Jeremy Lushene

Social Media Saves Olympia Woman from Becoming Homeless in Snow

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:36:00 -0500

Don’t believe in the power of social media and community? Check out this story.

The Story

A client of the local nonprofit SideWalk came in today with a mesmerizing story of survival - we’ll call her Sarah. Last year Sarah went to another state to help her daughter and her two grandchildren get out of a domestic violence situation. Everything that happened next nearly ruined their lives. The perpetrator committed horrible acts of violence against Sarah, her daughter, and her grandchildren.

Amazingly enough Sarah and her family are rebuilding their lives. Sarah is going back to work this weekend as a licensed practical nurse.

With help from advocates at SideWalk and the Family Support Center they found and approved for an apartment, the only problem was they needed $300 to move in by Thursday as their time at the shelter they had been staying at came to and end. If they didn’t find the $300, they would lose the apartment.

Social Media

SideWalk and social media to the rescue!

Advocates at SideWalk reached out on their Facebook page and their blog asking for donations. 6 people at $50, 10 people at $30, 30 people at $10 - any of those combinations is all it would take.

Screencap:

Well good news! It worked. The $300 was raised and Sarah and her family won’t be left out in the cold.

Screencap:

"FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real."

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:25:07 -0500

“FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real.”

- Get over your fear

Quotes and Themes from Governor Gregoire's Marriage Equality Speech

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:03:00 -0500

Today, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire announced that she would introduce a bill that, if passed, would allow same-sex marriage in Washington State. My view has always been that love is a feeling and emotion and knows no boundaries such as gender or race. Therefore, it’s time to stop discriminating and give gays and lesbians the opportunity to have the same rights as heterosexual couples.

The speech announcing the legislation was historic and I have copied and pasted some of my favorite quotes and themes.

Responsibilities of the State

“The responsibility of the state is to license only. The right of a church is to decide whom to marry, and the state will honor the religious freedom of all faiths.”

“In issuing the license, the state should not involve itself in an applicant’s religion.”

Discrimination

“We must end discrimination”

“Separate is not equal”

“In our long, hard road for equality – history shows we have faltered but we have always fought hard when it comes to protections against discrimination.”

Love

“When someone asks me what marriage means, I don’t think about the legal protections of a marriage license. I think about love, commitment, responsibility, and partnership.”

“Loving, committed married couples of any sexual orientation can only help us. They can help us defend our Democracy, help our neighbors, and build strong communities. And they will.”

Listen to Younger Generations

“Is it time to listen to our young people?”

“Can it be that today’s young Americans see sexual orientation discrimination as just as unacceptable as my generation saw racial discrimination?”

A crowd gathers to watch Governor Gregoire’s speech. Thanks to @washingtonbus for the photo.

Worthy Read: Pakistan: the Ally from Hell (The Atlantic)

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:55:00 -0500

I love good journalism and the story on Pakistan in December’s Atlantic is journalism at its best. Well written and a must read if you’re interested in our dysfunctional relationship with them.

Here’s the link to the article. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/12/the-ally-from-hell/8730/

Resolutions and Goals for 2012

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:51:00 -0500

It’s that time of year where everyone sets resolutions for the new year. Rather that set resolutions, I like to set specific goals for the new year. What better way to hold myself accountable than posting them publicly. Here are a few of my goals for the new year.

Physical Well Being and Running

Run a 1:35 or under 1/2 Marathon
Set PRs on both my 10K and 5K
Complete a fall marathon (Boise, Portland, or Victoria) in 3:35 (Schedule permitting)
Stretch 5 minutes a day/every day

Community Giving

Host a fundraiser this fall for a local non profit that raises $2k
Continue growing the meetup volunteer group. Build a list of 100+ 20 and 30 something year olds interested in volunteering
Host a social media panel seminar for local non profits (May or June 2012)

Outdoor Adventures

Climb Mt. Adams in August
3 day backpacking trip on Mt. Rainier in July
Hike the Waipio Valley Trail this September in Kona

Learn New Skills

Take an acoustic guitar instruction class at the local community college
Master HTML 5
Attend at least 1/2 of the Tacoma social media club functions
Read 1 non-fiction book a month on a focused topic (Running, History, Philanthropy)
Read 1 industry focused book a month
Attend 2 technology conferences

Friends and Family

Have lunch with an old friend once a month
Buy a stranger coffee once a month
Take a trip with the family

Favorite Hikes from 2011

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:20:00 -0500

I’m blessed to live in such an amazing part of the country. Here are some of my favorite hikes from 2011.

1) Mt. St. Helens Climb - Worm Flows Route
This was the big hike of the year. 9 hour hike. Climbed and summited July 2011. Absolutely amazing views. Everyone should try this hike.

2) Mazama Ridge - Mt Rainier
Anywhere on Mt Rainier is beautiful. Mazama Ridge is no exception. This easy day hike provides great views of the mountain on a sunny day.

Nice easy day hike on Mt Rainier. Took about 2 hours to complete.

3) Sunnybrook Meadow - Olympic Mountains
Backpacked to Sunnybrook Meadow with a friend in August. 1 night backpacking trip. Approximately 8 hour hiking days. Stunning views.

4) Marmot Pass - Olympic Mountains
Great day hike in September 2011. The Olympic Mountains are beautiful especially during the fall.

5) Rampart Ridge - Snowshoe Mt Rainier
Nice January 2011 snowshoe trip with friends. Route was pretty easy. 3 hour or so hike.

6) Seaside Oregon to Cannon Beach Oregon
Hiked from Seaside to Cannon Beach. Stunning views of the ocean. Nice, easy hike.

Featured Running Route - Evergreen College 5 Miler

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:11:00 -0500

Evergreen State College is a great place to run. There is lots of parking, trees, wildlife, and plenty of space to run.

This route takes you down Evergreen Parkway and onto some paved trails.

Route Details
Type: Out and back
Scenery: Trees, wildlife such as deer
Bathroom: The woods

Hills: Not too bad
Oncoming traffic: Not much - Large shoulder, sidewalk, and paved walking/running trail
Sidewalk: Yes

Nighttime run: With reflective gear and headlamp
Good for: 1/2 marathon training/middle distance long run/tempo work

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/62027484” _mce_href=”http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/62027484”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Evergreen 5 Miler&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/?location=Olympia, WA” _mce_href=”http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/?location=Olympia, WA”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Olympia, WA&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

The Spirit of Christmas Exists - My Christmas Greeting

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:58:00 -0500

Do you believe? Does the spirit of Christmas still exist or has it been handed over to companies and marketing geniuses?

As I sit here on Christmas Eve with a glass of wine awaiting for friends to arrive for dinner, I ponder that very question.

Christmas, as you know, has become mostly a commercial holiday in America. Christmas trees were decorated in stores nationwide before Halloween was over!

However, if you truly look around, you’ll see the Christmas spirit is everywhere.

In Olympia this evening, the homeless stood in line for a warm meal being served by volunteers. The less fortunate are wearing Santa hats and wishing the more fortunate a Merry Christmas. The Christmas spirit was there.

In Seattle, dozens of carolers and complete strangers joined hands last night to sing Joy to the World and Silent Night. As the caroling ended, hands were shook and season greetings were exchanged. The Christmas was spirit was there.

In Las Vegas, Salvation Army volunteers stood on the strip ringing bells and collecting donations. Even those with tall drinks in hand were willing to donate. The Christmas spirit was there.

Nationwide, stories are popping up of how “layaway angels” are paying off complete strangers layaway bills. The Christmas spirit was there.

Online, we are able to track Santa Claus every move. Make sure the cookies and milk are out before he arrives! The Christmas spirit is online!

The Christmas spirit is everywhere and is something that marketers simply can’t take away from us - no matter how hard they try.

I challenge you to take time this season to count your blessings and believe. For me I’m blessed with wonderful friends, family, good health, and a wonderful, beautiful community.

I have tried to connect with many of you to wish you a Merry Christmas in person. If I didn’t reach you, you are still in my thoughts and Merry Christmas!

State Employees Give to Our Local Community

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:08:00 -0500

Here’s a blog I wrote on my work’s blog. I’m proud of what we achieved in 2011 and wanted to share it here.

Even with a tightening budget and uncertain economy, DFI employees opened their hearts and their pocketbooks this past year to give to those less fortunate.

Through fundraising activities via the Combined Fund Drive program, DFI employees gave a total of $3,892 to the Thurston County Food Bank this year, exceeding last year’s giving by more than $1,000!

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the food bank and I can tell you that the money makes a huge difference.

DFI staff took it upon themselves to conduct a toiletry drive for the Olympia YWCA to supply toothpaste, deodorant, and other essentials to some of the less fortunate members of our community.

DFI’s financial education team volunteered their personal time to help organize the Thurston County Economic Survival Fair which connected residents to local resources for managing their finances during tough times.

DFI’s Adopt-A-Family committee raised more than $850 through several fundraisers. The money will make several local families holidays much brighter by providing them with clothing, diapers, food, and gifts for children.

These are just a few examples of how DFI and our staff gave back to our community in 2011. Staff have many more of their own personal stories.

I’m proud of what my agency has achieved and look forward to supporting the community in 2012.

White Elephant Run - Saturday Jan. 7 2012

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:39:00 -0500

Runners typically receive a medal when the cross finish line, but not at the White Elephant 5 mile run on Saturday, January 7. Runners will pick out a mysterious Christmas gift brought by other runners. Last year I received a can of almonds - take that Santa!

It works like this, if you cross the finish line first, you get 1^st pick of the presents. After the completion of the race all finishers will open their gifts together at a warm, dry, and festive environment inside South Sound Running. There will be several more valuable gifts interspersed randomly. There will be some manner of special awards for the first three overall male and female finishers and masters winners.

I ran this race last year and it was fun. Best of all it’s only $5 + $5 wrapped present.

Race festivities begin at 9 am at South Sound Running. For more details and to register visit www.runoly.com.

Race route

Photos from last year

The Club Oly crew.

Start of the race

Community Participation is Very Much Alive in Olympia

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:07:00 -0500

2011 has been a rough year for some members of our community, but one thing that no recession can take away from us is our willingness to come together to help others in need.

This past Saturday was no exception when dozens of service groups came out to help the Thurston County food bank sort their holiday food donations.

I helped organize a group of 20s and 30s somethings via a volunteer meetup group. Our project was to sort frozen chicken that had been donated. In under 3 hours, we were able to unload, package, and reload over 2,000 pounds of chicken.

It was cold outside, our hands were numb, and we must have smelt a little funky, yet everyone in my group was smiling, chatting, and having a good time. To me: that’s community.

And that was just my meetup service group.

Throughout the food bank, hundreds of people, young and old, were lending a hand with their projects.

Through good times and bad, our community will come together to help out. This is why we will survive. This is what makes us great.

Dozens of volunteers listen to coordinators

Unloading chicken

Service groups helping out

The crew

I bought the new kindle touch with ads. Love it. A great...

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:28:48 -0500

I bought the new kindle touch with ads. Love it. A great ereader. Highly recommend the eink technology for readers. The tablets with LCD screens are just too much of an eye strain.

Don’t Like Gin? Try Again with this Holiday Cocktail

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:51:00 -0500

Don’t like gin? A good friend of mine says try again with this holiday cocktail recipe. In her own words “it’s slightly orangey, ever so slightly chocolaty, and the gin elevates it to the sublime.”

Let’s give gin another shot.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz white creme de cacao
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
1/4 oz fresh cuties oranges juice squeezed

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

2. Shake well.

3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Featured Olympia Running Route – Cooper Point Road 10 Miler

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:32:00 -0500

Today, I woke up, jumped out of bed and went for a run down to the very end of Cooper Pt. road. The run was nice and relaxing, the scenery was beautiful. But, be careful of traffic. The speed limit is 45 mph with no sidewalk, and there are some curves in the road.

Route Details
Type: Out and back
Scenery: Trees and water, wildlife such as deer
Bathroom: The woods, Texaco

Hills: Yes, but none extremely steep
Oncoming traffic: Yes at 45+ mph.
Sidewalk: No, you must run on the shoulder

Nighttime run: Not recommended
Good for: 1/2 marathon training/middle distance long run

Below is my route. Park at the Texaco on Cooper Pt road and run all the way to the end and the come back. The northbound shoulder seems to be wider than southbound.

Drinking Wine for a Good Cause - Tacoma's Project U

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:50:00 -0500

If you’re going to enjoy a glass of two or wine, might as well do it for a good cause.

Last night, Project U took over CORK! wine bar in Tacoma to host a toy drive and fundraiser for United Way of Pierce County.

When I say took over the wine bar, I mean took over! The entire place was packed with 20 and 30 somethings interested in giving back to their community.

Project U is a group of 20s and 30s somethings looking to develop, support and serve the Pierce County community through events that benefit United Way, volunteer projects at local spots that need help and more.

I’ve been trying to get a similar group going in locally through an Olympia 20s and 30s something meetup group and the Olympia Project.

CORK!, which is a swanky wine bar in Tacoma, generously donated 20% of all sales proceeds from the evening to the United Way of Pierce County.

In addition, dozens of toys were collected for United Way’s Season of Caring toy drive.

This was my first time attending a Project U event and I was very impressed. Everyone was friendly and made my friends and I feel welcome. The event was also well organized and raised some money for the community.

Oh and I must add, the Pinot at CORK! was spectacular.

Army Identifies Four Who Died in JBLM Helicopter Crash

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:53:00 -0500

Sad local news regarding the loss of 4 soldiers who were killed during a routine training exercise at Joint Base Lewis McChord.

Thank you to all of the brave soldiers for what you do.

Story: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/12/14/1913450/army-identifies-four-who-died.html

Talk to Teens about Money? Absolutely!

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:19:00 -0500

Is it really possible to talk to teens about their financial future and actually connect with them ? Absolutely!

Today, I had the opportunity to talk to 450 Centralia and Chehalis high school students about the importance of saving and investing in their future. Minus a small math error on one of my slides, the presentation was a success.

The speech was part of Washington Business Week program, which all Junior class students of Centralia and Chehalis high school students participate in.
The goal of my presentation was to drive home the point that financial decisions students make today will impact their future.

You see, young adults have the unique opportunity to take advantage of compound interest. The more you can save when you are younger, the more time your money will have to compound. Let time work to your advantage.

Check out this example of compound interest.

Investor A starts investing $2,000 a year at age 25 and stops at age 35. Investor B starts investing $2,000 a year at age 35 and stops at age 65. Who do you think has more money? The investor who started at age 25, even though the second investor invests more money. Why? Because the younger investor’s money has more time to compound. The interest they earn also earns interest.

If you work with students or have a student at home, consider talking to them about how the decisions you make financially today will impact tomorrow.

12/13/11 Sunset on Twitter

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:05:00 -0500

Whenever there is a beautiful sunset in Western Washington, you can literally watch it on Twitter. Yesterday was no exception.

Here are some of my favorities from yesterday taken by my Twitter followers.

Las Vegas Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:08:00 -0500

Run down the strip at night? Check!

On Sunday, December 4, 2011 I ran the Las Vegas Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon with 44,000 other runners.

Despite overindulging in the amenities of Las Vegas the night before the race, I was able to best my personal record by 9 seconds - coming in at 1 hr 41 minutes and 25 seconds.

I was not expecting to beat my record as I did not fully train, but the Las Vegas course was flat and fast. The temperature couldn’t have been better either. About 45 degrees.

All along the course thousands of people and each mega resort/casino were cheering you on. The casinos had live feeds of the race on their large marquees. The Bellagio fountains went off as runners ran by. Encouraging words like “go runners, go” were lit up on the Stratosphere. Oh, there were also bands playing along the way.

The course started at the Mandalay Bay and continued down the strip to the Stratosphere, then you run through downtown Las Vegas (where all of the wedding chapels are), then you make a turn past Freemont Street and come back down the strip to finish the 1/2 marathon.

Truly an awesome experience. I highly recommend fellow runners check out the Las Vegas Rock n Roll 1/2.

From left to right: Me, Jimmy, and Jeff

Thousands of runners in the corrals prepare to run

The start line

Credit Scores Demystified

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:49:00 -0500

Are you really just a number to lenders?

Today, I taught a class on this very subject to staff.

You see, you r behavior ( p a y i n g y o u r b i l l s o n t i m e ) is reported by your lenders/bill companies to 3 major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax).

Credit scoring companies have developed algorithms that give you a score or grade based on the information the credit bureaus have collected.

Lenders, employers, landlords, insurance companies, and others have access to your credit scores to help them determine if you are a candidate they would like to lend to or do business with.

It’s more important than ever to maintain a good credit score.

Here’s my slide deck for more information.