Who Maxine Is Matters

Name: Malek's 90-Day Transitional Housing for Homeless Families 
Mission Statement:  To provide homeless children and families with the necessities of life: food, shelter, clothing, personal hygiene needs and medical care.  Homelessness can have a tremendous impact on children – their education, health, sense of safety, and overall development.  When compared to low-income and homeless families, children experiencing homelessness have been shown to: •    Have higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems •    Have increased risk of serious health problems •    Be more likely to experience separations from their families •    Experience more school mobility, repeat a grade, be expelled or drop out of school, and have lower overall academic performance. This organization uniquely intends to provide 90-day transitional housing for homeless children and families in motels. The motels will be ...

There is a lot of truth to the quote. All of us were created equally. And for that reason, we all have the social responsibility to uplift the less fortunate in order to make the world a better place. Personally, I've always been thankful for the family and community I was born into. My parents have enough money to support my life and education. Not to mention, they placed me in the best  university. But I grew up in a very sheltered environment, with no exposure to poverty. I remember the biggest culture shock for me was when I drove down Skid Row for the first time. My eyes popped out of their sockets! I couldn't believe that thousands of people were living in tents. Skid Row resembled a camp site, and only the "lucky" ones were fortunate enough to actually have a tent to sleep in. My heart especially broke for the young children who were sleeping on the streets. I can't imagine what types of hardships they've faced at such a young age. In that moment, I f...

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Eagle Rock Brewery's Women's Beer Forum. The crowd was very friendly, and the beer was incredible. To be frank, I don't drink beer often- I prefer wine or tequila. But occasionally I'll enjoy a can of Bud Light or Coors Light, depending on where I am and what food I'm eating. At Eagle Rock Brewery, the co-owner shared a few humorous stories as we tasted five flights of beer. Either the beer was hitting me, or she had a really good sense of humor-- either way, we shared many laughs throughout the two hour event. She shared personal stories about her arduous experience opening up this brewery, along with the sister Eagle Rock restaurant, which is down the street. Doing so was not easy by any means, as she explained. She even contemplated getting a divorce on several occasions, because she and her husband bickered a lot on topics regarding the business. When I told the group of women that I was there for a school extra ...

I'm proud to say that I recently finished reading Mark Manson's "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****". Unfortunately, I'm the type to begin a book, get so busy with other commitments, and never have the chance to finish it. (This is a bad habit of mine that I am working to fix). But this book is a whole different story. I love reading self-growth books. And Manson's writing style is so much fun to read- there was never a dull moment. The Book in Three Sentences: The most productive use of your time and energy is finding something important and meaningful. This is because all of us have problems associated with our lives, but when we find meaning in our lives, it will help us sustain the effort needed to overcome any problems we may face. The key to living a good life isn't about worrying about more things, but rather, only caring about the things that align with our personal values. Other lessons I took from the book: The desire for more positiv...