Affinity4 Community Blog

Last week ForKids, an organization that I volunteered with this past summer through Affinity4 celebrated their 20th anniversary with a fundraiser dinner program. Since we have been involved with this group, myself and co-worker were able to attend. ForKids, Inc. is a local nonprofit group with a mission of ending homelessness in our area. Over the past 20 years, ForKids has helped 2,600 homeless children and their families.

During this event I learned a lot about the history of ForKids that I hadn’t known just from volunteering. ForKids started when one of the volunteers at a Norfolk soup kitchen run by a local church realized that many people coming to the soup kitchen were living on one of the beaches in Norfolk. She spoke to her pastor and a group of people joined together and gained support from over a dozen local churches to found this group. That was twenty years ago, and today ForKids runs 2 emergency shelters, several transitional housing units and one permanent supportive duplex. This 20th anniversary event included a dinner, slideshow, several guest speakers and inspiring words from some of the children and parents that have been helped by this amazing organization.

ForKids is one of the most successful programs in the nation in transitioning families from homelessness to home. Everyone enrolled in this program has to work for their room and board and is provided with comprehensive services including job search assistance, financial counseling, budgeting help and a personal counselor. After spending an evening listening to the employees, supporters, board of directors and those who have been helped by this group, I was nothing less than amazed and inspired. This is truly a powerful organization that is making a significant difference right here in my community. Congratulations ForKids on your 20th anniversary and best of luck!

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Congratulations to Focus on the Family and Dr. James Dobson on their induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame! In order to be considered for the Radio Hall of Fame a candidate must have given 10 years of dedicated service to the radio industry on a national level or 20 years on a regional level. The committee looks for those who have been leaders in developing and improving radio programming across the nation. Focus on the Family was a great selection. Dr. Dobson and the radio program have been helping and inspiring families with this show for over 30 years.

Focus on the Family was inducted this past Saturday November 8th in a ceremony hosted by Adam Corolla. Focus on the Family is heard on over 1,000 U.S. radio stations as well as in 27 languages in over 160 countries across the world. The show is heard by over 200 million people every day.

Congratulations Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family for your well deserved induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame!

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This holiday season Affinity4 wants to make a difference for children. So we’ve come up with our holiday promotion GiveBack to Kids. November 1st through December 15th for every new Affinity4 service you purchase (Long Distance, Internet, Digital Phone and Wireless) we’ll donate $5 to Toys for Tots. Then, we’ll match that donation dollar for dollar and purchase new toys to be donated to Toys for Tots.

You can help us make a difference in the lives of children this Christmas just by signing up for a new Affinity4 service. As always, in addition to this special promotion we will donate 10% of our proceeds to your favorite charity or ministry. So this Christmas buy yourself or a loved one the gift of a new Affinity4 service and help give the gift of joy to underprivileged children in our communities.

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This Tuesday, get to the polls and vote! Then, call all your friends and family and encourage them to vote, too!

We want to make sure you make a difference in the outcome of this year’s election by reminding you to get out and vote. But at Affinity4, we want to help you even more. We believe the election won’t be decided by TV ads, last-minute speeches, news stories or the latest polls. It will be decided by people talking to people about the issues that matter most and encouraging each other to vote.

In honor of Election Day, Affinity4 is offering free calls to all our long distance subscribers on Tuesday November 4th from 10:00am- 2:00pm Eastern standard time. We encourage you to call your family members, friends and colleagues across the country and urge them to vote. And we’ll pick up the tab for every minute of these long distance calls.

Many of us forget that voting is a privilege and as Americans we are lucky to have the ability to choose our leaders. This year’s election will affect the future of our nation beyond just the next four years.
Together, let’s do our part to get out and vote and make a difference for the future of our country!

“Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don’t vote.”

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I recently attended my first Christian Music Concert.  It was incredible!  It was MercyMe and Bebo Norman.  From the beginning I was amazed.  I haven’t seen a concert in a long time, but the difference in a rock and/or country music concert compared to a Christian music concert is huge.  It seems like to see a popular rock or country artist these days you will pay $50 and up for tickets.  The most expensive ticket for the MercyMe concert was $35.  That alone makes it much more affordable to go to.  We paid for the second tier seats and were still only about 20 rows back from the stage.

During the concert they took time out for Praise and Worship and they also took questions from the audience which made it feel so much warmer than any other concert I’ve ever been to.

This concert tour is sponsored by Compassion International.  I had never heard of them before, but between Bebo Norman and MercyMe they took the time to explain what Compassion International is and what they do.  What a truly amazing cause.  Not only do they help provide food, shelter, medical care and education to children around the world, but they also help teach them about Christianity.  When you become a child’s sponsor through Compassion International, you enable a child to participate in a church-based program that offers life changing benefits.  This program helps enable these children to become fulfilled Christian adults.  The representatives walked around and handed out children’s packets to anyone who was interested in becoming a sponsor or learning more about them.  The packet they handed me was a young boy who is the same age as my son and has the same interests as my son.  I truly felt I was given that particular child for a reason.  Now my son can have a pen pal while we as a family help give this child some of what he needs to grow.

I remember when I was a child my family sponsored a child and I remember receiving letters and updates from them.  I now have the opportunity to pass this experience on to my son and show him a wonderful way to help a child in desperate need in another country and at the same time help this child learn about Christ.

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Too often we hear about the separation of church and state, but that does not mean that Christians should not serve in the public arena for the good of this nation. Whether you make the decision to participate as a local candidate or as a voting citizen, what our government needs is more elected officials, who by their character and conviction make decisions for the good of all the people. As citizens it remains our responsibility to be informed voters, not just voting our conscience, but voting based on our knowledge of those running for government office to ensure that the appropriate candidates are placed in office.

So where do we go to obtain the knowledge required to make an informed vote? Some feel that the recent political campaigns of both parties seem to involve a great deal of “mudslinging”. The focus of many ads seems to center around “why not to vote for the other candidate” rather than why to “vote for this candidate”. Clearly political campaigns should be targeting the issues that concern voters, the candidate’s qualifications for the position, and what the candidate plans to do for this country.

If you are interested in learning the facts about this year’s candidates so that you can place an informed vote, visit Christian Voter Guide.

This new site has a link to state voters’ guides from the various pro-family groups across the country. Simply go to the website and click your state on the map and you’ll be connected to pro-family and pro-life voters’ guides and other election resources for your state. Make sure you check out the Presidential Voter’s Guide and Project Vote Smart to understand where the candidates stand on issues.

Then, on November 4th…in the words of Samuel Adams:

Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual - or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.

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Have you ever been to a campaign rally? Yesterday was my first presidential campaign rally and it was quite an experience. If you’ve ever been to one you know all about the signs, the chanting, the yelling and the cheering. Yesterday morning I waited in line to get into the Virginia Beach Convention Center to hear Presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin speak. The line to get in stretched all the way through the over 2,200 space parking lot and around the building. The majority of the space inside was standing room only, yet the Convention Center, which holds a maximum of 16,000 people was full and there was talk in the crowd that the doors had to be closed because of the number of attendees.

Having lived in Virginia most of my life, I have noticed that this election season we are getting a lot more attention than usual from both sides of the political spectrum. Although Virginia has a long history of being a Republican state, this year the polls are very close. There is media speculation that Virginia could be a swing state, and that speculation has led to attention from both the McCain and Obama campaigns. I can’t say I mind, it’s nice to see the presidential campaigns focus on the area I live and to have the opportunity to see the presidential candidates speak right here in Hampton Roads.

Yesterday’s rally was opened by remarks from VA Congresswoman Thelma Drake which included a prayer and the pledge of allegiance. Congresswoman Drake was followed by VA Congressman Randy Forbes and VA Attorney General Bob McDonnell. After their remarks and some musical entertainment by Hank Williams Jr., Senator McCain and Governor Palin took the stage while music from the movie Rocky played in the background. Both McCain and Palin spoke about the need to keep our military strong and honor our veterans. A wise choice of a topic considering there are over 400,000 veterans living in Hampton Roads alone. Governor Palin mentioned that the Republican ticket this year includes two parents of active duty soldiers. Her comments were a reference to one of her sons and one of John McCain’s sons who are both currently serving in Iraq. When Governor Palin asked any veterans present to raise their hands, it seemed like nearly half the crowd had their hands in the air. Governor Palin thanked all the veterans present for their service and the entire crowd applauded.

Although there was some talk of the Obama campaign and shouts of “Nobama” the overall environment at the rally was very congenial. Senator McCain stressed his leadership ability and record of service, and expressed his commitment to keep America’s military strong. Other than defense and national security, Senator McCain also addressed the state of the economy and his plan to grow jobs in America and keep taxes on the American people and small businesses low. Both Senator McCain and Governor Palin did a great job of getting the crowd pumped up and cheering. Senator McCain ended the rally with a call for his supporters- to not give up hope but to stand up and fight.

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Tuesday night’s presidential debate was the 2nd of 3 scheduled debates this election year. It was the only debate that was organized as a town hall forum. Both candidates answered questions from the moderator, Tom Brokaw, the live audience and internet participants. A majority of the questions focused on the economy, health care, energy and national security.

As evident by the second presidential debate, this election may very well be the most followed in recent history. At least 6 million questions were submitted online for the town hall forum debate. The candidates’ responses were limited to two minutes with a one minute time period for discussion after each question. This debate had a less congenial feel to it as both candidates attacked one another. Senator Obama repeatedly accused Senator McCain of having the same policies as President Bush, and Senator McCain accused Senator Obama of not understanding the issues on foreign policy and national security.

According to the polls, Senator Obama is leading over Senator McCain by two to three points. With less than a month to go before Election Day, it is evident that this election will be very close. There is one presidential debate left on the schedule. The last debate will take place on October 15th at 9pm EST at Hofstra University in New York.

Whether you have decided who you will cast your ballot for November 4th or not, the debates are a great way to observe the presidential candidates in action. I always pay close attention to whether the candidates are responding to the questions directly or talking around the issues. Another thing that becomes evident through live debate is how passionate the candidates are about the issues and their positions. While watching the debates, I always like to think about what I would say if I were the moderator and what questions I would ask. If given the chance, what would you ask this year’s presidential candidates?

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Nothing launches people into action more than times of crisis. The events that took place on 9/11, the tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Ike are all examples of historical events that have propelled our nation and our world to come together to help others. Then there are divisive events that push our nation apart. The upcoming election, the war in Iraq, and the crisis on Wall Street are all examples of issues that divide us as Americans.

But there are issues and battles that continue year after year. The Supreme Court makes a key decision on an issue and yet it is never settled because people continue to fight for their beliefs. One of these ongoing battles is over the right to life.

Thousands gather to light candles in opposition and in support. Angry words are tossed across to opposing sides and the gap between us widens. People hold signs of condemnation and of shocking pictures, but often these are only relevant for their shock value and people do not relate them to the cause or the broader picture. This battle is real but the tactics are becoming less effective. People are hurt, barriers rise higher and in the meantime lives are lost.

But we also have stories. Nothing is more powerful or weightier than the written word. It holds relevance to the past and to the future. This is the story of Ryan Bomberger and how he was saved, physically and spiritually. The story is powerful. He is powerful.

I had the privilege of working with Ryan years ago at a youth rally that he hosted. I was a part of a skit on racism - I, being white, played a rapper who hated white people. It was quite funny at first but as the skit carried on, the kids really began to show their opinions. I actually saw them learn something that day and stand up against racism at the same time. It was humbling. When I think back to those kids and what they learned, I think, what if Ryan wasn’t there teaching those hundreds of kids that day. How many kids still carry that valuable experience with them today? It’s unfathomable. Ryan continues to minister to our children today, and continues to have a positive effect on countless lives, all because of a difficult decision made by his mother many years ago. She made the right decision, and I thank her for that. Ryan is a living example of what a difference choosing life can make.

Click here to watch Ryan’s video.

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The recent downturn in the economy is affecting Americans in many different ways. Between rising gas prices, inflation, and the recent fear and skepticism surrounding the potential bail out on Wall Street, it seems like everyone is expecting things to get worse before they get better. In the charity and non-profit world, this can have an even greater impact than in other areas. Many charities even worry that a large decrease in donations could impact their sustainability.

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 29% of Americans plan to cut their charitable giving this year. Many older donors claim that they will have to stop giving all together. There are many ways that charities can help keep the donations coming in. Some ideas include: use campaigns that include matching donations, give prospective donors details on how their money will be spent, and target the younger population. The last tip comes from a recent national poll that found people ages 25-34 are the most likely to increase their charitable giving this fall and winter. This economic downturn often means that there are more people out there that need help, and that charities have less money in their budgets to help those in need.

As charities search for ways to keep their budgets intact, all of us as potential donors are also looking for unique ways we can contribute this season without putting a bigger dent in our budgets. There are many choices we make every day as individuals that can be used to give back and help others. One way to make a difference during the upcoming holiday season is by shopping for a cause. There are many great products out there that help give back to charities or that support worthy causes. Some ideas include: Go-Red products, hand-woven bags made by women in Rwanda, or an even an Affinity4 service that gives back to your favorite charity or ministry. There are many ways to give back to your community even during times of economic hardship, whether through donations, shopping for worthy causes, or by donating your time through volunteering. Do you have any unique ideas on how to help others and give back in your community? Please share them with us!

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