Try Change: July 2009

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Terry Prince

As we mentioned in last week’s blog, we met several interesting people while on vacation out in California. We were staying in San Diego but we decided to take a day trip up to Santa Monica. That’s where we met Terry Prince. Terry is a singer song writer with a commitment to inspiring others. His music is about love, inspiration and self-determination. And in what seems to have been the theme of our trip, Terry Prince’s music and passion is also about living your dream. He took the leap several years ago and has been living his music ever since. Terry also believes in supporting his community and helping others. He wrote the theme song “To Belong” for Camp to Belong which is a camp that helps to reunite foster children with their siblings and he also released a single to raise money for Habitat for Humanity in Las Vegas.

Currently Terry Prince is performing at the far end of the Santa Monica Pier. Stop by to watch and listen if you are in the area. His performance will touch you. The Pier is a free venue (food, rides, games and parking come at a reasonable cost but the entertainment is free). You can also pick up a copy of Terry’s CD while you are there.
If you have a chance to see Terry, tell him Vince and Chrissie from Try Change say hi and keep on inspiring!

At Try Change we feel we can all make a difference. For us, we donate 10& of all our profits to Volunteers of America which serves the homeless in the DC,VA & MD areas. We also adopt a homeless family during the holiday season, donate clothes as well as hold an annual Charity yard sale for VOA.You can find our shirts at:

Fashion Mechanics in the Springfield and Manassas Mall

Evado in the Fair Oaks Mall

Shadows in the Forestville Centre

SWANK in the Pentagon City Mall

Millennium in Georgetown

Sport Zone- Selected locations

D-Block-Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg MD

First Thangs First- Waldorf MD

Next Level Clothing- Ellicott City MD

Turning Point- Laurel Centre Mall, Laurel MD

New York Fashions- Charlottesville VA

Fashion Kings- Bridgeport WV

Hot Stepper -Martinsburg WV

Urban Flavor- Old Town, Manassas, VA

Heartbeat- Lake Forest Mall, Gaithersburg MD

Fashion World- Hurlock MD

City Wear- Farmville, VA

Help us pass along the Try Change message by joining one of our blog communities and asking your blog community members to visit our blog.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Awakening

We have just returned from an absolutely amazing vacation in San Diego California where we experienced the intense beauty of the coast and met some very interesting and enlightening people.

While exploring Little Italy one evening, a group of windows on the upper floor of a building caught my eye. I said to Vince, either some one as some really beautiful art in their living room or that’s an art gallery up there. It was down the street a ways and on the other side of the street but we eventually made our way around to that side. Upon passing the stairway leading up to that group of windows, we realized that it was indeed a gallery. We debated. Food or Art? Art won and we wandered up the stairs to be welcomed by some amazing, colorful, beautiful work by an artist named Grant Pecoff.

We did eventually end up getting some good food there in Little Italy but not until after we had spent some time with the art work and the artist. We met Grant and his wife Layne, who is also an artist though her art is through her writing and not with a brush. The concept of the art that is being shown is one of awakening and becoming aware of your surroundings, of becoming really alive and appreciating the world around you. The colors are amazing. You are brought into the painting like you are there but experiencing your surroundings with different eyes. I guess they are Grant’s eyes that you are experiencing it through, but for me, the art made me feel like they were my eyes just seeing things from a different perspective. There is a sense of positive forces working and a sense of hope.

We’d like to invite our readers to check out Grant and Layne Pecoff’s art on their website: http://www.pecoff.com/

Or if you are in the San Diego area you can visit their gallery at:
1825 India St
San Diego, CA 92101
Ph: 619-231-1991

Click here to see a list of other galleries where Grant Pecoff’s work is available. Click on the photos within this post to view some of Grant’s work online. Also, don’t forget to check out the books that are available (Written by Layne and illustrated by Grant).

Thanks for stopping by!

Chrissie & Vince

At Try Change we feel we can all make a difference. For us, we donate 10& of all our profits to Volunteers of America which serves the homeless in the DC,VA & MD areas. We also adopt a homeless family during the holiday season, donate clothes as well as hold an annual Charity yard sale for VOA.You can find our shirts at:

Fashion Mechanics in the Springfield and Manassas Mall
Evado in the Fair Oaks Mall
Shadows in the Forestville Centre
SWANK in the Pentagon City Mall
Millennium in Georgetown
Sport Zone- Selected locations
D-Block-Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg MD
First Thangs First- Waldorf MD
Next Level Clothing- Ellicott City MD
Turning Point- Laurel Centre Mall, Laurel MD
New York Fashions- Charlottesville VA
Fashion Kings- Brudgeport WV
Hot Stepper -Martinsburg WV
Urban Flavor- Old Town, Manassas, VA
Heartbeat- Lake Forest Mall, Gaithersburg MD
Fashion World- Hurlock MD
City Wear- Farmville, VA

Help us pass along the Try Change message by joining one of our blog communities and asking your blog community members to visit our blog.
My Space
Razoo
Idealist
Change.org
MyBlogLog
BlogCatalog
Twitter

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Metro Teen Aids

At Try Change T Shirts we like to share information on organizations that are making a difference . Tonight we bring you Metro Teen AIDS. With so many news stories cluttering our airways it can become easy to forget about the how AIDS has affected not only the Washington DC community but the entire country. Here's some sobering information for you:

Approximately one half of all new HIV infections in the United States occur among people under 25 years of age.

Washington, DC has the highest rate of AIDS of any major metropolitan area in the country.

Local STI rates for DC’s youth are almost twice the national average.

One local organization that is doing something about it is Metro TeenAIDS.

Their Mission Statement as listed on their website is:

Metro TeenAIDS is a community health organization dedicated to supporting young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Through education, support, and advocacy, MTA works to prevent the spread of HIV, promote responsible decision making, and improve the quality of life for young people infected with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS.

What do they do?

Metro TeenAIDS provides resources to help young people fight AIDS and support each other. MTA is the only organization in the Washington DC-metro area focusing all of its efforts on the unique prevention, education, and treatment needs of young people.

Advancing the overall health of at-risk and HIV-infected adolescents is within our community’s power. Metro TeenAIDS advances community prevention efforts by:
Mobilizing young people in support of their peers battling stigma and indifference by raising community awareness about the threat HIV/AIDS poses to young people.

Providing HIV information and innovative prevention strategies to young people and the adults in contact with them, uniting with other organizations to ensure that teenagers receive adolescent-appropriate and easily accessible prevention, health care, and counseling services as well as safe recreational opportunities.

Developing comprehensive programs which address the many co-factors of adolescent HIV infection — including low self-esteem, drug and alcohol abuse, dangerously unproductive free time, and exposure to peer groups which encourage unhealthy and risky behavior.

How can you help?

There are several ways you can support Metro TeenAIDS in the fight against HIV/AIDS among young people in Washington D.C. Please click on one of the following options.
Volunteer
Contribute
Come to an event
Join our email list

Learn more at http://www.metroteenaids.org/

Or contact them at 202-543-8246