Appreciate: New York campaign

The Appreciate Network, with its sister organization the Reciprocity Foundation, launched a New York-based campaign called Appreciate: New York in fall 2005 (and beginning again in spring 2006). From October until year-end, a team of volunteers from both organizations will be spreading appreciation throughout New York City’s parks, public spaces and streets. The team of Appreciators will be offering New Yorkers a compliment, a smile, a laugh or even a hug as a means of awakening their spirits and inspiring generous behavior this holiday season.

While both organizations work towards eliminating homelessness & poverty in New York, the Appreciate: New York campaign is aimed at preventing homelessness by creating an ethos of gratefulness and shared responsibility in the city.

The Appreciate: New York campaign is funded with the proceeds from the book entitled, Seasons of Thanks: Graces & Blessings for Every Home. The book describes the small but important moments (and every month of the year) that add up to a year well lived. The stories and rituals are paired with appreciations drawn from every culture and faith tradition.

The locations of the Appreciate: New York campaign will change every week; please contact Adam at either 718.387.3874 or adam@reciprocityfoundation.org with questions or interest. You can also visit www.reciprocityfoundation.org or www.volunteernyc.org for more information.

Creating a Legacy of Forgiveness and Appreciation in South Africa

In 1993, Amy Biehl, a white American Fulbright scholar and anti-Apartheid activist was living in South Africa helping with the preparations for the country's first democratic election. On the day before her scheduled return to the U.S., she was brutally attacked and stabbed to death as she was driving friends home in a township outside Cape Town. Four young black South Africans were convicted of her murder and imprisoned. Each then requested amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, pointing to the racially polarized atmosphere at the time and their assumption that Biehl was a white South African.

In July 1997, Amy Biehl's parents attended the hearings in South Africa and testified in support of the Commission's goals, stating, to the surprise of many, that they would not oppose amnesty. Then the Biehls went a step further, meeting with the family of Mongezi Christopher Manqina, one of their daughter's murderers, after Mongezi's mother had sent Mrs. Biehl a message expressing sorrow at her son's responsibility for Amy's death. In the midst of their own personal tragedy, the Biehls appreciated and honored their daughter's vision for a new South Africa by eschewing revenge for forgiveness.

Year-Round Thanksgiving Dinners

Julie began the tradition of hosting Appreciation Dinners in her junior year at college. Tired of spending mealtimes listening to everyone complain about exams, financial problems and heavy workloads, she decided to organize potluck dinners with a twist.  On the first Tuesday of the month, she invited an eclectic group of classmates for an informal meal.  Everyone brought a dish and then circulated through the room chatting with old friends and new acquaintances.  The twist was that every conversation had to start with an appreciation ("I loved the lecture on such-and-such" or "I'm so glad that so-and-so is giving a talk on campus.")  Instead of a night filled with complaints, her potlucks dinners created a space for students to celebrate their precious time to learn and grow.  Now, Julie is a lawyer at a prestigious firm in Toronto, Canada and hosts a bi-monthly Appreciation Dinner for her colleagues, neighbors and friends.

Appreciating the Young People in our Communities

Jake from St. Louis, MO wrote about an experience rebuilding homes of the less fortunate through the Appalachian Service Project (ASP).  A group of teens and adults from his parish work on home-improvement projects in the Tennessee and West Virginia regions of the country.  During a weeklong period, Jake and his team of 15 volunteers worked tirelessly to repair the roof of a woman's trailer home (it probably wouldn't have lasted another winter). They also repainted it blue (her favorite color) and made a rock garden with all the rocks she had collected since childhood. Although the woman was skeptical about welcoming a bunch of inexperienced (and in her mind, wild and reckless) teens into her home, the experience inspired a change of heart.  By the end of the week, the group had fixed her roof and inspired appreciation for the many teens that are kind-hearted, funny and willing to spend their days and nights helping others.

Adopt a Practice of Guerilla Appreciation

Sharon Salzberg, author of several books, suggests practicing guerilla compassion by silently blessing others by reciting the words "May you be happy; may you be at peace" to colleagues, family members or even perfect strangers. Teresa Hemerling, a busy mother of three, decided to practice "guerilla appreciation." While standing in line at the bank or sitting through a traffic jam, she takes a moment to acknowledge something positive in her environs-”the angle of the sun in the sky or the shining eyes of a fellow customer.  She routinely uses traffic jams as a time to try out a breathing exercise or repeat the words of a sacred chant.  For Teresa, practicing Guerilla Appreciation is a tiny act of reciprocity-”a way to feel and express appreciation for a beautiful planet and the interesting people in her community.

Creating an Altar to Inspire Appreciation

Throughout the world, people create altars with candles, flowers, incense, photographs, statues and other personal treasures to honor the sacred.  Instead of a traditional religious altar, Susan Levine built an Appreciation Altar-”a small table filled with photographs, trinkets and other objects that remind her of what she appreciates most about her self and her life.  The altar includes plane tickets from her first airplane ride (she loves to travel), a dried leaf from her leafy local park, a necklace charm that belonged to her grandmother, and so on.  Whenever Susan feels angry or frustrated, she spends a few moments touching the items on her Appreciation Altar and counting her blessings.

Writing Gratitude Letters to Unsung Heroes

Patrick Lee, priest of an Episcopalian parish in North Carolina, spends his Sundays writing letters of appreciation to people who are quietly making a difference.  Since 1982, he has written thousands of letters of appreciation to people who live around the corner and across the globe.  Every Sunday he reads a handful of newspapers and magazines and scours the Internet for stories.  After a period of research and reflection, he writes letters to people who are (in his estimation) underappreciated to thank them.  He once wrote a letter to a fire department that voluntarily hired interpreters and gave fire safety seminars in 5 languages for the non-English speakers in the community.  He often writes to the parents of teenagers who speak out against and try to reduce violence in the public school system.  After over twenty years of writing letters of appreciation, Reverend Lee has created his own global network of appreciation.