[ November 13, 2009; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] If any of you know me, you know I'm always wearing TOMS shoes. My first pair has the famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi written all over it, "Be the change you wish to see in this world." TOMS is inspiring and it's the kind of change I wish to be a part of - even if I am just wearing the shoes for now.

The founder of TOMS shoes, Blake Mycoskie, is coming back to his home roots and speaking at the Dallas County Young Democrats for the "Living Our Values" Speaker Series and Reception.

[ November 4, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] This is a bit of a late notice but had heard about the lecture only this morning via KERA's Think program. I caught just the last part of the interview with Dr. Elders and had one of those driveway moments when I reached my destination but stayed in the car to hear the rest of the interview. She is informative and frank on controversial issues like thelegalization of marijuana and condom distribution in schools. Tonight she will speak at SMU for the 2009 Raggio Lecture series and she will address the present and future state of women’s healthcare in America.

[ November 5, 2009; 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Every individual, every group, has an issue they stand and fight for. For filmmaker Libby Spears, she has devoted almost 10 years uncovering the sex traffic industry.

[ October 15, 2009; ] Last weekend over 500 people in Dallas sat in a room together for TEDxSMU and listened to some bright minds. Speaking on behalf of the entire room: It was inspiring.

Throughout the day people we would break for lunch and coffee and you would find yourself in conversations with like-minded individuals who know there is something we can do to change the world if we would just get off our ass and do it. That was my takeaway from last Saturday. It was actually a quote from Jody Williams referenced by speaker Turk Pipton of The Nobelity Project. She said:

"There's nothing magical about change. If someone wants to change the world, it takes getting up off your ass and caring enough to take the first step to contribute to change on an issue you care about."

[ October 8, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. October 9, 2009; 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. ] Shop local and shop for a cause Thursday and Friday at the 1st annual Tseelana Market.

The Market is benefiting The Wilson Foundation, a local not-for-profit organization providing education and health support for AIDS victims in rural South Africa.

The word “Tseelana” (pronounced "Say-lana") means “to help each other” in Northern Sotho, the language spoken by the people The Wilson Foundation serves in South Africa.

Participating artists will donate a percentage of each sale back to The Wilson Foundation, and together will raise money for children in South Africa who desperately need help.

Some of the local artists include: painter Brenda Bogart, candles by Eleanor (Ellie) Hamm, jewelry by Beyond Baroque, S King Collection, London Schmid, and much more. There will also be handmade bracelets, wire baskets and other items by South African artisans.

The Tseelana Market is free and open to the public!

[ September 17, 2009; 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. ] The Human Trafficking Forum is organized around research to be released by CHILDREN AT RISK in September on domestic human trafficking in Dallas and the state of Texas. Other panelists will discuss the international dimensions of human trafficking in Dallas and provide insight into law enforcement and victim assistance in this region.

[ September 16, 2009; 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] The city is about to fine Guerilla Arts $2500 if they do not remove a pile of construction debris from the lot. They need about 20 volunteers to come and help out. With that many people it should only take a couple of hours. Bring gloves, dress dirty. It won't be hard labor but you will be working and doing a good thing. Patrick is asking that people start arriving around 5pm. Park on the street that runs right next to the building. Come by, work some, meet people, and see the space that will become a cornerstone for young Dallas artists.

[ September 17, 2009; 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. ] Linda Tarr-Whelan is the author of the upcoming book Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World. Having been Ambassador and US Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women under President Bill Clinton, and Deputy Assistant to President Jimmy Carter, there's good reason why this women was named "One of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Washington" by Ladies Home Journal.

You can meet Linda on September 17th at The Women's Museum for the launch of her new book. Tickets are $10 and price includes a box lunch.

[ September 18, 2009; 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm. ] This month's Concerts @ brings you local funk fusion The Boss Level (myspace.com/bosslevelmusic). Stop by for the last concert @ series of the summer, listen to local music, and win stuff - it's all free!

The night will also showcase two local organizations dedicated to engaging and fighting against problems that exist within the local DFW community. Learn about these movements and more at September's Concert @ event on Friday, September 18 at 7:30pm.

[ September 12, 2009; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Register Now for the Dallas Twestival, a global festival organized by local individuals to get people offline and bring people together for a cause. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds benefit The Women's Museum.

A Twestival or Twitter-Festival is a global series of events organized by volunteers around the world under short timescales via Twitter, which bring people offline for a great cause. Twestival is run 100% by volunteers and independently from any not-for-profit; although the organizing teams do work closely to outline an achievable and measurable fundraising target.