Non Profit Spotlight: SCV Pregnancy Center

A little while ago I told you that I would be hosting a non-profit on here once a month. One that genuinely calls you to be passionate about, and one that sparks you to get behind a cause; to be an active human being that doesn't tolerate ignorance and complacency. Well, now I am finally getting back into the groove of things.

Just a refresher about what is different in my presentation. I host someone or a couple, with a non-profit that means something to them. I am a person that cares about people, especially people who care for other people. So, it is only natural that I host my best friends on here first right?

Background: Meet Ben and Emily Coussens. This non-profit is something that means a lot to Ben in particular, and you will see more of Emily on here later (I mean duh. She is my best friend). I have known of Ben since he started to date Emily, but only met him a handful of times before they got married. It wasn't until Ben and Emily were settled in Wyoming that we really started to connect. I was in Southern California still, but Emily and I made as much time for each other as we could through phone, texting, and naturally facebook. I flew out to spend a little under a week with them, and Ben and I bonded. He became like an older brother to me, and when Matt needed him to be, we could count on him being a bodyguard, protector, and fill the older brother duties to a tee. Matt, Ben, Emily, and I are family. We have been through a lot together. Our friendships have been put to the test, as well as our individual lives, but because of the Grace of God, we have come out intact, and closer than ever. Ben is one of the most caring and compassionate guys you will ever meet.

The Non-Profit: SCV Pregnancy Center has been around in the Santa Clarita Valley for a long time. The reason why I am hosting them on my blog in October is to bring awareness to the Walk For Life that they host, a fundraiser that helps finance the needs that they have to function.
Who Are They? You may have heard of them, especially if you live in the Santa Clarita Valley. Here is a little clip from their website:

We are a leading health care team dedicated to providing relevant medical services in a caring and professional atmosphere to those facing unplanned pregnancy and sexual health decisions. Each of us is committed to service, education, and quality care, while serving the needs of the community. -SCV Pregnancy Center

NOTE: This is a pro-life blog. I am not in the business of "pot stirring" but simply informing people about different organizations that mean something to my friends and family. If you disagree with anything in this post, please keep it to yourself. I reserve the right to delete any comments that attack or provoke.

Me: Why does the SCV Pregnancy Center mean so much to you?
Ben: We are a family that supports pro-life. With that, we believe that women should be able to receive education about the life that is inside of them before having to make any major decisions. The SCV Pregnancy Center works hard to do just that.

Me: How did you first hear about the SCV Pregnancy Center?
Ben: I think it was 15 years ago. I was sitting in my parents church and someone came to speak about them. It wasn't until 2010 where I think I started to have a firm understanding of what they did.

Me: What is it about the SCV Pregnancy Center that makes you passionate about their cause?
Ben: They are a compassionate organization. They don't push their agenda on the people who they are trying to reach. Their goal is to make sure women are educated and equipped with options.

Thanks Ben and Emily for being willing to share!!

Here is their website if you want to know more or donate: http://www.scvpc.org/  
OR come out on October 18th for the Walk For Life and help them raise funds to help inform and educate young women across the valley!

30 Days of Clean Hair

October 13th marks my one year anniversary since starting radiation. I can hardly believe it. But since radiation I have noticed some dramatic changes to my hair. It's dry. Immensely dry. It doesn't curl anymore. I actually have straight hair now, which is something I have always wanted, but now that I have it, I miss my curly hair. Go figure right? And lastly it is just dull. I have a lot of hair with some volume, but for the most part it just goes flat against my forehead. So, if I ever wanted my hair to do anything helpful for me at all, it was time to break out the curling irons, the hair products, and combs.

I run in a circle where I monitor "healthy clean" lifestyle blogs and on the side, just normal "to each his own" type blogs. I tend to mix and match people's clean eating and lifestyle with the regular joe schmoe type attitude. Matt and I love eating healthy but not at the expense of foregoing a hamburger and soda every once in awhile. I started seeing on Pinterest something called the "No Poo" method and did a lot of research. This is what I found:

No Poo Method has actually been around for a long time. People wash their hair with baking soda to clean and then "condition" with apple cider vinegar. Many people have modified the No poo method to fit their needs. It is not PH Balanced, but I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the results. So, why am I interested? Basically in my research I found a lot of cancer patients testimonials mixed in with the facts. Cancer doesn't change the texture, but the treatment did. Radiation dried out my hair, naturally, since I had brain cancer and that is where it was blasted. On top of changing my hair color periodically, blow-drying it, using pastes and pomades, my hair has reached its tolerance level.

When I was on the East Coast this summer, the humidity restored some of my natural hair. I barely had to use a curling iron while there and could just sleep with wet hair, to get the picture above. The outcome was amazing and I felt like I had my natural "before surgery, before cancer" hair back. The minute I stepped off the plane to dry, desperately needing some rain Southern California, my hair resumed its flat, dry state. Leaving me with the picture below.

So, What am I doing? For 30 days I am washing my hair with Baking Soda. I am on day four now, and seeing some slight waves come back to my hair. I found in my research that Apple Cider Vinegar is good for restoring shine. While my hair is dull, it is dull because it lacks moisture. Instead I am doing a Coconut oil mask once a week, and using coconut milk to condition my hair. I found that I can do the mask first and then wash it out with the baking soda. Also, you can go three or four days without washing your hair. It's part of the process of restoring natural oils to your hair. But please still shower and be clean. I don't want to be responsible for dirty people in my life.

I will return to shampoo and conditioner after this process. I am still waiting to see if it even works. But if you want to give it a shot, it will be hard. I want to use hair products all the time. I want to blow-dry and straighten my hair. But now I can experiment with braids and cute pony's instead of damaging my hair constantly.

So there you have it. It's the start of a small journey to see if this is worth the hassle. Which, it is already proving to do so. Look for the halfway mark post in 11 days!