Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 48

Insight Vacations tour guide rescues refugees at Ukraine...

Insight Vacations tour guide rescues refugees at Ukraine border https://t.co/9LdpxKJ7vu #TravelWeekly @InsightVacation

— Tim Pendlebury (@InsightTim) March 1, 2022

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

YOU Can Help Rescue the Refugees at the Ukrainian Border

Are you wondering how to help the people in the Ukraine? [image error]

When I travel, I always want local knowledge and fortunately two of the smartest travel people I know shared the following– Cyd Cunniff shared John Boulding‘s post, who I traveled with in Italy when he was CEO for Insight Vacations, about what Tim Pendlebury is doing to rescue refugees:

TRAVEL WEEKLY UK: Insight Vacations tour guide rescues refugees at Ukraine border

By Samantha Mayling | March 01, 2022, 17:46

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Pictured: Tim and his wife Sabina (right) with Natalia and Darya.

Poland-based Insight Vacations tour guide Tim Pendlebury has rescued a mother and daughter fleeing the war in Ukraine and set up an appeal to support refugees escaping the conflict.

He drove 300km to the Poland-Ukraine border over the weekend to collect Natalia and her daughter Darya, then helped them reunite with Natalia’s older daughter Alina, who is studying in Poznan, Poland.

The father of the family, Vadim, remains in the capital, Kyiv, as men are not allowed to leave.

Pendlebury has also set up a fundraiser on Facebook to support a Polish charity, Caritas Polska, which is helping Ukrainians arriving at the border.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tim Pendlebury (@travelling_insighttim)

In just two days, he has raised £4,257 from friends, family and followers on social media.

He met the family four years ago in the Polish city of Krakow, as they needed directions, and had exchanged social media handles.

Last week, he contacted them to ask about their situation and heard about Natalia and Darya’s bid to escape and reunite with the older daughter in Poland, so set off to meet them.

“It was organised chaos at the border, with lots of charities and frightened women and children coming out – and Ukrainian men going the other way,” said Pendlebury.

The pair had experienced a long and tiring escape – a normal 20-minute journey out of the capital had taken five hours, then a drive to their home village in western Ukraine, between Kyiv and the Polish border, had taken 20 hours instead of the usual four.

“When the traffic queue at the border didn’t move for hours, they decided to leave their luggage and walk the last 10km, and then the processing on the border took hours,” he said.

“They had not slept for several nights, and had heard missiles and bombs,” said Pendlebury.

By the time he met them, it was 3.45am – but they finally reached his home at 8am on Sunday in the small village of Gilowice, near the border with Slovakia.

He got clothes for Darya from friends and relatives before they headed to Poznan to be with Alina.

Pendlebury is now on a Polish government list, ready to help another family of four – or friends and family of Natalia and Vadim.

“We have become instant friends with the family and we want to visit them in Kyiv when this is all over,” said Pendlebury.

“Natalia and Darya were thankful, happy and emotional when they came to us – one day they were living a normal life and none of us expected Putin to invade…then it happened.

“They heard the dull thud of bombs and their lives changed – she was a banker and economist with a sideline of making and selling jewellery on Etsy.

“Now, for the past three or four days all they want is sleep, peace and a hot shower.”

He said there is a great sense of unity and “enormous collective effort” in Poland to help the Ukrainians.

As well as setting up his fundraiser, he’s buying supplies such as food and nappies from his local supermarket to donate to the Red Cross.

His appeal has received donations from his home country of Australia plus New Zealand, South Africa, US, Canada, the UK and Europe – and he has had support from colleagues at Insight vacations and its parent The Travel Corporation, where he has worked for the past 24 years.

He shared a clip of himself heading to the border to show his followers “the human aspect” of the war and how refugees “are people, just like us”.

Donations from for tour leaders and tour directors were particularly remarkable, he added, because many of them had experienced a “tough time” during the Covid crisis and not working.

He hopes to start tours in Poland again in the spring and said he will work on creating a new travel itinerary, a journey through Poland and Ukraine in the years ahead.

His appeal is called ‘Helping Ukrainian women, children & elderly fleeing Putin’s aggression’ because he said “most Russians” are against the conflict, according to feedback from his colleagues in Russia.

Want to join me in supporting a good cause? I’m raising money for Caritas Polska and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate a lot or a little. Anything helps. Thank you for your support. Caritas Polska are providing immediate assistance to refugees fleeing the violence in Ukraine. At Poland’s borders they are there with food, water, blankets, beds & shelter, organizing and doing a great job amidst the influx of hundreds of thousands of people.Facebook pays all the processing fees for you, so 100% of your donation goes directly to the charity. 

FIND TIM on social media: Instagram @travelling_insighttim; Facebook @InsightTim; YouTube, Once Upon A Time In Krakow; and Twitter @InsightTim.

Insight Vacations tour guide rescues refugees at Ukraine border https://t.co/9LdpxKJ7vu #TravelWeekly @InsightVacation

— Tim Pendlebury 🌍✈️ (@InsightTim) March 1, 2022

The post YOU Can Help Rescue the Refugees at the Ukrainian Border appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Ways to Help the Ukraine from Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback & Stephen Wise Temple

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From Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Stephen Wise Temple:

Like many of our congregants, the Wise temple and school staff watched in horror as Russian forces invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine last week. For many, it brought back echoes of 1938, when Adolf Hitler annexed the Sudetenland under a similar pretense; as well, many of us remembered our own family members fleeing the region amidst fear and terror.

Many of you have reached out wondering what we can do. We have created a resource page for those in our community looking to help our fellow Jews and others in Ukraine, for those looking to learn more about the crisis, and for parents who want to find the right way to discuss these events with their children. If you have family currently in the region, we hope you will reach out to our clergy for pastoral and other support; we keep them in our prayers for peace and safety.

In addition, Rabbi Yoshi will be facilitating two upcoming webinars with experts in international relations and the Russia-Ukraine relationship. Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions.

Conversations About Ukraine: Special Wise Webinars
Rabbi Yoshi will be facilitating two upcoming webinars with experts in international relations and the Russia-Ukraine relationship. Participants will have the opportunity to submit and ask questions.

WEBINAR: Conversations About Ukraine: Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and the Honorable Ambassador Gary Grappo
Thursday, March 3 at 6 p.m. | Register
Former Ambassador Gary Grappo served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor of the United States Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before a posting as the United States Ambassador to Oman. He is currently the Vice President in Charge of External Relations Vice Presidency Unit for the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund, and is an adjunct faculty member at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.

WEBINAR: Conversations About Ukraine: Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Professor Kathryn Stoner, Ph.D.
Wednesday, March 9 at 5:30 p.m. | Register
A senior fellow at the Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Kathryn Stoner is also the Mosbacher Director of Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. With a long history of published scholarship on both Soviet and post-Soviet Russia, she has served on the faculty of Princeton and Columbia. Her books include “Resisting the State: Reform and Retrenchment in Post-Soviet Russia” (2006) and “Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order” (2017).

For those of you with family in the region, please reach out to us at letsconnect@wisela.org if we can be of pastoral or other support. [image error] Read Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback‘s article in The Forward: “Jewish history is repeating itself in Ukraine. This time, we must fight Putin back“ [image error] Ways to help

IsraAID Emergency Response Team

IsraAID is an international non-governmental humanitarian aid organization based in Israel. It is deploying an emergency team to Moldova, which saw more than 15,800 Ukrainian refugees crossing the countries’ shared border within the first 24 hours after the Russian invasion. IsraAID’s team will provide urgent relief, psychological first aid, and conduct ongoing assessments to prepare for additional responses as the situation evolves.

IsraAID has extensive experience working with refugees all around the globe. extensively with refugees and displaced populations, working in emergency and long-term development settings in more than 50 countries around the globe since it was founded in 2001.

Any funds not utilized as part of this response will be used as part of IsraAID’s Emergency Response Fund. DONATE TO ISRAAID

Assisting Refugees

HIAS, which is the oldest refugee resettlement organization in the United States, is accepting emergency donations that can be made as either one-time or recurring gifts. HIAS is responding to the crisis with emergency humanitarian assistance to the thousands displaced by the Russian invasion.

DONATE TO HIAS

JCC Krakow

The Jewish Community Center of Krakow is actively housing Ukrainians fleeing the war. JCC Krakow is also providing food, clothing, medicine, sanitary products, psychological counseling, and legal aid to those escaping to Poland.

FRIENDS OF JCC KRAKOW

Resources for Learners

Our Wise community includes not just our temple families, but our students, as well as the teens in our youth programs. On this page, you will find helpful resources on how to talk to your children about war and conflict, and about what is happening in Ukraine.

How to Talk With Students About the Russia-Ukraine War

How to Talk To Your Kids About the Russia-Ukraine Crisis

Resources for Educators, Families to Discuss the Invasion of Ukraine with Students

Kids Britannica – All About Ukraine

Kids Briannica – All About Russia

Promoting Compassion and Acceptance in Crisis

The post Ways to Help the Ukraine from Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback & Stephen Wise Temple appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Thanks HuffPost & 500K: Niver’s News: Feb 2022

Feb News 2022 with Lisa Niver & We Said Go Travel: [image error] Photo from @JerrySaltz on Instagram

My thoughts are with the people of the Ukraine and their incredible president, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy. Thank you to Rabbi Naomi Levy for this PRAYER FOR PEACE in the Ukraine.

God, Our hearts are with all the people of Ukraine,Its president, Volodymyr Zelensky,And with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Ukraine200,000 soulsWho crouch in fearAs the sound of sirens and bombs pierces the air. [image error] Thank you Huff Post Personal for publishing my essay, ” ‘My Octopus Teacher’ Was Mesmerizing But There’s 1 Thing That Deeply Troubled Me “ [image error] From Nov 17, 2021 to Feb 17, 2022 in three months, I had over 500,000 new views on short form video! I appreciate all of your support. I now have more than 370 videos on TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels and YouTube Short Video! Please comment, like and share on your favorite platform!Where did I celebrate? Lumière at the Fairmont Century Plaza and you can too!https://youtu.be/TGEDLCOdHCASince the Jewish Journal resumed print publication in Fall 2021, I have been in the Blog Bytes section sixteen times! Click here to see me in print in September 2021, October 2021 and November 2021. I will be posting more months in future newsletters. [image error]

From Seth Godin: Be careful what you wish for You might not get it. But as you pursue this wish, you’ll change what you do, what you see, who you connect with and the sacrifices you make along the way. Our wishes change us.

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THEY SAID STORIES this month: Sydney Roberts swims from Italy to Corsica, UPOD BIPOC Winter Scholarships, Brandon Cohen writes about living in China and Ben Hulin teaches us about the ParaGolfer.

[image error] Thank you to Genesis for my second road trip! Did you see us in Death Valley? This time we went to Joshua Tree! WHERE CAN YOU FIND MY TRAVEL VIDEOS?

Here is the link to my video channel on YouTube where I have over 1.5 million views on YouTube! (Exact count: 1,528,000 views)

Thank you for your support! Are you one of my 3,444 subscribers? I hope you will join me and subscribe! For more We Said Go Travel articles, TV segments, videos and social media: CLICK HERE

Find me on social media with over 150,000 followers. Please follow  on TikTok: @LisaNiver, Twitter at @LisaNiver, Instagram @LisaNiver and on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and at LisaNiver.com.

My fortune cookies said: “Star Light. Star Bright. Your Wish WILL come true TONIGHT.”“Find the road to happiness by helping others.” [image error] Joshua Tree Feb 19, 2022

The post Thanks HuffPost & 500K: Niver’s News: Feb 2022 appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

As the only ATHLETE FROM PUERTO RICO help me get my sp...

As the only ATHLETE FROM PUERTO RICO help me get my spot back at the Winter Paralympic Games #Paralympicshttps://t.co/7W3ypJg5GI

— Orlando Perez (@Orlando13112859) February 23, 2022

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Make a DIFFERENCE for Orlando Perez, a Puerto Rican Paralympian!

Help Orlando Perez, Puerto Rican Skier, get to the PARALYMPICS in Beijing:

Meet Orlando Perez, a U.S. Veteran and Paralympic alpine skier from Caguas, Puerto Rico. In 2018 Orlando impressed his ambition upon the International Paralympic Committee to compete in the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. Having been formally invited and accepted to compete in the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, Orlando made travel reservations and paid his way to Beijing. At the 11th hour, Orlando was informed that there was a clerical issue in the paperwork for his participation and he is now being told he will not be allowed to compete.

The big question is, why would Orlando receive acceptance to participate (requiring an application process) and then be rejected at the last moment?
Is a clerical issue a big enough issue to stop this Paralympian from the honor of representing his country and the pride of all his dedicated training put into action?
Please join us in signing this petition to the International Paralympic Committee in stating:
LET ORLANDO COMPETE!
Then share this petition with your family, friends, and social media accounts – we need as many signatures as we can get and time is of the essence! The opening ceremony for the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games is this Friday, March 4th.

As the only ATHLETE FROM PUERTO RICO help me get my spot back at the Winter Paralympic Games #Paralympicshttps://t.co/7W3ypJg5GI

— Orlando Perez (@Orlando13112859) February 23, 2022

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Get to Know Orlando
Originally from Caguas, Puerto Rico, a city known as the “cradle of the Puerto Rican identity,”. Orlando served in the US Army and was injured in the line of duty, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. As you can imagine, his life changed drastically. Adjusting from serving as a Soldier in the US Army (some of the toughest people you will ever meet) to being unable to use his legs; can you imagine what that must have felt like? Not just physically, but mentally. Suddenly his life is filled with insurmountable mountains but now they look like something most people take for granted: stairs. Recovery from something like this is a lot like traversing mountain tops, down into valleys, and back up again. It is a mental, physical, and spiritual struggle. Not to mention the loss of a career and an identity in the US military. The stresses of taking care of yourself and your family – it all takes a toll, and it takes the support of family and friends. The kind of support that encourages when nothing feels possible.

Orlando credits his wife for persuading him to attend the 1999 National Wheelchair Games (four years after his injury): “I thought it was a pity game. I thought it was a bunch of hospital chairs and a bunch of people running slow. Once I saw the crashes and the motivation of everybody – that got me up” (wrdw.com, 10 Sep 2012; pva.org 27 Jul 2012). Spoken like a true soldier, Orlando was ready for battle.

That year, Orlando received Puerto Rico Wheelchair Basketball Rookie of the Year Award (usocpressbox.org, 20 Jun 2007).and in 2005 Orlando was awarded as the Veteran Wheelchair Games Spirit of the Games Award (va.gov, 20 Jun 2007).

In 2017 Orlando was invited to be the flag bearer for Puerto Rico at the Wheelchair Basketball Americas Cup in Cali, Colombia (tunoticiapr.com, 17 Aug 2017) that year, Orlando retired from wheelchair basketball and took up para-alpine skiing for Puerto Rico – his motto: “bring on the challenges, because I love to overcome them” (discovernac.org).

Orlando doesn’t just participate in sport to compete, the sport and the camaraderie involved allow Orlando to push his perceived limitations and learn how to help others along the way. With his track record of military service and his ambition to compete as a Paralympic alpine skier, Orlando demonstrates a deeply embedded ethos, a sacred commitment even, to “never leave a fallen comrade”. Sometimes a fallen comrade may need to be physically carried, and other times – a fallen comrade needs to feel and see the support of their fellow service members, often this looks like witnessing them overcoming insurmountable challenges – like Orlando Perez becoming a Paralympic alpine skier.

Why this sport? Previously a wheelchair basketball player, he retired from the sport in 2017. He then took up Para alpine skiing after hearing that Puerto Rico was in need of athletes to take part in the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. “I found something that I can keep up with right next to everybody else. Able-bodied skiers, sit-down skiers, we can all go as fast as we want. If I don’t make it, it’s all me, and I like that. I like to put that pressure on myself, because it’s just going to help open my mind to how I can help others.”

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Orlando with Move United

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More on FACEBOOK at Orlando Perez PUR Ski Team

From National Ability Center: “Bring on the challenges because I love to overcome them!”

Accomplishments: Played for the Puerto Rico Paralympic Basketball Team. 4 international medalsGoals: Continue representing Puerto Rico at the Paralympic Games

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SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST! #SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS! pic.twitte...

SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST! #SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/c8pTPDmSNe

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 14, 2022

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Playboy opened the door to the sexual revolution. What p...

Playboy opened the door to the sexual revolution. What people don’t understand is that Playboy,Playboy clubs , Playboy Mansion,The Bunnies and the Playboy Playmates we’re all very different from Hugh Hefners private life. Hefner was a gentleman at the corehttps://t.co/tHwSg71gIj pic.twitter.com/irNeLSWhhH

— Jonathan Baker.com (@jonathanbaker) January 26, 2022

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