Abandoned Babies,,,,,,,,,,,,(sigh)

We are considering the addition of an additional responsibility to Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back your life activities, as it has been placed in me to do so.

We would love to hear your feedback on this, so please feel free to leave a comment or email me at straightaheadlwg@gmail.com

In light of the newborn baby who was recently abandoned 6/16/2009 and left for dead near Middlebrook Pike & Glenn Ave, we are considering adding the responsibility of a new program to "STA" activities which will assist the Mothers of these newborns in giving up their newborn child as a last resort under the Tennessee Safe Haven Law passed 7/1/2001 under Tennessee Code/TITLE 68 http://www.shelbysafehaven.com/tca.asp instead of abandoning them.

What happens here is most definitely related to "STA" and how we do what we do.

• A young Mother abandons her baby within 72 hours of being born.
• The newborn is now "homeless"
• The newborn becomes "prostrate" without shelter, medical, physical or nutritional necessities
• The newborn dies
• The Mother is now a criminal

What STA's position would be would be to assist the community, to prevent this ugliness from even happening.

• To prevent an extremely unnecessary death
• To prevent another homeless account
• To prevent another young Mother from being a criminal And to possibly prevent the Mother from giving up the newborn at all. To help her open her eyes.
• To give the young Mother direction and hope.
• To facilitate the Mother and newborn to a medical facility, ambulance or police personnel so she may give the baby within the legal structure if she so decides to do so within this 72 hour period.
• The goal however will be to get her to "Take Back Her Life" and the babies life and keep the newborn if at all possible and feasible.

Many times, as we are sure you can imagine, these young Mothers across the country are abandoning their newborns because they are afraid. Can you not picture a young Mother being afraid of the following:

• Hospitals: Intimidated, embarrassed, afraid, they feel they will be made to feel horrible. Hospitals: We have a tough enough telling our doctors the easy stuff about us, how can we expect these young Mothers will tell a medical professional "I want to abandon my baby?"
• Police: Very Intimidated,,,self explanatory.
• Fire House: A group of 5-10 men, even in a firehouse can be very intimidating to a young mother who is scared no matter how nice the men might be.

We will work tirelessly to alleviate this transition and calm the Mother so she can face these entities and her situation. We will succeed. I feel it. Eventually I see "STA" being country wide and even assisting other organizations globally. I have already began making global contacts with other organizations about "STA".

Thank you very much to all of you. I hope you have a great day. :-))!

Lance Greene- "STA" - Straight Ahead Outreach(Taking Back Your Life)
Cell: 865-964-1461
Email: straightaheadlwg@gmail.com
Web: http://sites.google.com/site/straightaheadoutreach/Home
Blog: http://homelesscrisis.blogspot.com/

My hopes for you today: That you take time to laugh. That business or work has been good for you today. That someone has made your day enjoyable.

Farrah Fawcett,,,,,a Beautiful Soul,,,,,,,(REPOSTED from 5/12/09)

Rest In Peace Mrs Fawcett-O'neal,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I feel an emptiness coming on,,,,a beautiful soul getting ready to move on,,,,her energy will live forever,,,,,
This beautiful soul has given smiles to countless people from all over the globe and continues to do so and forever will.
In her life she was labeled a "Sex Symbol",,,,to me a label which is Satan's way of distracting you from how beautiful the person actually is inside, who they actually are.
Ohhhh, don't get me wrong,,,,I am 49 years old and a male. Back in the 70's I cannot think of anyone who did not think she was sexy and so very pretty, including myself. And thus exactly my point. We knew nothing more about her. What a shame.
The price of being a celebrity keeps us, her fans, admirers, and so very distant friends from really knowing her. Only until now, when she is getting ready to move on do we get to look inside this beautiful soul God has shared with us, though ever so briefly, yet priceless.
As Farrah says: It is certainly time for a miracle.
Farrah, a beautiful soul will indeed get her Miracle as she will be going home,,,she will be moving on. She will be one step closer to God.
She will pain no more. She will not suffer the leaks of her personal life no more. She will not have the camera hounds after her no more. Ms. Fawcett, this is your Miracle.
This beautiful soul will flourish more then she has ever known, Ryan, Redmond and others close to her can feel safe in this. Think of it all as temporary. It is.

So,,,as you all go through life, do not forget her,,,look for her,,,,she will be the one with that unforgettable head of hair !

To: Mr Ryan O'Neal, I cannot even imagine Sir, I cannot even imagine. My thoughts will be with you as I am sure countless others also will be.

To: Redmond, find strength in the beauty of your Mom's soul. Picture her strengths,,,she gives them to you. You have them. Look Up, keep your head up, see those strengths,,,and see them as you. Your Mom's strengths will save your life,,,,,,This dear Redmond is her Miracle,,,,you certainly are.

I am sorry I never really got to know Ms. Fawcett, but somehow I believe she is sharing, showing a little about who she is to all of us. I believe it is really who she is, always has been and always will be.

There will come a time, a place. Some time, some where. Where we might get to know this beautiful soul, that will be another priceless day.

So, take care on your journey Ms. Fawcett!! See lots and experience much, so that when we all gather round to meet you, you can tell us all kinds of awesome stories of all your travels!!

Beautiful Soul, thank you, thank you for sharing with us all.

The Topic of IRAN,,,,,

Let me just say we mean no disrespect to anyone, in Iran, their friends, their families or their supporters. We feel badly for and are appalled ourselves over the murder of Neda and many others just like her. We are also disgusted with the way the people of Iran are treated in general and how the government controls what they can see and communicate and the fact that the country, as whole, is in the dark.

However,,,yep there it is,,,the dreaded "However." We, Pat & I, do not believe we are going to win any brownie points here, but here goes.

Twitter, is jammed full of millions of outraged tweets about what we consider to be horrific happennings in Iran. While they are indeed horrific, I, we have some thoughts.

What about our own ‘killing fields’? Yes, Right here in the US of A.
What about what we have going on right here in the USA?

1. 4 year olds shot & killed in drive by shootings. Where is the massive outrage?
2. Newborns being left for dead by their Mothers. Where is the massive outrage?
3. Men killing their entire families, including children. Where is the massive outrage?
4. Men throwing infants out of car windows to their deaths. Where is the massive outrage?
5. Healthcare. Where is the massive outrage?
6. Children without any food for an entire weekend or more. Where is the massive outrage?
7. Homeless people who want help, being left out, left behind. Where is the massive outrage?
8. Homeless women being used as drug dealers prostitutes? Where is the mazzive outrage?
9. Homeless elderly, Men, Women & Vets. Where is the massive outrage?
10. Homeless children. WHERE is the massive outrage?
11. Our economy destroying businesses and lives due to greed. Where is the massive outrage?
12. Homeless being murdered in cold blood, men AND women. Where is the massive outrage?
13. How about the football coach murdered in his gym locker room this Wednesday 6/24/09 morning? Where is the massive outrage?
14. Child abuse, prostitution, trafficing. Where is the massive,,key word,,massive outrage?
15. How about when my friend Candy was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, shot 5 times in the face at point blank range and left in a street gutter in Minneapolis MN. Where was the massive outrage? There was absolutely zero, except for my massive outburst against her husband at the funeral parlor in a back room.

Ok, yes, I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. Orrrrr, if you want to add more to this list, just pull up any news page. and look for horrofic things going on in our country. You will be overwhelmed,,,HOWEVER, YOU will NOT have the massive outrage like there is over the IRAN issues or anywhere else around the globe for that matter.

No, I do not believe in divisions of area, and yes i believe everyone needs help. But, what i do not understand is how we can turn our heads to the horrors which are going on in our own Country daily, every second of every day.

In fact, ok,,,,,lets just stop for a minute,,,,,,,,,,I hate to even think of the reality of in our USA, in the time it has taken for me to write this blog, post it and for you to read it and get upset about it,,,,,just how many children and women were just abused sexually, physically or verbally,,how many children just went hungry,,,how many murders were there, how many homeless wanting help were ignored, how many families refused healthcare, how many homeless men, women & children were abused,

The saddest thing? Many people think there are enough, plenty of Assistance Organizations in the USA.

The problem is, ALL the Assistance Organizations combined in the USA cannot handle all of the horrific things which take place. We do not have the proper funds, or the amount of people needed to do the work.

Do not get me wrong. There is enough money out there. There is enough talented people to do the work.

Neither,,,,, is properly applied in the USA.

Sad. How sad.

An additional word from my fiance' Pat:

We are so quick to go to the aid of foreign countries when our own country is rotting from within. We should be outraged, and ashamed. You want to be angry, you want to help someone? The first move is the action of taking care of YOUR OWN. We (families) are not strong at the roots any longer – we need to fertilize the ‘field of dreams’ this country once was. That is done by providing time, energy (money, if you have it) to our primary responsibility – our own families. You say you don’t have any children, how about your brother or sister’s children? How are your parents doing? How is your best friend “REALLY” doing? Do you know or are you allowing yourself to be distracted by the propaganda the media is feeding us that takes us away from what we SHOULD BE DOING. Yes, we are our brother’s keeper – and our brothers/sisters are right here. We, STA, work at the root causes of the homeless and suicidals demise because it is their families, their friends, their country who have murdered them in a much subtler way than shooting. They are the living dead and there is no doubt one of them BELONGS to you. It is only when our foundation is strong, that it can withstand the burden of addressing other countries needs. Start from within – then when the crop is good – share it.

Please,,,We need your Help !

I will be honest. We are desperate for your help. Literally. If we do not raise immediate funds, Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life will be forced to cease all activities in assisting our homeless "friends" in Knoxville TN.

Sorry to be so serious, as I usually like to laugh and have fun, but I am serious.

There is a great deal of time, energy and expense invested into sustaining our activities. I am committed wholeheartedly to this work.

The work we do not only supports our "friends" in need, the homeless and the suicidal. It also opens others to new ideas and enables us to touch others from around the world. Our website allows us that privilege. http://sites.google.com/site/straightaheadoutreach/Home

The work we do is important, life saving, smile creating, and produces feelings of good. It creates room and possibilities for change.

Any donation to support Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life will allow us to continue on the path to helping people "Take Back Their Lives."

We need your help desperately at this time.

The work we do means a great deal to the communities we serve as we work to build the community and make it stronger, friendlier, more productive and sustainable by bringing our homeless "friends" up and out of the Homeless Cycle and into the communities as a positive contributing force.

Your donation will help us to continue this valuable work.

We need to raise $324,900.00 to continue this important work and a very basic tight minimum of $100,000.00 to just keep Straight Ahead Outreach alive, get by for the next year and keep moving forward.....

We will keep each one of you informed as to how the goal is progressing and where and how the monies are being spent. You will be our "virtual" board of directors so to speak.

The monies will be initially spent to update our van we currently use as it is in need of repair, tires etc, (which is our Mobile Crisis Unit vehicle) and other Straight Ahead Outreach needs and expenses as stated on our website. http://sites.google.com/site/straightaheadoutreach/Home

Please make your "gift" Checks payable to Straight Ahead Outreach. In the memo area please put: "For Straight Ahead Outreach Activities."
Please mail your "gift" checks to our temporary address: Lance Greene/Straight Ahead Outreach 7419 10th Ave N St. Petersburg FL. 33710
If you would like your name put on the "You Are Helping!" page on our website please let me know. We will not be listing the dollar amounts, only the names of those who give us permission. We will list the first and last name, and the City & State.

Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life, does not now and never will sell any names or lists to anyone.

References can be provided upon request.

Please tell 5 others. I thank you very much for your gift and for your time.

Thank you in advance!

Lance Greene

Temporary mailing address for any correspondence or Donations:
Lance Greene
7419 10th Ave N
St. Petersburg, FL. 37710

I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ANY ASSISTANCE YOU GIVE US AND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK AT OUR WEBSITE

Please visit our Website: http://sites.google.com/site/straightaheadoutreach/Home

Donations to our work are greatly appreciated and needed.

**Please Note: We are not a 501C3 non-profit but 100% of the products and services we provide to those we help are provided Free of Charge in a charitable manner.

We thank you in advance

Lance Greene :-))!

Something to celebrate! :-))!

On July 1st,2009 there comes a very awesome, inspiring anniversary for one of our "friends." Her name is Dusty. This July 1st will be her ONE YEAR Anniversary of being completely "clean". You can read a little bit about her story on our website at: http://sites.google.com/site/straightaheadoutreach/Home/some-stories

There is also a photo of her there. She is standing behind me and one of our other "friends."

We continue to be in contact with Dusty and she is doing wonderful. We love her and pray for her continued success.

I would like to ask a favor of those of you located in Knoxville TN. Dusty works as a waitress where they all love her also at the MARKET SQUARE KITCHEN at 1 Market Square in downtown Knoxville. She is off on Wed & Fri. Would you please stop in,,,ask to sit in Dusty's section, tell her I sent you so she understands why you are there and wish her a Happy Anniversary for staying clean. PLEASE. It would mean the world to her. She is an awesome lady.
Dusty has worked extremely hard to get to this milestone and we are so proud of her.

Dusty is an awesome lady with a huge heart who cares about others.

I pray you stop in and say hi to her.

Thank you so much and please let me know if you stop by.

As a side note,,,the Market Square Kitchen has great casual food, our favorite is the breakfasts. The owners Mr & Mrs Ghodrat are also supporters of Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life and they personally do a great service to the Homeless in Knoxville. Please patronize the Market Square Kitchen.

Thank you so much.

Lance Greene :-))!

Reporting on the Homeless,,,,,,,

OK,,,I know I am going to get slammed on this one, but oh well, so be it.

This is in regards to people whether they be Students from some college or just someone on the street wanting to better their media business and get their name plastered all over the internet, Twitter and wherever.

But, of course I do realize there are a number of good people out there who feel they are reporting therefore creating awareness.

Ok, I will say it. As an HAO(Homeless Assistance Organization), I do not like it. Do not appreciate it.

Please do not ever forget,,,You or I could be homeless at any moment,,no matter what our wealth is,,,,how would YOU want to be treated?

I feel there are things that should be reported on and awareness created in reference to them etc. Things like starving children, pedophiles, drug dealers, murderers and on and on. I need not list all of them here as you get my point I am sure.

I am not saying you shouldn't report on Homelessness at all. I am saying be smart about it. Think about them. Report on their needs,,,their plight,,,,their desires,,,,personalities,,,strengths,,,,friends,,,,sorrows,,,,BUT,,,BUT do not report on their whereabouts,,,their locations.

Leave that up to us as the HAO's. We know where they are. We know who they are. We know what they are doing and in some shape or form we are most likely working to assist those folks. No, I do not think all HAO's are great and wonderful. BUT, we all work closely with the local authorities. Leave the locations of the Homeless up to the HAO's please.

Do we really need someone to tell us there are starving children in our cities? Do we really need someone to tell us there are homeless people wandering our streets? If we do then I suggest we re-evaluate ourselves. Take a closer look around. In this economy especially, but even in great times we have homelessness and starving children etc everywhere.

I am not talking about the kids in Ethiopia, Darfur etc,,,,this is NOT the type of reporting or documenting I am in reference to here.

Specifically, to site an example so as to set the tone here: In May of this year 2009 a USC Student researching homelessness spotted the opening to a homeless camp under the HWY 10 freeway in LA near the San Gabriel River.

The result of this was the expulsion of those homeless to the streets. Ohhhhh sure,,,the articles stated how it is better because the City will find them a new place to live. No, no they will not. It is not that simple. Not the folks that were living in this specific area or any area like it anywhere in this country or world for that matter. These people are seasoned and take much creative effort to get off the streets. More then just taking them out and placing them in a shelter or a down trodden apartment some place where they will be back out on the street in a week or less.

One of the people who lived under that freeway stated he lived there because he did not want people to feel uneasy because he was around,,,,so he chooses to stay out of public view.

What if your sister or brother felt that way,,or your Mother or Father? Or son or daughter? What would you say? How would you feel?

Please do not ever forget,,,You or I could be homeless at any moment,,no matter what our wealth is,,,,how would YOU want to be treated?

So, what happened in this LA HWY 10 Homeless Camp case? A student, wanting to do good in their class did a story and exposed a number of homeless people which in turn got those people dumped out of their,,,,,what they considered their secure living space and into the streets again.

IF,,,,IF there was anyone working with them to get them off the streets,,,permanently,,,permanently,,,,,,,well they were just set back massively. Lots of damage done. Lots of work just tossed out the window because someone wanted a story.

Here is the thing. Homeless people need a "safe" or what they consider a "safe" place to lay their head at night. If they can find a place to lay it and not be hurting anyone,,,,what is wrong with that? Are they doing illegal things down there? OF COURSE? So, are you going to try and tell me now that right now,,right this very second,,in fact every second of every day there isn't intensely illegal things going on in Hotels, Five Star Hotels, peoples homes, cars, offices, churches, etc etc? OF COURSE there is, so please do not make it as any different just because a homeless person is doing it under a bridge. There are many many homeless people NOT doing illegal things and we do not know to what exact extent if any was happening under this LA freeway. Do not worry, we as HAO's do extensive work on helping keep your Cities safe from illegal activities. So much more then anyone realizes. How about someone reports on that?

Or, why do you not go and film that drug dealer who is in the lot 30 feet from you selling the drugs to and or abusing the homeless men women and children you are reporting on? Why? Because you know he will Kill you. At the very least have you beaten. Or maybe because you do not see it?

My point is this,,,,We will go out and when we see the illegal activity we work with those people to try and turn them around, help them Take Back Their Life. Help them move forward to get off the streets. You are always always going to have people who want to stay on the streets and never leave. That is just a fact.

However, if you are going to report on them and watch them get put out in the street,,,,are you going to be there to assist them? Assist them in getting food? Assist them in getting housing? Counseling? Medical care? Showers ? Haircuts? Clothing? Transportation? Laundering? Work? Education? ID's? Paperwork? All in the same day/week?

No, not usually. You are going to go back to your college and get your A on your paper. Or you are going to go to your next City and do your next story on your next tent city or what ever it is you choose. It is left up to the HAO's to pick up your slack, the mess you just created or the damage you just did to what ever progress the case managers might have been having with those homeless people you just uprooted.

Bottomline, I know you are not doing it on purpose, or I should hope you are not. But unless you are in the position of assisting the homeless as an HAO or at the very least committed to the work, then you will not most likely agree with me. But the thing is, unless you are doing the work out there, you do not realize the damage which is done when something like this happens. When homeless are all of a sudden uprooted from their place of "security" or what they believe to be "secure."

Before you report and throw photos etc all over the place, think of the consequences first. Think of the homeless FIRST. Then think of the HAO's that might have been working with them and what consequences they might incur. Want to research? Then talk to the homeless there,,,,,ask them if they are working with anyone anywhere,,,,,they will tell you even if it was a long time ago,,,then go to that HAO and ask them about the person and advise them what you are planning to expose. At least this way they can try to reduce the damage you will do to people.

Remember, these are people,,,not products!

Please do not ever forget,,,You or I could be homeless at any moment,,no matter what our wealth is,,,,how would YOU want to be treated?

Remember,,,,, "RID" (Respect, Integrity, Determination)

“RID”(Respect, Integrity, Determination)

It is the common mentalities of some HAO's, if while another HAO in the course of trying to help the homeless,,,and I mean help, I do not mean just band-aid them, that if you provide food, clothing, tents, bikes etc to those on the streets you are helping them to want to stay on the streets. While I understand in some cases this might be possible, there are many more instances where it is not but, rather absolutely needed. You need to be aware of who you are giving things to and what your purpose is. This is very crucial. Also, if you are giving to them realize you are or should be becoming a part of them. Be there as a back up or a support system when they fall. Do not set them up to fail.

Some of the HAO's would rather see you not give to anyone on the streets so it forces them into their organizations for supposed assistance. Thus, they keep their numbers up for funding purposes. Sorry, I do not agree with this belief.


For instance, if you give a pair of shoes to someone on the street, literally on the street I mean. Not someone who came into an organizations building looking for something. Rather someone you have encountered on the street. You have given that person some important comfort to get them through that day.

You might have just given that person a reason to want to live another day.

And if you did, then that means you have just been given another day to try and help them further along to getting off the streets. You just performed,,, what I call....well, you provided,,,,"RID"

"RID" (Respect, Integrity, Determination)

Giving something to someone on the streets in my opinion and experience allows the person we are trying to help to just be a tiny bit more comfortable for a brief period. It might make it just a little easier to brush their teeth the next morning,,,or might keep them dry at night so that when they wake up the next morning they actually can maybe feel a tiny bit more like a person. It just gives them a little break. So, makes them comfortable on the streets? Tell me,,,just how comfortable do you think it can get sleeping under a bridge, or in a cemetery, or in the woods,,,,,with no money. So yes, I am willing to make them a little more comfortable on the streets because I know I am going to do everything I can to get them off the streets in the long run.

Here is the scenerio, one of many ways to look at it. Say you are an individual just wanting to do good. And you go and bring a bunch of pizza's to homeless people on the street because you heard they were hungry. Welllll, thats a very nice thing to do and I am glad you have done it. However, you need to be aware of the whole picture. Earlier in the day the same people you just gave those pizza's to,,,(we do it also),,,,they worked for someone and made $30 or they panhandled and made alot more then that. They immediately spent it on drugs and alcohol within 15 minutes to an hour of earning that money. THAT is why they were hungry. Because they spent all the money they made on the drugs and alcohol. So, what has just happened is you have fed them and went back to your home where you will go to sleep in your comfortable bed and get up and take a nice shower and put on your clean clothes. You get my point. You do not see what happens at night or all day. You need to. My point here is, if you are going to be giving things, no matter what it is,,,,,be aware of the situations,,,,make a commitment to try and move the people you gave to, forward. The best way is to maybe volunteer with a group or an HAO organization so you know what you are working with. The problem or issue is, if you give just to give you might actually end up doing damage. They get a "false" comfort. You make it easier for the person to say to themselves,,,,"I can buy these drugs/alcohol because I know I will get some food tonight from so and so",,,,,,,,follow my point?

Then, when that person falls and has major problems with the law, medical etc,,,HAO's like us are left to pick up the pieces at 2:00am etc. Yes, we will feed, clothe, launder and provide shelter, showers etc etc,,,,but we know who we are dealing with, what they do, and we know where we are going with it.

Soooo, all I am saying is thank you for giving,,,,thank you for caring.

When you give,,,,keep your eyes wide open,,,keep aware,,,,,educate yourself before hand and be there to really make a difference in the persons life,,,,give to move them forward. To "RID" them of the streets.

Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life, goes by what I call,,,,, “RID”,,,,,

RID our homeless “friends” of the Streets.

“RID”(Respect, Integrity, Determination)