Bridging Humanity with Love

Tina Cornely teaches a young Nepal monk to turn trash into art-for-sale

Tina Cornely teaches a young Nepal monk to turn trash into art-for-sale

POSTED BY: TINA CORNELY

(Editor’s Note: This guest blog was written for the Humanity Project by Tina Cornely, founder and CEO of the nonprofit group Bridging Humanity. Read more about Ms. Cornely in her bio at the end of this blog.)

A friend recently asked me to expand on why I founded Bridging Humanity. Initially I was not too keen about the idea of starting yet another nonprofit. There were already enough of them out there and I wondered to myself, do we really need another one? Rosa de la Cruz, a friend and supporter, strongly urged me to reconsider my position on the matter. There were other strong community leaders suggesting I take the plunge. Charity work was nothing new to me. I was the past Chair of the Friends of the Orphans local chapter and had already spent a lifetime of vacations volunteering at orphanages around the world.

Once the decision was made, the doing became effortless. Bridging Humanity is essentially what the name implies and in effect is the embodiment of Karuna. One of the principles of Karuna is to help the weak become strong. But, how do you accomplish this? This question would change the course of my career path as I struggled and endeavored to better understand the challenges faced by the poor here in the U.S. and abroad. This new course led me to many exciting discoveries as I started to realize and understand, it really is not that hard. If you have the Will, the Universe will help you find the Way. To really make a meaningful difference, a holistic and all encompassing approach is the answer.

Essentially I teach the poor how to grow their own food and prepare nutritious balanced meals. Cooking food is challenging in developing countries so I teach the poor how to make eco friendly briquettes or bamboo charcoal. Additionally bamboo is a prolific plant and can deter deforestation. Contaminated water is the number one killer of children world wide and this simply should not be! Purifying water is as easy as sealing contaminated water in a clear plastic bottle and leaving it in the sun for 4 hours. Conversely millions of women die each year from child birth because family planning medicine is a luxury the poor can’t afford. This should not be when the solution is as simple as a fertility necklace! A calendar based necklace that helps women manage their menstrual cycle so they know when they can get pregnant. Trash is a valuable resource that is available in abundance in developing countries. Repurposing trash into useful items is a way for the poor to earn a living. These are just a few examples of ways one can help the poor become more self sufficient. If you want to help the poor then I urge you to read Bridging Humanity’s “Nine Steps to Eradicate Poverty.” Please join us in this important endeavor. Your expertise, time, connections and donations are of great value. Click here to visit our website and let us know how you would like to get more involved to help make a difference in the lives of orphaned children and the less fortunate. Our next trip is just around the corner. Each year we visit Haiti at Christmas so the homeless children who live in the tent city of the Cite de Soleil are not forgotten. We could really use your help rounding up toy donations and school supplies.

About the Author: Tina Cornely was born in St. Mary’s, Georgia, and educated in Honduras, Switzerland and the United States. She is an enthusiastic humanitarian, environmental activist and eco artist. She specialized her business career in the fields of technology, education & museum administration. She is the former Director of Technology of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the former Operations Director of the Miami Art Museum in Miami and a 16 year veteran teacher from the University of Miami, Florida. Ms. Cornely for more than three decades has made her home in Miami, where her creativity and passion for the less fortunate continues to grow and expand. She has been on the board of trustees of the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance for 6 years and is the past Chair of the Friends of the Orphans Southeastern Region. She currently is the Founder & CEO of Bridging Humanity, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching the less fortunate how to become self sufficient.

Peace Award Winner

Dr. Laura Finley, Humanity Project Board of Directors VP

Dr. Laura Finley, Humanity Project Board of Directors VP

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

(Editor’s Note: This post is adapted from the November 2013 Humanity Project email newsletter, Humanity News. You can receive the free newsletter once each month, by signing up from our home page under “Sign up for our Email Newsletter.” We ask only for your email address.)

Humanity Project Board member, Dr. Laura Finley, was honored in October as a force for peace in the world. Dr. Finley was given the Public Peace Intellectual Award by PeaceVoice, which is part of the Oregon Peace Institute in Portland.

The award recognized her work to spread a message of peace through mainstream media. This included 20 op-ed articles last year that were published around the United States and in some foreign countries. Laura is a vice president of the Humanity Project Board of Directors and assistant professor of sociology and criminology at Barry University. She also is the author or co-author of ten books as well as numerous journal articles and book chapters.

Dr. Finley is actively involved in local, state, and national efforts to promote peace, justice and human rights. She serves on the boards of No More Tears, a non-profit that provides individualized assistance to victims of domestic violence, as well as on the boards of UN Women East Florida Chapter, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, and the Peace and Justice Studies Association. She co-chairs the South Florida Diversity Alliance and is co-organizer of the College Brides Walk, an effort designed to raise awareness about dating and domestic violence. In 2008, Dr. Finley started the Center for Living and Teaching Peace, which provides training and education related to the promotion of peace in all its forms. We congratulate our colleague and we’re very proud of her fine efforts.

Spreading the Safety Message

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

One of the Humanity Project’s great friends is a talented singer and songwriter and author as well as a peace activist. Her name is Haikaa Yamamoto. Haikaa is a longtime member of this organization and a collaborator with the Humanity Project on our website’s PeacePage, which you can view from our Home Page.

I’m telling you this because last week Haikaa wrote a blog about our innovative teen driver safety program, I Care: Just Let Me Drive. We wanted to share the link to that blog, which is posted on the website, Bicultural Mama: Celebrating the Best of Both Worlds. Here’s the link to Haikaa’s blog: http://www.biculturalmama.com/2013/10/i-care-just-let-me-drive-campaign.html.

We’re grateful to our new friends at Bicultural Mama for posting this short piece about I Care — and we hope it may help their readers to share information about our free driver safety program with teens who need it. As Haikaa writes in her blog: “Designed by teens for teens, the I Care program includes a website, a book and videos all available for free for teenage drivers. Everything about I Care is aimed at getting friends to take care of their friends which I think is wonderful. As a mother of two young adults, I remember how powerless I felt during those teenage years when everything I said to my kids was ‘stupid and duh’ and the absolute truth was always something their peers said. That’s how it goes. Teenagers trust other teenagers and I Care derives its strength precisely from that bond.”

Thank you, Haikaa — we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. To see what I Care is all about, just visit the website at www.thehumanityproject.com/icare. I also hope you may want to find out more about Haikaa, perhaps listening to some of her uplifting and insightful songs. The easy way to do that is through her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HaikaaMusic. We appreciate Haikaa’s efforts to let more folks know about the Humanity Project — and as always, we find inspiration in her consistently positive work.

National Teen Driver Safety Week

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

Yes, there is such a thing: National Teen Driver Safety Week. And it’s not just some invention of a special interest group. This week was designated by Congress in 2007 as a time to raise awareness about a sad reality: More teens die from car accidents in the United States than from any other cause. National Teen Driver Safety Week also encourages us to do something to change this. 

For our part, the Humanity Project sure is trying  to help — with assistance from our great friends at State Farm, the nation’s largest auto insurance provider. Through State Farm funding, we created our truly innovative I Care: Just Let Me Drive program. By teens, for teens. It uses the all-important close friendships of teenagers to get inside their heads with a memorable message: “Your best friends want you to drive safely … so you’ll come back in one piece and remain their friend for a long time.”

The image you see above is the book cover, designed by University of Miami marketing students. We also have a website at http://thehumanityproject.com/icare …  and like all Humanity Project programs, I Care is totally free. At the same time, State Farm is helping schools around the United States to get involved with teen driver safety through the big Celebrate My Drive campaign.This week, many high schools are working to collect votes so they can win as much as $100,000 from State Farm.

They also might host a concert by pop star Kelly Clarkson. You’ll find more info about Celebrate My Drive at this link: http://www.celebratemydrive.com. National Teen Driver Safety Week can serve as a beginning for teens as well as for families and friends of teenagers, an opportunity to talk about the responsibilities of driving. Our newest drivers are the most vulnerable to highway accidents, injuries and deaths. The Humanity Project and State Farm are two of the many organizations working to make sure those young motorists get a clear message about driving that may save their lives.

What IS the Humanity Project?

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

OK, good question. We still hear it a lot: “What is the Humanity Project?” Because we’re quite different from many other nonprofits. Most nonprofit organizations have a single main goal: To feed the homeless, for example, or help disaster victims.

Not THP. Basically, our mission involves putting a profound idea to practical social use. We try to transform a deep psychological insight about human beings into programs that work in the real everyday world. So what is that deep insight, that profound idea? It is this: Every single human being thrives or withers based on a constantly evolving self-image. If that sounds vague, it isn’t. Here’s what I mean. All people feel a powerful fundamental need to believe that we have value as individuals, that our own life is worth something to society.

As the great philosopher and psychologist William James expressed the thought — “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” Among many other thinkers over the centuries, Freud recognized this and called it the desire to be great. That basic concept forms the foundation for everything the Humanity Project does. Then we compare society’s needs with our organization’s pool of talent. That is, we review the experience, skills and knowledge of those folks working for the Humanity Project, exploring areas where we can most effectively create innovative programs based on the need for individual value. If you look more deeply at any of our programs, that’s what you will find.

Our acclaimed Anti-bullying Through The Arts program turns bystander schoolkids into a force that exerts positive peer pressure on bullies — because even bullies want to feel appreciated in some way or other. They may try to seem tough or cool or funny or whatever, seeking approval from other kids. Our program teaches bystanders how to constructively show bullies their behavior is unacceptable.

With our I Care: Just Let Me Drive program, we rely on the strong teen need for friendship and acceptance, tapping into this through a special teen-created book and website that help young drivers concentrate more effectively on the road.

And on our website, www.thp4kids.com, older students who have dealt with bullying, sexual identity issues, social isolation and other common youth problems made engaging videos, music, blogs, poetry, games and more. The site offers a unique online friend to tweens and teens who need positive advice and a greater sense of individual value, as you can see for yourself by visiting some of its main features. In addition to these programs, the Humanity Project also has an original philosophy for daily life, something called “shared value.” Like our group, it is empirically based, practical and effective. You’ll read about shared value if you open the “About” menu tab above. We’re very proud of the work we’re doing … and we know it’s only the beginning. We hope you may want to learn much more about the Humanity Project and join our growing team of sponsors, partners, members, volunteers and friends.

Paper Connections for Kids

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

(Editor’s Note: This post is adapted from the October 2013 Humanity Project email newsletter, Humanity News. You can sign up to receive the free newsletter once each month by clicking on the “Go” button in the right-hand column of this home page under “Sign up for our Email Newsletter.” We ask only for your email address.)

Even in our Internet world, important communication still is done the old-fashioned way. On paper. It puts something more permanent into a person’s hands, giving them the chance to pass it along to others. That’s exactly what the Humanity Project is doing with our two newest programs.

The bookmark pictured here is now part of our campaign to spread the word among tweens and teens about www.thp4kids.com — our all-original, teen-created online resource for socially isolated youth, including many in the LGBT community. (There’s a cool photo and other stuff on the back of these bookmarks too!) Then there’s our I Care: Just Let Me Drive books that are the centerpiece of the Humanity Project’s teen driver safety program. We just printed 1,100 copies as a good start to get them into South Florida high schools. We hope for additional funding so we can spread these programs far beyond Florida. We know thp4kids can give badly needed emotional support to thousands of lonely, confused youngsters … and that I Care will save young lives. These paper bookmarks and books are spreading the word among those kids who can benefit most.

Ideas That Matter

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

Have you visited the Humanity Project “Quotes” page lately? You should. It is updated on the first of each month with five positive, thoughtful quotes from great minds. Some of these come from the mouths or pens of famous people. Some come from folks you may not be familiar with.

Here is one of those, a quotation we discovered by an Indian spiritual teacher named Osho, who lived from 1931 to 1990: “The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom.” We think Osho was right — and here at the Humanity Project, we believe the best way to free ourselves of this obsession with the opinion of others is to focus our attention away from ourselves, instead concentrating our efforts on helping people. That may sound paradoxical but it works. When we take our attention off our personal fears and worries to focus outward on what we can do for others, we somehow don’t dwell on their opinion of us so much. We simply do what we can to help.

Anyway, this blog is really about quotes, isn’t it? But you get the idea. The wisdom offered on our “Quotes” page is worth checking out each month — and worth taking some time to think about.  To see our monthly batch of five quotations just look above at the “Quotes” menu tab and give it a click. In October, you’ll find inspiring ideas by such notables as Nelson Mandela, Marie Curie and Henry David Thoreau. All the quotations are appropriate in some way to the Humanity Project’s mission and innovative programs, a collection of ideas that matter. We think you’ll enjoy reading them.

Anti-Bullying is Back

Teaching anti-bullying on September 20, 2013

Teaching anti-bullying on September 20, 2013

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

Last week the Humanity Project returned to the kids! Each autumn we take our acclaimed Anti-bullying Through The Arts program into elementary schools around South Florida … and we continue delivering this program to students right through the end of the school year in the spring.

On September 20, lots of students at Endeavor Primary Learning Center in Lauderhill, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale, got to enjoy our first presentations of the 2013-2014 academic year. And they had the opportunity to learn an important lesson too: “Bullying hurts everyone in this school … and it takes everyone to stop it!” That is the mantra that’s repeated and demonstrated throughout our program, reinforced by our anti-bullying books and posters and music. We’re told that the 400 kids who saw Anti-bullying Through The Arts at Endeavor were attentive and responsive, just as the students were last year when we visited.

Yes, this was a return trip for us. We were invited back by school guidance counselor, Sherine P. Davis, who wanted to make sure we reached her new kids. As she wrote to us in an email before this second visit to the school, “Our students really enjoyed your presentation last school year and throughout the year and even during my classroom presentations. It was evident that they paid much attention to your presentation as they referenced and used quotes from your presentation.” Thanks, Sherine! Our pre/post tests show that the program is highly effective — but it’s great to get added confirmation direct from the classrooms. It’s always nice to hear positive remarks about the Humanity Project’s efforts to improve our complex society. Fortunately, we hear such kind words fairly often. But when the schools ask you to come back year after year, you know you must be doing something right.

A Special Woman at a Special Place

Lotsy Dotsy in the Podcast studio

Lotsy Dotsy in the Podcast studio

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

If you’ve never listened to our free Humanity Project Podcast, now is a good time to start. Because you’ll hear a conversation with a remarkable woman: Lotsy Dotsy, otherwise known as Linda Herbert. She is the longtime clown at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in South Florida, where the Humanity Project is headquartered. Click here for a link to that podcast. 

As you can imagine, our chat with Lotsy is both touching and inspiring. And it comes at a good time. That’s because Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is sponsoring the work of the Humanity Project for the third consecutive year now. And we are very grateful. JDCH is among key sponsors of our Anti-bullying Through The Arts program. They also are sponsors of our truly innovative I Care: Just Let Me Drive teen-driver safety program. As partners, we work together to get these programs to as many young people as possible. We value our association with this important health care organization, which provides patient and family-centered care.0

Click to learn more about JDCH. A big thanks to our wonderful friends there … especially Lotsy Dotsy. She helps to make this world a more joyful place.

A New Friend, a New Partner

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

The Humanity Project is very pleased to announce a new friend today. The Fred Gellert Family Foundation has joined our impressive list of sponsors and community partners. This fine foundation, in their own words, “funds innovative programs that encourage a sustainable quality of life for present and future generations.”

Of course, innovation is among the qualities for which the Humanity Project is best known. Indeed the words “innovative programs” are written into our mission statement. We believe that the Fred Gellert Family Foundation is a wonderful match for our efforts — and that we can help further the important goals established by the Fred Gellert Family Foundation. Win-win, which is another hallmark of everything the Humanity Project does.

This foundation was established in 1958 by Fred Gellert, who made a big name for himself in the San Francisco Bay area as a developer and home builder. And as a philanthropist. Now his organization takes its place beside other respected names that provide the lifeblood financial support to the Humanity Project. They include State Farm, Sears, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Children’s Services Council of Broward County, Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, Dr. David Sharaf and Skin and Cancer Associates and the Center for Cosmetic Enhancement, Barry University and Google, among others. We are proud to work alongside Mr. Gellert and his family’s generous foundation. And we look forward to many years of innovative, effective  action together toward a better world for all.

Read the Humanity News

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

This is going to be a brief post today, For a couple of good, short reasons: First, it’s Labor Day and we don’t want you to labor much as you read. It’s supposed to be a day of rest in the United States, right? (And if you’re reading this outside the U.S., as many of our friends will be, we urge you to relax today as well!)

Second, this blog is here to suggest that you sign up for our free monthly Humanity News email newsletter, which itself always is brief. Quite intentionally so. We know you lead busy lives in a demanding, hectic society. We try to put together our newsletters so each one requires no more than 180 seconds, just three minutes or less, to read. In return, you’ll find information about our genuinely innovative programs and the great sponsors who make our programs possible … along with other inspiring stories and quotes.

So what do you need to do to get these newsletters? Not much, honestly. Just give us your email address. Nothing more complicated than that. Look in the right hand column of this website, below our Humanity Project “thinking head” logo. See where it says, “Sign up for our Email Newsletter”? Click the “Go” button and add your email address. That’s it. You won’t get email pitches for money and we won’t add you to other email lists you don’t want to be on. Nope. But you will get a good smile on the first Monday of each month — and perhaps some positive feelings to begin your week.

Welcome, Barry University!

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

Today the Humanity Project announces an important new partnership. Barry University in Miami, Florida, has officially joined with us to help take our two newest programs to the teens and tweens who most need them.

As you may know, those programs are our innovative teen driver safety program called I Care/Just Let Me Drive (www.thehumanityproject.com/icare) and our website for socially isolated students called thp4kids, which stands for The Humanity Project 4 Kids (www.thp4kids.com). Both were created by talented high school students for their peers and, in the case of thp4kids, for younger students too.

State Farm is the major sponsor for these programs, providing the funding that allowed us to create them. Now our friends at Barry University will commit some of their sociology majors to bring both I Care and thp4kids into South Florida high schools and middle schools during the current academic year. Part of their efforts will focus on making sure I Care and thp4kids reach many more students. But Barry’s sociology majors also will conduct research to establish the effectiveness of the programs and to identify any areas where we may be able to make improvements.

A huge thanks to Dr. Laura Finley, VP of the Humanity Project Board of Directors, for helping to head up this work in her role as assistant professor of sociology and criminology at Barry University. Like Laura herself, Barry University believes in the importance of service aimed at establishing greater justice in our society. Laura is a longtime peace activist with a special interest in ending violence toward women. Barry U indeed has hosted some of her events and often is the site of meetings and activities intended to encourage a more peaceful world. In addition, the university was recognized for the third consecutive year in 2013 by Forbes magazine as one of “America’s Top Colleges.” We’re proud of our new association with Barry University and welcome them to the Humanity Project family of community-minded sponsors and partners. Now the real work begins, engaging kids with our new programs. We’ll keep you posted on our progress in the months ahead.