What You Can Do Honors Our Night Sky and Supports Our Troops

May 2013 Dear Friends, What You Can Do spearheaded two campaigns this month - one to protect the natural darkness of the night sky, and one to honor our service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.    First up we called upon Dark Ranger Kevin Poe to revisit one of our favorite topics, Protecting the Night Sky.  Kevin outlined the major threats our bodies and our planet face from excess light pollution and shared simple one minute ideas to help combat them.  By the campaign's end, we had 2,100 people vow to become Dark Rangers and agree to join the battle to Protect the Night.  In honor of Memorial Day, we then teamed up with Solider's Angels to honor our fallen service members. We asked our community to visit Soldier's Angels' Facebook page to share messages of gratitude on theirFallen but not Forgotten Memorial Wall.  Through this collaboration, we had over 28,000 people share photos and submit messages of support and thanks.   In addition to these two successful campaigns, What You Can Do has exciting news to report! We've been named the 2012 Accolade Awards' Humanitarian of the Year.  In addition, we received a Gold Remi from Houston WorldFest for Commercials or Public Service Announcements.  Thank you to everyone who made this possible! Thanks so much,  The On the Leesh Team

What You Can Do's Campaigns to Protect the Night and Honor Our Service Members

Protecting the Night: Our Connection to the Stars Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and every summer we head outside to perform one of our favorite past times - star gazing. Unfortunately, all of the artificial light that we use, not only makes it harder to see the stars, but has a serious and detrimental impact on our environment and our health. This month, What You Can Do teamed up with the always informative and ever entertaining Dark Ranger Kevin Poe, to learn about the issues we face from excess light pollution.  Sea turtles and migrating birds are two of the species affected by artificial nighttime light, but they're not the only ones. Humans are directly impacted by this issue since it affects our ability to sleep, and sleep is so important for our bodies' restorative functions, keeping our stress down, and helping to curtail future illness.     Does this all seem overwhelming?  Well Kevin not only illuminated the issues we currently face, but he also followed up with simple one minute ways that we can make a difference. If you haven't watched the videos on our YouTube channel, be sure to check them out.  For more information on how you can help fight the issue of light pollution, follow Ranger Poe on Facebook or YouTube.  He regularly posts great facts, anecdotes and and innovative ways to get involved.       Memorial Day is also a time to stop and give thanks to our service members, and to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  For the last two weeks in May, What You Can Do and Soldier's Angels partnered to honor fallen service members and their families.  We encouraged our community to visit Soldier's Angels' Facebook Page.  Under their photo album labeled "Fallen but not Forgotten," people could write messages of thanks, appreciation, support and encouragement.     What You Can Do also encouraged our community to share their thoughts on our Facebook page.  People wrote in their own messages of thanks, shared our photos of appreciation and re-tweeted our messages of gratitude.  The words that were shared were forwarded on as letters to active service members.  We are proud to report that through this collaboration, over 28,000 people came together to offer their gratitude and support to our troops. Thanks to everyone who got involved in the conversation on Facebook, and be sure to subscribe to us on YouTube. UP NEXT This summer, What You Can Do is dedicating June and July to our oceans. We're partnering with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and The Parker Manatee Aquarium at the South Florida Museum to highlight the most pressing issues currently affecting our seas as well as highlighting some inspirational stories of people working in the field.  We'll spend the summer celebrating our oceans and the amazing creatures that live within them.   If you're an artist, we're holding a contest in honor of our oceans in New York City. We're seeking works of art made from recycled plastic that will be featured as part of a show at Bushwick Coffee House, a coffee shop in Brooklyn, NY. The contest will culminate in an event and concert with the Sea Monsters on July 20th.  Write us at info@ontheleesh.com for more information.       Be sure to write in and share your ideas on how to protect our oceans! FESTIVALS AND AWARDS    What You Can Do has just been named the 2012 Accolade Award Humanitarian of the Year.  We are completely honored and humbled by this award   In addition, What You Can Do won a Gold Remi Award from Houston WorldFest for Commercials/Public Service Announcements.  We're so thrilled with this honor.  Lastly,What You Can Do has been selected to compete in the2013 Manhattan Film Festival - if your'e in NYC, be sure to check it out.     It's been a busy month for us, and  we wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to the entire cast and production crew of What You Can Do, as well as the wonderful organizations we partner with, and our incredible fans and community!  Wanna know more? OUR BLOG Stop by our "What You Can Do" blog for new posts and features like  Missy's Homestead. Get in on the conversation & let us know what you'd like to read about next!   JOIN US ON PINTEREST Min' Ette, the face of the Unstoppable Minute Vlog, has been busy mining the web for facts, constellations, and images of our Night Sky  as well as inspiring photos  that honor our Service Members.      Corporate and Instruction Videos On the Leesh would like to extend our congratulations to our clients at Super Styling Sessions: Jay Scruggs and Sue Zecco. Our video won the Barkleigh Award for "Best DVD 2012" which is the follow up for our Barkleigh Award win of "Best DVD Series - 2011." Check out our corporate video site for new video clips from our clients and contact us to learn more about maximizing visibility for your company.

You Can Help Veterans

Action Link: The Veteran's Site

Starring: Alicia Arinella

Written by: Jessica Arinella and Julie Tortorici

Directed by: John Ruocco

Shot and Edited by: Alicia Arinella

Produced by: On the Leesh Productions

Music by: Banana Whale

What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission

Statistical Information provided by: http://www.theveteranssite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=10

Special Thanks:

Rosemary Jones and everyone at The GreaterGood Network

Dennis Arinella

Donate Your Miles to Service Members and Their Families

Do you have a credit card that accrues mileage on an airline? Do you use those miles? Well I can safely say yes to the first question and sort of to the second one. Seems I'm never using the miles properly. Airlines have black out dates which cause problems and sometimes I forget that I have miles available (which is crazy but it happens). Other times the airline is having a great deal, so I think I'd rather save my miles (for what, I don't know, but I save away). These companies love me. Basically I sign up for a program and don't use it. I'm a dream!

HOWEVER, after producing our video with Fisher House, I now know what I can do with those miles I have sitting around. They have a program that allows you to donate your frequent flyer miles to wounded service members and their families. Specifically, Fisher House Foundation provides free airline tickets to military men and women who are undergoing treatment at a military or VA medical center incident to their service in Iraq or Afghanistan, and their families.

Brilliant!

I feel good about signing up for a free miles program because I can use it to give back to the people who are giving up so much to protect me and my family. Really, the balance still feels skewed in my favor, but at least I'm doing something to help.

So today I'm going to donate a few miles to this amazing organization. It's a pretty simple process. Just click here. Click on the airline that has your miles, and then follow the steps for where to email or fax your request. It's super simple and definitely takes less than a minute!

If you have a few extra miles lying around, why don't you join me?

Thanks!

Alicia

Say 'Thank You' to Our Troops

Today, I'm a little embarrassed. When we first produced our video to "Adopt a Soldier" through Soldier's Angels, I wanted to sign up right away and sponsor one of our service members overseas. But I didn't. Months went by, and I didn't sign up. Why, you may ask? I wish the reason was better. Ultimately it was fear. In order to adopt a soldier, you have to agree to write one letter a week and send one care package a month. I was worried that I wouldn't have the time. And frankly, I think that's crazy.

I can take one minute of my week to write this letter. I can take thirty minutes out of my month to send this package. The service member that I will be teamed up with is taking several years out of his/her life to protect ME, and I'm worried about writing a letter? I felt pathetic. I was filled with guilt and yet... I still didn't sign up.

However, now that I'm in this 46 day challenge, I am signing up. I am through with excuses. This month is all about living by the What You Can Do motto: if you have even one minute, you can change the world. I will make the time because the fact of the matter is, I have a minute. While watching TV or eating lunch, I can write a letter of gratitude to a service member.

Enough is enough. I'm going to step out of my own way and say thank you.
How about you?
~Alicia

A Lenten Proposition - The Click Sites

A Lenten Quest - Day 2: Click it!


We here at What You Can Do are big fans of the GreaterGood Network's click sites. In terms of the one-minute movement, there really isn't a better way to make a profound difference in a short amount of time.


We have produced videos on all of the click sites: The Hunger Site, The Breast Cancer Site, The Animal Rescue Site, The Child Health Site, The Literacy Site, and The Rainforest Site. In addition to these click sites, they also feature apps for iphones that allow you to Touch to Give.


We're also planning on producing a video for The Veterans' Site, the GreaterGood's newest click site that helps get meals into the hands of homeless and hungry veterans.

Writing this blog took longer than logging on to any one of these sites and clicking. In fact, clicking one site takes about five seconds (depending on your internet connection), so over here, we're in the habit of clicking all seven sites - and we can do it in under 60 seconds!

Just think, in sixty seconds, you can "give the value of 1.1 cups of food to the hungry," "help another woman in need get a free mammogram," "give the value of 0.6 bowls of food to a rescued animal," "help a homeless and hungry veteran get a free meal," "provide a child with livesaving health care," "help give a child in need a book to read and treasure," and "help protect 11.4 square feet of rainforest habitat for widlife."


Just think, if you can do some much in one minute, why wouldn't you start every day by clicking? Make it a habit - set your web page to load to one of these sites and click today!


Thanks guys - Alicia

Support Our Troops - Closing Blog

Before you read this, open your medicine cabinet and gloss over it. Done? Okay, now run to your living room and count your DVD’s. Back again? Now take a look in your pantry. Check. Now think about where it all came from - drug stores, superstores, grocery stores. Maybe you couldn’t find the exact product you were looking for, so you walked a couple of blocks and boom, there it was: your favorite brand of roll-on, non-flakey, extra-protection, shower fresh-scented deodorant. Whew, because you definitely could not live without it. I know, I’m the same way.

Now plop yourself in the mountains of Afghanistan. Sure you are in the US Armed Forces but you are still in Afghanistan. Where is all the stuff? The tissues with lotion, the cheese puffs with real cheddar, the movies with George Clooney. Good luck finding any of it.

Am I the only one who really didn’t give this serious thought? The first time someone mentioned in one of the interviews I was doing for these episodes that they were sending soldiers socks, I thought, socks? But think of the places where we get all of this stuff for ourselves. There is no megastore in the mountains of Afghanistan. So where is this stuff going to come from if not from us?

It is one thing to not be able to wrap my head around the reality of war, but I would have to be a complete space cadet to not comprehend what it might feel like not to have access to such basic necessities. So, think of a soldier as your neighbor. You’re going out to the store and you ask your neighbor if they need anything. Imagine that each time, your neighbor says “yes” about one item. Pick it up, put it in a box and at the end of the month, ship it off to an organization that sends care packages. Because, after all, we do care.

What You Can Do presents: Support a Soldier's Family

Action Link: http://www.soldiersangels.org

Starring: Julie Tortorici and Grace Tortorici
Written by: Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission

Statistics Provided by: Soldiers Angels, http://www.soldiersangels.org

Special Thanks:
Toby Nunn and everyone at Soldiers Angels
Dennis Arinella

Support the Troops from the Road

Think there's nothing you can do to Support our Troops from the Road in 1 Minute?

Starring - Alicia Arinella & Jack Halaby
Written by -  Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by - Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission

Statistical Information provided by: Support Our Troops, www.supportourtroops.org

Special Thanks: Martin Boire and everyone at Support Our Troops, and Dennis Arinella

For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

Support a Returning Service Member

Think there's nothing you can do to Support a Returning Service Member in 1 Minute?

Starring - Tom Morwick
Written by -  Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by - Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission

Statistical Information provided by: Veterans and Their Families, www.veteransandtheirfamilies.org

Special Thanks: Ted Reed and everyone at Veterans and Their Families, and Dennis Arinella

For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

Support Deployed Soldiers

Think there's nothing you can do to Help Support our Troops in 1 Minute?

Starring - Rulie Noyola
Written by -  Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by - Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission

Statistical Information provided by: Support Our Troops, www.supportourtroops.org

Special Thanks: Martine Boire and everyone at Support Our Troops, and Dennis Arinella

For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

Support a Deployed Service Member

Think there's nothing you can do to Help Support a Service Member in 1 Minute?

Starring - Shirley Heller
Written by -  Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by - Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission

Statistical Information provided by: Soldier's Angels, www.soldiersangels.org

Special Thanks: Toby Nunn and everyone at Soldier's Angels, and Dennis Arinella

For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

An Interview with a Cause-USA Volunteer

Jonathan is a senior in high school and a volunteer at Cause in the digital entertainment library program (C-DEL) as well as the Massage Marathon Team. He organized a fundraiser at his school that raised over $1200 and generated a significant amount of awareness about Cause and their programs to help veterans.

Below is my interview with him about his experiences volunteering with Cause.

What made you join an organization like Cause?
I originally heard about Cause through my sister, who has been a devoted Cause volunteer for many years now. The idea of helping wounded soldiers was very appealing to me.

What is the most difficult reality that you have had to face through your work with Cause?
I would have to say, that the most difficult reality I faced came when I was just getting started. You can see war scene after war scene in the latest Hollywood film, or replay the most emotive parts of Pearl Harbor to yourself countless times, yet seeing soldiers barely a year or two my senior in the physical situation they were in was quite a pill to swallow. The first time I saw a soldier waltz through the Mologne house sans leg, I didn’t know what to say, what to do or how to act. I was in shock. Then, over time, I realized that the only element missing from the care-loaded patients’ day was possibly the most vital: the human aspect - be it a smile, a joke or random anecdote. The most humbling realization was that the most effective thing we could offer is a sense of normality in a very abnormal environment.

What results have you seen due to your work with the organization?
I truly believe that as a result of volunteering, I have grown as a person. I have found a whole new appreciation for what these soldiers do and what truly remarkable men and women they are. Prior to volunteering, I may have had a basic understanding of the situation soldiers were in after war, but volunteering has really brought it home. Soldier’s appreciation for what seems like such little work on my part is quite incredible.

How do you think, in general, people can best pay tribute to the military and all that they do for our country, even if they only have a moment to spare in their busy lives.
Too many volunteers is never really a bad thing, however, I believe the best way the general public can pay tribute to military personnel is by devoting a little bit of time out of their day to the military. They could put together a gift pack, share a simple anecdote, or even just saying “thank you for your service.” Human interaction can be the most effective catalyst to recovery.


If you'd like more information about volunteer opportunities at Cause, please visit www.cause-usa.org for more information. We'd also like to send out a special thank you to Kara Johnson at Cause for all of her help with facilitating the interview!

An Interview with Andria Lavine

See Karen T. Harline's interview with Andria Lavine:

For the last eights months, my friend Andria Lavine has been serving as a social work intern in the medical practice clinic at the San Francisco VA Medical Center at Fort Miley. Here is a bit about her experience.

Tell a little bit about what exactly your job entails and who specifically you work with.
I met with veterans and their family members when they came to the clinic to see their primary care physicians. Most of the veterans I saw had served in WWII or the Vietnam War, and many had multiple medical problems. I assisted them with issues like obtaining a connection to VA benefits, finding caregivers (either care for the veteran or for an ill loved one), getting food to their home, and making sure that they could safely live at home (especially if they lived alone).

Before your took this position, how often did you think about veteran's issues, specifically.
As a student at Smith College School for Social Work, I have been consistently educated about the psychological and social issues facing current returning veterans. Historically, the school I attend was designed to train social workers to help veterans since it opened over 90 years ago, and it actively maintains that goal. Independent of this, when I decided to go into social work, I knew that I wanted to be trained to work with veterans. This was because as a new therapist, I thought that working with veterans was one of the most socially responsible ways that I could use my degree. I could also imagine that veterans issues would eventually permeate into most social work fields, for example in a school you may see children whose parents had been deployed, or working in a substance abuse treatment facility you may come across veterans as well. Although I was never a supporter of war, I saw that this was the most I personally could do as a civilian to aid in the aftermath of war.

Did you have any close connections with veterans before taking on this position?
My grandfather was a veteran and I have some close friends who are veterans as well.

What would you say to someone who thinks of "veterans issues" as something that the government is taking care of and not necessarily something that private citizens have to dedicate time and effort to.
We will all end up devoting time to veterans issues, and more and more so as our troops come home over the next ten years. On a personal level, reading up on what issues returning veterans are facing may be beneficial to help support children, friends or family members who have been deployed in their transition back to civilian life. On a more macro level, donating to veterans organizations or volunteering your talents, whatever they may be, makes a bigger difference than you may imagine. Recognition from local government may mean a lot to a returning veteran, and knowing that they can access support from their community in general may also mean a lot.

Based on your experience, what do you think is the most important need veterans collectively share that is not being addressed?
I think that many needs for veterans are being addressed to some degree, it just takes time and resources for them to materialize. For example, just recently the VA systems have put into place a powerful initiative to end homelessness within the veteran population over the next 5 years. However, bidding on land, building new housing units and getting them ready for use may take considerable time. I think that homelessness has been the most important need not sufficiently addressed over the years, as evidenced by the large number of homeless Vietnam veterans and the growing number of returning veterans who are homeless. Hopefully, aspects of this initiative will materialize quickly, securing more section 8 and HUD VASH housing vouchers for veterans while also working with local communities to provide stable solutions in a timely manner.

What You Can Do presents: Support Service Members

Action Link: www.Fisherhouse.org

Starring: Rosie Moss
Written by: Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission and Fisher House

Statistical Information provided by: Fisher House, www.Fisherhouse.org

Special Thanks:
Cindy Campbell and everyone at Fisher House Foundation
Dennis Arinella

For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

What You Can Do presents: Help Injured Veterans

Action Link: TAKE ACTION HERE

Starring: Maria Christina Perry
Written by: Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission
Statistical Information provided by: Homes for Our Troops, Homesforourtroops.org


Special Thanks: Vicki Thomas and everyone at Homes For Our Troops
Dennis Arinella

For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

What You Can Do presents: Support the Troops

Action Link: Donate Miles

Starring: Mark Agard
Written by: Mary Micari
Consulting Producer: Mary Micari
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group

Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission and Fisher House Foundation

Statistical information provided by: Fisher House, Fisher House Foundation


Special Thanks:
James D. Weiskopf and everyone at Fisher House
Dennis Arinella

For more information, please visit - www.whatyoucando365.com

Supporting Our Troops

Allow me to introduce myself. Hi. I’m a flaming liberal. I’m anti-gun, anti-violence and anti-war. I think if every dime spent on war and getting people killed were spent on education and diplomacy, the world would be a hell of a lot better off than it is now. That’s me. Nice to meet you.

When I began working on this week of episodes about supporting veterans’ and soldiers’ issues, my flaming liberal values weighed heavily on my mind – mostly, how much I believe war is nothing but a misuse of power. While we all know that in a job like this – writing about supporting various causes – the risk of sounding like a hypocrite runs high. No one person can do everything. But for some reason, this time, I really felt like a charlatan. Who am I to talk about supporting veterans and soldiers when I don’t support war?

But then it hit me. I’m using soldiers and veterans interchangeably with the word war. See how I did that a couple of sentences ago? Well, sure, I’ve understood intellectually that you can “support the troops” without supporting the war. But it wasn’t until working on these episodes that “supporting the troops” meant more than a thumbs-up at a bumper sticker going by.

When a 21 year-old man comes home, unable to walk and can’t get around in his own home, war is not the issue. When a soldier can’t buy simple things like razors and socks because the nearest “convenience store” is hundreds of miles away, war is not the issue. When a family can’t afford to fly to the hospital where their injured mother is staying to show their love and support, war is not the issue.

No one’s telling you to throw away your politics or keep your mouth shut on the issues. But when it comes to supporting active duty soldiers and veterans, really, who cares? It’s not about guns, violence or war, it’s about people, families and life. And they deserve way more than a thumbs up.

Think there's nothing you can do to Support the Troops in 1 Minute?

Think there's nothing you can do to Support Our Troops in 1 Minute?

Starring: Mark Agard
Written by: Julie Tortorici & Jessica Arinella
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Consulting Producer: Mary Micari
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group
Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission and Fisher House Foundation, INC.

Statistical Information provided by: Fisher House, www.fisherhouse.org

Special Thanks: James D. Weiskopf and everyone at Fisher House Foundation, Inc.
Dennis Arinella and everyone at WLIW