Feel free to read what you want into that title because this morning I have so many mixed emotions I don’t care what you think of me. I only care that you feel a little bit of what I am feeling so maybe we will all wake up and start taking care of our own neighbors.

Last year the most horrifying photo was a Detroit homeless man frozen in the ice. Over the summer I happened to be visiting Detroit and we drove by that building. I was told that kids found that man frozen but decided to play a game of hockey before they reported it.

This morning someone posted a link on InvisiblePeople.tv’s Facebook page about Stephen Frye who lost both of his legs and one arm to frostbite after passing out in an abandoned building he called home!

I am about to visit Alaska where over a dozen homeless people died on the streets last year. In Salt Lake City 58 people homeless people died last year. Only two weekends ago 3 homeless people died in Santa Barbara, California. Wherever you live in this great country of ours people are dying outside!

How many people have to die on the streets before we wake up and start taking care of our own communities?

(Photos by Max Ortiz / The Detroit News & Ryan Garza / The Flint Journal)

I honestly believe today more than ever people genuinely want to get involved.  After my CNN story came out I received lots of emails from people wanting to help. As always I suggest they support their local homeless services. I also give a disclaimer that it may be challenging trying to connect and that the person cannot give up until they find an organization that fits.

We suck at getting people involved. Please forgive my candor but I don’t know how else to put it. Ya I know you’re busy. And who has money to hire a volunteer coordinator? In homeless services everything that can go wrong usually does so when a group of people show up to help they are sent to the kitchen just to get them out of the way. There are far too many people for tasks so most of the volunteers stand around doing nothing. It’s a horrible experience so they never return to help you or any other homeless services organization.

The other thing we do is make them jump through so many hoops just to get involved they give up! As we enter into another year of a crappy economy we need volunteers more than ever. They save money and once a person gets involved most become financial donors.

Meet the volunteer you turned away:

Susan left a note on my Facebook. I don’t remember her exact words except she stated that after reading my CNN story she had to do something. I gave my normal response encouraging her to find a local shelter that ‘fits’. Susan really wanted to take action and started to apply as a volunteer in her area. She tried several places and each one made it nearly impossible for her to connect. She asked for my help so I recommended a few homeless services in or near where she lived. Unfortunately, I only know these organizations by their outward appearance. They, too, made it difficult and Susan was basically turned away every place she tried to help.

Susan decided to take action and started to research what people on the streets need. She even sent me links to information that I didn’t know. She planned on filling up her car and driving to a park to help.

Here is just one of the emails she sent:

My neighbor just gave me ten ski suits. Those things are unbelievably expensive and talk about durable, weatherproof and warm! I have hats, scarves, gloves, tons of thermals, sweats, jeans, socks, and someone gave me a inflatable bed with electric pump. Should I approach the people who are doing the feeding and give them the bed? My entire car is loaded right now. Are we able to park close to that park or do we have to park in the garage and just lug things back and forth? I have two rolling suitcases. Figured we will fill them up and go.

I then received this sent from her BlackBerry:

You are not going to believe this. We didn’t have enough. Corner of K and 15th. They came out of the woodwork. Down the road a little on 16th was a crowd of them too. It is cold and raining and miserable out. Food, clothes, jackets, all of our bags – just everything gone. My entire car was packed. Completely empty now. Unbelievable.

I responded simply asking how the experience was for her. Her answer again from her BlackBerry:

My heart is full. I don’t know if I have the words to express all of the emotions and what we experienced. Invisible people is the best description you could have come up with. I NEVER noticed the homeless as much as I did today. When you look for them, you see them EVERYWHERE.

We drove out there in the downpour. Started driving towards that area that you mentioned. Saw a guy standing by a monument, looked real close and saw a cardboard box. Swung back around, got out, walked over and he was grateful to get food and clothing. He came over to the car and as we were giving him things, he politely asked if he could have some things for his girlfriend who was sleeping under the box. Didn’t even see her! She came over and we gave them sweatshirts, hoodies, tshirts, food and bags (found these great drawstring bags for a dollar). I wanted to give them everything. I wanted to pull them out of their misery and give them shelter. I felt so helpless!

Got in the car and headed to that area you mentioned. Pulled up and saw plastic across this entire bench. Somebody was obviously under it. Not a single person around otherwise. To keep this short (I could write so much right now), we decided we were going to walk over to the bench. NEVER got to it. We never left our car.

One minute the park was deserted, the next minute it was filled with homeless people. We gave and gave and gave and stood in the pouring rain as more and more and more headed towards us. It was crazy. I never met the nicest people, the kindest, so respectful, looking out for each other, saying thank you and please and yes, maam and yes, sir and so grateful. I was floored.

Once we gave it all away, I swear I blinked and the park was empty. Not a soul around except for this one older lady just standing at the bench with her things and an umbrella. She barely spoke English and I went back to her and tried to figure out why she was out there. She didn’t even understand the word ’shelter’. I called the shelter hotline and they said they would send a van out to her but she walked away. I couldn’t communicate what I was trying to do. I watched her walk away and the shelter never found her .

What do you do when you come across that type of thing? How do you help? I stood in the downpour and did nothing. I didn’t know what to do. I am in tears thinking of it.

And afterwards, we got back in the car and I thought … ‘OMG! That was so unexpected. We were mobbed but the thing is … every single person was polite, respectful, happy to receive something, kind, helpful, looking out for each other … it blew me away.

What if they weren’t that way? We actually threw ourselves in a potentially dangerous situation. There were so many people. It was so unexpected.

I don’t want to let that deter me but we saw one person and a mob came out of nowhere and then disappeared just as quickly. As we were leaving, I saw a small type of enclosure (tunnel?) and it was filled with people. I wanted to help them all.
On the way out, on rt 66, there were people under the overpass. They were everywhere! It felt good to help but my heart is full. I want to do anything to help but I feel so helpless.

Are we putting ourselves in danger by approaching one or two people only to have a mob come out nowhere and now we are outnumbered? They could have overpowered us but nobody did. Don’t know how to approach this the next time.

Today was exhilarating and heartbreaking … it could have been dangerous but it wasn’t. My heart is all over the place. I want so bad to help and help and just live and breathe helping them.

Sorry for so much writing. I could go on and on …

I really don’t have words to express what Susan’s actions mean to me. This is beyond amazing! THANK YOU SUSAN! What I will tell you is that Susan may be the perfect volunteer. She demonstrated leadership skills and that she is a make-things-happen person. And for those of you that still hold on to the delusion you cannot afford a volunteer coordinator Susan has donated several times to InvisiblePeople.tv. Honestly, I would rather have her donate to local homeless services organizations – but they all passed her up!

If you have had a similar experience please share. If you are a service provider how can we improve at getting people connected and involved?

I can’t exactly recall when I was first introduced to Beth Kanter’s work. I mean, who in the nonprofit or the social media world does not know how brilliant she is!  But I do remember that after I was asked to speak at Gnomedex I started to really pay attention. The year before Beth spoke at Gnomedex and people are still talking.

This last year there were two people that I wanted to meet in real life. Both had played a huge part in helping me guide InvisiblePeople.tv. When I was speaking in Washington, DC over the summer I was honored Katya Andresen took time to meet with me. She’s amazing! Now I just had to wait because with the way things were going Beth Kanter and I would cross paths in no time. Blog World went by, then 140 Conference – no Beth. I thought for sure we would meet at a conference or event but the year was almost over. Honest – I really wanted to meet Beth in person!

Luckily the last week of 2009 I had the honor of spending time with Beth and her gorgeous family. We happened to meet up for coffee at a little cafe’ near Venice. Of course it happened because of social media and one of Beth’s online experiments which couldn’t have been any more perfect.

I am genuinely grateful for Beth and her work in the nonprofit social media space. Beth helps the little guys like me do big things.

Please join me in making Beth Kanter’s birthday the very best ever by helping her help Cambodian children.

It truly is an honor serving hurting people on Christmas Eve. Last year was the first time I worked frontlines homeless services and it changed me forever. I honestly don’t think I can ever go back to a traditional holiday celebration after what have I experienced.

This photo is my friend Dan Portnoy helping me deliver a Christmas Tree to a homeless family’s hotel room. Don Garza also came along. After I let three homeless families pick what toys they wanted we loaded up the van with two families and went grocery shopping so they would have food the next few days.

One scared mom called me from a bus she had been riding all day. She was with her one-year-old baby and didn’t have any place to go after a domestic violence crisis. She left with nothing, not even a coat, diapers, or socks on her baby’s feet. I asked her to meet me at the hotel that we use as transitional housing for homeless families. Thanks to Sonya Keith I just happened to have several baby sweaters for all the children. I even had a coat for the mom.

As one mom with two little children stood in the doorway waving goodbye as we left my heart broke. When I first knocked on her door the oldest child looked up to me and said, “I’m hungry”. They didn’t have any food until we arrived. By no means was it a perfect Christmas for these desperate families. But in some small way we were able to help them make it a little better.

Too me, although last year is hard to beat, this was the best Christmas ever!

Last year I met Ben for the 1st time. He probably was the most energetic volunteer I have ever met. The location of our first encounter was Glendale’s Homeless Connect Day and it seemed like Ben was running the show – which in a way he was. Ben managed all the manpower for the day and was doing everything he could to make the day a success.

Ben is a volunteer leader (for a day gig he plays electrician) of ServeLA, a ministry out of Mosaic.

At first I was a little taken. I’ve worked in fulltime ministry for many years and usually churches just do their own thing. I am not saying that is bad. *cough* There are many great churches that have a huge impact on their community. But at the Homeless Connect Day ServeLA was helping the City of Glendale and all the other organizations involved – not just their own church community.

Taken from the ServeLA website:

What is serveLA?
We are a community of people who are committed to the future our city, striving to make whatever difference we can.

I love that! A church ministry going outside its own church body to help others is simply gorgeous! But we need more! We need ServeBoston, ServeCleveland, ServeChicago, Serve(insert your own city)!

As the economy gets worse we need to get better. One huge way we can get better is if more church leaders would be secure enough (ya, I went there) to allow their own church to build something besides their own church! I mean, we talk about community on Sunday morning then the rest of the week we only help build our own ministries. Yes, I know, your church may have bought a new basketball hoop for the local school. You may have even painted a mural. But then you went back to doing your own thing and won’t be back to help that school for 6 months or more. What I am talking about is a fulltime commitment to work with and serve the community outside of your church community!

So here’s the challenge. Assign someone to find events being held in your community, maybe even being held by another church, then have a team of people go serve those events doing whatever is asked – and without any agenda! Repeat daily! Now that’s a real church!

Last night FoxLA did a story about the cold that has hit Los Angeles and featured the winter shelter. News anchors say in the opening two people have been found dead from exposure! This Southern California! Imagine what it’s like in other parts of the country!

Those of you that follow me on twitter know most nights I can be found supporting the Glendale Winter Shelter which is part of the same system of support services managed by Union Rescue Mission and supported by PATH Achieve Glendale. Please support your local homeless services!

link to FoxLA story here

Since much of the recent traffic to this blog is coming from CNN I was going to wait until I posted a link. But tonight a friend mentioned the CNN story so I took another read. It all kind of hit me. I mean, here I am with no real resources except social media and look at all the amazing things that happened this year. I never ever thought I would visit Seattle yet I was there 3 times. 2 visits to New York City, over 26 cities and 11,263 miles by car. Actually, there is not enough time in the day to list all the adventures I’ve had this year! WOW!

I am so grateful for all the media exposure. Each post, every TV package, and every tweet help give a face and voice to people who have little influence. In rereading the CNN story and watching the CNN video (they are different) I can hardly even believe this is my life.

Read my story on CNN click here

Also honored Huffington Post listed me as one of the top twitter activists to follow.

After a year like this I cannot even imagine what next year will be like.