Getting to Know Your NSPN Family: A Little Pick-Me-Up Please

Written by Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events, National Safe Place Network 

 Coffee is the most coveted morning beverage of humanity. Coffee is so popular, people write about how great it is—a lot. The Huffington Post alone has a full web page dedicated to numerous blog posts about coffee, one of which is titled “19 Things You Didn’t Know About Coffee.” The article shares some interesting information. For example, legend says “coffee was discovered by a goat herder,” “a coffee plant can live up to 200 years,” and “coffee beans can vary in color”—not for the strange “cat” reason shared that no one would spend money on. Anyhow, who knew? Someone must really love coffee to dedicate precious time just to write about the goodness these little beans bring to the world. 

 Coffee can be consumed in many ways; however, most people like traditional coffee—black or with cream and/or sugar. But there are also some coffee concoctions that are unique, yet delicious: 

•  Thai iced coffee 
• Steaming mocha cocoa 
• Turkish coffee 
• Creamy iced vanilla caramel coffee 
• Iced espresso marvo 
• Coffee imperial 

Image credit: http://www.food.com/ideas/15-easy-coffee-drinks-6102?c=10188 

 These flavors are actually easy to make! You can get the recipes here.  

Because there are so many different ways to make coffee, we thought the topic might offer a fun way for you to get to know your NSPN family. We asked them, “How do you like your coffee?”  

· Laurie Jackson, President / Chief Executive Officer: Flavored with a little cinnamon and cream

· Tammy Hopper, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer: In someone else’s cup. I am so not a coffee drinker.

· Shauna Brooks, Principal Investigator: Medium Roast in a large mug with two packs of Splenda and a 4-count pour of real heavy cream.

· April Carthorn, General Specialist: Not at all.

· Sherry Casey, Operations and Administration Manager: Iced vanilla coffee

· Zach Elmore, Operations Specialist: Black. Regular in the morning, decaf after noon.

· Kim Frierson, Training Specialist: Don’t drink coffee anymore. Made me sick while I was pregnant and I never picked it back up. I do enjoy a good cider or lemonade, depending on the season.

· Susan Harmon, Director of Safe Place National Operations: I love strong coffee – but not Starbucks strong – with nothing in it.

· Rachel Hurst, Development Associate: I only like the smell of coffee. Coffee is a lie because it smells amazing but tastes horrible. I don’t even like coffee ice cream.

· Hillary Ladig, Communications Coordinator: It depends on my mood. Somedays, I like it black and other days, I like it with a generous portion of milk. I also enjoy a good cappuccino – it’s great for the soul.

·Autumn Sandlin, Marketing & Communications Intern: ICED! If I drink it hot, I have to have lots and lots of sugar and milk or creamer. I want it as far from black as possible.

· Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events: I love coffee! To me, the perfect cup is 10oz of “Golden French Toast” or “Wild Mountain Blueberry” straight from the Keurig with a 3 count pour of “Sweet Cream” creamer. I can drink it all day – everyday. YUM

· Eric Tadatada, Technical Assistance Specialist: I like my coffee with two creams and three sugars.

Learn more about your NSPN family at https://nspn.memberclicks.net/our-team.  

 How do you like your coffee? Feel free to let us know by commenting below. 

Getting to Know Your NSPN Family: Our Independence

Written by Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events, National Safe Place Network

There are lots of ways to celebrate Independence Day. There are even few web pages that share fun 4th of July statistics. Here are a few of those stats from statisticbrain.com:

• 63% of people attend a fireworks display.
• 66% of people display an American flag.
• 32% of people attend a parade.
• 80% of people attend a barbecue, picnic, or cookout—of which 150 million hot dogs, 700 million pounds of chicken, and 190 million pounds of red meat and pork are consumed.

There seems to be one statistic missing—how many people actually know what Independence Day is? According to abcnews.com, only 14% of U.S. teens understand that the 4th of July marks the historic day where we declared independence from France. That’s a whopping (more than) “5 million U.S. teenagers who don’t understand the true meaning of Independence Day.”

During your celebration of our independence, take a moment and share the reason for the celebration with the future leaders of America. You can make it fun! International Business Times shares “15 Fun Things to Know About Independence Day.”

You can also comment below to let us know what activities you have planned. As a way to help you get to know your NSPN family, we asked the following:

“How do you celebrate your independence, or what do you do on Independence Day?”

• Laurie Jackson, President/Chief Executive Officer: “Relax, honor our military, and spend time with family, and of course, fireworks.”
• Tammy Hopper, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer: “My father passed away on the 4th of July. I now think of him on that day and how his passing was his way of gaining independence from the disease that controlled his body for so long.”
• Shauna Brooks, Principal Investigator: “My favorite way to celebrate the 4th of July is grilling out burgers and dogs, enjoyed along with a fine craft beer, and watching fireworks after the sun sets.”
• April Carthorn, General Specialist: “I celebrate my independence with daily demonstrations of good citizenship, positive character (being trustworthy, responsible, caring, fair, generous, and consistent). I make my own decisions. I also celebrate with family and friends at cookouts or public events—and I love watching exploding fireworks.”
• Sherry Casey, Operations and Administration Manager: “Cookout and family time with fireworks.”
• Lindsey Collier, Human Trafficking Specialist: “Gather with family and friends and grill out.”
• Zach Elmore, Operations Specialist: “Family and fireworks. My dad puts on a show that draws most of the neighborhood children, with homemade ice cream afterwards.”
• Kim Frierson, Training Specialist: “On Independence day, I enjoy having a family dinner.”
• Susan Harmon, Director of Safe Place National Operations: “I don’t do anything special—just relax and do whatever comes up.”
• Rachel Hurst, Development Associate: “It’s my brother-in-law’s birthday, so usually I go home to visit my family and we have a cookout, some fireworks, and a campfire with s’mores.”
• Hillary Ladig, Communications Coordinator: “On Independence Day, I like to be with my family, grill out, and watch fireworks.”
• Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events: “I celebrate my independence by being thankful for it. Being able to show appreciation for freedom is a privilege—one many individuals don’t have the opportunity to experience.”

Learn more about your NSPN family at https://nspn.memberclicks.net/our-team.

 

Getting to Know Your NSPN Family: Geek Pride

Written by Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events, National Safe Place Network

What’s a geek to you? According to Wikipedia, “the word geek is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast or a person obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit . . .” Yada yada yada . . . There it is! “A geek is an enthusiast or person obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit!” So, wouldn’t that make all of us geeks? I mean, we’re all obsessed with something. In case you’re stuck on the word obsessed—To obsess about something is to “preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually . . .” Yada yada yada. So who doesn’t have something that preoccupies our minds—continually? Now that it’s settled—we’re all geeks, and it’s time to let our geek flags fly!

Did you know there’s actually a day for geeks to unite and celebrate geekiness? This day is known as Geek Pride Day and it’s held on May 25. There are lots of ways to celebrate Geek Pride Day. For instance:

• Have a themed party.
• If it’s a movie or television show that you are interested in—plan a marathon—live tweet it if you’re really proud!
• Throw a game night—in costume.
• Join a meetup and get together with like-minded geeks.
• Share some fun photos of your obsession on social media—make sure to use the hashtag #GeekPrideDay.

Now that you’re up to speed about Geek Pride Day, take a look at what your NSPN family geeks out about.

• Laurie Jackson, President/Chief Executive Officer: “Accounting—if that is possible.”
• Tammy Hopper, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer: “Office supplies—the dream of being organized is fantastic.”
• Shauna Brooks, Principal Investigator: “I LOVE data analysis!!!”
• April Carthorn, General Specialist: “I’m easily entertained; however, I geek out about animals in the wild, fun childhood memories, and Las Vegas partying.”
• Lindsey Collier, Human Trafficking Specialist: “Horses . . . and dogs and cats too!” I also geek out about preparing and enjoying delicious food (gluten-free of course!).”
• Zach Elmore, Operations Specialist: “I’m a sucker for time-travel books/movies. Watching Primer with someone who has never seen it before is great fun.”
• Kim Frierson, Training Specialist: “Movies, cooking, and social justice.”
• Susan Harmon, Director of Safe Place National Operations: “I geek out on old houses and buildings that have been preserved and/or repurposed. I also geek out on people saving materials out of buildings that are being torn down—as opposed to sending it all to the landfill.”
• Rachel Hurst, Development Associate: “Science fiction anything—TV shows, movies, books.”
• Hillary Ladig, Communications Coordinator: “Live music. My dad has been performing in a rock band since I was a little girl (sometimes even in my house). There’s nothing better than listening to great live music and watching the performance unfold right before my eyes.”
• Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events: “I geek out about a lot of things, but I think I geek out the most about planning and being organized. My favorite time of the year is November and December—not because of the holidays (although I like them), but mostly because it’s time to get a NEW planner for the next year!”
• Eric Tadatada, Technical Assistance Specialist: “Softball.”

Learn more about your NSPN family at https://nspn.memberclicks.net/our-team.

Feel free to leave a comment below and share what makes you a geek.