Bashas'’s Post

Check out this episode of A Closer Look on WDIY 88.1 FM with our very own Board of Governors Vice Chair, Laurie Hackett and Vice President of Diversity Councils, Brittany Keal!

It’s almost Global Month of Volunteering (GMV)! For all my #Amazonians out there, we share our resources to benefit customers all year round, but GMV is a great time to do the same for the communities we’re part of too. Giving back to our communities is fundamentally Amazonian - just look at our LP “Success and scale bring broad responsibility”. The link below is an effort to support a non politically polarized effort - Cancer Research. A pain, many of us/ our families have unfortunately been impacted by. https://lnkd.in/g-VyyfFQ #sellinpartnerservices #spsgives #globalmonthofvolunteerig #amazon #corporateresponsibility #sps

From worldredeye - "A new nonprofit, the Partnership for Miami, has emerged, spearheaded by influential figures such as Orlando Bravo, Ken Griffin, Jorge Mas, and Tom @garfinkeltom. https://lnkd.in/gHedeqnA The coalition of business, sports, and civic leaders is set to address key challenges in Miami, focusing on areas like housing affordability, public transportation, and education. Their ambitious plan, outlined in the “Miami 2035” report, aims to leverage Miami’s growth as a global hub for business, sports, and the arts. While specific solutions are yet to be proposed, the Partnership promises a long-term strategy to collaborate with various stakeholders, including elected officials and nonprofit organizations. Unlike previous secretive groups, the Partnership emphasizes transparency and public engagement, marking a new era of collective action among Miami’s influential business community.

THIS is what #Advocacy looks like! #AdvocatesForLeadershipAndEmployment #2024PublicPolicyForum National Industries for the Blind #NAEPB #RehabilitationServicesAdministration #DisabilityEmployment #CompetitiveIntegratedEmployment #BlindAndVisuallyImpairedInclusion #ChampionEmploymentGrowth

It's Official! Wish me luck! Laurie MacDonald, Candidate for U.S. Congress District 12   Laurie MacDonald has declared her candidacy for U. S. Congress District 12 which includes sections of Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties. A Democrat, MacDonald is the President/CEO of Center for Victims in Pittsburgh’s Southside.   A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, MacDonald was born and raised in the Mon Valley. Throughout her career, she has served on numerous local and statewide boards and has been the recipient of numerous awards including: NAACP Community Organizer Award, Mon Valley Woman of Achievement Award, UPMC Diversity & Respect Champion, Forbes Fund, Wishart Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, Pittsburgh Business Times C-Suite Award as  CEO for a Nonprofit Organization and more.   When asked why she wants to run for congress, her reply is: “I have always considered myself to be an advocate; the voice of those whose voices who are not being heard. As a first-generation American, I learned early on the blessing of being an American, how very different our American way of life is and the struggles faced by so many in other countries. I am proud to be an American. My views are moderate. What I bring to the district is deeply rooted life experience, astrong understanding of all our unique communities and cultures. Our very differences are what weave us together to form a strong fabric of life in western Pennsylvania. We are a culture of respect and hard work. Through our professional sports, our wide range of ethnic and religious celebrations and universities, all are welcomed and celebrated in our communities.    What we see now is a country deeply divided. The vociferous rhetoric, divisiveness and polarizing politics that consume our country right now must stop. My experience has taught me to lead with empathy and compassion. I believe the best ideas arise when all voices are heard, respectfully. Good leadership requires the vision to see both sides, coalesce the ideas and bring people together. No one group’s ideology is more important than the other. Our most important asset, as a country, is unity. In unity there is strength and harmony. It is incumbent on all of us, especially our leaders, to move to the middle with liberty and justice for all. www.macdonald4congress.com

Great to be back again serving as emcee at the 17th Annual Hearts of Texas Luncheon, honoring Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Randy Bowman, Community Partners of Dallas and the Lewisville ISD. Volunteerism transforms lives! Thanks to Volunteer Now CEO, Rachel Currie Triska, for inspiring her incredible team. Americans gave 4.1 billion hours of service to humanity as volunteers last year. There's nothing more impactful than making a difference in the lives of those who need it most. As I share in my keynote address: "Live your life as a go-getter, yet, forever share your life as a go-giver."

Some important words from this 2022 piece that we're reflecting on this summer from Joseph Phelan and Jung Hee Choi. "Understandably, election campaigns focus on the short-term. But narrative change is a long-term project. Building narrative power for our movements requires a healthy ecosystem that combines leadership development, relevant tools and technology, substantial and sustained financial resources, and containers for collaboration and coordination. Our opposition has had decades to build their organizing and narrative infrastructure; our strategy needs to be similarly long-term and similarly wide-ranging." At BLIS, we are deeply committed to the arduous yet essential task of uprooting narratives that were planted over 400 years ago, narratives that allowed for millions of acres of land to be stolen, narratives that allowed for Black people to be enslaved for over 240 years and narratives that have allowed for a continuous and violent cycle of domination. Dismantling them is life-long work. https://lnkd.in/eYFdFA5H

Really helping military families: @Blue Star Family is launching Blue Star Outposts! Nonprofit organizations impacting the military-connected community can apply to become a #BSFOutpost Learn more and sign your organization up to #DoYourPart → https://bit.ly/4awfjs7

NEW from Voices! 💬 💬 "Reclaiming MLK Day of Service: From Perpetuating Harm to Honoring the Legacy" "We do it because we are supposed to." "We get the most volunteers this day, but they never come back." "I get anxious about navigating this day." "It's clear the legacy doesn't matter anymore." These are real sentiments about MLK Day of Service and the feelings provoked by corporate group leaders, volunteer engagers and community members. Over time, the legacy is reduced to quick-fix volunteer offerings, t-shirts and awards, white savior practices, and high-fives of temporary accomplishments without sustainability and community voice. How can we shift this day of service to honor and not harm? In this Voices, Breauna Dorelus, MPA shares her thoughts on the day, what it means for the day's legacy to spark co-dreaming, and her partnership with United Way of King County as they reimagined their MLK Day approach. https://lnkd.in/gSvsp8Rk * this article is for Engage members, low cost monthly memberships are available.

This Recovery Month, we celebrate taking it one day at a time. Comment below on what is motivating you this month!