LEARNING CURVE EXPRESS!

The most ambitious of the HEAR US trips is the LEARNING CURVE EXPRESS, the name given to the coast-to-coast effort to let Congress hear from their invisible homeless constituents. Click the above links for LCE-related info, maps, etc.

JOURNEY 5~ OCTOBER 2009--ongoing...

JANUARY 2010 - No champagne or fireworks, just getting admin work done while the rest of the world took their well-earned break. The Phoenix area has great weather at this time of year! And my growing list of friends in this community have given me an opportunity to hold an advance screening of our new documentary, "Poverty Nomads (working title)," with some key activists. Also did private screenings with Nancy and Julianna, whose poignant stories are featured in our film.

Heading to Las Cruces and El Paso (UTEP) to continue the same, then on across TX for presentations and screenings. Barbara James Wand and her TX cohorts have some exciting possibilities cooking up....

DECEMBER 09 - No boredom this month! Spent a few days and nights in CA county fairground parking lots, er, RV parks. They are flat, with electric, water and dump/sewer, but sure lack any amenities, and are not cheap! That's why I appreciate friends, old and new, that offer a spot to park and plug in. Saves money! Sacramento has hoards of homeless individuals all over. How very sad, because, in addition to myriad problems of not having a place to live, the weather can get downright nasty. Met some amazing homeless liaison/activists that get the job done for the kids. And interviewed 2 incredible teens who shared what it is like to struggle to survive teen years without a home.

Traveled through enough of CA's agricultural land to have a deeper appreciation for all who put their hands on the fruits and veggies we eat and drink. How do they do it when it gets so hot? Lucked out and missed a horrible storm that would have been worse had I followed my initial "plan" of going to Reno. We'd still be digging out of a snowbank.

Crazy holidays, and nary a decoration in my hallowed tin can. 85k miles, 48 states, and still rolling!

NOVEMBER 09 - This month has been packed with activities! First was trip preparation and final in-person contributions to Laura on our (in production) feature-length documentary, now called "Best Kept Secrets." Then it was off to the RESOLVE conference in Chicago, a gathering of college students from across the nation RESOLVEd to end hunger and homelessness, an incredible gathering! Was happy for help from HEAR US board members Helen Jilek, OSB, and Marilyn McGowan.

Then I aimed Tillie west, stopping for a first-time viewing of "Best Kept Secrets" in its entirety. I literally cried as I watched this incredible story of how homelessness affected 7 women and their families. It was good to spend a night with Liz Lipford in Freeport. Liz is an "old" friend, formerly homeless mom of 6 who ended up not only working with me at Hesed/PADS but also inspiring me. From there to Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, IA, hosted by STEP, a student activist organization.

Then for a long haul, Denver, CO, for the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (www.naehcy.org). I love this conference, and Denver is a beautiful city in an incredible state, but mid-November tested the fates, and Tillie and I lost. FROZE and were buried in snow! But with lots to warm my heart at the conference and the help of board members Pat Van Doren and Marilyn McGowan who flew out to help (we needed it, we were busy!!), we survived and thrived.

Incredibly, I've been literally coast-to-coast in Tillie this past month--from the Cape Cod shoreline to California's coast. We were invited to screen My Own Four Walls at the Pasa Robles Film Festival. I figured Tillie needed a spa treatment after the snowstorm, so I splurged--a good thing because the PRFF arranged for me to be parked at a swanky RV resort with expensive, classy, clean RVs occupying most sites. Laura Vazquez and her spouse, Jeff, came out for this event.

Next stop will be Sacramento where I'll reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, and get some Learning Curve Express interviews.

OCTOBER 09 - I pried myself (and Tillie, my RV-home/office) away from the security of my summer base at Sacred Heart Monastery in Lisle, knowing that much is to be done to generate the essential compassion epidemic needed to address the abysmal conditions facing homeless families and youth today.

My maiden voyage is a grueling one, with appearances in Mansfield, OH, Greenville, PA, NYC, Long Island, and Boston. No time to do much but admire the foliage as I scooted through multiple states. Fortunately, back in DeKalb, at Northern IL University, efforts to convert my first LCE interviews were underway. Check them out on the Learning Curve Express page.

In Boston, a group of activists will take a stand to urge no further cuts to housing budgets that keep families from being homeless. I'll be there with them. We need to reverse this tragic trend.