Jeanne Faulkner

Just another do-gooder story - Saving the World: A Fashion Story

Once again, Pakistan is drowning from natural disaster.  They haven’t recovered from their earthquake and now, flood has taken their collective breath away.  These war-torn, desperately impoverished yet strikingly resilient people are suffering from their own “Hurricane Katrina.”  And once again, Americans are called upon to dig deep into their hearts and pockets and help them.  And we will.  Americans are among the most generous of nations and our citizens can’t help themselves.  They will help. 

 

Of course, CARE was already on the ground and able to help in a hurry.  That’s because Pakistan is one of the countries they have development projects in.  What’s frustrating is that while the need never abates, resources do so when the call goes out for help, fewer people are moved to donate.  It’s like we suffer from crisis fatigue and still, we’ll help.

 

So, in order to lighten the mood from so many disasters, let’s talk about humanitarianism from a different angle:  Saving the World – A Fashion Story

 

Dr. Helene Gayle, President and CEO of CARE, is a powerhouse doctor, who runs the most effective humanitarian organization in the world (I’m sure that’s a fact).  More Magazine ran a profile of Dr. Gayle in their July issue (Gayle Force by Jan Goodwin) describing her schedule, stamina and surgical focus as she swept through Africa, hosting a learning tour for American politicians. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Gayle so I wasn’t surprised by her brilliant education, resume and skill-set, which are dazzling.  I read the article looking for one thing – what was Dr. Gayle wearing.  I’ve dubbed her “Helene of the fabulous dresses” because every time I see her at CARE events, she’s wearing a brightly colored, perfectly fitted dress, understated accessories and gorgeous shoes that accentuate her crisp and stunning presence. 

 

Yes, she’s the CEO and President of CARE.  Yes, she’s headlined on some of the world’s most important stages from the Centers for Disease Control to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Yes, she keeps a grueling schedule. But she’s also really fashionable and kind of girly.  I love that about her.  She wears black pants and a print button-down in the photo that fronts the article but read all the way through and … there it is:  “Gayle showed up for the event looking fabulous in a vivid orange linen two-piece with a wide cinch belt.”  Thank you, Dr. Gayle, for adding fashion to your list of fabulosities.

 

Fashion’s an important part of saving the world – Tom’s shoes and Gap’s Red jeans provide important revenue to help children in poor countries and people with AIDS. They mean you can do good just by getting dressed in the morning.  Nothing’s more functional for people providing direct aid than a uniform of Chaco sandals and a pair of cargo pants.  And then there are accessories produced by women in developing countries who’ve received microloans. Scarves, jewelry, bags and other beautiful handmade garments are creating an important personal and financial link between women around the world.  Fashion changes lives. 

Just another do-gooder story - A Trifecta of Do-Goodery at the Train Station

I dropped my daughter off at the train station this evening.  High on the wall of Union Train Station in downtown Portland, the sign above the lobby store said:  Parcels, News, Cigars.  After my daughter boarded her train, I wandered over to see if Parcels were the same as Sundries. 

A little boy, maybe 9 years old, waited on an old wooden bench and watched as his grandmother shuffled back from the lobby store, clutching a dripping ice cream cone.  When she finally reached him, he grabbed on and said "thanks, Gramma."  She sat down with a huff that rattled the bench and the ice cream promptly fell on to the boy's shoe.  He looked like he wanted to cry, but in that split second of reaction to losing that hard won ice cream, you could also see his face register - he was too old to cry. 

One bench over, a woman with a lap-full of toddler, grabbed a handful of baby wipes, tucked her little one under her arm, walked over to the little boy and wiped the ice cream off his shoe.  She didn't say anything about: cleaning up kid-splatter was a reflex. 

Just a few feet away, a grubby man in sagging, dirty jeans, (he looked homeless), had been asking people who walked by, "hey, can you spare some change?"  He saw it all go down: the old lady's struggle to walk  with a cone for her grandson,  the fall of the ice cream, the splat on the shoe, the little boy's restraint from having a total ear-piercing tantrum, the woman cleaning up a child she didn't know.  He looked like he hadn't eaten lately yet he walked over to the ice cream store, unloaded  his change and bought that kid another ice cream.

He carried the napkin-wrapped cone over to the little boy and said, "Hey lil buddy, here you go. That ought to make you feel better."  You could tell by looking at the grandma's face she was thinking, " eating  ice cream that guy just touched is probably not a good idea."  But instead,she said: "go ahead, honey, enjoy it."  As the little boy happily dug into the cone, the old lady looked up at the homeless guy she said, "Well aren't you just the sweetest thing?" 

That was damn near Rockwellian.  I wanted to kiss for not saying, "No, thank you" to that homeless guy.  That would have broken my heart.  As I was walking away, a couple was walking up to talk to the homeless guy.  I don't think this do-goodery chain was anywhere near over.

  Sometimes, all it takes is a little ice cream to save the world. 

Just another do-gooder story - PDX Pop Now and Portland Bridge Festivals

Portland is a weirdly wonderful city filled with generous do gooders, even while they're trying to be all cool, aloof and alt-cultural. PDX Pop Now and Portland Bridge Festival were teeming with hipsters, hippies, students, divas and those who will not be classified. Young men with trying-too-hard mustaches and young women with handcrafted skirts and treasures from the Goodwill bins, yards and yards of silk of sarongs, crinolines and the special clothes one saves for Burning Man.  They were all there, so present for the music enhancing their own unique vibe of sophistication.  And yet...they couldn't help themselves.  They were good.  So good.  

Standing in Rotture, (the warehouse turned music venue that has donated their space for the past five PDX Pop Now festivals), a teenager crowded in with a hundred other fans, listening to  free music with her boyfriend.  Standing next to her was my daughter, hanging out with her friends, just having fun.  The teenager fainted and the surge of do-gooding began. My daughter and other strangers helped the woozy girl out into fresh air, got her water and something to eat, called her dad and stayed with her until she was well again and they were certain she'd be OK.  Was the girl drunk or under the influence?  No, she was just hot, thirsty and hungry.  She'd forgotten to take care of herself.  She'd locked her knees.  We've all done that when the music was just too engrossing.  

I joined the festival a couple hours later, dragging my youngest daughter along with me.  This was sooo not her scene, a ten-year-old girl in a bright cotton sundress and red sandals, looking so clean and fresh, just like all these festival kids looked, not more than 10 years before.  She and I stood at the edge of the crowded warehouse and watched for a while.  During the course of one set, half a dozen scrubby, unwashed, tattooed, rough-around-the-edges kids came over one by one and said  "Excuse me, would you like a set of ear plugs for your little girl?" They were so sweet, so generous, so delighted to see a need and go out of their way to take care of it.   I said " yes, please and thank you" to every one of them, even though her ears were already suitably plugged.  They were just so adorable and kind, I didn't want to discourage them with a , "no thanks - we're good."  Random acts of kindness should be accepted whenever possible, even when you don't really need them.  You can save them in a little spot in your heart for when you might need it later or can donate to some other stranger in need.

Out in the street, waiting for the next band, I saw countless acts of goodness.  PDX Pop Now is volunteer run.  Dozens of people carried equipment, wrapped cords, snapped pictures, poured drinks and picked up trash, all to  shine a spotlight on Portland musicians.  They kept it clean so it could be an all ages event and kept it free so everyone could be in on it.  Everyone there had a small part in saving the world, one musician, one audience-member, one friend or stranger at a time.

Later, we walked over to the Portland Bridge Festival.  Bearded, men dressed in brightly colored tutus and toting guitars (part of the band "Sneakin' Out) set up their equipment under the giant dome.  Just another way to keep Portland weird. 

We didn't stay long at this festival.  My little girl had blisters on her feet from her new red shoes.  We stopped by the KBOO radio booth (one of the festival's sponsors) and asked where one could find a bandaid.  The guy manning the table dug in his wallet and handed over his emergency stash of bandages.  What kind of person keeps bandaids in his wallet?  A really good one who wants to be ready to help someone in need.  Sometimes, all it takes is  one bandaid, to save the world.  At least one little girl's world.