The Best and the Not-So-Great

I actually love almost all food, including food from other countries.  My favorite is Asian -- all types -- big fan of Japanese, Chinese, Thai.  Yum.

BTW, my favorite spots in town for this genre are Shinsei, The Mint, Sushi Kyoto, PakPao Thai, and Royal China.  Maria keeps saying I need to try Saucy Thai, but so far, no go.

Anyway, I recently spent a few days in Santa Fe and had many great meals while there --lots of green and red chili sauces, of course -- and all were great, except for one -- the Asian meal we had at 10,000 Waves' restaurant.

The massage was the best one I've ever had there -- the masseuse could tell my jaw was tight and she put on a rubber glove and actually massaged my jaw from inside and out.  Dentists need to start doing this -- I might go more than twice a year if they did!

But the lunch after was just ok -- except for the edamame, and it was the best I've ever had.  We questioned the server about it and they use a spice called Togarashi.  The server described it as kind of an Asian 5 spice.  They also used sesame oil, garlic, etc., so this was not your run-of-the-mill edamame steamed with salt, but I'm telling you it was amazing.  Jill and I bought a bag of Togarashi, split it and I made my own version the other night.  Delish.

So, my question is, how can a business give me the best ever something as well as the not too great or bad something?

I hope we do better at Community Partners of Dallas.  I'm sure that we aren't the absolute best at everything we do, but I sure hope we are the best at most things.

Our Volunteer Program is one of those things we do best.

When you take the time out of your busy schedule to volunteer your time here, we make sure that you are welcomed, appreciated, and that your time was spent wisely -- even if all you were doing was counting and sorting thousands of pencils.  We need you!

Now as a little extra thank you, here is my edamame recipe.  Enjoy!

Paige's Spiced Edamame

1 C frozen edamame beans (You could use pods too, but might need more dressing -- definitely add more sesame oil)

Dressing:
1 T vegetable oil
1 T sesame oil
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1 t finely chopped pickled ginger (this would be better with fresh, but I had left over from take out Sushi Kyoto)
1 t togarashi
1 t toasted sesame seeds
Salt & Pepper -- I also added soy sauce because I love it.  Delish!

Cook edamame to package directions.  Mix dressing ingredients together in a bowl.  Add edamame to dressing and mix.  Good to let it sit in fridge overnight, but fine immediately too.

This is a photo of the art in the bathroom at the restaurant.  I love it.

Four Favorite Things I Love Right Now! Part 18

I actually planned to write this Four Faves last week, but decided to write about finding my lost friends instead.

Update:  I found one of them on FaceBook and wrote her, but no word back yet.  Fingers crossed!

So these favorites were actually the things I loved last week (as opposed to Right Now!), but I definitely still love them.  If you missed Part 17, visit it here: http://blog.paigemcdaniel.org/2014/06/four-favorite-things-i-love-right-now.html

Now, on to the good stuff:

1.  Savory Saltine Seasoning for crackers makes something mundane into something absolutely addictive.  You buy this stuff (I buy mine on Smile.Amazon and choose Community Partners of Dallas as my charity, natch.  You should too.), put it in a big ass zip lock, add canola oil, mix, then add a whole box of saltines, shake around and let the stuff soak in, then deliciousness arrives at your house like a freight train, people.

2.  I love burning candles and this tool is a must -- a wick cutter.  I got this one from Circle E Candles in Fredericksburg many years ago and I love it.  Before I had this I would go get part of a paper towel and pinch the wick off with my fingers before lighting it, but this thing is so much better.  The disk shape next to the blades catch the black wick and then you just take it to the trash and you're done.

3.  I wish that I could have taken a photo of this lasagna before my mom and I devoured it, but I was too late.  The photo speaks for itself.  Buy it at Jimmy's -- fresh, delicious, OMG goodness.  Jimmy's Food Store is at 4901 Bryan Street and if you haven't ever been there, you are in for a treat.  I call it the Italian Kuby's and they have everything you need to prepare your own Italian food, or just make it look like you did.  They have great wine dinners too and the deli sandwiches are some of the best in town.

4.  The final favorite for this installment is our volunteers at CPD.  As you may know, we are in the middle of our Back-to-School Drive and truly, we could not put together 2,600 backpacks filled with supplies and uniforms without volunteers.  For the past several weeks (and for many weeks to come) volunteers will be the reason the caseworkers of Child Protective Services get these vital tools for their kiddos.  Thanks from the bottom of my heart if you have been part of the workforce over here!

Until next time -- Paige

Top Toys for Christmas -- Help!

Well, it's Christmas time at Community Partners of Dallas and BOY, have we been blessed with lots of donors who have taken wishes for our kiddos.

This year we had more than 7,600 wishes turned in from the CPS caseworkers in Dallas County -- and that is 14% more than last year.  And even though there are 6 less days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, our donors (and our hard-working staff at CPD) have really stepped it up to make sure wishes get filled for the kids.

NOTE:  That whole 6 less days thing is really being felt by me in my own home decorating.  As someone who has always said that holiday decorating is what separates us from the animals (and yes, I know that my line is a take-off from Steel Magnolias -- they instead say "accessorizing" is what separates us), I have yet to have put out a single wooden Santa, light or bow.  I do have one dejected looking piece of garland only because my neighbor the Boy Scout orders it for me every year without fail.

But, that does not mean that we are out of the woods with the Toy Drive at CPD -- we still have wishes left if you want some, so call today 214-624-7557 -- but now I'm worrying about those kids who don't have a wish in our pile at all...

You see, we have a deadline for the caseworkers to turn in wishes to us back in October, so the kids who have come into care since then never had a wish out in the world.  And with Dallas County CPS working with more than 21,000 reports annually, you know that's a lot. 

So, if you are able, we'd really appreciate your help with our Last Stop Holiday Shop (that's what we call the undesignated toy drive).  Here are some of the most needed items -- our Top Toys for Christmas:

• Baby Dolls -- all ethnicities needed
• Push Toys
• Infant items -- rattles, onesies, etc.
• Gift Cards (to any store in increments of $25 each)
• Bikes
• All type of sports balls -- for all ages
• Bath and body sets for both boys and girls

Of course, if you just want to donate funds, we'd love that too -- we have lots of volunteers who will do the shopping for you!  Mail your gift today to Community Partners of Dallas, 1215 Skiles St, Dallas, TX 75204 or if you want to donate online at www.CommunityPartnersDallas.org just let us know by marking Toy Drive in the donation drop down menu and we'll be sure that your gift is designated appropriately.

NOTE:  The kids in our drive have been let down by adults over and over in their lives and so when they whisper a wish to their caseworker, they don't really expect it to come true.  And when it does come true, it shows that child that there are some people in the world that he can count on.

I'm counting on you.

Here I am with just a few of the wishes my mom filled this year.  They are sitting in my office until she comes by to inspect the choices I made...

What Size is Your Plate?

And now, the continuation of my Secrets of Non-Profit Management Series...

NOTE:  I wrote this because they always use those words at the beginning of each episode of Hell's Kitchen.  You can take me away from the TV, but the TV references just keep coming!

Are you a volunteer on a non-profit board?  If so, thank you!  There are lots of people who aren't. 

One of my friends (who was in the midst of being the PTA President at a local school) explained it to me this way when I asked her how it was going with volunteer recruitment...

A lot of people have told me that they just have too much on their plate to help.  The real truth is that they have a different sized plate -- some people must think their plate is a saucer, others think their plate is a dinner plate, and others obviously have a platter!

Secret #4 is

Know Your Plate Size Before You Join That Board



Ask the Board Chair or the CEO what will be required of you as a serving board member -- then decide if you have the time and energy to devote to the cause.

At Community Partners of Dallas, we run our board structure kind of like the Junior League of Dallas (Hey -- they trained me and thousands of other women who are changing Dallas -- if you are eligible, join the JLD today!), so while all board members are asked to attend our 4 board meetings and their task force meetings, only 6 of these 26 board members serve on the executive committee as officers, thus attend more meetings.  Know what you can manage and still be successful.

And ponder this:  Are you serving or sitting on that board?  Often the terms are used interchangeably, but they mean totally different things!

Know that before you say yes too!

Next time, let's talk about sex.

Running the Traps

Tomorrow (Wednesday, December 14, 2011) is the wish distribution day for our 5,000+ kids.  It is my 9^th toy drive distribution day and it has gotten easier and more efficient each year, even though we serve a lot more kids than we did 9 years ago.  Anyway, as I said we’ve been doing this for a long time now and we have a basic formula that we tweak each year to improve.  Thanks to Peacock Alley, our staff, and our great volunteers, the distribution formula works.

But this year we’re scared.

Scared to death.

The weather report has been saying for a week that we are looking at rain and thunderstorms tomorrow and since our formula says that the most effective and fast way to get the toys into the vehicles of the caseworkers is to set up in the parking lot – LIKE WE ALWAYS DO – well, I have had lots of sleepless nights the past week trying to figure out the best way to make adjustments.

The staff here is getting pretty sick of me saying things like:  Well, what about this?  What if this happens, then what?  I’m worried about this, let’s talk it through.  I think we need to look at changing this if this happens.  Blah, blah, blah.

Yes, my co-workers are sick of me trying to think every detail though, but I have to do it.  It’s my job.

We’ve made a rain plan if we need it and now I’m letting go.

I'm thinking about Coats

 

Community Partners of Dallas is giving away Coats tomorrow.  Unless you have lived without one, you may not know just how important a Coat can be.

 

• Coats keep us warm.
• Coats keep us from getting sick – at least according to my mom who is adamant that you can get sick if you don’t keep warm.
• Coats are fashionable and will help define your personal style – my favorite reason for a coat.
• Coats help us remember that it really will get cold some day in Dallas – I promise, it will.

 

For the abused and neglected kids of Dallas County, a Coat is a not just a Coat and not even just those things I listed above.

 

For these kids, even if their lives are in turmoil and they have started to believe all the things they have been told by their parents – that they are stupid and worthless and ugly and dumb – a Coat is something special.

 

• Coats mean that someone cared about them.
• Coats mean they are warm and fashionable.
• Coats mean they are just like the other “normal” kids at school.
• Coats mean that they fit in.

 

And for them, that might be all they need to see a new future.

 

P.S.  Please join me in thanking the Presenting Sponsor of our Coat Drive, Fidelity Investments, and all of the other donors and many volunteers who worked to make this drive happen.

3 Baby Girls

I met two absolutely beautiful babies this week at Community Partners of Dallas.  Two precious baby girls, both wrapped in pink with little hats and blankets.  Both healthy and happy and just exactly the kind of child you can’t leave without touching their baby toes and putting your face right in theirs and talking baby talk.

Both baby girls arrived here safely in car seats driven by their beautiful mothers who are volunteers with our agency.  These baby girls were both wanted so much by both their mothers and fathers and we all prayed for the pregnancies, for their health, and for their safe delivery. 

And you should see the baby announcements for these two darlings – one of them is wearing a princess tiara and pink tulle and the other is wearing a pink knit skull cap with a large rhinestone pin attached to it.  The entire staff squealed with delight when we opened them!  I even took them home so my mother could see the announcements – and she doesn’t even know the families!  Truly, I have not been more excited about two baby girls in my life (except of course for my very own two nieces who were just as beautiful and perfect and wanted).

Contrast this with the baby girl who came to our Heart Program last night.  The Heart Program provides group therapy for kids who have been sexually abused and for their non-offending family members.

The 16 year-old mom was sexually abused by the boyfriend of the teen’s mother, so that is why she was referred to our Heart Program.  The teen had her baby in December (the baby is not a product of the sexual abuse, she is the child of a teen boyfriend) and is working to get her life back on track.

The Heart baby girl doesn’t have a birth announcement and doesn’t have her birth father in her life.  Her teen mom is no longer living with her own mother because her mother did not believe that her own boyfriend had sexually abused her daughter.

But, the Heart baby was safely carried in a car seat and was all dressed in pink and was just as precious as my other baby girls.  And I hope just as much happiness comes to her as I know it will to my other baby girls.

And with help, I hope that she will break the cycle.