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18 January 2010Haiti: A few good ideas In just the last 24 hours I have gratefully received a surprising number of responses to my call to action in Haiti. JustinSchuck.com/haiti has been visited by over 400 unique visitors since the site went live with 1,290 page views so far; over 100 of those people went on to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund website where I hope many of them gave a contribution. Several people sent me emails pledging their cooperation on my service projects. I am genuinely moved by the enthusiasm these friends and Twitter followers have shown. (If you're interested, email info@JustinSchuck.com with "HAITI SERVICE PROJECT" as the subject.) Ideas for the Justin Schuck Haiti Project In addition to interest generated in giving money, I was was surprised to receive many responses from people wanting to join me in service projects on the ground in Haiti once the immediate recovery is complete and the job of rebuilding the country can begin. Some very good ideas have been sent my way and I would like to share some of them with you now.
Business owners: Be a part of the solution An important component of any aid project is corporate sponsorship. Because of the many tax benefits offered by donations to non-profit organizations, my friends and I are seriously considering this option. Regardless, I am asking for business owners to make pledges to help this effort. Here are some simple ways you can ask your employer to help.
Get ready: How you can be prepared to ship out We are nowhere near the point of making any solid announcements about when we will embark on our first service project, but I urge you to start preparing. No matter how many gruesome images you see on television, nothing can fully prepare you for what you will see once you are on the ground. Haiti has a tropical climate year-round so make sure to have light-weight clothing that protects your skin from the sun. From my experiences and travels I have put together a comprehensive list of items you will want to bring with you on any project in Haiti. Start gathering supplies now that you know you will likely need for your trip. Toiletries are essential Here is an easy list of everyday supplies you will need. Make sure to have these in conveniently-sized unbreakable travel bottles.
You'll want to pack a basic traveler's first aid kit, modified for your personal preferences—but include extra gauze and an ace bandage. If you plan on using an old kit from a previous trip, be sure to freshen it with new Band-Aids (I use only the flexible fabric-type), tape, etc. In addition to standard first aid items, you may want to pack the following:
Bottled water may be hard to come by when we're on the ground, so you may want to bring some way to treat water just in case. Steripen makes a hand-held water purifier that disinfects with UV rays. Here are some other things you might need:
Every traveler sooner or later develops a list of essential comfort items. Here are some to consider:
But how can you really prepare yourself for a profound life-changing experience? Spread the good word I need your help in spreading the word about the Justin Schuck Haiti Project. Share the site or my call to action on your websites, blogs, on Twitter and on Facebook. I am continuing to ask that when referring to the Justin Schuck Haiti Project you use the #JustinSchuckHaiti hashtag on Twitter and similar services. Also, @ me or DM me and I'll put you on my Twitter Haiti Service Project list. Catch all the Haiti-related blog entries here: #Haiti Subscribe to the RSS feed JustinSchuck.com / Blog / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter LinkedIn / Myspace / YouTube / Vimeo Guerrilla Photo Shoots / JustinSchuck.com/Haiti  Labels: Charity, Haiti, Justin Schuck, Volunteer 17 January 2010Haiti: A Call to Action by Justin Schuck This weekend President Obama called on us to do whatever we can to raise money and help the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated the capital city of Port-au-Prince and much of the surrounding area. I now call on my friends to do the same, and join me in this effort and help me organize the first of several service projects in Haiti. In the immediate aftermath of the 2005 gulf coast hurricanes that devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, I launched a similar awareness campaign on JustinSchuck.com. Now I come to you again asking for your help and compassion. As we move forward I will provide additional resources on my dedicated Haiti page. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund On Saturday, President Clinton and President Bush announced the creation of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund as a central resource to donate money towards the recovery and rebuilding efforts in Haiti. I feel very proud that these two former presidents have taken this call to action. Their presence will lend a unifying credibility to the fundraising effort. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund will ensure that all funds raised go directly to the organizations and groups that need it the most. We are being asked to send only money at this time so that people on the ground can decide for themselves exactly what they will need to save lives. Please visit their website to learn more: http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org We've come a long way, baby. Since the 2004 South Asian tsunami and the 2005 gulf coast hurricanes, we have seen great advances in technology and fundraising capabilities. The U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the American Red Cross used the power of mobile communications to raise an unprecedented amount of money via text messaging. By texting "HAITI" to "90999," users will be charged $10 on their phone bill, the money going directly to relief efforts. The swift action on the part of the government and Red Cross in launching this innovative program made it easy for people to give what they can. In the months to come, I hope we continue to remember to text our donations so that we can provide a sustained stream of revenue for aid. Where do we go from here? Like many I feel restless to help, donations to aid organizations do not ease these tensions. Words eloquent enough to describe the range of emotions I feel for the Haitian people have not found my tongue. I want to be on the ground, getting my hands dirty, clearing rubble, building homes and comforting the impoverished of spirit. It will be several months before we are able to fully understand the scope of this tragedy, but my convictions are simple: I plan to organize, with the help of friends and partners, service projects in Haiti once the immediate crisis calms and the journey of rebuilding a nation begins—as early as this spring if the stars align. I urge you to heed my call to action and join me in helping the people of Haiti. If you are interested in volunteering or contributing in any way to this effort, please email me directly with the subject "HAITI SERVICE PROJECT" to info@justinschuck.com. Haiti Tags To stay up-to-date on the latest from me, use this link to find my blog posts on Haiti. Twitter Hashtags I am asking my friends and followers to use the "#JustinSchuckHaiti" hashtag at the beginning of tweets to provide an easy way to follow the conversation on the web. JUSTIN A. SCHUCK - Since 1980 Subscribe to the RSS feed JustinSchuck.com / Blog / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter LinkedIn / Myspace / YouTube / Vimeo Guerrilla Photo Shoots / JustinSchuck.com/Haiti Labels: AIDS, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bush Clinton Haiti Fund, Catholic Relief Services, George W. Bush, Government, Haiti, Justin Schuck, JustinSchuck.com, News, Twitter, USAID, Volunteer, Website RECIPE: Sweet Potato Panko Patties
Check out this delicious-sounding recipe from a food blogger I follow. If you haven't followed the "Adventures of a Florida Girl in DC," then you're missing out.
adventures of a florida girl in dc...: Sweet Potato Panko Patties JUSTIN A. SCHUCK - Since 1980 Subscribe to the RSS feed JustinSchuck.com / Blog / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter LinkedIn / Myspace / YouTube / Vimeo Guerrilla Photo Shoots / L/A Events 10 January 2010JustinSchuck.com gets a face-lift for 2010As I gear up for more dramatic life changes in the near future, I wanted to freshen-up JustinSchuck.com and launch version 6.4. I know I've neglected the site at different intervals through the years, so I've given it a much-needed face-lift. The feel I was going for was upscale men's lounge utilizing elements from some of my recent magazine and print designs. And since you know that I listened to a single song on repeat for hours while I worked on this little project, I want to share that with you now: "In The Shadows" by The Rasmus. I launched the new design this morning so I could take advantage of the uniqueness of today's date: 01.10.2010. (Maybe I'll launch ver 7.0 on 10.10.2010). The changes to version 6.3 (launched 10.10.2009) include:
JUSTIN A. SCHUCK - Since 1980 Subscribe to the RSS feed JustinSchuck.com / Blog / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter LinkedIn / Myspace / YouTube / Vimeo Guerrilla Photo Shoots / L/A Events Labels: design, Justin Schuck, JustinSchuck.com New year, new outlook On any given day if you were to ask me my favorite month I would probably tell you October. I'm a fall baby who always loved the color and crispness of an October afternoon. I love the way a gentle breeze tangos with my hair as the scent of a distant fireplace begs for a reprieve and a warm cider. Spring's renewal can't take hold without the ritual autumnal slumber. And in between comes January. This month of rebirth was given its status by papal decree in the 16th century, named for Janus, the Roman god of gates (or beginnings and endings). This January marks the end of the first decade of the third millennium of the common era; a time of great upheaval in my life. In the last ten years I've made a lot of money and I have lost a lot of money. I've moved from DC to NY to San Francisco to DC to NY and back to DC, with some short-term international moves thrown in there for good measure. I've started new companies and closed them down. I've known loss on a scale most could not imagine. But in this perdition I have known the generosity of friends to an extent so profound that they may never know how truly appreciative I am for their support. Over the last several years, the size of my family shrunk greatly, but those of us who remain are forging tighter bonds. I just returned from a long trip to Seattle to visit my aunt, and cousins where I was able do do something I haven't done since before the start of the last decade: I played in the snow with the reckless abandon of a 10-year-old boy. Bumps and bruises be damned! Even on the short icy hills of Leavenworth, I let go of my formal persona to pursue unadulterated bliss. As an almost-30-year-old though, the bumps were harder and the bruises were bigger than 20 years ago. On the third day of my trip, we went to a tubing hill near "downtown" Leavenworth. Few things in life compare to the exhilaration of a speedy decent down a snow-covered mountain in a rubber tube. Near the main hill, there were several people scooting down an unofficially-sanctioned icy shoot forged from the repeated slide of smooth bums and nervous feet. (The owners wouldn't let us use our own sleds on their property.) Ever-wary of my lack of health insurance, I was careful not to deliberately put myself in a position of peril. However, three times a pretty young girl (about 16 or 17) seemed to "accidentally" nearly crash into me at the bottom of the hill. Her timing became increasingly suspect by the third go 'round, but I thankfully avoided undue awkwardness each time. How fruitless her endeavors at spontaneous love were, not even because I am twice her age. But this affection provided a healthy and needed boost to my self-image. Maybe it's this Zac Efron-esque thing I have going on with my hair now. Who knows? My snow adventures were all the more spectacular because I was creating memories with my family that will last a lifetime. I have long preferred to ring in the new year quietly with family, and although this year wasn't as quiet as I had imagined--what with the fierce game of Phase 10 happening in the living room--I spent it with my family and a diverse group of crazy canines. I carry with me the souvenir of friendship and love into this new year as I embark on my next great adventure. Ever the optimist, I know 2010 has great things in store for us all. Just don't forget to stop and play in the snow. JUSTIN A. SCHUCK - Since 1980 Subscribe to the RSS feed JustinSchuck.com / Blog / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter LinkedIn / Myspace / YouTube / Vimeo Guerrilla Photo Shoots / L/A Events Labels: Family, Holidays, Justin Schuck, Travel Subscribe to Posts [Atom] 
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