a state. We believe most people are looking for inspiration and solutions from their everyday world, the one to which they belong, where they have a chance to make a positive impact. They are looking for stories that at their heart involve compassion.

So how do we get there? We’ve come up with an idea for a starting point, and it kicks off in mid-September.  “Stories of Compassion” is a storytelling competition for everyone in the greater Seattle region: student and professional journalists, bloggers, nonprofit groups who provide basic needs, businesses engaged in their communities, education projects, interfaith and faith-related outreach, poets, photographers and videographers.  The contest is about strengthening our greater community through the stories we tell about the lives we lead.

“Stories of Compassion” is part of an umbrella effort called “Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindest,” and it begins September 21^st.  The Games are sponsored by Compassionate Seattle, United Way of King County, the City of Seattle and King County. They are intended as both a fun and serious way to renew regional dialog about the value of compassionate action in our personal lives and in our communities. Opening day coincides with United Way of King County’s “Day of Giving,” one of the great compassion efforts our community participates in every year. Contest entries will be posted online at the Compassion Games site, a gallery for all to read, see and share. Winners will be announced later this fall. But it won’t end there.

“Stories of Compassion” and “Compassion Games” are meant to continue and expand a regional conversation about ways to foster compassionate action. Four years ago, the Dalai Lama and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited Seattle to talk about the need for a more compassionate world, and tens of thousands of people pledged to identify, uphold and actively cultivate compassion in their communities. Inspired by their message against a backdrop of deeply partisan political and economic division, local organizations Compassionate Seattle and Compassionate Action Network International gelled around the message that compassion can bridge differences, create understanding and foster peace.

In 2010, Seattle became the first city in the world to affirm the Charter for Compassion, a document supporting compassion as the central tenet – the Golden Rule – among the world’s peoples, a necessary undertaking to encourage peace, nonviolence and understanding.

Other cities have followed Seattle’s lead, including Louisville, Kentucky. Recently, Louisville proudly counted more than 90,000 compassionate acts in one week. Now, they’ve thrown the challenge our way, and the Compassion Games is Seattle’s response. There are many ways to take part, and “Stories of Compassion” is but one.

To be clear, we are not arguing that stories about compassion aren’t being told. They are, every day, across varied mediums both local and national.  But they are drowned in the daily tidal wave of violence and name-calling that too often is packaged as the day’s news.  We’d like to see more stories that point us toward solutions to problems that plague our communities, and to make those stories easier for anyone to find. We intend to maintain a web presence that continues to collect these stories, an easy way to locate and share them well beyond the competition.

We envision a future when such stories dominate the “most read” list on news sites.

If we can give some attention to stories that matter, stories that bridge the divides between us and show us everyday solutions and pathways to alleviating suffering in our own community, then we can strengthen our communities. We encourage you to contribute your stories of compassion, for we cannot learn what we haven’t shared.

Note: Stories of Compassion editors’ group includes Gary Davis, Associate Executive Director at Seattle nonprofit Companis and longtime public radio reporter/editor and current news host for KPLU/NPR;  Anne Stadler, former KING/NBC public affairs veteran;  Rita Hibbard, executive director of Compassionate Action Network International and former Seattle Post-Intelligencer editor and co-founder of InvestigateWest, an investigative online journalism nonprofit;  Brook Stanford,   three-decade KOMO/ABC reporter; Chris Tugwell, YMCA Regional Director of Education, Employment and Technology programs, and editor of the community youth blog Puget SoundOff; and Marilyn Turkovich, director of Voices Education Project.

After living in a small, remote village called Lesotho, in southern Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1990s, I continued to travel off the beaten path to far corners of the world. My paths led to Haiti, the South Sudan, Laos, Mozambique and beyond.

Travel was my passion in life. But unlike many people, I did not travel to see the “wonders” of the world.” Instead, I traveled to meet and photograph the wonderful people of the world.

When I traveled to foreign lands, forced completely outside of my “comfort zone,” I find that unique, thought-provoking and inspiring conversations and interactions would happen. These human connections would fuel me to work hard and look forward to the next adventure abroad.

In 2011, I realized I did not need to travel the world to have the inspiring human connection that I was seeking. The people of the world are all here in Seattle.

Asha Warsame, 23, on left, from Somalia, is one of the global citizens featured on Tara’s web site. Her mother and sister are also shown here.

So I set out on a journey creating The World in My Backyard. My goal is to meet and photograph an individual or couple born in every country in the world, currently residing in Seattle. The parameters I have set for myself are that the person I interview must only be one degree of separation from me; either I meet them on my own or an acquaintance (new or old) connects me with the individual. Since beginning the project in early 2012, I have been on the most incredible journey of my life and it has not required any travel!

One of the first questions I am asked is, “How are you going to find someone from each country?” I share that I think it will be the easiest part of the challenge, because I connect with immigrants EVERYWHERE. We are fortunate in Seattle to live in such an ethnically diverse city. I find myself connecting at my sons’ school, in parks, coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants, walking the dog, at parties, at the theater… the locations are endless. Friends and neighbors have also been connectors. To date, I have interviewed immigrants from 27 different countries (and identified 40 more to be interviewed). They cross all demographics and range in age from 22 to 76. They openly share with me their family history and life story. I do not exaggerate when I say my connection with each and every person has been incredible.

Lakpa Sherpa, 47, and Furba Sherpa, 49, are immigrants from Nepal.

Through the project, my family is learning about global geography, history and current events, different religions and philosophies, foreign foods, a vast number of professions, unimaginable struggles and achievements. Through the new connections I am making with people in the Seattle community, our world is opening to new activities and experiences. My children’s excitement to be involved in the project and meeting new people is astonishing and exciting. They are becoming global citizens without leaving the city.

Having the project to talk about has led to fascinating conversation with complete strangers and long time friends. Through sharing personal stories, new bonds are quickly formed. New friendships are formed with the immigrants I interview.

Ibrahima Bakhram, 31, comes to Seattle from Senegal.

Too often, in our society, we look forward to the next goal and rarely reflect on our journey. Witnessing each person treasure the moments of sharing their life story with a stranger is incredibly special. It is my belief that through real, honest human connection we can create more compassionate and united communities.

I have started sharing the lives I am learning about on my website. Consider starting your own “in my backyard” community and sharing your experiences of connectivity with me. I promise it will take you on an unforgettable adventure of learning about yourself and the world around you.

For your information and for posterity, here are last week’s Quests:

Quest #1. Read and sign the Charter for Compassion.

Quest #2. Sign up or resolve to attend a specific Planned Action Project or Event during the Compassion Games. Post your commitment on your SuperBetter activity wall or on the Facebook event page.

Quest #3. Visit the John T. Williams Totem Pole site at Seattle Center. For a Power-Up, find the “gum wall” at Seattle’s Pike Place Market.

Quest #4. Check out the Gallery of Compassionate Actions. Choose one to do, do it, and post your experience on your activity wall or on Facebook.

—–For a Power-Up, meditate for 5 minutes.

Quest #5. Visit the Earth Portal exhibit in the Whidbey Geodome at the Seattle Center. Be inspired and gain compassion by learning about the universe and the earth’s unique place within it. Shows at 5pm on Thursdays through October 11 are free if you go in and say you’re with the Compassion Games Scavenger Hunt.

Even though the week is over, you can still do all or any of these Quests. And we’d love to hear about your adventures on the Facebook page. We’ve also got more excellent adventures planned for this week so stay tuned and, if you haven’t, sign up to play the Scavenger Hunt using SuperBetter.

SuperBetter instructions:

1. Create a SuperBetter account and go through all the setup steps.
2. Once you’ve setup your SuperBetter account and Epic Win, click on “Allies” on the left hand side of the screen and send an email to superbetter@compassiongames.org asking us to be your Ally.
3. When we send you Quests, you need to “accept” them in your SuperBetter account to have them show up as your Quests and enable you to complete them.

Whenever you’ve completed a Scavenger Hunt Quest, please click that you did it on SuperBetter. We’d also love to hear what you’re up to so it would be awesome if you post about your adventures on your Activity Wall and/or on the Facebook event page’s Wall. Thanks for playing!

The minds behind the GeoDome believe in the power of stories—big and little. Further, they use the dome to show how stories told in an immersive environment stir deep visceral and emotional reactions in the audience. The creators see the GeoDome as a “merger of art and science,” that teaches by making these two realms of human creativity and intellect—often separated in our society—collaborate with each other.  This approach enhances and deepens the learning process by making education a stimulating event, one that engages the viewer in a variety of ways.

The current story, the Earth Portal, whisks you away through the far reaches of space. In the process, viewers gain a dual understanding. First, we learn how fantastically insignificant we are in this magnificent universe—a humbling effect that gives perspective but also creates awe. Second, we also see how impressive it is that we exist at all, the unique beauty of our world. Together, these two understandings encourage a feeling of humility and connection with what we know—our Earth—and what we can barely comprehend—the universe.

The folks at the Whidbey GeoDome believe that the awe and humility inspired by the Earth Portal can also encourage a more compassionate engagement with the world. That’s why they’re partnering with the Compassion Games Scavenger Hunt. Today is our fifth Scavenger Hunt Quest: Visit the Whidbey GeoDome, currently housed at the Seattle Center. Even better, attend the 5pm show tonight, or the next two Thursdays at 5pm, say you’re with the Compassion Games Scavenger Hunt, and you can watch the show for free!

If you’d like to play the Scavenger Hunt using our other partner, the game platform SuperBetter, click on this link. Set up your SuperBetter account and Epic Win. Then click on “Allies” in the left hand bar and send an email to superbetter@compassiongames.org, asking us to be your Ally. The Compassion Games will send you regular Quests and Power-Ups to help you discover the hidden gold of compassion in our city and help us all get SuperBetter.

Also, please join us on the Facebook event page and tell us about your adventures. Let’s create the community online and in the real world.