This week:
I am an immigrant. Foreign born but a naturalized citizen.
Like most of us, unless you are of native American descent, we all came from somewhere else whether in this generation or hundreds of years ago.
At 14, along with my family, we came to the United States for a better life as part of a “brain drain” with just one suitcase each and started life over from scratch…
My father practiced medicine for 50 years and might have had a role in your or your family’s medical care.
My mom was willing to forgo her career to raise and support our family.
They made huge sacrifices and took great risk for a “better life”.
Personalizing this for a moment, for more than 36 years I have been serving our community investing my time, talent and treasure in various roles both in the world of work and a-vocationally.
Did we like others migrating to the US come for a free ride to extract value and live off the fat of the land, or did we add value and help make our community, our country and our world better?
Today the level of mass globalization is unprecedented!
Our story, like others is not yet completed and the future is yet unwritten.
What can we learn about migration, happiness, changing demographics, what it is like to be a stateless foreigner and even extinction?
Finland is the happiest country in the world, says UN report:
All the Nordic countries scored highly on income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity as compared to the steady decline of the US as the world’s largest economy grapples with a crisis of obesity, substance abuse and depression. The study reveals the US has slipped to 18th place, five places down compared to 2016…https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/14/finland-happiest-country-world-un-report
The World Happiness Report 2018:
Increasingly, with globalization, the people of the world are on the move; and most of these migrants are seeking a happier life. But do they achieve it?
That is the central issue considered in this 2018 World Happiness Report exploring:
- Happiness and Migration.
- International Migration and World Happiness.
- Do International Migrants Increase Their Happiness and That of Their Families by Migrating?
- Rural-Urban Migration and Happiness in China.
- Happiness and International Migration in Latin America.
- Happiness in Latin America Has Social Foundations.
- America’s Health Crisis and the Easterlin Paradox.
- Migrant Acceptance Index: Do Migrants Have Better Lives in Countries That Accept Them?
https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2018/WHR_web.pdf
The Death of the Last Male Northern White Rhino, and Our Guilt:
The 6th Extinction and our responsibility for it as it happens right before our very eyes…
It is not just our species being impacted!
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/death-northern-white-rhino-and-our-guilt/
One Man’s Youth As A ‘Stateless Foreigner’ In Japan During World War II:
What is it like to be a stateless foreigner?
He was the son of Russian Jewish musicians who fled persecution during the Bolshevik Revolution, then moved around the world as Adolf Hitler began his rise — from Germany to France and, in 1931, to Japan, where Shapiro was born. His mother made a side trip to China where she’d partly grown up. Then World War II loomed, which would play a key role in his life, as would music and his Jewish roots.
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/03/22/isaac-shapiro-japan-world-war-ii
Community Engagement Radio Interview with Yours Truly:
Here is a radio interview that ran on KyXy Radio highlighting some of our work in the community as we strive to create a better world for all of us.
https://youtu.be/_uCMR1APtHA
Mission Fed Community Moments
This new edition of Mission Possible is filled with the people and programs that are part of Mission Fed’s community engagement.
Thank you for your membership, trust and loyalty!
Love Your Heart Throughout the months of January and February, Mission Fed was proud to support the fight against the number one health threat to women: heart disease. As part of our partnership with CBS 8 on their 8’s Go Red for Women, a project benefiting the American Heart Association San Diego Division, and our collaboration with radio and television media partners, the support of our members, staff and online donations, we raised over $20,000! Go Red’s message is that when we all join together, we can touch hearts, save lives and make a real difference in the battle against heart disease and stroke. You, too, can help prevent heart disease by learning your family history, understanding the risk factors and empowering yourself and your loved ones to live healthier lives. Read the complete newsletter to find out more!
Dedicated to Public Education This February, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the largest professional association for education leaders in the nation, awarded Mission Fed the Partners in Educational Excellence Award for our exemplary school and community partnership programs. The award recognizes the collaboration with administrators and support of educational programs throughout the Poway Unified School District (PUSD). ACSA serves more than 17,000 California educators and Mission Fed values their dedication to public education.
These Community Moments are just some of the ways that we support and give back to the local San Diego community—and your continued membership makes that Mission Possible!
Thanks this week go to my parents for having the courage to start over, human rights advocates who are willing to speak truth to power, concerned global citizens and community activists that purposefully value people and planet not just profits.
Please pay it forward!
Love,
Neville
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“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela
Happy Soul Food Friday! 