At 51 my body is changing. Overnight my feet swell and I spend the first 20 minutes of each morning like The Creature lurching out of The Black Lagoon.
My neck has also begun its long journey south. But, inspired by body image warrior Taryn Brumfitt and by the plight of the people suffering in refugee camps, I decided my body is not just an ornament, but also a vehicle for good.
In the video below I'm launching my Wall-Sit Challenge to help refugees. If you can beat me, you need do nothing, but if I can out-sit you, then you're on the hook.
During the video I'll gasp-ingly regale you with my firsthand experience volunteering in refugee camps on the island of Lesbos in Greece.
They debunk any Donald Trumpesque beliefs you may have about the refugees. But first, roll up your pant legs and let's do this!
Despite the fact I just blacked out and awoke being transported by aliens to a watery planet I can still transmit information about how to support the refugees.
Amazing and indefatigable volunteer organizer, Fred Morlet (who I met in Kara Tepe camp in Lesbos, Greece last fall) runs the NGO Humanitarian Support Agency.
You can pop over and visit their site HERE.
The U.N.'s refugee agency reports we are suffering "the highest number of displaced people ever -- surpassing even post-World War II numbers, when the world was struggling to come to terms with the most devastating event in history."
Every day HSA volunteers try to make the lives of this massive influx of humans livable.
Volunteers distribute food; clean, dry clothes; they've developed a community tea point for socializing; they provide safety and security and even a learning center in many of their camps; they clean up the shores of Greece where the refugees land and leave safety vests and other detritus.
What this agency is doing is taxing and super human, considering the tidal wave of people they serve. They need our support.
I suggest volunteering to anyone who feels adrift or simply like they need to be more useful and connected.
But if you don't have the time or income to volunteer, you can donate much needed funds to HSA through their PayPal account at hsa.lesvos@gmail.com.
I trust Fred explicitly as I've seen firsthand how hard he works.
(Also, I once gave him my money pouch of donations and inside I accidentally left my passport! He found it the following day, approached me with a smile and said, "I think you might be needing this" as he handed it to me. Whew.)
Here's a look at the faces of the lovely people -- who we call refugees -- that I met last fall:
To read more about Shannon's time in refugee camps Click Here and be sure to Opt-In to her Updates Here.
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
