Affinity4 Community Blog

Last Friday in a move that shocked most Americans, Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain announced that he had chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. A historic choice, Palin is the first woman to run on the GOP ticket, following in the footsteps of Geraldine Ferraro, who ran on the Democratic presidential ticket in 1984. Ferraro ran as Democratic nominee Walter Mondale’s running mate. The news of McCain’s selection shocked Democrats and many Republicans, since Palin was not on the “short list” of people being named as likely choices. Palin has been serving as the Governor of Alaska for two years, prior to that she served two terms as the Mayor of Wasilla, AK.

The response from the Democratic side has been mostly criticism of Governor Palin’s lack of experience especially in the area of foreign affairs and national security. Most Republicans however, seem to be pleased with the Governor Palin’s socially conservative record and commitment to cracking down on unethical misconduct in her own state government. Governor Palin spoke to fellow Republicans and Americans nationwide Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention. She addressed her own strengths as a candidate as well as those of John McCain and made a harsh comparison between their strengths and experience to the experience of the Democratic candidates. She received a warm reception at the convention where most of the audience were on their feet applauding for the majority of her speech.

The Republican National Convention began Monday and will continue through tonight in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. An expected 45,000 people are in attendance. So far the convention has included several guest speakers such as Laura Bush, Cindy McCain, Senator Lieberman and former mayor Rudy Giuliani. This convention is the latest nominating convention in history and will end two months before the general election takes place on November 4th.

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After a long primary season, we are entering the next phase of the presidential election. Last Saturday, Democratic presidential candidate Barrack Obama announced his choice of a running mate- Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware. According to an Associated Press article on his website, Obama chose Biden because of his Congressional experience and his background in foreign policy and defense issues.

The Democratic Party and many supporters have been in Denver since Monday for the Democratic National Convention. During the convention there were many events including key speakers, the submission of the national platform for approval, and finally Barrack Obama’s official acceptance of the Democratic nomination. During his acceptance speech he laid out his strategy to beat John McCain in November, and emphasized that if elected, McCain would continue the policies of the Bush Administration. He also spoke to the need for change in our country. The closing of the convention took place at INVESCO field at Mile High. Attendance at the convention was estimated to be about 50,000 people, and at INVESCO field over 80,000. Obama’s speech fell on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. Obama’s acceptance of the democratic nomination makes him the first African-American to run for President of the United States on a major party ticket.

Next week, the attention will be on the Republican Party. The Republican Party convention will begin on September 1st in Minneapolis. Many other third party conventions have already taken place including both the Green party and Libertarian party conventions. If you are attending any political convention, we’d love to hear about your experience!

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According to Redeem the Vote website, there are between 25-30 million evangelicals in this country who aren’t registered to vote. Among those who are registered, some 6 million don’t even go to the polls. If we have complaints about our leaders’ immorality or new laws that have been passed that are not biblical, we might consider placing those complaints on the doorsteps of our local churches.

Too often we hear Christians and their many excuses for not going to the polls: “My vote doesn’t count anyway, the whole voting process is overwhelming to me, I don’t have time to register…”

Sadly, some Christians don’t realize that we have a truly God-given right in this country to be a part of the process by which our leaders are elected. We must make every effort to assure that those placed in office this year will honor the traditional family, uphold the sanctity of life, and protect our religious and constitutional freedoms.

Redeem the Vote exists to register people of faith regardless of party affiliation, or personal political beliefs, but as a matter of Christian principle. Redeem the Vote believes that people of faith must be engaged in the political debate and vote as a matter of moral imperative.

We do have a responsibility to vote in this upcoming election. We have a responsibility to choose leaders after taking the time to study their voting records, religious beliefs, and lifestyles. We have a responsibility to vote for those candidates that most closely follow biblical standards and principles. We must register and we must vote!

If you or someone you know has not yet registered to vote please visit Redeem the Vote.

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I am truly excited to become a member of Affinity4! I joined the Marketing Team a few weeks ago, and my duties have gradually increased as I have become more comfortable in my role. I’ve gotten to know some really great people and am learning a lot about our products and services. I’m honored to be a part of a dedicated company with such important values and views. I feel that working for a company that gives so much to charities and ministries is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, both personally and professionally. When you have an opportunity to GiveBack through basic everyday activities, those activities take on greater meaning.

Reading the blog postings and comments inspired me to post my own blog and introduce myself to our customers. There is a chance I will interact with you throughout my career with Affinity4, and I welcome the opportunity to become better acquainted. I firmly believe in making a difference, one customer at a time.

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This year at the Olympics, 10,500 athletes will compete in 302 events in 28 sports! The slogan for this year’s games is “One World One Dream”, which according to the official Olympics website symbolizes the universal values of the Olympic spirit. The mascots are the “Fuwa” which means “good luck dolls.” They are cute little figures that are said to carry good wishes from China to children all over the world.

If you’ve been watching the games so far you will have noticed that the U.S. is winning the total medal count with 46 medals, 14 of which are gold. But there are still several days left of competition… the 2008 Olympics come to a close on August 24^th.

My attention this year is on the swimming events, especially considering Michael Phelps’ goal of winning 8 gold medals during this Olympics alone. If he succeeds, he will have a total 19 gold medals- at only 23 years old! Of the 14 gold medals the U.S. has won so far this year, Michael Phelps has won 6 of them- two with the other members of the USA men’s relay teams. All 6 of his gold medals so far this year represent world record times. On Tuesday night, he made history by winning his 10^th career Olympic gold medal - making him the most decorated Olympian of all time.

I always find the Olympics exciting- it’s interesting to think about how people from all corners of the world are watching the same events at the same time. It’s also great to see the U.S. doing so well this year. I’ve heard some people speculate that it could be because the U.S. teams have been attending one another’s events to cheer them on and provide support. Go U.S.A!

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Our recent volunteer activity has had me thinking about how many Americans spend time volunteering each year. According to a recent Associated Press article, 26.2 percent of Americans spent time volunteering in 2007, which was a drop from the previous year. One of the reasons for this drop is that many people who volunteer one year, do not volunteer again the following year. Another big factor is the shaky economy. There are more people who are out of a job and need help and many Americans who don’t feel financially secure. On the bright side, the 26.2 percent of Americans who did volunteer in 2007 racked up 8.1 billion hours of volunteer work!

Out of the big city rankings, here locally, Virginia Beach ranked 42 out of 50 cities, which definitely leaves room for improvement. Minneapolis St. Paul ranked highest among all the big cities, and Utah topped the state rankings. No matter where you live, it is probably easier than you think to become a volunteer. Although some groups require a regular commitment and even training, others will allow you to schedule a day and just show up. You can even find an activity that fits your interests- if you love animals, volunteer at your local shelter, if you like working with kids, become a big sister or big brother. If you love the outdoors, volunteer at a local park or garden society.

One of my favorite ways to volunteer is through local races. I love running, so I often participate in races where the sign-up fee is donated to charity. But races are also a great way to volunteer your time. If you don’t run, you can volunteer at the race by passing out water or registering the runners. Find an event that is raising money for a cause that matters to you, and volunteer a few hours to help out with the event. This is just one example of how you can get involved in your local community, even through a 1 day event.

You can spend time doing something you enjoy and make a difference in your community at the same time. If you’ve been thinking about volunteering, try visiting VolunteerMatch or even look in your local paper for ways that you can help out in your community.

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Yesterday Affinity4 had our 3rd quarterly volunteering project. Over 20 of us (all Affinity4 employees) spent half of our day volunteering with ForKids. ForKids is a Norfolk based charity whose mission is to end homelessness in the Tidewater area. ForKids runs an emergency shelter, a series of homes, and counseling and educational programs for the families they work with. Their main purpose is to help families transition from homelessness to home.

Our assignment was to clean, paint, landscape, and decorate a 3 bedroom home for a formerly homeless family with disabilities. Prior to our event, we collected and purchased items to use to decorate the house. We bought and donated sheets, towels, kitchen supplies and other decorations to help outfit the home. The home itself is right here in Norfolk, so yesterday afternoon we all drove over with a truckload full of decorating items and got started. We split up, with half of us inside cleaning and painting and the other half outside landscaping and doing yard work. Four hours later, the house and yard were clean and the home was decorated and ready for the family to move in.

I think we were all amazed at how much we were able to get done in only a few hours. We all had a great time, and we are so excited for the family who will move in there. It felt great knowing how much the family will enjoy their new home and that we were able to help make their transition a little easier.

I can’t wait for our next volunteering project!

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Improving the culture of this country has to begin in our homes and with our families.  Our country has moved to a level of callousness seen on our television sets, in movie theaters, magazines, even in video games.  Parents have to remain the first line of defense in protecting their children from such trash.  Responsibility however, should not rest on them alone.  Everyone involved in the production and distribution of media should be held accountable.

Shielding our children from the violence, obscenity, and indecency in today’s media is a priority for the Parents Television Council. This non-profit group’s mission is to give parents guidance on what their children are watching.  This group recently targeted The CW for launching a new campaign for the TV show “Gossip Girl” using an image of two characters having sex, and one version branded with letters that represent an obscene slang term.

“We wanted to create a provocative campaign that stands out from the competition and reminds viewers of some of the ‘OMG’ moments that have made Gossip Girl one of the most buzzed-about new shows on television,” the CW said in a statement. “This sexy, sophisticated campaign speaks directly to our adult 18-34 viewers using expressions that are part of their lexicon.” – From Fox and Friends website

Yeah right!  Quite frankly, with an 8/7c time slot my best guess would be that the actual viewing audience would be much younger.  I give kudos to the Parents Television Council for their anti-indecency campaign against CW.  Their efforts to help protect young viewers are commendable.

As parents, we have to pay attention to what our children are watching and reading.  The watchdog groups can educate and push for fines against shows and their producers, but parents must set limits and standards in their own homes.  When the average American family quits watching, these shows will quit airing!

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A few days ago my neighbor and I were talking about volunteerism and how important it is to a community. She was telling me about the organization she volunteers with- Animal Rescue of Tidewater or ART for short. She has two cats; both adopted and are very precious to her. It breaks her heart when she sees an animal being mistreated. Because she believes that all of God’s creatures should be loved and treated with respect, she decided to join Animal Rescue of Tidewater, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to create a compassionate community where there are no more stray, abandoned, or neglected animals. In addition to rescuing homeless animals they also promote humane treatment and responsible pet ownership and advocate animal legislation.

ART partners with some local restaurants for fundraisers. Yesterday they partnered with a local California Pizza Kitchen. All day, supporters of ART could go to the restaurant and use coupons provided by ART. These coupons allowed California Pizza Kitchen to donate 20% of each check to Animal Rescue of Tidewater. Six of us, all Affinity4 employees, went to lunch yesterday, shared some great food, good conversation and raised some money for an organization that rescues animals in need.

For more information on ART, please visit www.artanimals.org.

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As a conservative Christian I am no doubt concerned about the direction our country is heading in. Our choices are tough in this year’s election. For some, votes will be based on: the war, education, social security, environmental issues… all of which are important. But most important, we must seek leaders who share our traditional values, respect life, protect our families, and assure our religious freedoms and civil liberties.

We do have a voice in this country, but often times as individuals we feel it’s difficult to make a true difference. One organization stands on the front line fighting for all of us and our God given rights in this country! The ACLJ exists to champion the causes that we as conservative Christian’s in this country hold dear. The ACLJ is able to continue their efforts with the support of individuals just like you and me.

Providing ongoing support to ACLJ’s work just got easier! That’s right; Affinity4 has just launched the new ACLJ Wireless Service. Now we all have the opportunity to take a stand with ACLJ and use our purchasing power to send a strong message to the major phone companies who don’t support traditional values. The new ACLJ Wireless Service offers great phone selection, rate plans, and a $100 credit for ending a current contract or buying a new phone. I know that will make it a lot easier for me to switch over!

Not only am I getting a great new phone service but I’m also supporting the ACLJ through Affinity4’s 10% GiveBack Program. Affinity4 is even donating an extra $10 to the ACLJ for each person that signs up!

Sign me up! How about you?

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