Don't Retire Get Inspired| July 2010 | | Posted by Richard on Monday, October 11, 2010 at 2:58pm |  Dick and Florence at Borders Bookstore in Wheaton | Dick signed books at two local bookstores in July.
On July 10th we were at Borders Bookstores in the Danada-Rice Lake Shopping Center in Wheaton. Store representatives, Tom and Kevin, had a great set-up for us near the Information Desk. There was lighter than normal traffic that Saturday, but we had four very important visitors.
First, John and Eileen stopped by. They attended the “Write to Publish” Conference at Wheaton College in June and purchased Dick’s book Don’t Retire, Get Inspired. They loved the book and said they just had to meet us. What a thrill for us! John and Eileen are a great couple who are getting ready to retire within the next few years. They are founding members of Willow Creek Church and a really fine couple. We look forward to seeing them again in the future.
Next, Maria and her sister Gloria came by to visit. Maria remembers Dick from the 1960’s when she was a young child and Dick was one of several people involved with the Christian Family Movement (CFM) who helped Maria’s family purchase an affordable home. This really reinforced our belief that anything one can do to improve the lives of children will have lasting effects.
I have uploaded a photo of us at the book signing table at Borders.
On July 14th Dick gave a short presentation and signed books at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois. Anderson’s is a well-known, community oriented bookstore and we were really happy they hosted us. Unfortunately, the night before the event the Chicago area was deluged with an 8” rain storm. But, the people at Anderson’s were very gracious and our extended family members found a way to get there! Thanks for your love and devotion.
Till next time – Love, Dick and Florence | | | | | June 29, 2010 | | Posted by Richard on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 1:22pm |  Dick with Wheaton A.M. Rotary officers. | Dick was honored by the Wheaton A.M. Rotary Club in Wheaton, Illinois. He was awarded their Honorary Member of the Year Award. Both Dick and I were guests at the evening event on June 29, 2010 at the Ivy Restaurant in downtown Wheaton.
The members of the Wheaton A.M. Rotary Club are involved in local and global give-back activities, and Dick is humbled to receive this honor. I have included a photo from the evening.
Thank you to Wheaton A.M. Rotary!
Love, Dick and Florence
| | | | | JUNE 2010 | | Posted by Richard on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 1:18pm |  Dick with "Just the Bookstore" owner Jane at the Glen Ellyn Bookfest. | Three exciting things happened in June 2010!
First, Dick was able to offer his book for sale at the “Write-to-Publish Conference” at Wheaton College. This is the same conference we attended in 2009 where we found our publisher, WinePress Books. We even sold a few books!
Second, Dick was asked to participate in the first “Glen Ellyn Bookfest” in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. On Saturday, June 19th Dick signed his books at Just the Bookstore” on Main Street in downtown Glen Ellyn. I’ve included a picture from the day with bookstore owner, Jane. This was a great event for Glen Ellyn and we hope it will be repeated next year.
God bless the whole world!
Love, Dick and Florence | | | | | APRIL/MAY 2010 | | Posted by Richard on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 1:16pm | APRIL/MAY 2010
In April, we left our idyllic winter life in Fort Myers, Florida and returned to our home in Wheaton, Illinois. It was really great to be with our extended family members again.
We spent the rest of April recovering from the trip and getting settled in Wheaton.
On May 14th Dick experienced a great radio interview with Denise Wylie, host of the Light Line Show on WPOS-FM Radio in Holland, Ohio. Dick could tell Denise read the book because she asked pointed, interesting questions that really brought out the story. This was a scheduled 15 minute interview, but Denise and Dick talked for 45 minutes. It must have been good!
Thank you, Denise Wylie and WPOS-FM.
God bless the whole world!
Love, Dick and Florence | | | | | March 2010 | | Posted by Richard on Monday, May 31, 2010 at 1:10pm |  Dick and his publicist Peggy JSingh | March was great fun and exhausting at the same time. During our last month in Fort Myers we participated in seven events and hosted four Alternate Spring Break college groups.
I gave a presentation and book signing to three small groups. First I gave an encore presentation to the Southwest Coalition for Change which was once again a great experience. In the middle of March I spoke to a small group of interested residents in a Fort Myers retirement community called Cypress Cove.
I also presented during the Sunday morning education hour at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers. My audience was a great group of involved, interested people. We discussed in detail the dynamics of systemic poverty – how the “system” often perpetuates poverty. After the presentation I signed books and visited one-on-one with the group. One of the couples that bought Don’t Retire, Get Inspired asked me to dedicate the book to his sister, Sister Shirley, a Catholic nun working in my hometown of Wheaton, Illinois. It turns out that I worked side-by-side with Sister Shirley and others in the 70s working to build Marion Park, the first affordable housing development in DuPage County. It is a small world that is getting smaller all the time!
I participated in two media events. First I was interviewed by Gospel James on the 89.5 FM radio Gospel Jams Show. This is the only gospel music/interview show in all of Southwest Florida and it airs for one hour each Saturday morning. Gospel James was living my book Don’t Retire, Get Inspired. James is a retired member of the military who was now utilizing his passion for the power of Christian principals to improve opportunities for minority people. This was an uplifting and encouraging experience.
Our publicist, Peggy, was able to schedule us for a great TV interview show. Florence and I appeared together on the Lee Pitts Live Sunday morning TV show. This was such an outstanding experience for us. We could tell that Lee Pitts actually read the book and asked us intelligent, relevant, and insightful questions. Lee Pitts told us he really liked this book and his behavior reinforced his statement. Lee spoke with us a few minutes prior to taping. One of the first things he wanted to know was, “Have you been booked on Oprah yet.” Not yet we told him, but please get the word to her! We told everyone we knew about the air date, and they all replied, “Oh that is great. Everyone watches Lee Pitt Live!”
I participated in my second bookstore book signing event at the Naples, Florida Barnes and Noble Booksellers at the posh Waterside Shopping Center at Pelican Bay. We not only sold lots of books that night but we meet one very interesting couple also living Don’t Retire, Get Inspired. This couple was from a small town in Ohio where he is a surgeon that is winding down his practice and his wife is a retired nurse. They volunteer together with a not-for-profit organization providing medical care in poverty stricken parts of the world.
We have known for many years that Florence and I are not unique. There are multitudes of couples with the time and resources to share the second half of their lives trying to relieve the suffering of people in poverty and eliminate poverty as it exists today. Developed countries have the resources and it is up to us to ignite the political will.
Peggy also registered us for the 10th Annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival held at the impressive Harborside Convention Center in Fort Myers. This event was hosted by the Lee County Library System and organized by Debbie West, Administrative Specialist. Debbie is a dynamic, dedicated educator who did a top-notch job. We did not sell many books that day but there was constant pedestrian traffic and we spoke with a tremendous amount of interested people. We also had one very heartwarming experience.
Florence and I set-out mints and chocolates on our table to bring in more foot traffic. I learned years ago after participating in enumerable engineering trade shows how to work a booth! A group of about eight grade-school age girls came past our table. We could see them eyeing the candy and Florence invited them to help themselves. As they lingered at our booth we began talking to them about our program. When we told them we worked in Immokalee for ten years they broke out in big smiles and told us, “That’s where we live – in Immokalee.” We had a five minute conversation with them about places and people we shared in common. One of the girls told us her cousin lived in Jubilation, the affordable homeownership community we built in Immokalee, and we found his house on the display photo of Jubilation. It turns out that their Reading teacher brought the girls that day to visit the Reading Festival (on his own time) as an enrichment activity. We were not surprised because the teachers that work in the schools in Immokalee are dedicated and committed to helping the students because they know that education is a sure path out of poverty.
On March 25th I had the great honor to address participants of the Francis Hayes Pew Center for Life-Long Learning at Hodges University in Naples. Hodges University, led by President Dr. Terry McMahan, is a private not-for-profit university dedicated to helping the non-traditional student achieve the higher education needed to reach each student’s true potential in career and life. Florence and I remember our initial meeting with Dr. Jan Brock, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, when we first approached Hodges about the donation of our Activity Center at Jubilation to be used as a Learning Site in Immokalee for Hodges University. Dr. McMahan wasted no time in entering into a partnership with us. Hodges had been looking for land in Immokalee because of the great need there. Florence and I continue to be impressed and amazed with the dedicated attitudes exhibited by each new introduction we make with faculty and administrative members of the Hodges University staff.
Christine Wheeler, Director of the Frances Hayes Pew Center for Life-Long Learning, set-up a great event for me. The University served a light lunch followed by my presentation. My audience was one dedicated to enriching their lives with new information and broadening their knowledge of world events – past and present. From my past experiences in Southwest Florida I knew that the majority of residents in Naples tend to be conservative politically and socially. Naples residents donate to and/or volunteer with a myriad of not-for-profit organizations dedicated to alleviating the effects of poverty for the residents of Immokalee. I took a chance that day and focused my talk to this audience about not only helping people cope with the effects of poverty but to recognize and help eliminate systemic poverty. I asked the group to become proactive in opposing government policies that keep people in poverty. I talked about why we need comprehensive immigration reform. We discussed the Fair Food Movement – the fact that Americans pay the least percentage of their total income for fresh fruits and vegetables than people in any other developed nation; and that if we, who have been blessed with the financial resources, demanded Fair Food at our grocery stores we could end poverty in agriculture in America. I asked my audience members to stretch for increased compassion for those less fortunate. I suggested we accept the possibility that our taxes be increased just a little to benefit the poor instead of ourselves.
During the question and answer discussion session I got some positive comments and some negative comments. And, at the book signing at the end of the event, there were three people that whispered in my ear telling me how brave they thought I was to speak loudly about such progressive ideas at this venue. I don’t know if I will be invited back next year, but I know we have to continue the good fight and not just keep “preaching to the choir.”
God bless the whole world! Book Events
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