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Death on the Baja Salt Flats

Discovering Baja for the past 5 years was always filled with adventure, at least that’s how it felt to me. Some of my inexperienced travel companions may not considered this story as an adventure though. They may describe the story I am about to tell you as a near disaster or a terrible turn of events. I respect that perspective because I respect their feelings. However I believe that they feel this way because they expected something they shouldn’t have! I’m sure they have now learned their lesson and understand that when they decide to join my friends and I for a quick drive to an unknown beach it probably won’t be what they expect.

When you spend weeks on end in a place that is remote like rural Baja, (which is mostly undeveloped) with any sense of adventure you will naturally get in your vehicle and drive. You will drive to places that someone told you existed but can’t really point out on a map. You will drive to places that seem closer than they are and you will without a doubt decide that there is still enough sun in the sky to make it home before it get dangerous.

There was such a place that we could see from the main highway for years. It was flat, and led straight to the blue pacific ocean. A place that was desolate and enticing because as far as we knew it could lead to one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. So finally one Thursday afternoon after wrapping up our aid work for the day we climbed into a very large truck and filled all 6 six seats with 5 adults and one 18-month old baby (the baby was mine).

As we drove out onto the salt flats we felt the exhilaration of the vastness before us. We could see the beautiful sand dunes rise ahead of us, beckoning us to the refreshing coast line.

The air began to change though, a hint of the future maybe? A strong and terrible smell filled the truck and we threw down the windows as we continued to speed ahead. The tracks of other vehicles that had been tempted by the vast unknown of the salt flats began to fade and soon we were making our own tracks to a place that we began to dream of as a private get-away spot of respite. Excitement filled our hearts.

As we neared the sand dunes the air began to clear and the smell was fresh again, but the ground began to change texture. No longer hard and firm, the driver (my husband) began to go around very large areas of thick mud and misshapen ground.

We finally arrived to a place where we could get out of the truck and trek up the sand dune. Carrying a my small child and raising my hand to my brow I was taken away at the beauty of the beach we had found. The wind swept us all back as we smiled at each other in glee. This was it!

A private unknown beach. Spending a few moments to relax let the baby’s toes dip in the water I headed back to the truck.

The sun was getting low and dinner time was approaching. Buckling in we noticed how back at the vehicle the wind of the ocean was only a small breeze. The perfect place for a quick tailgate BBQ set-up when your at the beach! How perfect this place will be.

My husband began to drive back to the main road and we all talked about the plans to utilize this beach space for the families we served in Baja, and for the volunteers who came with us to build homes and execute our programs.

And then it happened.

Slowly we began to sink. And although we had much experience in driving in muddy conditions the truck traction was not cooperating. And soon a terrible smell filled the cabin.

Throwing down the windows we begged for fresh air! And as my husband overcame the road inch by inch it was also slowly overcoming us!

What had looked like solid ground was just as deceiving as that terrible quick sand that Daffy Duck was always running into!

Finally we found ourselves sunk and no matter how many times we tried to rock the truck back and forth to escape the muddy nastiness of the salt flats, we could not escape. Every trick in the book that usually got out of the mud failed us.

Soon 4 people were pushing the truck, while the baby and my husband attempted to drive the truck out of the muck.

First an  hour passed, then another and soon hour 3 was approaching.

We called for help, but telling our rescuers the exact location was a bit like describing the backside of the moon. Everyone knows it’s there but it is not that easy to explain in detail to someone.

We decided that walking back to the visible road would be best for the baby and me to catch the first truck of two that was coming to rescue us. I bid goodbye to my husband and the truck and left with half the adventuring party to find rescue. It was at this point many would deem this adventure a fail. But this is when it got interesting.

Even though we could see the road, it still felt like another world. Like Mars so flat and uninhabited.

Soon we came across a point in the land where the angle of the sun coming down for the evening and the light reflecting on the flat ground made the perfect mirage of scattered light that bounced and waved before us. It was almost magical had we not been exhausted covered in terrible smelling mud.

As the light finally sharpened the ground ahead it revealed something even worse smelling than the mud on our clothes. It was a dead cow.

Dead like you would see in a western movie, rotting like you would imagine it would, in the hot sun for several days.

It was then that I thought wow, this is an adventure for the books.

A best friend who had now taken over carrying my baby began to sing out loud and the baby laughed with glee. Why not break into song now, If it was a major motion picture the director would have definitely placed a crescendo at this point!

Soon a vehicle came into view. As it drove towards us avoiding the misshapen ground, we began to feel some relief. And then as it came into a better view we realized it was not our rescue party, but maybe another vandal dumping a dead animal or trash to rot alongside the terrible smell of the salt flats. And for one fleeting moment I thought if this was a major motion picture well then they would be the murders who made this story worth telling on the big screen.

Looking at me, my friend and my baby as if were insane, they continued to drive past.

Nearing the road, we could see our rescue truck waiting. Not a mirage, not potential murderers, just real life friends laughing and scratching their heads at our somewhat frightful looks on our face and muddy feet.

The second truck with a tow rig pulled up and we pointed them in the direction of the rest of the party. Lights turned on bright they ventured out into the unknown salt flats. Never to be seen again…

JUST KIDDING. It did however take them about another hour and a half before they along with our stuck truck would arrive at dinner much too late for something warm to be served.

These memories make me smile and laugh. The picturesque beach, the hours of frustrated friends arguing about how to get a truck out of the mud, the frightful dead cow and then the end of the night when we all clapped our lost muddy party into the restaurant are the adventures that help make this life of servitude worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How to Name your Organization

I live in California. My state secretary’s office requires me to incorporate as a nonprofit if I plan on filing for exempt status through the state and the federal government.

But in order to do this you have to first register your name with the California State Secretary’s office.

The name of your organization matters just like naming a child – its that important.

It is your first marketing tool and it will lay the foundation for your mission statement or should reflect it if you haven’t got one yet.

It did not take us long to find our name because I followed a set of rules that my friends and I came up with several years ago while mocking terrible names of other institutions, businesses, and organizations. You don’t want your nonprofit to get made fun of when it is out there in the public. I’m serious about this guys – I make fun of the names people come up with all the time. I guess, I’m either a terrible person or just good at being a jerk.

  • Imagine if the acronym for your non profit spells something terribly embarrassing. Gross.
    • Peoples Organization Of Patriots = P.O.O.P
  • OR your so trendy that people shrink back in just 9 months-time from the name of your organization. Ew.
  • OR If you think you have the best name full of creativity and expression. Ugh.
    • [Insert your creative name here]

So those were a few reasons. Not to mention copyright infringement or a name that is misspelled!

Now, some readers may have just got a little offended by my dislike of creativity so I want to explain in a few lines why it’s not a good idea before I give you my naming rules.

Your creative name is not a good idea because:

I don’t doubt your ability to make something sound out of this world and inspiring, but I do believe that it can lead to confused people who don’t understand what “Wild Pineapples” does. Save your clever genius for more creative avenues like a subtitle that evolves over time or a RAD program name. Being the Executive Director of Wild Pineapples can only mean one thing. You’re a farmer. ONLY if you are a farmer and this is a nonprofit for Wild Pineapple farming, than go for it! If not, then I have to say your name is terrible.

Anyways…

My friend’s and I have always believed in naming simplicity. And to give you a clear understanding of type of results that the rules will yield, here are some of the best names that don’t leave you confused at all:

Church – Church of [CITY NAME]

Health Center – [CITY NAME] Health Center (Or Centre if your English)

Youth Group – [CHURCH NAME] Youth Group

Advocacy Group – Advocacy for [ISSUE HERE]

Animal Rescue – [ANIMAL TYPE] Rescue of [CITY NAME]

THE RULES

I think you’re getting my point. So below are the rules…

ORGANIZATIONAL NAMING RULES TO FOLLOW:

  1. Keep the name simple
  2. Let the name communicate what you do/who you serve
  3. Add your region, city/town, or some other area landmark to the name
  4. Add a subtitle to express more clearly your work and/or your creativity
  5. Avoid imagery and flowery language.
  6. Avoid inappropriate acronyms / initialisms like P.O.O.P (Also, if you are working with people across languages you should double check with a native speaker of the people you serve!)

Now you may come to an impasse here if your city had a genius that came before you and established an organization using their old timey version of these naming rules. In that case you are then allowed to get a little creative, but stick to the basics of keep it simple!

In California the State Secretary’s office has a name checker online to see if your desired organization name is available. Use this if available and try out many variations of the name.

My Story of Naming the Youth Center:

I live in Sacramento, California. A city that was first established in 1850. There have been many organizations established over the years here. Many of which do/did what I want to do – start a youth center. Knowing this I  did something crazy in one of the oldest cities in the west, I went for the simplest version of my naming rules yet: Sacramento Youth Center.

And guess what? It was available!

No one in the entire city since 1850 had ever thought to use this name for their youth center! Wow.

Not only does this name say it all, but it also commands a level of respect (that I am happy to live up to).

I tell people the name of the center and you know what they do? They nod their head like they have heard of it. Haven’t you heard of it!? I have a built in level of legitimacy that I wasn’t expecting, a name that makes it easy for me to communicate my mission, and one that will stand the test of time.

Now there was one caveat to this name, and that was the initialism format “SYC”. There is a local yacht club that uses SYC, but I felt like it was a different enough organization that should someone find us using that acronym that wouldn’t be confused and vice a verse. I typically only use SYC when I am filling out grants at this point and for a few small marketing materials like our business card so it isn’t likely that people would need to find us by SYC just yet…

OUTCOMES

Ok, I hope if you are here you at least skimmed this post, and read through the rules, and now understand the importance of the name. If not here is a brief list of the results you can get from using the rules.

3 Outcomes of a Simple Name:

  1. A name that markets itself
  2. A name that brings you legitimacy
  3. A name that will stand the test of time

Good luck choosing a name. Don’t screw it up!

 

–Raquel

 

 

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How to be a Founder During the Hard Times

January 2020 has been one long month.

The first day of this new decade brought a huge loss. A loss that on this 31st day of the month my family and my friends are still trying to cope with.

We lost a very close friend, former co-worker, humanitarian and mentor. My husband and I had traveled the world with him on many humanitarian trips providing youth development to those in greatest need. Our relationship felt a lot like family to not only him but also his kids and extended family. His name was Karl and he did amazing things in his lifetime. At only 52 he succumbed to a very aggressive pneumonia in just a matter of days.

He was living in rural Mexico, Baja working with indigenous people. He was developing and building his own youth center and was making a difference alongside his wife. He was “Livin’ the Dream” as he was most often quoted.

I posted a fairly short Instagram post on the matter and how I traveled with our closest friends just hours after hearing the news to be with his mourning family in Mexico. We drove all night switching off drivers and resting for just a few hours, making it to the quickly planned memorial service just minutes before it took place. We left the next morning in a stupor and in tears.

I came home exhausted and had left my husband behind as he wanted to be with the family for a few more days and help out. One week later my husband came home and we began to mourn the loss of a friend and inspirational mentor.

And that was not the end of January. About a week and half ago we lost another great man. My husbands great grandfather. He was very close to my children, and was extremely close to my husband. Back in September 2019 at the age of 80, he had an accident on an ATV that led to a broken back, a punctured lung, and multiple broken ribs. It had been a tough recovery but it was finally looking positive. Until a sudden and quick passing left us once again reeling in grief.

Why am I sharing all this bad news with you?

Because when you’re the founder of anything these are the type of things that can really throw off your progress especially in the beginning stages. When you’re doing all the work and there is no one else to step in a lot can hinge on moments like this. We powered through tears some days, and other days we wept as we worked, and some of the days we just sat and mourned while embracing the suffering and the emotions that we have.

Here is what I did and if you think its worth a shot in the dark times then give these a try:

3 Steps to be Somewhat Productive in Difficult times

  1. Rest when you feel like rest is needed. Real rest. Shut the screens off and let your mind rest.
  2. Allow the emotions to come and go. Don’t fake it when your grieving. Your body and mind are processing a real tragedy and if your don’t let your mind get the emotions out it can lead to more issues like depression and physical sickness. This is called Emotional Agility.
    1. Read Emotional Agility by by Susan David PH.d for more information
  3. Make a list of what the most important tasks to complete and choose those that are the easiest to tackle first. in my list below all but one were difficult — but we had people to help me on the day of so I was not doing it all alone (our youth center preview night).
  4.  BONUS STEP: Rest — this one needed to be said again because well that’s the sad truth.

These are the few things that did get a few things done (I have a couple of planned blog posts for some the things below )

  • Launched this blog! (It was a fun thing to do in a dark time)
  • Got to the first draft of my Form 1023 (This one took me way longer than it would have — because I rested so much)
  • Purchased and set up our youth center equipment and furniture (This was a get out the house activity for us. Shopping can be theraputic right?)
  • Had our first preview night at the youth center (this would have been HARD to do with out the help I had — we have good people who love us.)
  • Planned out our 2020 Winter/Spring/Summer Calendar (This was just necessary and we waited the entire month to do this — because we rested)

In between all of this loss and progress, our kids and even both my husband and I have experienced 2 winter viruses. We have 3 toddlers who love to share the germs. In fact I currently have a child on the couch next to me with a fever and a belly ache!

It has been hard, real hard. It has been sad and it has been inspiring. But I am ready for January to end and February to begin. We start it tomorrow with the celebration of a 1st birthday and a small sigh of relief that we did so much considering the great loss.

I have faith that this whole month will teach us and strengthen us. I have faith that the suffering we are feeling will not be in vain. I have faith that the nonprofit will move forward even when its dark and cold. And it will thrive when its bright and warm.

These are the tenants of the teachings that I try to express to the youth we work with. Many of who have already experience great amounts of trauma in their lives. I am preaching to myself this time around that all hope is not lost, it is just a matter of time and persistence.

–Raquel

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